Eco-Harmony Dawn Cooking

[hostmelissa]

Harmony Dawn retreat centre is a symbiotic space that allows us to become open and mindful of our human interaction with our environment. At a time when environmentalism has become a trendy marketing technique, Harmony Dawn is truly a place of sustainable healthy living that allows us to connect our internal and external environments in a harmonious and life-affirming way. Nicola and Andy are gracious hosts who have created a welcoming space that invites us to reflect on our deeper inner life and thus allow us to move outward into the world in a more conscious and responsible way.

One of the highlights of anybody's stay at Harmony Dawn is the tasty, wholesome, and gratifying food. Harmony Dawn is a place of balance and equilibrium where the philosophy of harmony extends to every aspect of living including the dinner plate. Nicola Lawarence lovingly prepares meals in a way that both nurtures and nourishes our bodies, minds and souls. With her delicious cooking and recipes Nicola demonstrates that the choices we make about food are powerful tools not only for inner transformation but also for sustainable living. Harmony Dawn cooking allows us to connect our inner values of loving kindness and compassion to our actions and offers an example of how to live with honesty and integrity as global citizens.

Nicola and Andy's latest book, Eco Harmony Dawn Cooking, combines the philosophy of internal and external ecology as well as the best of Harmony Dawn cooking. Even before one gets to the recipes Nicola shares her secrets on the Ying and Yang of harmony Dawn cooking with explanations on how to balance the yin and yang of foods on your plate.

The recipes are divided into eight sections. 1) Baked Goods, 2) Brunch & Lunch, 3) Salads, 4) Dressings and Sauces, 5) Soups and Stews, 6) Entress, 7) Vegetables & Sides, and of course 8) Desserts.

As a vegan, I was happy to see that Nicola offers a few vegan recipes in the baked goods section including strawberry walnut muffins, foccacia buns with rosemary and pine nuts, pissaladiere, whole wheat pizza dough, and oat pie crust. Somewhat disappointing is that there are only a few unmarked vegan options in the brunch and lunch section. Additionally with the increased intolerance to wheat and gluten I would have liked to see more wheat-free and gluten free recipes in these sections as well. That being said her recipe for gluten free cereal and leafy salad wraps look like great recipes that fit the bill.

One of the aspects that I most enjoy at meals at Harmony Dawn retreat center are the salads. Nicola has such creative ideas when it comes to salads. Her combination of legumes and greens, veggie platters, grilled vegetables, sea vegetables take creativity to the max. I was especially excited to see the Indonesian Gado Gado Salad on the menu. This has become a favorite when we go on retreat. Other must tries include: Warm Spring Vegetable Salad and Mango & Cabbage Salad. At a time when raw is so trendy, it is nice to see somebody who enjoys presenting even salads warm!

Moving into the dressing and sauces chapter. I don't think there is anything that can make a bigger difference to the impressiveness of your meal as a good home made salad dressing. As Nicola says, "dressings and sauces are an opportunity to turn a simple salad or meal into something exquisite." It was my trips to Harmony Dawn Retreat Center that totally turned me off commercial salad dressings. Since I've been going to Harmony Dawn I've started making my own salad dressings, and let me tell you, my salads are better for it! I can't wait to try orange tahini dressing, 100 Island Dressing, and tamarind coconut dressing.

With the fall season upon us and winter just around the corner, can we ever get enough soups and stews? Nicola's famous leek and potato soup and hearty winter vegetable soup have been included in the latest cook book. I'm looking forward to trying the mediterranean stew.

The entree section includes many of our most requested meals at Harmony Dawn such as Ma Bo Tofu, Kong Hei Fat Choy Stir Fry and Indonesian Tempeh and Vegetable Curry. I'm excited to try the vegan version of vegetable korma and creamy tofu and swiss chard stroganoff. Nicola has lots of recipes for bean patties and burgers. The Entree section includes a couple of great of ideas for introducing tempeh to your plate.

The great thing about dining at Harmony Dawn Retreat Center is that there is not just one great thing about the meal (like at my house) but several great things about a meal. The vegetables and sides section can attest to that. Sichuan Green Beans, Snow Pea Greens, Baked Asian Spring Rolls, Crispy Pita Chips, Curried Tempeh Nuggests and Beet Romesco get kudos for best supporting roles!

When I go to Harmony Dawn I always order the extra desserts! Nicola loves to take fresh, in-season local fruit and turn them into spectacular desserts. When that fails, there is always chocolate as a back up. Nicola has included one of my chocolate favorites, Chocolate Banana Cake with Cocoa Demi Glaze. My retreat participants will be happy to see that the lemon coconut squares have been included in the latest cook book. Other must-tries include date orange almond squares (vegan!) Date Fruit Cake with Creamy Date Icing and a No Bake Sweet Avocado Cocoa Tart. Nicola told me she had a hard time scaling back the dessert recipes. So I want to know, What happened to the rest of them?

I know the participants of my yoga retreat have been awaiting Nicola's second cook book. For those who have never been to Harmony Dawn, Nicola's latest cook book, Eco Harmony Dawn Cooking, is just enough to motivate you to get there!