Click here to find the latest Origin at a store near you!

The post Featured in Origin Magazine appeared first on Aparna Khanolkar.

Click the play arrow below to listen now.

Original source.

The post The Role of Dharma in Feminine Transformation on “Essence Coaches” appeared first on Aparna Khanolkar.

Welcome to the rebellion! It is in your blood.

You may feel that you don’t fit into your family structure or culture, even at a young age. You may ask questions that are not of the norm. You may be surprised that you are not allowed to do things other than what is expected of your gender and culture. As a teen, you may even attend rallies and protests for women’s empowerment.

Yes, that is me. Later, that rebellion turned into an inner rebellion. Questioning, sifting through my own truths and beliefs.

A rebel digs deeper. She is not afraid to excavate her own soul. In fact, this excites her. She wants to know the longings of her soul. She wants to bring to the surface all the desires that life, culture, social expectations and her lineage have stifled. She abhors fear. In moments of fear, she moves through it.

For her, life is meant to be lived fully. A rebel makes pleasure an everyday practice. Not a once in a while experience. She can find pleasure in everything—watching the waves crash on to the rocks, or being embraced by a loved one. When she holds her child in her arms, she feels the love and pleasure of that experience.

Dancing with wild abandon and feeling pulsations of energy move through her body, she enjoys the feel of the sway of her own hips. She likes her own feminine softness and curves. She adores the gifts she has been endowed with. This life, this body, these relationships, each day, unraveling, swirling, changing, returning to bliss, dynamic and full of love.

When the rebel is angry, she has the courage to take ownership of her anger. And looks beneath it to soothe sadness that is masked by anger.

She may have fought love out of confusion and misguided life lessons. A rebel learns lessons quickly and moves on. She does not travel with heavy baggage. She is like a gypsy, ready to travel, have adventures and take with her the great gifts of wisdom and experience. The rest, she deposits in the garbage can and does not look back.

To a rebel love is being with what is. She does not try to force things. She is fully in control knowing that the grand forces of the universe are working on her behalf. She has cultivated an intimate trust in her tryst with the universe. She knows without a doubt that she is here for a purpose and she goes full force with love and in joy to fulfill that.

A rebel loves men. She is not cynical about men. She is eager to learn the ways of the masculine while cultivating her own deeper feminine fullness. She does not put up with lies or bullshit. She can be a rebellious bitch. Enough to stand up for herself by calling out her man on any untruths and asks for what she wants with love and respect.

She can also surrender into her softness with her man. She knows love is being vulnerable. She has promised herself that gift at the dawn of the universe and she gives herself that gift as often as she can.

Most of all she is not a wallflower. She does not ignore the call of her heart. If the truth does not resonate she has the courage to say so. Her deepest desire is to love and live freely. She enjoys her body, speaks her mind with grace, charm and love. There is no cunning or manipulation involved. Her motto is: “I’m here to live and love on my terms. No apologies offered. Thank you.”

The return of the feminine rebel does not look like a hot woman in flowy white robes with long hair. It is represented in a woman who can stand her ground, speak her truth, trust herself and make love her first choice. Even when angry or disappointed. Move over fantasies. Here comes the real deal.

The return of the feminine rebel looks like me and like you.

Published at Rebelle Society

The post the return of the feminine rebel. appeared first on Aparna Khanolkar.

Native to Indonesia, they are also harvested in India, Pakistan, Madagascar and Sri Lanka and Zanzibar. Cloves are harvested after the buds turn a bright red color. Once an expensive commodity, cloves are still prized for their medicinal properties.

In Ayurveda, its warmth is used to increase digestive fire and and as a cleansing agent. It is always used in small amounts because of its potency.

Clove oil is beneficial for dental pain. Its analgesic and antibacterial properties make it effective for toothaches and infections. It is also used as a breath freshener and for stimulating peristalsis.

Clove is used in African, Middle Eastern and Asian cuisine. It is best used along with coriander, cumin and cinnamon for balance in flavor. 

The best way to store cloves is in a stainless container in a cool, dark place. Whole cloves are preferred to powder because powdered clove goes stale sooner. If a recipe calls for clove powder, dry toast them in a warm skillet for about 4-5 minutes, then grind to a powder in a spice grinder.

Enjoy this simple, but delicious clove recipe, then comment on your experience.

Stewed Apples with Cloves.

Ingredients:

2 apples

4 cloves

3/ cup water

Preparation:

1. Peel, core and chop apples into 1 inch cubes.

2. Place the chopped apples, cloves and water in a medium-sized pot and cook on medium heat till the apples are soft. Alternately, pears can also be used.

This is a great snack for people who suffer from constipation. Additionally you can add this to your cooked oatmeal and enjoy it as a warm and comforting breakfast.

Published at Rebelle Society

The post medicinal powers of cloves appeared first on Aparna Khanolkar.

“Cinnamon bites and kisses simultaneously.” ~ Vanna Bonta

Everyone uses cinnamon whether in savory foods or sweets.

It is a sweet spice that even children love. Native to the Malabar Coast of India, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and Burma it has been used since ancient times in Egypt and China.

In fact, the healing benefits of cinnamon are even mentioned in the Bible. It was considered more precious than gold. The Roman emperor Nero burned a large supply of cinnamon at his wife’s funeral. Some say it was his guilt for murdering his wife.

Today, 80% of the yield of cinnamon comes from Sri Lanka. Cinnamomum Verum is said to be the true cinnamon. Cassia is another form of cinnamon that is primarily grown in China, Vietnam and Indonesia.

It was used for embalming in Egypt and as a meat preserver in other parts of the middle east. Today it is used in curries, stews and meat dishes for its versatile flavor and for the way it combines with other spices.

In Ayurveda, it is used as a digestive aid. Its warming sweet spicy qualities are great for those who require more digestive fire.

Because of its warming qualities, cinnamon is a perfect spice to use in the winter season. In ancient times cinnamon was brewed into tea and served to women in labor to enhance contractions.

There are many studies showing that cinnamon can help with diabetes. Although that may be true, spices are powerful medicine and they potency is best absorbed by the body when cooked with other spices and foods.

Simply by adding a teaspoon of cinnamon, your smoothie will not have the same benefit as adding the cinnamon to your oatmeal with cardamom and clove. Think synergy when you think of spice medicine.

Cinnamon can be purchased in the form of sticks or rolled bark and as a powder. The powder is used in baking.

The sticks can be used for delicate flavoring of rice and curry dishes. The best way to store cinnamon sticks is to put them in a stainless steel container and place it in a cool, dark place. When cinnamon sticks are cooked in warm oil along with other spices, its flavors and medicinal properties are released.

Cinnamon-flavored breakfast? Try this Spiced Oatmeal.

Ingredients:

1 cup steel cut oatmeal

2.5 cups of water or almond milk or rice milk

1 tsp cinnamon powder

½ tsp cardamom powder

3 tbsp turbinado sugar

1 apple peeled, cored and cut into 1 inch cubes

¼ cup raisins

¼ cup slivered almonds

2 tbsp ghee

Preparation:

Heat the ghee in a medium sized pot and add the raisins, almonds, apple, cardamom and cinnamon. Stir and cook for 2-3 minutes. Add the water or nut milk and bring to a boil. Add the oatmeal and sugar and cover with a tight-fitting lid. Cook till soft and mushy – about 15-20 minutes on low heat. Serve hot with more hot milk on top.

This is a great breakfast for the winter season. Alternately you can use quinoa.

Published at Rebelle Society

The post spice revolution: winter cinnamon heart appeared first on Aparna Khanolkar.

Besides playing the role of flavoring agent, its primary purpose was the preservation of food. And food preservation was important for the survival of wandering nomadic people.

Today, we use many different kinds of salt as a condiment, flavoring agent and for therapeutic purposes.

Growing up in India, I never saw common salt. My grandmothers, mother and aunts used only rock salt, which has nutritional benefits. My mother stored her rock salt in a beautiful old black wooden canister.

Salt is essential for enhancing the flavors of other spices.

If you cook a dish and add spices without any salt, you will detect very little flavor. Now add salt to the dish, mix well and taste the way that the flavors come together.

Although salt is good for you, excessive amounts can cause various diseases. In India, it is said that if you wish to be enlightened, you have to give up salt.

The best salt available is unrefined sea salt.

The mineral content and other nutrients in it are intact and support the body’s healing and nutritional needs. This kind of salt is obtained from sea water. Depending on the kind of minerals present in the salt, the colors can range from black to gray to pink.

Black salt is known as “kala namak.” It has a strong sulfuric odor and is used as a digestive aid in India. Gray salt or Celtic salt comes from the region of France where ancient Celtic methods are used for extracting the salt.

Himalayan salt is unrefined and unprocessed salt that is hand-mined at the Khewra Salt Mines, the second largest salt mine in the world, located in Khewra, Pakistan. Nutritionists and holistic healers rave about the benefits of this salt, because it is said to contain more than 80 trace minerals. These salt caves are said to be over 250 million years old.

This time, instead of a recipe, I encourage you to try different kinds of salts in your own recipes and notice how the flavors may change. Please leave a comment after your experiment.

Published at Rebelle Society

The post types, use & healing properties of salt appeared first on Aparna Khanolkar.

“There is no greater agony than bearing an untold story inside you.” ~ Maya Angelou

How many of us have felt so small that we only reached for small things? How many of us have lived a life of self-doubt and lack of self-love? How many of us have limiting beliefs that we are incapable of seeing a grand opportunity when it is shining in our faces?

I was one of them. Being small was so ingrained in me that I was mostly unaware of it. Occasionally I had glimpses of something bigger. But it was such a tiny glimpse that before I could grasp its meaning it would dissipate. I spent the better part of 40 years in this state of being. Everyone else saw great things in me.

Every compliment bounced off my heart. It did not matter how wonderful my teaching or cooking was. Somehow those appreciations did not make it to my heart. They flew into the ether and simply evaporated. And the truth is that I did not even feel bad about it.

Life went on. I struggled as a single mother. I enjoyed the freedom. I danced, hula hooped, practiced yoga and meditation. Indeed, life is for the expansion of happiness.

However, unless you are willing and able to dig deep and uncover the sad myths in your karmic patterns, that happiness is only superficial. The vibrant energy of happiness only touches the surface of your being. And time passes by. The angst deepens. The loneliness heightens. And you miss great opportunities.

This is what happened to me. In 2007, while I worked at the Chopra Center, I approached co-founder Dr. Simon about co-authoring a book. He declined because it was not his niche.

But, he offered to get me an endorsement from Deepak Chopra. In my fear of not having enough money to print the books, I let the ball drop on this incredible opportunity to propel my career.

Besides agonizing over the money factor, I did not think creatively. My limits stopped me in my tracks and I shelved the possibility as void.

I could have taken the endorsement and printed the book later. I could have taken a loan. I could have trusted the universe and given thanks for this opportunity. And moved forward knowing a way would have been found. Nope. I didn’t do any of it.

Fast forward to 2012. Last weekend I was at a seminar for spiritual entrepreneurs and had major breakthrough in my mindset. Interestingly enough, one of the facilitators of this mind-blowing event was Dr. Simon’s son, Max.

I had a chance to speak in front of 230 people and share this story of missed opportunity and limited beliefs. Dr. Simon passed away last January. I felt sadness over that and over my smallness. Still I revealed the truth about my shortcoming.

No matter how much my friends and clients looked up to me, it didn’t matter. I saw myself as someone too small to do big things. So I was unable to internalize the opportunity when it was handed to me. What’s done is done now. So I asked myself, what’s next?

It’s not at all ironic that this past weekend, I made a very big financial and spiritual commitment to take two distinguished mentors (such as Jeffrey Van Dyk) for one year.

I don’t know how and where the money will come for this investment. But I do know that it will. For when you make a commitment from intuition, clarity and big vision, the universe has no choice but to support it.

When I revealed my story to this group, it was an unburdening of guilt and loss. Lightness came over me. Now I could begin being me in a conscious way, taking time to make decisions, questioning, discerning and trusting.

Stories are important. They tell our personal tragedies, our triumphs and a deeper mythology of our karma. Stories reveal truth. And truth is the foundation of happiness. Truth elevates you to a lighter spirit, a bountiful joy and freedom that smallness can’t afford.

Write your story. Share your story. Burn your story. In its ashes are the seeds of a new story—live that. I promise you the joy will penetrate your deepest core.

Published at Rebelle Society

The post small stories, big you appeared first on Aparna Khanolkar.

Native to China and Vietnam, star anise is used in various stews, soups and broths. The pods of the star anise are more powerful than the seeds. So, if you find that your package of this spice is missing seeds, not to worry.

In India, this spice is used as a flavoring agent in rice dishes. The delicate, licorice-like flavor makes for a luscious taste. It brings many other flavors together like nothing else. In Chinese cooking, star anise is one of the five spices in Chinese Five Spice powder.

Star anise is harvested from an evergreen tree just before ripening.

In Indian cooking, whole spices are left in the dish after it is prepared. The person who gets the spice in his or her plate, pushes it off to the side. If you bite into a star anise, you will have an intense  but unpleasant burst of flavor in your mouth. It is best to enjoy the delicate flavor that has been infused by this beautiful spice.

Star anise is warming and therefore can be combined with with coriander, turmeric, bay leaves and cumin. The recipe below is an example. Don’t be intimidated by the many ingredients in this recipe. It is worth the final product.

Vegetable Pulao

Ingredients:

1 cup white Basmati rice

1 ¾ cup water

1 tsp salt

3 tbsp oil

1 star anise

2 bay leaves

2 cloves

1 tsp cumin seeds

2 green cardamom pods

1 cinnamon stick

1 small onion thinly sliced

1 clove of garlic finely chopped

½ tsp grated ginger

10 green beans cut into 1inch pieces

1 carrot thinly sliced

½ cup green peas

½ tsp turmeric

1 tsp coriander powder

1 tsp salt

Preparation:

1. Wash the rice in three changes of water and drain completely.

2. Add the drained rice, measured water and salt in a medium sized pot and bring to a rapid boil.

3. Place a tight-fitting lid and turn the heat down to 15 minutes.

4. In the meanwhile, heat a large skillet and add the oil.

5. Add the whole spices (star anise, bay leaves, cloves, cumin seeds, green cardamom pods, cinnamon stick) and cook for about 45 seconds.

6. Now add the onions and cook on medium heat until translucent.

7. Add the ginger and garlic and cook for about one minute.

8. Add the vegetables and turmeric and cook on medium high heat for about 6-8 minutes.

9. Add the coriander powder and salt and mix well.

10. Cover and cook for another 4-5 minutes.

11. Once rice has cooked for 15 minutes, allow to stand in pot for 5 more minutes.

12. Mix the vegetables with the rice and serve hot.

Enjoy!

Published at Rebelle Society

The post spice up your health with star anise appeared first on Aparna Khanolkar.

In our childhood garden, my mother used to rub coriander seeds in between her palms till they broke open and planted them in soil with compost.

Coriander must be grown in a shady spot to ensure that the leaves don’t burn from exposure to strong sunlight. We grew ours under the shade of a nearby fruit tree. A few weeks later, we harvested the most fresh and delicious coriander.

Used in chutneys and as a garnish for curries and lentils, it lends a perfect balance to the heat of other spices. In Ayurveda it is also used for heavy metal detoxification. In Indian cuisine, coriander seed is almost always used in combination with cumin.

Buy coriander seeds in bulk. To make the most flavorful powder, dry toast in a pan on medium low heat till the seeds are fragrant. Then, grind them to a fine powder in a spice grinder and store in a stainless steel container away from light and heat.

A tea made with coriander seeds and a cumin seed has been used as a digestive aid since ancient times. Indigenous to the Near East, Southwestern Asia and Southern Europe, coriander is mentioned in texts ranging from Egypt to Asia.

Dhania coriander—as it is known in India—is synonymous with the seed and the plant.

A teaspoon of coriander seeds taken with a teaspoon with turbinado sugar is known to relieve headache and cool the liver.

Enjoy this delicious chutney below, which is usually served with samosas and fritters in India.

Coriander Chutney

Ingredients:

1 bunch cilantro coarsely chopped

2 inch piece ginger

1 small clove of garlic

2 Thai chilies

The juice of 1 lime

1 tsp salt

1 tsp cumin powder

½ tsp turbinado sugar

1/8 cup water plus 2 tbsp

 

Preparation:

Place all the ingredients in the blender except for the 2 tbsp of water.

Scrape the sides and blend till it is smooth.

If you need a bit more water for grinding add the 2 tbsp of water.

Serve with kebabs, fritters and as a condiment.

Published at Rebelle Society

The post health benefits of coriander (cool, sweet cilantro) appeared first on Aparna Khanolkar.

Everyone uses black pepper.

When I first came to the U.S. over 20 years ago, I noticed that in restaurants and in homes black pepper and salt were most frequently used together. I did not see any other spice being used that often back then.

Of course, now things have changed. And black pepper still plays an important role in most culinary traditions.

It is pungent, it stimulates appetite and it is warming. Therefore, it is good for cleansing. Not to mention the delicious flavors it adds to food.

Pepper is grown in hot and humid parts of India and Indonesia. In ancient times it was used as currency, it carried high value and it was an important commodity in the spice trade.

By the third century BC, black pepper was a most common ingredient in Roman cooking. Ancient Roman texts have complaints about the cost of black pepper, which is testimony to the importance of the spice trade. Indigenous to India, black pepper is still traded widely.

Although black pepper is available in powder form, it is best to purchase whole peppercorns and invest in a good quality pepper grinder. The aroma and flavor of freshly ground peppercorns is like none other.

I grew up in a small town in India called Mysore. It is in the south and near by is the hill town Coorg; a lovely people and lovely cuisine. I ate this Pepper Fry dish at a friend’s house over 25 years ago. She was Coorgi and her grandmother made this dish. Needless to say, I still remember its pungent bite from the black pepper.

Chicken Pepper Fry (Or tofu if vegetarian).

Ingredients:

1.5 lbs of chicken pieces (bone-in) or 1.5 lbs of cubed extra firm tofu.

1 tbsp rice flour.

1 tsp turmeric powder.

1 tbsp black peppercorns crushed in a mortar and pestle.

Mix the ingredients above and refrigerate to marinade.

5 tbsp oil.

1 tsp cumin seeds.

1 medium onion thinly sliced.

8 large cloves of garlic finely chopped.

1 ½ tsp salt.

2 -3 Thai chilies slit lengthwise.

Preparation:

Heat the oil and add the cumin seeds.

Let it sizzle for 30 seconds and then add the onion.

Cook on medium heat till they are translucent.

Now add the garlic and mix well and cook for about one minute.

Add the marinated chicken or tofu and salt, and cook on medium heat for 25-30 minutes or till the chicken is no longer pink.

Cooking time for tofu is about 15 minutes.

Add the Thai chilies a minute before turning the heat off.

Serve hot with rice.

Published at Rebelle Society

The post spice revolution: pitch-dark black pepper appeared first on Aparna Khanolkar.