Tag Archives: recipes

Awareness And Making Connections

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Hello, hello! Last week I was in the San Francisco area (for my family’s first home exchange experience) enjoying every bit of its majestic beauty. It made me think of things that demand our attention. I found myself being very present when I was out in Northern California… all of us being pulled away from our devices and not wanting to miss a single piece of it. Being present around untouched nature is not hard to do, but when I’m back in a busy city like New York I feel like I’m making a point not to be staring down at a phone. Should I move to the side for the person too busy texting so they continue not watching their step? Sometimes I’m tempted to just stop in front of a person.

Do you guys find yourself tapping into thoughtless awareness?

I find it difficult to not give my attention to the now, including the details. I know that reflects in my taste and how that is guided by how my body responds to things. Recently, I’ve been noticing how flavors nourish my body. For instance, I found that lots of sugary things keep me in a place where I don’t feel as motivated or dedicated to something, and it’s a difficult habit to break. It’s like a lazy comfort for me. Earthier flavors really heighten my focus, and sour refreshes me. Or for instance… if I have dried fruit I balance the very sweet flavor with a dense nut, or else my thought goes on auto-pilot and I start to get mindless. I’ve also found that I’ve developed a heightened sensor for specific additives, in turn giving my body the chance to communicate clearly. I’m curious to know… what are some things you’ve recently discovered about yourself?

Right now it’s snowing, and this post is going back to the very end of summer in Florida.

1) I packed fresh figs, a salad and smoked salmon for the airplane ride… ended up having it as brunch because of a delay; 2) Beach front apartment in South Beach; 3) Driving over McArthur Causeway at sunset; 4) Having traditional Cuban desserts in the heart of Little Havana; 5) Bird watching in my parents’ back yard; 6) Dinner consisted of summer fruits for one last hurrah!

My parents befriended one of our future home exchangers from Bordeaux, and they’ve been having dinner parties together…

So while I was there we thought it would be nice to invite them over for dinner.

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A Westside Institution

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Thank you for the well wishes everyone. The area where I’m living in Manhattan didn’t get too badly affected, and I haven’t been by midtown, downtown or the outer boroughs that were more affected. People have to plan a little more right now to get around in the city though because of traffic and the lack of subway transportation. This whole thing has gotten me to observe, more than usual, people’s relationship with nature. Nature is pretty straightforward about its relationship with us… even with basic knowledge of ecology. There’s lots of talk of this storm being a result of climate change, and this is just a taste. Here’s what I wrote on my informal blog:

Strong forces of nature can look very awe-inspiring within nature, but juxtapose its affects with manmade creations and all of a sudden it becomes disaster. Today I walked with Matilda to the park, and people were taking pictures of snapped trees. Maybe they wanted to feel more a part of the damage? I’m not sure, but I have been noticing this energy of attraction.

The attraction is also mixed with those who repel any news of the storm—viewing it as a mockery. Maybe it is silly that people react in this man vs. nature sort of way with their lost possessions, schedules and conveniences. At the same time these moments call for compassion. As a human, I know we interpret things in a spectrum of ways and express however those in our species do. To negate that makes me wonder… why does one care to be alive in their present state… as a human that is?

Fact is, right now, people are a part of it.

If you’re a home cook in the area Mealku is  coordinating delivery of prepared foods (at least 4 portions of a meal) to Red Hook Recovers.

Today’s post features one of the local markets around here: Westside Market. You can tell I appreciate food by the fact that I’m inspired by a grocery store’s trademark selection. Westside Market features an extensive selection (it takes me about 30 minutes to decide what I want to get) of “Made by Maria” dishes and spreads. They even have many vegetarian/vegan options. I always wondered who Maria was. Well, turns out that Maria is real and a part of the Zoitas family, and every family recipe that comes from her kitchen is reinvented. Last item I picked up was a sweet and warming vegetable dish with butternut squash, sweet potatoes, dried fruits, honey, and spices. The ingredient list was simple, and after trying it I attempted to recreate it with my own touch.

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Mother Nature: Providing & Humbling

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Some of you may know or be experiencing the storm along the Atlantic, and I hope those of you being affected are staying safe but not feeling too cooped up… dance parties are good for that. Speaking of dance parties, I’ve been going to lots of great music shows and satisfying my soul by dancing and jumping high to fun music.

Last weekend I was wandering around Brooklyn and came across “granola made with greens, not grains” the latest addition to the Kale Factory line. The “greenola” is made from fresh kale, and comes in two flavors: cranberry nut and spirulina crunch. It was the first time (and only time, thus far) that I’ve come across this variation. Maybe that’s because that’s where they’re produced. I thought it was such an interesting idea, and not to mention they were so tasty! I had to pace myself not to eat the whole container at once. I was very intrigued, made note of the ingredients list, and attempted to recreate them.

Grain-free granola using kale as the base

… with my own little spin.

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“Summer Beauty Foods” Release & Perricone MD Giveaway

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Hi everyone!

Today I have something special in mind. I’ve been feeling like I’ve been all over the place, mostly in mind… a lot has been going on which is why I haven’t written a post in awhile. I had actually been wanting to write something around the time when I was traveling around, and had finally settled back into New York. Now that I’ve been back, and being the introvert that I am… along with the start of the fall season I’ve been giving myself some extra TLC. Whether it’s an aromatic foot soak for ten minutes, lighting a candle, or swinging my hair around to some music.

This time of year always reminds me of how we pull out vegetables, and that this is also the time we go back to our roots. During these transition times I like to simplify things so I can hear my body better. What’s it trying to say?

Honey is my candy?

Now let’s hop back to Florida… early August.

Remember back when I was instructing a workshop called “Beauty On A Plate”?

That particular afternoon started off with a lovely bouquet of flowers.

And in the spirit of antioxidants we opened a couple bottles of pomegranate wine… made from pomegranates!

A bit of prep work…

For some of them it was their first time cutting asparagus, and as an instructor it always helps when people share things like that. I love helping people learn how to do things, and have them leave feeling more confident. Now what was on this three-course menu?

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Caprice & Intellect

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Surprisingly my last post was on the first day of August, and today I’m posting on the last day of the month. I didn’t realize that much time had slipped in between. A lot of the reasoning for my lack of posting is that I’ve shifted focus (more on my studies at IIN), and I’ve also been more active leading me to do things that don’t take as long, i.e. writing a post. My writing style on this blog is very much compositional, and I don’t feel comfortable sharing something regurgitated or for the sake of posting. I have multiple drafts with ideas and pictures I want to elaborate on and structure into something that goes well together. For later.

But today… I’m not sure what to say, but I do want to say hello. I think for the past month I haven’t known what I want to share. I have pictures, but not much to say. Or is it too much to say, but don’t know where to start? Maybe that’s what happens when you are constantly giving your energy. Actually, here’s a word that’ll carry through this post…

Arrangement

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Accidental groceries arrangement

Collaborative arrangement

1. Grilled halloumi with fresh mint, chopped olives, lemon juice, and olive oil; 2. a salad with cherry tomatoes, avocado, balsamic, and red onion; 3. a salad with radishes, apples, lavender, orange juice, and olive oil.

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Fresh strawberries filled with a raw vegan vanilla coconut cream

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Here’s a dose of what I’ve been up to for Perricone MD on the Daily Perricone.

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My Thing Right Now Is Chewing

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Hi everyone! I’ve got some exciting things to share with you.

First off, at the beginning of August I’ll be teaching a workshop in South Florida. So if there are any readers who are in the area or know somebody who’d be interested, I encourage you to check out the event. Since I’ve been collaborating with Perricone MD on their Summer Beauty Foods, I thought it would be a great idea to share these concepts and recipes in person. For more information click over here.

Also, I was contacted by a journalist for the Voice of Russia asking if they could talk to me about being a flexitarian. It was interesting to receive that e-mail because I didn’t consider myself one. Since I started to consume fish, I dropped the “vegetarian” label, and didn’t seek to grab another one. It was an interesting thought to ponder though since technically I fall under the definition of “flexitarian”. It got me to reflect on my heightened sense of intuition. Whether I am eating by raw vegan or flexitarian standards, since breaking a mold I made for myself (with good intentions albeit) I’ve become more in tune with how to balance my body. This changes throughout the day. In fact, for dinner I was going to eat asparagus with a sauce I had made, but I was leaning more towards a simple squeeze of fresh lemon juice and some sea salt. With that, it was an absolute pleasure talking with the journalist, and here’s the article she wrote on the notion of this dietary path: Flexitarians: new meat-eating vegetarians healthy life style

A series of events

Speaking of rebalancing myself, two weekends ago a bout of food poisoning struck me and I happened to document it through different phases.

  • Exhibit a) before I knew what was going to happen… my stomach was feeling upset, but I didn’t know to what degree. So I had made a puree of papaya, fresh limejuice and ginger, a bit of honey, and salt. Note: it’s still a brilliant pink even when it’s thrown up.
  • Exhibit b) not breakfast the next day because breakfast the next day definitely did not happen. Apple sauce to test the waters when I could stand to eat anything.
  • Exhibit c) I had an appetite, but was still feeling sensitive towards certain foods so I made a mild healing soup with kombu.
So now I’m also making more of an effort to chew my food well.

And now, more link love! I wish I could do more formal updates on my blog with what I’m up to, but I invite you to follow me on Twitter and Facebook to read some of my articles and recipes that are showing up around the internet. I’m very excited to be collaborating in this way! Okay, okay so here are some links that you can click on for recipes and tidbits of information!

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PTA: Present Tense Affirmation

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In my last post I said I was EXPLODING with information. Well, some of that information I’m going to withhold… for right now. But I’ll start out with some things I’ve been enjoying this week.

Rode bikes in the city for the first time, along the Hudson River

It’s such a nice way to wind down from the day. After running through Central Park, I’ll head out with friends afterwards for long, leisurely bike rides. Then wash off, stretch for awhile, and do something very grounding afterwards. One thing I like to do is give my feet a nice massage with a peppermint foot lotion. I used to think to myself, “oh it would be nice to paint my nails… or give my tired muscles a massage” and not do it because I thought I didn’t have enough time. When really all it may take is just five minutes. How many people find themselves saying “I don’t have enough time“?

 

Actually, I hear that a lot with cooking. Recent things in my life though have gotten me to take a step back and just relax. To allow myself to just go with it, and not go into shallow breathing panic-mode if someone on the street stops me to talk about Matilda for 10 minutes. Before, I would stop, but I’d feel anxious the whole time. One of my recent mottos: whatever.

Here’s an interesting link I came across a few months ago that explains the title of the post: emotional freedom technique

Of course, there are times when I am rushed, but that’s another thing I’ve worked on… just saying it. I used to shy away from that because I didn’t want to offend anyone. I can reflect on the various causes of my feeling this way, but just behaving in a different way in the present helps the most. Just doing it. Everyone leads a different life, at times a life with demands.

So one day, while on a no-rush walk…

I stumbled upon a mulberry bush

I didn’t want to take too many, since I’m sure the other park animals also eat them.

A breakfast bowl with: diced cold apple, toasted hemp seeds, goat’s milk kefir, mulberries, and a sprinkle of cinnamon + nutmeg

A very Perricone friendly breakfast. Perri-who?

Some of you may have heard of renowned dermatologist, Dr. Perricone. Perhaps you’ve read his informative books and seen his skincare line. Or maybe you caught him taking away Larry King’s cup of coffee, for a cup of green tea instead. Anyway, here’s one part of the explosion!

I’ll be sharing recipes and nutritional insights on featured ingredients on a weekly basis over at the blog: the Daily Perricone. This has been in the works for awhile, and I’ve been biting my tongue the whole time.

This week was my first post on the blog, and I’m looking forward to sharing recipes on there.

The recipe can be found here, and for some interesting facts about peas click over here.

I’ll let you guys know about them, and if you follow me on my Facebook fan page then you’ll get more frequent updates as well. I also like to start discussions on there, share snapshots, and love to answer any questions anyone else may have! So check it out if you haven’t already.

My recipe for a simple summer soup.

Here’s a sneak peak look at some more upcoming news.

I’ll be featured in FIRST RUN magazine’s debut issue, which I’ll keep you posted on when it’s off the press. FIRST RUN is a quarterly running magazine, that is unlike any other running magazine out there. I’m truly excited to see it, and I think there will be lots of beautiful imagery and very interesting content to match. Also, keep tabs on what they’re up to through their Twitter.

Now on to the biggest news for me right now…

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In A Spaced Out Box

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Good day ladies and gentlemen. I feel like it’s been awhile since I’ve posted although it’s only been a week. You know when you let more days pass by, and things keep adding up? That happens to me when I don’t update more often, because well… I cook everyday. So that means I have lots of things to share! That also means that I’m going to start condensing posts more often, sometimes highlighting one dish or a couple. We’ll see how it goes. But here’s a post that is not quite so compact, but fits quite nicely into the package.

From the night before I left for my Florida vacation…

The vacation I keep thinking about, trying to tap into the feeling I had while floating in the calm, blue ocean; just listening to the sound of my breath.

I decided to make a fondue spread for me and my roommates to enjoy

White chocolate (fortuitously scalding it a bit, giving it a caramelized flavor) with a giant diced and spiced fruit salad of bananas, pears, apples, and melon. Mustn’t forget the coconut muffin as well.

I randomly decided to pick up beets at the store…

but I love beets so maybe it’s not so random. Let’s just say it wasn’t on the list though.

Beet stains never get old to me.
I picked up the beets after I picked up the jicama, and thought they would contrast wonderfully…

and I remembered the carrots that I already had at home.

Sometimes I make things for the sake of color.

After I prepared the vegetables I had to leave to meet with someone, so I stored the vibrant vegetables in one container. However, before I left I took a bite, and thought: this needs some shredded coconut. Added some. Took another bite. Done.

One fish: two ways

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A Few Of My Favorite Things

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One day, when browsing through my e-mail, I noticed a personable e-mail amongst all of the Ad-mail. A reader had contacted me asking what my favorite cookbooks are. Great question! It got me thinking about a few things: a) I was happy to get a personal e-mail, b) what are my favorite cookbooks, and c) I haven’t checked out any new ones recently! As I’m writing this, I just realized that I haven’t really made any recipes from cookbooks in awhile either. However, I still have my favorite picks.

Sometimes I go to the library and browse through cookbooks.

Or sometimes I go to the bookstore. When I find myself exclaiming at almost every recipe (or sneakily jotting them down), that’s when I know it’s a keeper. Here are some of mine:

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Nothing To Do But Float In The Ocean

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Here’s a little recap of my time down in Florida, which was mostly spent on the Gulf coast.

It seemed like a secret spot.

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