Category: Recipes

Recipes

Make Your Own Collagen-Rich Chicken Bone Broth in an Instant Pot in 2 Hours Hands-off Cooking Time

Grace Yoga

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Yield: 8 to 10 cups of bone broth (64 to 80 ounces)
Cooking Time: 2 hours
Total time, including prep and storage: 3 hours

Tools and Where to Buy Them Without Leaving Your House

Ingredients

  • 1 chicken carcass, rinsed (organic, grass fed). Thank you chicken!
  • 12 chicken feet, rinsed (organic, grass fed). This is what makes it collagen-rich!
  • 1 medium onion, chopped
  • 1 celery stalk, chopped
  • 1 carrot, chopped
  • 1/2 inch piece ginger, chopped
  • 1 tablespoon of apple cider vinegar
  • 1 teaspoon pepper (or to taste)
  • 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
  • 1 teaspoon coriander seeds
  • 1 teaspoon fennel seeds
  • 1 teaspoon organic turmeric or curry powder
  • Himalayan pink salt to taste (just a dash — you can add more later)
  • About 8 cups of filtered water (fill until water covers chicken and is about 1 inch below Instant Pot max line) 

Cooking Steps

  1. Add all ingredients into the Instant Pot and close the lid.
  2. Set the Instant Pot to Pressure Cook setting, and cook on high for 2 hours.
  3. After 2 hours, let the Instant Pot cool down naturally (45 minutes).
  4. Strain the broth.
  5. Refrigerate the broth.  (Perfect bone broth gels like jelly.)
  6. Skim off and discard fat before use.
  7. Store for use for up to 3 to 5 days.  It can be frozen also to be used within a year.

FAQs

Chicken feet?! Gah! For real???  Yes.  Chicken feet is what makes this broth rich in collagen and super gelatinous.  They can be purchased from a butcher.  Burgundy’s Local is great!  They offer organic, grass-fed chicken.

How in the world do I get a chicken carcass?  I buy a whole chicken and then use the meat for meals.  I save the bones from the chicken as the carcass in this recipe.  Chicken carcasses without the meat can also be purchased from a butcher.  Once again, Burgundy’s Local is a good one for healthy and happy chicken carcasses without the meat.

Can I just buy the boxes of bone broth from the grocery store?  Yes, but it is not nearly as collagen-rich as what this recipe makes.  Those pre-packaged grocery store bone broths are about $5 per box.  This recipe will save you so much money for a much better broth.

Should I buy spices in jars or in bulk?  BULK!  It is so much cheaper! Links above take you straight to the spices I get from Amazon.

How long does bone broth take to make?  This recipe will take about 3 hours including prep, cook, and storage (hands-off cooking time is 2 hours).  Traditional bone broth can take 8 to 12 hours on the stove or in a slow cooker, but save yourself time and consistently get high-quality results by using an Instant Pot.  With the Instant Pot, the time is significantly cut down.

Notes

I learned how to make Instant Pot bone broth from Amy + Jacky.  They did an amazing job testing and trying what worked best to make the most gelatinous bone broth.  Well done!

After making many batches of broth, the recipe has evolved into my own, and that is what I am sharing here.  Try this recipe and let me know how it turns out for you.

Please share your experience with me and let me know if you have any questions.

Namaste,

Diana

Recipes

Chocolate-Peanut Butter Fat Bombs

Grace Yoga
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So, I stumbled upon a neat recipe for chocolate peanut butter fat bombs.  I made the original, then I made up my own, putting my own spin on Lee’s recipe.  Everyone loved them! Here’s my version of Chocolate-Peanut Butter Fat Bombs.

Total Time: 2 hours 15 minutes

Prep Time: 15 minutes
Yield: 24 regular cupcake-size (about half way filled) / 48 mini cupcake-size

Ingredients

Instructions

  1. Line the cupcake pans with liners
  2. In a medium bowl, mix the peanut butter and coconut oil with a hand-held mixer or Kitchenaid mixer on low speed until uniform in consistency and color.
  3. Gently stir in the cocoa powder to the peanut butter-coconut oil blend.  Don’t use the mixer.  Use a spoon, or cocoa powder might go everywhere (like it did in my kitchen).
  4. Mix in the maple syrup or preferred sweetener to taste.
  5. Spoon the mixture into the cupcake pans evenly.  Fill the regular cupcake pan with a little less than half way — this is about 2 to 3 tablespoons.  If making mini-cupcake size, you can fill each one about with about 2 tablespoons — they will be a little more than 2/3 of the way full (not quite to the top of the liner).
  6. Sprinkle with just a bit of coconut macaroon.
  7. Place the cupcake pans in the freezer.  After about an hour or 2, the fat bombs will be ready. Note: Be sure to keep them stored in the freezer. They will melt at room temperature.  

Keto Friendly?  Yes! This recipe can be made keto friendly by using a maple syrup substitute, like Lakanto Sugar Free Maple Syrup.  I haven’t made the sugar free version yet so I don’t know exactly how much would be needed.  When I do make it, I will let you know how much of the Lakanto sugar free syrup to use. If you want to give it a shot, try to put in only 3 tablespoons then taste the mixture.  If it is not sweet enough, add a bit more until it tastes amazing!

If you try this recipe, please let me know how it turned out for you. 

Namaste, 

Diana

Recipes

Summer Pitta Salad (Keto-friendly)

Grace Yoga
Summer Pitta Keto SaladThis is a great Ayurvedic recipe for a summer party!  A great side dish!

 

Summer Pitta Pasta is the original recipe, which I highly recommend.  But I also love to put my own spin on recipes.  So, I tried my creativity out on this one, and it turned out super yummy!

 

I started with the original Summer Pitta Pasta recipe, but then made it keto-friendly.

 

My mom recently started the keto diet, and we just celebrated the 4th of July holiday where I made this keto version for her.  I also made the original — they were both delish!

 

In the keto version, I subbed riced-cauliflower for the pasta and skipped the breadcrumbs. I also added freshly-squeezed lime.  It was YUMMY!  My mom even used her version as filler for lettuce wraps and that was delicious, too!

 

I LOVE COOKING and putting my own spin on recipes.

 

This is my keto-friendly version recipe:

 

Ingredients

  • 2 cups riced cauliflower (cauliflower finely chopped, nearly minced)
  • 3 tbsp of ghee
  • Pinch of hing (optional)  (also known as asofetida and can be purchased on Amazon)
  • 2 cups fresh green beans, trimmed and cut into 1 inch pieces
  • 3 cups zucchini or yellow squash, diced
  • Himalayan pink salt (to taste)
  • ½ cup finely-chopped fresh basil
  • ½ cup  finely-chopped flat-leaf parsley
  • ¼ cup minced fresh mint
  • Black pepper
  • ½ of a lime

Directions

  1. Over low-medium heat, add ghee to a skillet and a pinch of hing (not much — it can be strong).
  2. Turn the heat up to medium.  Then add the green beans, cover, and sauté 3 minutes, stirring often.
  3. Add the zucchini or squash to the skillet.  Salt to taste.  Cover and cook on medium-low heat until the squash becomes tender (about 8 minutes).  Keep covered and stir the mixture occasionally. When it is tender, remove from heat and allow to rest.
  4. Steam the cauliflower.  There are several ways you can steam — this is just one way.  Add about a cup of water in a pan and place over high heat.  Place the cauliflower in a steamer pot.  When the water begins to boil, place the steamer pot over the pan of water.  Allow the cauliflower to steam about 5 to 7 minutes or until it begins to become tender.
  5. In your large serving bowl, add all ingredients:  Cauliflower, green beans, squash, basil, parsley, mint, and black pepper (to taste).  Squeeze the lime.  Add salt to taste.  Stir and serve.  Can be enjoyed fresh and warm, or chill and serve — your choice!

If you have any questions or feedback about this recipe, please ask.  Let me know how this tasted!

This is the Original recipe next to My Version and they are both good!

Summer Pitta PastaSummer Pitta Keto Salad

Namaste,

Diana

Recipes

What is Kitchari? A Delicious, Cleansing Ayurvedic Meal to Reset Sluggish Digestion

Grace Yoga

KitchariKitchari is food.  It is a cleansing Ayurvedic meal.  I eat it when my digestion needs a break.

The recipe shared here is a type of kitchari I made on New Year’s Day 2019.  I used sprouted mung beans because that is what I had on hand, but mung dahl beans (split yellow mung beans) are what I typically use and what I have seen in most recipes.

Serves: 2
Cooktime: 30 minutes

Ingredients:

  • 1/2 cup basmati rice
  • 1 cup of sprouted mung beans
  • 2 kale leaves
  • 1/4 cup shredded carrots
  • 1/2 cup butternut squash (from a frozen bag)
  • 2 tbsp green onions
  • 1 cup water (or bone broth)
  • 2 cups vegetable broth (or more water)
  • 2 tsp fresh grated ginger (This amazing tool grates ginger perfectly!)
  • 3 tbs ghee

Spices:

  • 1/2 tsp of winter spice mix (from The Everyday Ayurveda Cookbook)
  • 1/2 tsp of everyday savory spice mix (from the same book)
  • 1/4 tsp of coriander
  • 1/4 tsp of cumin
  • 1/4 tsp fennel
  • 1 pinch of hing (asofetida)
  • OR just get this pre-made kitchari spice mix by Banyan Botanicals

In a 3 quart saucepan, heat the ghee and stir in ginger.  Let the ginger simmer for about 30 seconds then add the dry spices.  Continue to stir until the spices become fragrant (about another 30 seconds).  Add the rice and mung beans.  Stir the rice and beans until they are coated with the seasonings.  Then add the water.

In a separate saucepan, bring the vegetable broth to a boil and then reduce it to medium heat.

Now, back to the saucepan with the rice and beans: When the water comes to a boil, reduce heat to medium heat. Let the rice cook for 10-15 minutes, without stirring.  Then, once the rice begins to get larger, fold in the kale, butternut squash, carrots, and half of the green onions. When you stir or move the rice, do so gently. Continue to cook the rice for 15-20 more minutes, adding the vegetable broth as needed.  Adding 2 or 3 tablespoons of broth at a time as the rice gets drier will help keep the rice from sticking.

When serving, garnish with green onions or cilantro.  Salt and pepper to taste. Enjoy!

The ingredients for kitchari will need to change depending on the season. For example, in the summer you will want to garnish spicy meals with cilantro because of its cooling properties.

Resources

There are lots of great recipes for kitchari and lots of great information on it out there.  Here are a few awesome resources:

  • Banyan Botanicals – This website has a great article on kitchari.  They even share a video and a recipe at this link.
  • The Everyday Ayurveda Cookbook: A Seasonal Guide to Eating and Living Well by Kate O’Donnell – A great book for Ayurvedic cooking and seasonal eating.
  • Joyful Belly – A very good website on the Ayurvedic diet.  They have an article on kitchari that says, “If your belly feels sluggish after too many treats, Kitchari is an easy way to cleanse your digestion and restore freshness.”

If you have any questions about my kitchari recipe, please feel free to ask.  Let me know how this turns out for you.

Namaste,

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Recipes

Turkey Barley Soup

Grace Yoga

Turkey Barley Soup

I am trying a new meal.  Turkey Barley Soup.  Ground turkey, that is.

Cook time:  90 minutes (because the barley takes a while to be ready)
Serves: 8

Ingredients:

  • 1/2 lb ground turkey
  • 1 cup barley, rinsed and drained
  • 1 medium onion, chopped
  • 4 ribs of celery, chopped
  • 1/4 cup shredded carrots
  • 1 quart of beef broth, low sodium
  • 1 quart of water
  • Ghee
  • 7 oz diced tomatoes (optional) (about half a can)

Spices:

  • 1/2 cube of vegetable bullion
  • 1/2 cube of beef bullion
  • 1 teaspoon of paprika
  • 3 bay leaves
  • 1/2 teaspoon curry seasoning
  • 1/2 tsp garlic powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon of Everyday Savory Spice Mix from “The Everyday Ayurveda Cookbook” by Kate O’Donnell (If you don’t have this book, I highly recommend it!)
  • 1/2 teaspoon of Winter Spice Mix from the same book.
  • 1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
  • Pepper, to taste
  • Dill, to taste (optional)

Sauté the onions and celery in ghee.  When the onions start to become clear add the ground turkey.  Stir in all the dry seasonings (except the bullion, bay leaves, and dill) and let them cook until the turkey is browned.   Add the beef broth, Worcestershire, bay leaves, water, and bullion cubes.  Stir in the barley.

Bring to a boil, add bullion, then set to simmer.  Simmer for 1 hour, stirring occasionally.  Stir in the carrots and tomatoes (optional) and continue to simmer for 30 more minutes.  When serving sprinkle dill on top to taste.

So, I like to look up recipes and then make them my own.  I was inspired by Beaker’s Vegetable Barley Soup recipe.

This one is pretty easy.  I was a little surprised by how long it took to cook the barley.  Now I know! What is posted here is how I made it.  I may end up changing a few ingredients and spices.

If you do try it, let me know how it turned out for you.

Enjoy!

Namaste,

Diana

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Recipes

Easy Potato Soup Perfect for Cold Weather …. So Good!

Grace Yoga

Potato Soup

  • 3-4 medium potatoes
  • 4 cups water
  • 1/4 cup shredded carrots
  • 3 ribs of celery
  • 1 medium onion
  • 2 Tbs flour
  • 2 Tbs Ghee (or butter)
  • 1.5 cups milk
  • 1 tsp of chicken bullion
  • Pepper to taste
  • Salt (optional)
  • chives (optional)

In a medium saucepan, boil the potatoes and carrots in water.  Add enough water to cover the veggies.  While the potatoes are warming up, grab a stockpot.

In the stockpot, sauté the onions and celery in the ghee over medium heat.  When the onions begin to become clear, add the flour, stirring frequently.  Add the milk little by little, continuing to stir often.  Add pepper and chicken bullion.   The mixture will look like gravy with onions and celery!  For thicker soup consistency, use more milk.

When the potatoes and carrots are beginning to soften, stir them with the water into the stockpot.  Add additional water to your preferred consistency.  Salt to taste (optional).  Reduce the heat to medium-low.  Let the deliciousness simmer for about 20 minutes stirring often.  When serving, top with the optional chives. (Bacon bits might taste good, too!)

If you try this, please let me know how it turned out!

Peace and Joy,

Diana

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Recipes

Lasagna from Scratch (even the noodles)

Grace Yoga

Diana’s Lasagna Recipe

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Ingredients:

  • Love 🙂
  • 1.5 lbs ground beef or turkey (for vegetarian, substitute your favorite veggie)
  • 1.5 medium to large zucchini, diced (or other seasonal veggie)
  • half red onion, chopped
  • half yellow onion, chopped
  • lasagna noodles (boxed or make your own — instructions below)
  • 3 cloves fresh garlic, minced
  • 1 – 28 ounce can of crushed tomatoes
  • 2 – 14.5 ounce cans of diced tomatoes with basil, oregano, garlic
  • 1 tsp oregano
  • 1 tsp basil
  • 1 tsp garlic powder
  • 2 Tbs ghee (I have a separate post on how to make ghee)
  • salt to taste
  • pepper to taste
  • shredded mozzarella (optional)
  • lasagna baking pan
  • foil

Pre-heat oven to 375.

The most important ingredient in this recipe is love.  It should be added every step of the way.

Meat layer:

Add about a tablespoon of ghee to large skillet over medium-high heat.  Brown meat.  In the same pan to the side OR in a separate pan, sauté the onions and garlic in another tablespoon of ghee.  Then combine meat, onions and garlic.  Add oregano, basil, garlic powder, and salt and pepper to taste.  Stir in the zucchini at the end.  Cook until the zucchini begin to get slightly soft, then remove from heat.

Sauce:

In a separate sauce pan, combine the canned tomatoes.  Add additional garlic, oregano, and basil.  Use a hand blender to make the consistency more like a sauce.  Heat to keep sauce warm.

Noodles:

  • 3 eggs
  • 2 ¼ cups of flour
  • 1 quart size zipper bag
  • Pasta machine

In a large mixing bowl, add the flour and make a well in the middle.  Add the eggs to the well. Begin to beat the eggs and the flour will gradually work its way into the eggs, making a dough.  The dough will likely seem dry.  Begin to kneed the dough.  Add a tsp of water and continue to kneed.  If still dry, add another half tsp of water.  Kneed it into a ball and place in a zipper bag and let sit for 10 -30 minutes or so until the dough becomes soft.

Separate dough into 4 to 6 sections.  Take one section and flatten it by hand or with a rolling pin.  Feed it through the pasta machine until the desired thickness.  Here is a quick 1-minute demonstration on this step: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mqqO2umKs24

Layer the lasagna:

In a lasagna pan, add a layer of sauce. Place the noodles on the sauce. (If using boxed noodles, follow the instructions on the box.) Add a layer of meat/veggies. (I prefer to sprinkle just a little bit of meat, not using too much on each layer.)  Add a layer of sauce.  Repeat as many times as you like, or until you run out of meat.  End with a layer of pasta on top.  Top it with sauce.  Add shredded mozzarella (optional).

Bake the lasagna:

Cover the pan with foil and bake for 35 minutes.

Remove the foil. Use a fork and poke the center of the lasagna (to prevent bubbles).

Bake another 5-10 minutes until nicely browned.

Let cool about 10 minutes.  Cut and serve.

 

If you can, buy organic and local. 🙂

Enjoy,

Diana

Recipes

Ghee – Liquid Gold

Grace Yoga

just made gheeThis is how I make ghee:

Making Ghee

Cook Time: 1 hour

Ingredients

  • 1.25 lb. (20 ounces) of organic unsalted butter, cut into large cubes

Tools

  • 1  Three-quart pan (or a double boiler to reduce the risk of burning the ghee)
  • 1  spoon (a soup or cereal spoon works great)
  • 1 pint mason jar and lid (16-ounces)
  • 1 canning funnel (can be purchased on Amazon or at Walmart/grocery store. This set looks fun! It comes with a strainer.)
  • 1 stainless steel strainer (small enough to fit in the canning funnel)
  • 1 fine, unbleached cheese cloth folded so it has 4 to 6 layers (or coffee filter)
  • 1 disposable coffee cup (or bowl)
  • *optional thermometer

Make the Ghee: Melt the butter in the pan over medium heat, stirring often.  If adding any infusions, like rosemary, add them when the butter is melted.  When ghee begins to boil, reduce the heat to medium-low so that the ghee is lightly simmering. If using a thermometer, keep the temperature between 221 to 244°F.  The milk solids will start to separate and foam will rise to the top, and water will begin to evaporate.

After about 10 minutes, gently rake the foam of milk solids off the top without disturbing the golden liquid below the surface too much.  Repeat this raking process as milk solids rise to the top.  You’ll begin to see the liquid get clear and solids forming at the bottom.

If the milk solids start to burn but the liquid is still cloudy, transfer the liquid to another pot. When the ghee stops bubbling (no more steam) and you smell a hint of toffee, the ghee is ready. If using a thermometer, the temperature will rise above 266 °F and the milk solids will brown. Remove the pan from heat.

Tip: If the milk solids at the bottom of the pan start to burn but the liquid is still cloudy, the heat is too high. These burned milk solids will make your ghee smell and taste burned, and this is not awesome. Transfer the ghee to another pot and discard the burned milk solids.

Store the Ghee: While the ghee is still hot and liquid, it is ready to transfer to the mason jar.  Set up: Place the canning funnel in the mouth of the mason jar.  Set the tea strainer in the funnel.  Place the cheesecloth or coffee filter in the strainer.

Slowly pour the ghee into the funnel and let it strain into the mason jar.  As the ghee filters into the mason jar, pour more ghee.  Repeat this process until no more ghee is left in the pan or your jar is full.

When all the ghee has been filtered, close the lid and you are done!  As the ghee cools, the lid may pop creating an awesome vacuum seal.

I love Titly’s video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wkZgIN4cZYc

If you have questions about ghee, please feel free to leave comments or ask me any questions.

Much love,

Diana

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Recipes

Simple Chicken-less Chicken Noodle Soup

Grace Yoga
leek and potato soup with bread

Serves 2 – 3

Ingredients (all organic if possible):

  • 1 tbsp ghee
  • 3 stalks of celery (must be organic) chopped
  • 2 small, thin carrots chopped (or 1/4 cup shredded carrots)
  • 1/2 yellow onion chopped
  • 1 box 32 oz. chicken bone broth (or veggie broth)
  • 1/4 cup small egg bowtie noodles
  • Pepper to taste
  • (Optional) 1/2 tsp Everyday Savory Spice Mix (from the Everyday Ayurveda Cookbook)

Heat up the ghee in a medium to large saucepan (never let ghee smoke — if it does, throw it out). Once ghee is melted, add the celery, carrots, and onion to the saucepan. Cook until the onions start to become clear.  Immediately add the broth.  Once the soup begins to boil, add the noodles and pepper.  I don’t add salt, but please feel free to add to taste at the end.

Enjoy this filling yet light dinner.

Love, peace, and joy,

Diana

Update: On a cold day, I modified this recipe by adding a little flour (2 tsp) while I was cooking the celery, carrots, and onions, then added a little milk (1/2 cup).  It made the soup just a bit creamy, which was perfect for a cold day!

Photo by Kaboompics .com on Pexels.com