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Notice to Readers: Taking a Hiatus

Photo by Roger Winstead
Photo by Roger Winstead

 

Dear readers:

Have you ever felt so off kilter that you had to put your foot on the brake to stop the world from spinning so fast? I’m in the middle of just this kind of experience, making a conscious effort to SLOW down and unwind from my habitual hectic pace.

As I begin my period of unwinding, I want to check in with loyal fans and new readers to explain why I won’t be generating new content for Sacred & Delicious for the next… let’s say several months. I feel that I need to take a hiatus.

My mother died recently, and the years leading up to her death were challenging for me, as well as for her. Mom had profound dementia along with numerous other health conditions that demanded medical attention and required my support for more than a decade.

Of course, my situation is commonplace. Millions of others around the globe help loved ones as they age. I was devoted to supporting my mother so that she could enjoy life to the fullest as long as possible. And she did! She loved life with a passion and held on until the age of ninety-three, despite all her tsuris. After years of dementia-induced agitation, she died peacefully on April 13, 2020.

Now, I’m tired. Fortunately, I have the luxury and my husband’s blessing to take a pause. After taking another month to finish sorting and placing Mom’s belongings, I dream of puttering in the garden… reading a stack of novels that have been gathering dust…  getting lots of physical exercise… And more than anything specific, I want to remember how to relax!

One of Ayurveda’s primary goals is to create balance in the body, mind, and emotions. Dietary recommendations, suggestions about lifestyle, detox programs, and practitioner prescriptions for botanical medicines are all about achieving balance that has gone awry. Yet, even people like myself—so devoted to the Ayurvedic way of life—cannot always sustain the necessary balance for optimal health in the face of life circumstances.

I have long been a workaholic, often pushing through my days with a certain intensity and the perfectionism for which Virgos are known. What I have given myself in the past twenty-two years is five to seven days a week of freshly cooked food and a daily practice of meditation and pranayama (yogic breathing). This ongoing self-care has sustained me.

As challenging as these past several years have been, I’ve become stronger, more resilient, and increasingly more compassionate. Everything I have imbibed in my spiritual studies, along with the love of my family and amazing friends, arose to support me through difficult decisions and sometimes harrowing events. Thank you all!

You will hear from me again. This, I promise! I love cooking healthy food and creating new dishes, and when the spirit moves me, I may post new content from time to time, even while enjoying the new spaciousness of my personal retreat.

And for now, I’m posting a vegan version of the Sacred & Delicious blueberry pancake recipe that was published in my cookbook. (Yes, I’ve been indulging in some comfort food this spring!)

Stay well. Be patient. Be kind to yourself and others. This time has much to teach all of us.

Lisa J. Mitchell

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VEGAN BLUEBERRY BUCKWHEAT PANCAKES

Preparation Time: About 30 minutes plus resting and cooking time
Makes about 14 pancakes, using ¼ cup batter for each

2 tablespoons flaxseed meal
1 cup buckwheat flour
¾ cup oat flour
¼ cup protein powder
¾ teaspoon mineral salt
1 tablespoon coconut sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon ground cardamom
¼ cup sunflower oil or melted coconut oil
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1¾ cups almond milk (fresh, if available)
½ to 1 cup chopped pecans or walnuts (optional)
1 pint fresh blueberries (2 cups)

Cook’s Tip: 1. We use Thorne’s vanilla flavored Vega-Lite, a vegan friendly pea and rice protein powder.  2. If you’re experimenting with different flour than I recommend, your recipe may require a different amount of liquid.

1. Combine the flaxseed meal with 6 tablespoons water in a small dish, and set aside.

2. Combine flours, protein powder, salt, sugar, baking powder, and cardamom. Mix well with a whisk. In a separate bowl, combine the oil, vanilla, and flaxseed mixture. Add 1½ cups of the almond milk and stir well.  Add the liquid mixture to the dry ingredients, and stir well. Mix in the nuts. If the batter is too thick to pour, add the additional milk now. Let the batter rest for 15 to 30 minutes. After resting, check the batter’s texture? If it’s still too thick, add 1 or 2 more tablespoons of milk. Stir all of the blueberries into the batter just before cooking. Or, you can add 1 tablespoon on top of each poured pancake, as in #3  directions below. (The pancakes will have more blueberries showing if you add them on top, but they’re also more likely to stick to your pan!)

3. Heat a nonstick griddle or cast-iron pan on medium heat. When the pan is hot, grease it with 1 teaspoon of oil, and pour the batter in quarter-cup or larger rounds. Sprinkle each pancake with 1 tablespoon of blueberries. Let the pancakes cook for 5 minutes on the first side, until bubbles start to form and the pancake is well browned on the bottom; then flip and brown on the second side for 4 to 5 minutes, until the pancakes are cooked through.

4. Before you cook each batch, stir a tablespoon of almond milk into the batter to bring it back to the right consistency. As the pan gets hotter, the pancakes will cook in about 3 minutes on each side. Serve immediately with pure warmed maple syrup, or keep in a warm oven until everyone can be served.

 

Serve with room-temperature honey instead of syrup.

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