For the Love of Food and Yoga is written by Liz-Price Kellogg and Kristen Taylor, two friends who met as yoga teacher and yoga student. They believe the lessons that are integral to the practice of yoga — mindfulness, presence, intention, gratitude, and joy — are also fully present in the practices of living, cooking, and eating well.

For the Love of Food and Yoga: A Celebration of Mindful Eating and Being is more than just a cookbook. It’s also “an exploration of how the inner awareness we develop on our yoga mats fuels our bodies, minds, and overall states of wellbeing.” The authors weave 100 “YogiBites” – quotes, thoughts, teachings and photos of yoga poses — with 100 plant-based recipes. While I was waiting for the oven to preheat to make a recipe from the book, it was nice to learn a few new yoga poses from these YogiBites and take in the inspiring quotes and writings.

Every recipe in this book is vegetarian, staying true to Ahimsa, the practice of non-harming and non-violence. Not all of the recipes in this book are vegan, but they can easily be adjusted to be so, like omitting the cheese or substituting an alternative dairy product.

I made the “Conscious Chicks” recipe (roasted chickpeas) and liked them a lot better than the packaged versions I’ve tried before. The homemade ones were crunchy, but still had a bit of softness in the middle — way better than the super crunchy packaged kind!

Recipe – Conscious Chicks (Roasted Chickpeas)

 Ingredients

• 15 oz. canned chickpeas
• Himalayan salt and pepper (to taste)
• 1/2 tsp. (heaping) smoked paprika (optional for a little kick)
• 2T olive oil

Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
2. Rinse and drain chickpeas.
3. Combine chickpeas with remaining ingredients in bowl.
4. Pour onto baking sheet and shake ingredients into a flat layer.
5. Bake for 20 minutes. Then check and shake the chickpeas and add salt and/or pepper if needed. Cook for an additional 15 minutes or until chickpeas look crisped but not dried out. Remove from oven and serve warm.
   

   

These chickpeas were pretty tasty! I liked them best with curry powder. Here are a few other recipes that I bookmarked to make later: Balanced Butter Beans, Sweet Potato Burrito Boats, and Pleasant Peasant Tomato Sauce.

I really enjoyed this book and think yoga fans will, as well! It’s a good way to connect your yoga practice to the food you eat, applying mindfulness to the kitchen as you practice it on the mat.

Here are a few of my favorite YogiBites from the book:

Be

Pose: Virabhadrasana II – Warrior Pose Two

The stillness we seek comes from within.

Courage

Pose: Vrschikasana – Scorpion

“Your time is limited, so don’t waste it living someone else’s life. Don’t be trapped by dogma – which is living with the results of other people’s thinking. Don’t let the noise of others’ opinions drown our your own inner voice. And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition.” — Steve Jobs

Confidence

Pose: Virabhadrasana III – Warrior Pose Three

“Do not go where the path may lead, go instead where there is no path and leave a trail” — Ralph Waldo Emerson

For the Love of Food and Yoga was created by Live Yum and published by Skyhorse Publishing. I received a complimentary press copy of the book for this review. 

Now, want to take a look at my food product reviews?