Authors: Liz Price-Kellogg
& Kristen Taylor
Publisher: Skyhorse Publishing (2015)
I can’t tell which I fell in love with first – yoga or food. There’s a certain zen to each craft – be it working towards inner peace through daily asanas or allowing the flavours of a perfectly balanced meal dance across the tongue. While many people think the practice of yoga is ascetic and the enjoyment of delicious cuisine is overly decadent, separating each other with a distinct wall, the fact is that the two can work in glorious harmony. Authors Liz Price-Kellogg, a trained yoga instructor, and her student Kristen Taylor, embody this philosophy in their book For the Love of Food and Yoga: A Celebration of Mindful Eating and Being.Food and Yoga is a combination of photo album, yoga guide and cookbook. The pages are packed with 100 recipes, each either vegan or vegetarian, and are peppered with inspirational quotations (“YogiBites”) from the likes of people such as Einstein, the Dalai Lama, Julia Child and even Steve Jobs. Asanas are shown in glorious full-colour photographs taken along the St. Lawrence River and are titled in both Hindi and English, with an (English) description as to the benefits of that pose. For instance, one of my favourites (Bhujangasana or Cobra Pose (p. 161)) “strengthens upper body, elevates mood, opens heart center” and is photographed with a glorious view of the river and its shores. Recipes are also artfully captured by either the authors, Blake Price-Kellogg or Jonathan Taylor, each enticing readers to try the cleverly-titled recipes like Restful Rosemary Potatoes (p. 80), Seated Spinach (p.134) and Chakra Fruit Salad (p. 254). In fact, even non-foodies will find this book is worth buying for the photography alone, more suitable for keeping on coffee tables or open shelves rather than closed-door pantries.
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| Vasisthasana III (Advanced Side Plank) - All Rights Live Yum LLC |
The recipes themselves are a great combination of
simplicity and complexity – both in ingredients and flavours. Realized Roasted Tomatoes (p. 68) call
for only a handful of ingredients and steps, but lend considerable depth to a
simple pasta dish or warm grain salad. Likewise, Buddha Brussels (p. 64) will turn almost anybody onto the flavour
of roasted sprouts thanks to their perfect marriage of garlic, Dijon and just a
hint of cayenne. The innocuously named Liberating
Lentil soup (p. 108) is full of complexity thanks to a generous helping of
both umami, tart and sweet ingredients – each in harmony with the other and
creating a satisfying, yet crave able, bowl of comfort. It’s impossible to pick
just a single favourite from the book, but both the vegan Asian Style Wealthy Wonton Purses (p.230) and the Sinfully Sublime Mousse Mountains (p. 244)
are in demand with those who taste them!
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| Napoleon - All Rights Live Yum LLC |
Available on Amazon