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Greetings from our International Summer Seminar, from the Yoga in Daily Life retreat in Véb, Hungary. My name is Erna Buchinger, Annapurna. I come from Austria, from Lower Austria—the most beautiful part—and I currently live in Krems on the Danube. We are having a wonderful time here in the middle of nature with satsaṅg, cooking classes, bhajan singing, meditations, and everything that makes for a perfect holiday. Today, we are going to have a cooking class. I sometimes call it a craft class, because Falahārī nutrition does not involve much cooking; everything is already perfect as it grows. I have been nourishing myself with Falahārī—the vitality of vegetables, fruits, and herbs—since 2005, with my first experiments beginning in 1999. This is a very simple way of eating because everything grown in nature is already perfect. I feel very good with this diet: I am less tired, full of energy, and very healthy. I feel satisfied and happy with this nourishment. Today, we will prepare a healthy menu. As many here have been fasting, we will make a larger meal. We will cook a vegetable soup with a little mung bean, a herb vegetable, an olive herb pesto, and, of course, salad. Salad has become one of my main foods. When I started with Falahārī, I mainly ate cooked soups. Now, after several years, I eat mostly salad, sometimes twice a day. It is very important to accept how you feel and what you want to eat, not to make too many rules, and to feel free in your choices. New ideas continue to inspire me about this healthy food, and I am happy to keep discovering new dishes. This inspires me greatly, especially after missing it for the first 40 years of my life. I am, of course, a vegetarian. Becoming a vegetarian is one of the greatest gifts for me through Yoga in Daily Life, inspired by Swāmījī. It is a significant improvement in my quality of life. One should also eat some sweets. In Falahārī, there is something for a sweet craving. While fruits like berries, apples—I sometimes eat a kilo a day—or dates are perfect as they are, today we will craft something special: an apple pie. Let’s begin with the soup. We will make it simply by putting in mung dal and different vegetables: normal soup greens, carrots, leeks, parsnips, celery, and later, zucchini. I like to add a couple of laurel leaves and these dried curry leaves from our āśram in Kailash, Rajasthan. It only needs to cook and can be eaten as is or pureed. Now, for the apple cake base. We have grated almonds, five soft Medjool dates (already defrosted), and the juice of two oranges. We will make a dough from these. The Falahārī cake is not baked; we use no flour, only dried fruits and nuts. We can use the orange pulp for a smoothie or mix it in. We have prepared the apples for the filling. I grate them just before use to prevent browning. In principle, it is better not to mix apples with almonds, and it is ideal to eat what digests more easily first, like carbohydrates, before protein. But if you don’t eat too much, you can digest it well. Each dish we prepare today would be enough for one meal, but today we are making something special. We will now prepare the dough. It is very simple. We can add the juice of the oranges. Before adding the apple filling, we can cover the base with strawberries and blueberries, especially the very small, sweet ones. In the meantime, we can prepare our sabjī. First, we put a little olive oil in the pan. Then we add the spices I often use: first Boxhorn Glühsamen, then two or three pieces of chili, then mustard seeds. It is important not to use too much. Then comes Mutterkümmel (cumin), not too much, and some finely chopped ginger. Now we add the cabbage and finely chopped herbs. I like to use early herbs. Then we add yellow root powder—turmeric—which belongs in every kitchen as it is like a medicine. A little rock salt or sea salt, which contains all minerals, some cumin powder, and a little water so it doesn’t stick. We will add carrots later, prepared with a cutter, sprinkling them on at the end so they stay crisp. I do not peel organic carrots. In the soup, we can now add the zucchini and yellow pepper, along with turmeric and salt. Now we make the olive herb pesto. The herb reminds one of the taste of black olives. We cut it as small as possible, then add nuts, green chili, salt, pepper, and a little olive oil. You can store this in the refrigerator and use it over several days. It tastes very good with spaghetti or vegetables. We finish by adding the carrots to the cabbage for a friendly look. The soup is ready and could be pureed, but it is also good as is. Now for the salad, the easiest thing: just cut and mix. We have red and green paprika, walnuts, and tomatoes if you like. One very important thing: we are lucky to have fresh fireflies (Brussels sprouts) here from Véb. They are rich in minerals—magnesium, calcium, iron—and are a kind of medicine. It is best to eat them raw, cut very small. You can also cook them as spinach or in soup. I first had them in soup at a seminar and now love them raw in salad. My secret is a good herb salt mixture: mountain bean, oregano, olive, ash, melissa, basil, rosemary, garlic powder, rock salt, thyme. It is 70% herbs with a little salt, and I give it generously over every salad and vegetable. Now, for the vanilla sauce for the apple cake: we put a quarter liter of water, two crushed Medjool dates, a little Bourbon vanilla powder (not vanilla sugar), and two tablespoons of white almond cream. We mix it. I would like to send you the scent of this vanilla sauce through the camera. Everything is done. Now we arrange the meal: a little salad, the herb vegetable, and the soup. Such a kind of soup is the best thing you can eat after a long working day. Let us decorate it with some parsley. This was our menu today. I am very happy you were with us, and I would be even happier if this becomes one of your favorite dishes. It is very healthy. After so many years of vegetarian eating, I have so many beloved dishes that it was not easy to choose what to prepare with you today. I hope you enjoyed it. I will be here a few more days at this beautiful area in Véb for the summer seminar with Swāmījī. Thank you for joining this cooking class, and I hope we will see each other again or that you will continue to watch our cooking courses. Thank you!