The Blue Heron Ranch Cookbook: Recipes and Stories from a Zen Retreat Center

Author: Natali, Nadia,Thompson, Marica Natali
Publisher: North Atlantic Books
Category: Oriental & Indian Philosophy, General Cookery, Health & Wholefood Cookery, Hotel & Holiday Accommodation Guides
Book Format: Paperback

The Blue Heron Ranch Cookbook, based on Cooking Off the Grid, also by Nadia Natali, blends 126 tasty, healthful recipes with lively tales of the Natali family's adventures living close to the land—in the wilds of California's Los Padres National Forest. Nadia Natali's varied dishes, suitable for any group or family, are presented in a simple style that makes them both visually appealing and effortless, as a sequence of ingredients that correspond to numbered directions. Each chapter opens with a vivid account of the family's trials and triumphs at Blue Heron Ranch, followed by a particular category of recipes, arranged in seven groupings. Whimsical illustrations adorn the recipes and embellish the sometimes poignant, often hilarious stories about raising a family in the wilderness, running a meditation center, and facing nature's seemingly endless challenges—with the Blue Heron Ranch kitchen being the center around which these events unfold. Recipes include Blue Heron Ranch Potato Leek Soup, Saturday Market Quiche, Miso Pine Salmon, Ojai Bouillabaisse, Early Morning Rice Cream, Aunt Ev's Cardamom Bundt Cake, and Honey Almond Chai. The Blue Heron Ranch Cookbook offers culinary and spiritual sustenance to anyone who wants to experience, or revisit, the pleasures of comforting, communal meals at Zen and other retreat centers.

Nadia Natali is a mother, a Zen practitioner, and a long-time cook for numerous Zen retreats on Blue Heron Ranch. The stories she tells of the triumphs and tragedies of her family's life in the wilds of California's Los Padres National Forest and her profound appreciation for the land are at the heart of her recipes. She has an M.A. in dance therapy and is working on a Ph.D. in clinical psychology. She and her husband, photographer Enrico Natali, live in Ojai, CA.

Table Of Contents
Acknowledgments 8

Preface 9

Introduction 11

Menus for Family Gatherings/Retreats 13

Food and Supply List 16
Our Arrival 19

Vegetarian Dinners 23

My Favorite Tomato Sauce 24

Grandma Elizabeth’s Polenta 25

Lasagna from Enrico’s Family 26

Lasagna Layering 27

Matilija Manicotti 28

Pizza with Goat Cheese 29

Seasoned Rice 30

Blue Heron Beans 31

Adzuki Beans and Rice 32

Black Bean Enchiladas 33

Ojai Chili 34

Sauteed Vegetables with Rice 35

Special Vegetables with Almonds 36

Vincenzo’s Risotto 37

Carrots and Tofu 39

Lentils and Mint 40

Curried Lentils 41

California Split Pea Dahl 42

Pucci’s Potato and Egg Curry 43

Sunday Stuffed Potatoes 44

Spinach and Anaheim Chilies 46

Baked Eggplant 47

Saturday Market Quiche 48

Garden Vegetable Quiche 49
Fish and Chicken Dinners 51

Kobun’s Rice Balls 53

Miso Pine Salmon 54

Escolar 55

Millennium Paella 56

Chicken with Chard and Noodles 58

Francis’s Chicken and Curry 59

Westport Pineapple Chicken 60

Apple-Baked Chicken 61

November Stuffing 63
The Floods 65

Soups and Stews 69

—Vegetarian

Simply Miso Soup 70

Rainy Day Tofu Soup 71

Blue Heron Ranch Potato Leek Soup 72

Cross-Country Lentil Soup 73

Garbanzo Soup with Tomato 74

Winter Minestrone 75

—Chicken and Fish

Southwest Chicken Stew 76

San Francisco Chicken Stew 77

Blue Heron Chicken Stew 78

Rainy Day Chicken Noodle Soup 79

Ojai Bouillabaisse 81

—Chilled

Summer Borsch 82

Avocado and Cucumber Soup 83

Marica’s Gazpacho 84

Poor Man’s Gazpacho 84

Yogurt Soup 86
Our Teepee 89

Salads and Dressings 93

Frankie ’s Salad Dressing 94

Blue Heron Salad Dressing 95

Baby Green Salad 96

Sackets Harbor Summer Salad 97

Santa Barbara Salad Variation 97

Cool Cucumber Salad 98

Potato and Bell Pepper Salad 99

Mixed Bean Salad 100

Rice Salad 101

My Roasted Red Bell Peppers 102

Goat Cheese Salad 103

Cloved Fruit Compote 104

Two Fruit Salads 105

Raita Salad 106
Fire 109

Breads and Muffins 113

Whole Wheat Bread 114

Rosemary Corn Bread 117

Garlic Bread 118

Tortillas from South America 119

Naan from India 119

Banana Bread 120

Weiner Sisters’ Popovers 122

Golden Scones 123

Marica’s Biscuits 124

Quick Ginger Molasses Muffins 125
Breakfast 127

Sunday Pancakes 128

Hearty Breakfast Crepes 129

Delectable French Toast 130

Birthday Waffles 131

Sesshin Oatmeal 132

Early Morning Rice Cream 133

Home-Baked Granola 134
Home Schooling 137

Puddings and Custards 141

Black Bear Apricot Pudding 142

Andrei’s Favorite Bread Pudding 144

Brown Rice Custard 145

Coconut Rice Pudding 146

Mexican Rice Pudding 146

Mocha Mousse 147

Zabaglione Cassis 148
Pies 151

Two Delicious Pie Crusts 152

Blue Heron Apple Pie 153

Blueberry Peach Pie 154

Persian Mulberry Peach Pie 155

Genevieve ’s Lemon Meringue Pie 157

Mitzi’s Chocolate Pecan Pie 158

Autumn Pumpkin Pie 159

Apple Crunch 160
Living Off the Grid 163

Cookies 167

Cardamom Cookies 168

Blue Heron Chocolate Chip Cookies 169

Genevieve ’s Butter Walnut Cookies 170
Cakes 173

Aunt Ev’s Cardamom Bundt Cake 174

Lemon Cranberry Bundt Cake 175

Chocolate Marble Bundt Cake 176

Chocolate Apple Sauce Cake 177

Birthday Coconut Cake 179

Persian Mulberry Cake with Goat Cheese 180

June Apricot Cake 181

Pear Upside-Down Cake 182

Meyer Lemon Half-Pound Cake 183

Carob Coconut Brownies 184

Tiramochamisu or Tiramintmisu Cake 185

Vincenzo and Kana’s Wedding Cake 186

Wedding Cake Filling and Icing 187
Our Zen Center 189

Sauces 193

Ginger Honey Sauce 194

Matilija Tamari Sauce 194

Ojai Lemon Sauce 195

Green Enchilada Sauce 196

Pesto Lemon Sauce 197

Mushroom Garlic Sauce 198

Marinated Ginger 199

Desert Hummus Sauce 200

Festive Cranberry Sauce 202

Frankie ’s Hot Fudge on Ice Cream 203
Drinks 205

Robin’s Chai 206

Teepee Hot Cider 207

4th of July Lemonade 208

Christine ’s Punch 209

Honey Almond Chai 210
In Remembrance of Andrei 213
Index 217
About Nadia Natali
Nadia Natali is a mother, a Zen practitioner, and a long-time cook for numerous Zen retreats on Blue Heron Ranch. The stories she tells of the triumphs and tragedies of her family's life in the wilds of California's Los Padres National Forest and her profound appreciation for the land are at the heart of her recipes. She has an M.A. in dance therapy and is working on a Ph.D. in clinical psychology. She and her husband, photographer Enrico Natali, live in Ojai, CA.

(BK-9781556437175)

SKU BK-9781556437175
Barcode # 9781556437175
Brand North Atlantic Books
Artist / Author Natali, Nadia, Thompson, Marica Natali
Shipping Weight 0.8000kg
Shipping Width 0.210m
Shipping Height 0.020m
Shipping Length 0.270m
Assembled Length 21.300m
Assembled Height 26.700m
Assembled Width 1.500m
Type Paperback

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