April!
By Elizabeth Scollan
My parents were firm believers in trying new things. If the meal entailed something outside of our young pallets, we, at least, had to partake in a bite of the new offering before concluding that it was not for us. I had pretty adventurous tastebuds but asparagus was amongst the few foods that I could not find a place on my plate to enjoy.
Yet each time my mom cooked it (steamed, grilled, sautéed or otherwise) she would sneak a stalk or two on my plate. “You never know if your pallet will shift,” she would coax. Each time that same strange aftertaste; slightly bitter and overwhelmingly.... GREEN overload my senses. Each time, I took only a bite, before spitting it into my napkin and scraping the remainder onto my dads serving.
Around the age of eleven this ritual was a somewhat codified affair and at a Spring cookout, plated next to the other tried and true flavors of early warm weather was asparagus. I picked up a single spear of that pesky green vegetable, prepped myself for the onslaught of “ew”, only to be surprised by a burst of flavor that could only be described as renewal. I finished the helping I had added to my plate and went back for a second round. To this day asparagus is, in my mind, the epitome of freshness and one of my favorite vegetables.
This memory of becoming an unsuspecting asparagus enthusiast, popped into my head as I was contemplating the shift in seasons and ruminating on the different ways that I move my body. There are times that I get into comfortable routine, which by the way has tremendous value. But in the spirit of renewal, rebirth, and clearing out stagnation from winter, my asparagus saga reminded me that their is tremendous reward in leaning into things that at first seem uncomfortable or “just not me”.
This is a playful challenge to try something/s new this spring. Soulage has become home to a number of unique and potent styles of movement and practice. You may be familiar with a traditional Vinyasa practice, but perhaps this April their is a teacher on our schedule you want to practice with for the first time. Or you might try something completely new on for size like Buti, Breathwork, Empowered Flow, or Healing Movement and Mediation. Click on our schedule here for descriptions of these offerings.
Starting this week, Acu-Sound bath is a truly nourishing and tasty offering to wet your experiential appetite. This weekly event combines the magic and medicine of the vibrational streams of Acupuncture and Sound Medicine. Let Harmony Works weave a container of deep healing, meditation, insight, and the activation of ones inner essence and intuition in these weekly Medicine Offerings. Come as you are and drop into the healing field, rest, restore, renew, and grow. Harmony Works utilizes a world class crystal singing bowl set up with Tibetan Bowls, Gong, tuning forks, Chimes, Kalimba, and Flute, to create an elemental flow of sound that deepens the depth that is available through simple and safe acupuncture treatments. Right now you can pay at the door cash or Venmo at a suggested donation of $22-$220.
Tips for trying out your new flavor of practice:
Leave your expectations at the door. Let the experience unfold as it is. It may not be what you expected but there are gifts the practice has to offer you didn’t even know you wanted or needed.
Try it more than once. Pop in for a full month to see if consistency and familiarity open the door enjoyment.
Lean into the being a beginner. If you have been practicing yoga for awhile, and you try a less structured practice on for size remember that you are building new neurological
pathways in your brain. It may be awkward at first, but with practice we can grow our capacity to move and experience our bodies in completely new ways. Keeping our minds flexible is as important as keeping our bodies limber.
4. Have fun. It can be easy to get caught up in the feeling of checking all the boxes in life. Give yourself permission to lean into taking an offering simply because you enjoy it.
Bonus offering: In the spirit of Spring newness, here’s a soup I created this week with some of my favorite Spring flavors including that glorious vegetable that took me awhile to appreciate; Asparagus
Ingredients:
1 bunch of asparagus
1 cup frozen peas
1 cup of celery chopped
2 cups green cabbage chopped
2 portabella cut into large cubes mushrooms
1 shallot or half an onion chopped
1 TBSP olive oil
1 package of no boil gnocchi
1/2 cup of coarsely chopped basil
1/2 cup of coarsely chopped dill
1/2 cup of Tamari or soy sauce of your choice.
1 cup of chimichurri (1 bunch of chopped parsley, 1 bunch of chopped cilantro, 6 cloves of chopped garlic, 1 shallot, 2 TBSP of red wine vinegar, enough olive oil to make a paste out of the ingredients, salt pepper and chili flakes to taste)
2 quarts of broth (chicken or Vegetable)
4 TBSP of tofutti Better than Cream Cheese
Salt and Pepper to taste
Marinate your cubed portabellas in soy sauce for 6 hours.
Heat olive oil in a pan of medium heat.. Add chopped shallot, and two tablespoons of Chimichurri and cook until shallots are translucent.
Add in cabbage, celery and another TBSP of chimichurri and cook until cabbage begins to soften.
Stir portabellas and soy sauce into the mix. Cook until mushrooms release their juices. The Pour in all the broth, reserving 1/2 cup. Heat until it boils then reduce heat and simmer. Salt and pepper to taste
While the soup is simmering put the 1/2 cup reserved broth in a separate pan and heat. Add 4 tablespoons of Tofutti Cream Cheese and whisk together until fully mixed, then add remaining chimichurri and gnocchi. Cook until the gnocchi absorb most of the liquid and the sauce has thickened. Add salt and pepper to taste.
Turn off heat on the soup. Stir in basil, dill and peas.
Add a few gnocchi and sauce to the bottom of each bowl. Ladle soup on top and ENJOY!