How to Roar

February 4, 2017

“It took me quite a long time to develop a voice, and now that I have it, I’m not going to shut up.”
~ Madeleine Albright

Just like your body requires a good stretch before starting the day, it’s also important to wake up your face.  Whether you are preparing to pray, to protest, to cheer for your favorite team or just to smile and say “hello”, a simple exercise called Lion Pose, or as it is known in Sanskrit, Simhasana, will give your facial muscles just the workout they need.

Some benefits of Lion Pose can be:

Relieving facial tension
Helping to keep the neck (platysma muscle) firm as we age
Beneficial for stutterers

Here’s how to softly roar with Lion Pose:

1) Kneel on the floor, sitting back on your heels, toes up or down.  Alternatively, you can squat, balancing on your toes, with your knees spread slightly apart.  If you have an injury that prevents you from kneeling or squatting, or if you are at work, you can sit comfortably in a chair instead, back straight and knees in front of you.

2) If you are kneeling or sitting, lean forward slightly and rest your palms on top of your knees and spread your fingers out as if they were claws.  If you are squatting, spread your fingers out and rest the fingertips lightly on the floor between your legs.

For the Lion’s Breath:
3) Take a deep inhale through your nose.  All at once: open your mouth wide; stick your tongue out, reaching the tip toward your chin; open your throat; open your eyes wide and simultaneously exhale your breath through your mouth, making an extended “haaaaa” sound, like a big cat hissing.  During the exhale, as the eyes widen, you should focus your gaze either toward the third eye chakra (above and between your brows) or the tip of the nose – your choice.

4) Repeat the Lion’s Breath exercise three to five times.

Have a courageous day!

Not sure if you are doing it correctly?  Here are a few examples:

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Deep Fried Ravioli make a decadent, crunchy snack or appetizer, perfect for the big game or a casual party.

Deep Fried Ravioli
Be sure to get authentic, handmade, Italian-style ravioli, made with thin pasta.  Don’t use the American-style ravioli, made with thick pasta.  The thin pasta works much better with the breading.  Trader Joe’s has some lovely varieties, imported from Italy, in their refrigerated section.  I used the Porcini Mushroom & Truffle Triangoli and served them with the Rosemary Ranch Dressing (recipe below).  Whole Foods has some locally-made ones both refrigerated and frozen.  You can also look for them at a local Italian deli, restaurant or specialty store where they make them by hand and sell them fresh. 

I had some egg mixture left over, so if your package of pasta is up to 12 oz, just add a bit more flour and breadcrumbs and you should be good to go.

1 package (8.8oz/250g) fresh or frozen ravioli
2 eggs
3 tablespoons milk
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup good quality breadcrumbs
Salt & pepper
Olive oil or sunflower oil for frying
1 & 1/2 tablespoons grated Romano &/or Parmesan cheese
Chopped fresh flat-leaf (Italian) parsley
To serve:
1/2 to 1 cup of your favorite marinara sauce
Or
Rosemary Ranch Dressing (recipe follows)

 

If ravioli are not frozen, pop them in the freezer for 30 minutes to 1 hour (they will be easier to bread and cook this way).

You will need three shallow bowls:
Put flour into one shallow bowl; put the breadcrumbs into another; beat the egg and milk until smooth in another bowl.  Season all three with a little salt and pepper.

Remove the ravioli from the freezer.

Have a large platter or small baking sheet set up to put the breaded ravioli on.

Working with one ravioli at a time: coat ravioli with egg, then flour, then egg again, then breadcrumbs.  Set each coated ravioli on the platter as you bread them.  When you have coated them all, place the platter into the refrigerator for about 10 to 15 minutes to set.

Pour in enough oil to go 1 inch up the side of your pan (I used about 2 & 1/2 cups in a large, deep saucepan).  Heat oil to 350°F

To test oil temperature without a thermometer:
Insert the handle of a wooden spoon.  If bubbles form around the stick, it is ready.
Put a single popcorn kernel into the oil.  When it pops, the oil is hot enough.
Drop a breadcrumb into the oil.  If it sizzles, the oil is ready.

Fry the ravioli a few or several at a time, depending on your pan size, in order to maintain the oil temperature and not crowd the ravioli.  Fry until golden brown, flipping them if you need to during cooking.  Drain on paper towels and keep warm in a low-temperature oven until you are finished frying all the ravioli.

After frying, immediately sprinkle the ravioli with some of the grated cheese.  Serve them garnished with a sprinkling of fresh chopped parsley and your choice of dipping sauce.

Serves 3 to 4

Rosemary Ranch Dressing

1 small clove of garlic, peeled
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup mayonnaise
1/4 cup 2% milk
1/2 teaspoon white vinegar
1/4 teaspoon crumbled dried rosemary
1/8 teaspoon ground cumin
Freshly ground black pepper to taste

Make a few cuts into one end of the garlic clove.  Using a medium bowl, rub clove into the salt and all around bottom of the bowl.  Add mayo and milk and whisk until blended.  Discard garlic clove.  Add vinegar, rosemary, cumin and pepper to taste.  Whisk to blend.  Cover and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes before serving.

 

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