Mountain Views News, Sierra Madre Edition [Pasadena] Saturday, November 5, 2016

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FOOD AND DRINK

Mountain Views-News Saturday, November 5, 2016 

Julie’s Favorite Family Recipes

BREEDER CUP PART 2

Welcome to the Foothills of the San Gabriel 
Mountains and the palace where Champions 
are crowned. Santa Anita hosts this weekends Breeders Cup..

Panda Inn is the place where you may find John Sheriffs or Laffit Pincay digesting the enterprise of 
the day. Panda Inn is fixed with a loaded bar and enough space to stretch your Racing Form. The 
broad menu offers a classis Orange Flavored Chicken, the spirit warming Won Ton Soup and the 
vogue Chicken Wraps. Beware of Gus’s daily double, the two handed Mai Tai pour. 

3488 E. Foothill Blvd. Pasadena (626) 793-7300

Robin’s Wood Fire BBQ is tucked away on a vista of upper Rosemead Blvd and like a live long shot it 
produces yelps of sheer rapture. Known for ribs that tussle in a Southern Pride the Beef Ribs perfume 
in the animated scents of hickory and 
rubs. The tri-tip sandwich melts as 
ice cream in your mouth. A Full Bar 
as colorful as a jockey’s silks.

Open for lunch service or dinner 

395 N. Rosemead Pasadena (626) 
351-8885. 

If you have to have a knife in your 
hand the steaks at the The Derby 
Restaurant are a front running 
winner. A delicious cut of Choice 
or Prime is offered at this Racing 
and Restaurant Institution. After the 
excitement of the meal take a few 
minutes of exploration and marvel at 
the historic old pictures, trophies, jockey boots and historic ribbons. The owners tell me that George 
Woolf himself made the Derby his home away from home in the early 1930’s and became a partner 
in the restaurant in 1938. 

233 E. Huntington Dr. Arcadia (626) 447-2430

If you have something different in mind, Din Tai Fung is the place for you. The San Gabriel Valley has 
a large Asian population and this restaurant has many of those transplants huddling in line for their 
famed Dumplings. I recommend a sampling of the Dumplings and I especially like the Xiao Long 
Bao (a dumpling packed with minced pork). Fresh Crab Meat is a perfect topping for this irresistible 
blanket wrapped treasure.

1088 S. Baldwin Ave. Arcadia (626) 446-8588

The place where winning photos dress the walls and first place entrees fill the tables is Nikki C’s. Only 
a few minutes from the Race Track it has been a retreat for all those that love the company of friends 
for years. The Ciaopino is riddled with seafood, including: always-fresh mussels, scallops and crab 
legs. Nikki C’s is a single on all of my tickets.470 S. Rosemead Blvd. Pasadena (626) 792-7437

Peter Dills Hosts a one Hour radio Show on Angels Radio KLAA AM 830 and TV Show on Charter 
cable Channel 188 on Sunday Evenings at 3 PM, he can be reached through his website www.
peterdills.com 

TABLE FOR TWO by Peter Dills

thechefknows@yahoo.com

1 HOUR VEGAN SHEPHERD’S PIE

A hearty, 9-ingredient Vegan Shepherd’s Pie that’s loaded with veggies and savory lentils, and topped with fluffy 
mashed potatoes. So flavorful and satisfying you won’t miss the meat!

FILLING

1 medium onion, diced

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 1/2 cups uncooked brown or green lentils, rinsed and drained

4 cups vegetable stock

2 tsp fresh thyme or 1 tsp dried thyme

10-ounce mixed veggies: peas, carrots, green beans and corn

MASHED POTATOES

3 pounds yukon gold potatoes, thoroughly washed

3-4 Tbsp vegan butter

Salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

 Slice any large potatoes in half, place in a large pot and fill with water until they’re just covered. Bring to a low boil 
on medium high heat, then generously salt, cover and cook for 20-30 minutes or until they slide off a knife very easily.

 Once cooked, drain, add back to the pot to evaporate any remaining water, then transfer to a mixing bowl. Use a 
masher, pastry cutter or large fork to mash until smooth. Add add desired amount of vegan butter (2-4 Tbsp), and 
season with salt and pepper to taste. Loosely cover and set aside.

 While potatoes are cooking, preheat oven to 425 degrees F and lightly grease a 2-quart baking dish (or comparable 
sized dish, such as 9x13 pan. An 8x8 won’t fit it all but close!).

 In a large saucepan over medium heat, sauté onions and garlic in 1 Tbsp olive oil until lightly browned and 
caramelized - about 5 minutes.

 Add a pinch each salt and pepper. Then add lentils, stock, thyme and stir. Bring to a low boil, then reduce heat to 
simmer. Continue cooking until lentils are tender (35-40 minutes).

In the last 10 minutes of cooking, add the frozen veggies, stir, and cover to meld the flavors together.

 OPTIONAL: To thicken the mixture, add 2-3 Tbsp mashed potatoes and stir. Alternatively, scoop out 1/2 of the 
mixture and whisk in 2 Tbsp cornstarch or arrowroot powder and whisk. Return to the pan and whisk to thicken.

Taste and adjust seasonings as needed. Then transfer to your prepared oven-safe baking dish and carefully top with 
mashed potatoes. Smooth down with a spoon or fork and season with another crack of pepper and a little sea salt.

Place on a baking sheet to catch overflow and bake at 425 for 10-15 minutes, or until the mashers are lightly browned 
on top.

 Let cool briefly before serving. The longer it sits, the more it will thicken. Let cool completely before covering, and 
then store in the fridge for up to a few days. Reheats well in the microwave.


HEALTHY LIFESTYLES

THE JOY OF YOGA


FALL INTO BALANCE 

WITH YOGA & AYURVEDA

Staying stable 
in the midst of 
change is one 
of the very best 
gifts yoga and 
meditation have to offer. It’s through practice, 
that we cultivate a stable, calm and clear state of 
being. This feeling of being centered becomes a 
familiar, comforting place. Knowing how to stay 
centered and stay still when life shifts is a vital 
tool for coping and thriving in the world. When 
we are thrown off kilter, there’s a place to go, a 
practice to do or breaths to take that will bring us 
back to serenity.

 According to Ayurveda, the sister science to 
yoga, nature (the seasons) greatly affects our 
health and daily living as well. In Fall season, 
dryness and wind can bring about restlessness 
and distraction. When you couple these with a 
fast paced schedule, it’s easy fall out of balance. 
Elimination issues can happen, stress and fear set 
in, or if you have energy you’re not able to hang 
onto it.

 Yoga and Ayurveda together offer some 
universal comforting, holistic solutions. Here 
are a few helpful suggestions: (1) Eat more fresh, 
cooked food. Limit raw, cold foods. (2) Add 
restorative yoga poses to your practice. (3) Apply 
oil (sesame oil, or triphala) to the soles of your feet 
at night. (4) Maintain healthy sleep habits, i.e. a 
regular bedtime. These are just a few of the many 
tools that can used in cultivating stability and 
steadiness. Life will continue to be full and rich 
and at times, stressful. It’s the reaction to stress 
that should improve and the time it takes to move 
past upsets will shorten.

Namaste friends, see you in class!

Keely Totten

E-RYT 500, Reiki Master Practitioner

Teacher at Yoga Madre


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