Doughnut Holes

Here is some silly food, deep fried globules of cake batter rolled in sugar... I used another idea from my Pinterest Board, .  This recipe was from a blog I hadn't looked at before, Brown Sugar Mama.  I substituted coconut milk for the milk and rolled my finished doughnuts in coarse sugar, I did not make the glaze.  Please open the link for detailed instructions

Yoga on a Budget

Lakshmi brings me opportunities, Jay Lakshmi!

I've been having a hard time lately funding my yoga addiction.  Since I quit my final gig at a yoga studio about a year ago, I lost my privileges for free classes around town.  At one point I think I had four studios in San Diego I could visit anytime for free.  I would reserve my yoga budget for retreats and workshops.  This last year, instead, I have been paying for studio classes, mostly at Bikram's, and it gets expensive to progress, and to progress I need to take at Lear 3 classes each week.  After the holiday crunch, I had decided to give my Bikram's addiction a break, but I was feeling disappointed about that.  On Facebook, a high school acquaintance shared a living social deal for Sol Yoga, a new fusion studio in a mall, next to the movie theaters.  Not the sort of place I'd think of for Samadhi.  But the deal was great, $39 for one month unlimited, so I took the bait.  The place is awesome.  It's like Bikram's lite.  The room is heated, but not so intensely, and the classes are mostly only 60 minutes whereas Bikram's is over 90 minutes long, a bit much to endure on days filled with teaching my own yoga classes, giving massage and sometimesmsurfing!  Best of all, they have a relatively huge locker room with clean showers, lockers and toiletries.  I've been about 3 times and the classes have been vinyasa flow classes, all pretty well attended by young women, many look like UCSD students.   Everything is very professional and upbeat.  The classes have been a little heavy on humor and inspiration, which can be challenging to make authentic, but I am definitely looking forward to the rest of my month!

Party Food

Going to a family member's 21st birthday tonight, and flipping through my pinterest boards, Taste Buds  and Sweets for inspiration.  About a dozen things look interesting to me, corn bread stuffed jalapenos, whole baked cauliflower, mushrooms in garlic wine sauce, tiny hand pies...Don't have a lot of time as I have some work appointments today, and I'll need to make time to go to the grocery store too!

I decided on Red Wine and Garlic Mushrooms, Whole Roasted Cauliflower, Cornbread Jalapeno Poppers, and Margarita Cupcakes.

Roasted Jalapeños

Cupcake Batter Craziness!

Baking Cupcakes

I started by roasting the jalapenos in the oven for about 20 minutes at 350' and soaking 11/2 cups of raw cashews in water.  I removed the peppers from the oven and after cooling a bit I put them in a plastic bag to sweat for awhile.  Meanwhile I mixed up the cake batter and popped the cupcakes in the oven for 16 minutes, letting them cool on a rack when done.  While the cupcakes were baking I mixed up the spice marinade for the cauliflower, 2 ounces of coconut yogurt, an ounce of olive oil, and some spices I through together without measuring, maybe 1 teaspoon of smoked paprika, 1/2 teaspoon of cumin powder, turmeric, salt, and pepper, and 1/4 teaspoon of cumin seeds, coriander powder and cardamom powder and one garlic clove crushed.  I whisked this together and then brushed it all over a head of cauliflower with the stem cored out.  Next i took the peppers and sliced thrm in half and removed all the seeds. Then my husband came home and I left everything to go surfing in the rain!

After a fun but chilly surf session, I found myself back in the kitchen, mixing up the frosting for the cupcakes.  I followed the cupcake recipe exactly, but the frosting recipe I used 1/2 cup of butter, 2 1/2 cups of powdered and shifted sugar, 1 tablespoon on lime juice and 3 tablespoons of hibiscus infused tequila.  When nice a creamy, put the frosting in a frosting bag and put that in the fridge to stiffen up a bit as the tequila makes the frosting a bit runny and prone to separate.  With that finished I put the cauliflower in the oven to bake at 350'.  With the unexpected surf adventure, I've decided to skip the mushrooms for today, maybe make them tomorrow.  I baked the cauliflower about an hour and 15 minutes.  While it was cooking I made the cornbread and spooned it into the jalapeños.  I used this recipe for Cornbread.  I baked them at 350' for about 20 minutes.  I had enough corn batter for about 5 muffins and baked these up to, something for breakfast. Whew...almost done!  Now into my mini food processor the soaked cashews, 2 tabelspoons of oily tahini, 3 tabelspoons nutritional yeast, 1 tablespoon olive oil, teaspoon salt and as I blended it I slowly added about 1/2 cup water for a soupy consistency.

I served the cauliflower with a sharp knife and a small dipping bowl of cashew cream. I surrounded the cauliflower with jalapeño corn bread. I frosted the cupcakes at the party....my food was easily surpassed by the music and the gentry, it was a blessing to be invited.

This band had a bag playing percussionist, a fiddle,  accordion and guitar!

The way to a man's heart, Cinnamon Rolls

The finished gems!

I went to my old standby for the base of this recipe, Smitten Kitchen.  I made a few adjustments, replacing milk with canned coconut milk and replacing white flour with whole wheat flour.  I also skipped the glaze and sprinkled mine with powdered sugar instead.  They took a long time, and I definitely didn't start them early enough for breakfast, but they were a great mid-morning snack with a single espresso!  Please look at the link for detailed instructions, I didn't take any pictures along the way of the steps, it was too early!

Dough

1 cup of coconut milk

3 tablespoons of unsalted butter

4 cups of whole wheat flour, divided

1/2 cup sugar

1 egg

1 envelope of yeast

1 teaspoon salt

tablespoon of olive oil

Cinnamon Filling

3/4 cup brown sugar

2 tablespoons of cinnamon

1/4 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature

pinch of salt

powdered sugar, sifted

I gently warmed the milk and butter in a small pot, then cooled it a bit to 120'  Then I added to this one cup of flour, sugar, egg, yeast and salt and I beat this with a hand mixer for about 3 minutes.  Then I added in another 2/12 cups of flour and mixed a bit, but it quickly became too sticky and I wiped off the mixer and began working with my hands, mixing the dough together.  I then turned the dough onto my kneading board and began to gently knead the dough, folding and turning the dough while gradually sprinkling in about 1 more cup of flour.  I continued this way for about 10 minutes until the dough was soft and malleable.  I then oiled a big bowl and dropped the dough in and gave it a flip so it was oiled on all sides.  I covered with plastic wrap and then with a towel and placed the bowl in my oven for 2 hours.  The oven was not on, it was a very cold morning and I needed a warm place for the dough to rise.

After the dough had doubled in size, I punched it down and rolled it out to a big rectangle on my kneading board. I mixed together the sugar, cinnamon and salt.  The butter was spread evenly over the dough and then the sugar topping was spread evenly over the dough.  I left the outer 1/4 inch on all sides free from sugar and butter.  Then I rolled the dough and sliced it into 1 1/2" slices and placed the rolls close together on parchment paper in small bread loaf pans.  I covered with plastic and a towel and again let it rise for another hour.  When that hour was almost through, I preheated the oven to 350'.  I baked the rolls for 20 minutes and then sifted powdered sugar on top.

Notes on Simplicity: DIY Kombucha

The finished project!  My first brew of Kombucha!

Well, I explained a few days ago my love of Kombucha and a bit about what it is....though I'm still not completely sure...here's my post on the DIY project of brewing my own Kombucha.

It all started with the purchase of my new little friend, SCOBY, which is an acronym for symbiotic culture of bacteria and yeast.   I purchased the scoby and a cup of starter tea from this shop on Etsy.

The arrival of my Kombucha SCOBY from Etsy

My skoby is a living organism that I feed a diet of sugar and tea and I harvest the by-product of little skoby's metabolic function, if metabolic is even the right word.  The scoby lives off sugar and tea made with pure water.  For my first brew, I started small, one liter of water boiled, and to that I added 1/3 cup of sugar and 2 spoonfuls of gunpowder green tea.

Once this concoction cooled, I strained away the tea with a non-metal strainer (no meatless in this process, it kills the SCOBY) and added this tea to the 1/2 cup of starter tea and SCOBY I purchased on Etsy. I covered the glass jar with a paper towel to keep out file and let it sit for 4 days though the recommendation was 5-10...I was too excited to wait any longer!

brewing sweet tea

strained and chilled sweet tea and scoby in kombucha tea

Everything together

Cover to keep out flies but still allow ventilation and a date to remember  start date

After four days the tea looked stringy and there was a gelatinous bubble of new growth on the top of the tea.  I tasted a little and it tasted just like the Original flavor of G.T. Kombucha!

I poured out about 2/3 of the liquid into small mason jars with a tight seal, yielding 5 servings of 4 ounces each.  Then I started a second larger batch boiling 2 quarts of water and adding to it 1/2 cup of sugar and 2 spoonfulls of gunpowder green tea.

 I thought the last batch was a little bitter so I drained the tea after about 8 minutes instead of letting it sit until the tea cooled.  Several hours later when this tea had cooled I added it back to my reserved kombucha tea and SCOBY.  I covered the jar, now full to the top.  The SCOBY sank to the bottom, which made me nervous, but I checked on-line and it seems like no problem.  When I harvested this second

Yoga...it ain't cheap!

I love a group yoga class, the bigger and more crowded, the better.  I love to feel the energy in the room, to see the effort from all the unique individuals moving together like a school of fish or flock of birds.  I love the floors and the music and the altar and everything about whatever that particular space, time, and gathering bring together!  I remember piling in to a small Esalen classroom on a very  wet and windy afternoon.  Just when you thought we couldn't fit another person in, the doors would open and a blast of cold would present a few more eager faces and we'd all move a little closer until our mats were overlapping.  Kishan Shah, our teacher, made every bit of discomfort fade away as he inspired you through movement and expression.  Another memorable class, or series of classes were held in an exquisite 4th story yoga room of hardwood floors, giant windows facing ocean and jungle, exquisite cane ceilings and of course, the exquisite teachings of Sharon Gannon, David Life and Jules Febre, live music from Deva Premal and her musicians...one long yogini orgasm of yogic ecstasy!  But, these experiences have a price, as do studio classes in our cities.  Bikrams is up to $17 for one drop in class!  That can get expensive if you are wishing to challenge your practice.  So in this year of simplicity, getting in a budget, freeing myself from debt, I must find more economical ways to grow my practice, to experience Sadhana.

Yogis 1500 deep for White Tantric Yoga in the mountains of New Mexico

The bliss of darshan with the goddess, Kirtan with Deva Premal at Esalen

For my first solution, the remedy comes surprisingly direct from the mother of yoga consumerism, the Lululemon Store.  This fabulous boutique of expensive work out gear that looks great to just lounge in, transforms into a yoga studio.  It's great, they have all of there center racks on wheels and they push them out of the way and have a big open room.  Every Saturday morning they invite a different teacher from the community (usually a different studio is featured each month) to teach an hour class starting at 8:30.  It's totally free, and the teachers are always really great and trying to do there best job possible since they are promoting themselves.  It's a great way to explore all the different styles of yoga available here in San Diego, for free!  They offer other classes sometimes on weekday evenings, and they also have a running club.  When they first opened, I went white a few times, but I've been out of the habit for a while.  But I took a great class from Ingrid Yang the first weekend of January and made it back in this morning for a fun vinyasa class by a gentleman whose name I didn't get, I was late!  He led a great mindfulness exercise during final relaxation, I'm going to practice this the next few nights at bedtime to help simplify my thoughts and get me to sleep!

In this breathing exercise, you will count down from 100 begin by inhaling, counting 99, exhaling, counting 98, inhaling, counting 97, exhaling, counting 96, and continuing like this to 50.  After 50 you change the pattern, inhale and exhale, counting 49, inhale and exhale, counting 48, inhale and exhale, counting 47, continuing like this to 1.

In-store Yoga at Lululemon

Notes on Simplicity: DIY Chicken Coop

The inspiration for my new Chicken Coop

I have begun this last year an effort to make more things that I have been buying prepared, such as juice, bread, pasta, sprouts, nut butters...and 2013, the year of Simplicity is going to be all about eliminating  packaged and processed foods and other resources and replacing them with my own cottage produced goods.  I spent last night researching on the Internet raising chickens.  I try to eat a mostly vegan diet, but I do consume a small amount of animal products.  I love eggs, and have been spending $5 a dozen for organic eggs.  I try not to eat too many, and always purchase the free-range and organic eggs.  But a recent documentary called Vegucated, really upset me.  I couldn't watch it through to the end it so upset me.  I was especially disturbed by the information about practices in the  raising of chickens for eggs, including organic and free-range eggs.  So we are thinking about raising our own.  I recently discovered a neighbor with a small cage on the front deck with a beautiful white hen inside, and realized how easy it can be.  So I'll keep you posted on the development of our flock.  First thing is to clear some space in the yard, then build the coop and run where they will live.  I think we will start with 2-3 chickens.  I'm so excited!

We have an extra armoire at our house that was given to us free a few years back.  At this Chicken Raising Website which I discovered through Pinterest I found the perfect coop design for us!  Cheap, because we have the armoire, and easy, we don't have to build from scratch!

Notes on Simplicity: Barter

When I contemplate simplifying my life I think right away of money.  When I don't seem to have enough, life feels complicated.  When I do have enough, life flows and feels upbeat.  Money isn't the right word, it's resources.  These resources include time, energy, and other commodities.  When what I offer the world and what I receive from the world in resources feels balanced, life has simplified, and all is well.  One way to achieve this balance is through barter, or trade, with others.  By eliminating money entirely the relationship becomes a more direct trade of your time and the value of the service you offer.  Sometimes I do feel a little embarrassed that I am a massage therapist and not a teacher or a doctor or a investment mogul.  But with the license comes skills that I carry with me, always, skills that are sought out by others.  At first I traded massages with other therapists, especially as a student, that's how we learned!  In time I met different people in the community who were willing to trade their services in exchange for massage treatments from me.  I have traded for dental work, hair cuts, Pilates training, harp lessons, Accupuncture, tax services, art classes...my first massage table was bought for me by a friend  in exchange for the value in massage!  Trades are fun when they work out right.  Sometimes my trade partners don't give the same respect to a trade appointment as they would to a paying appointment with tardiness or last minute cancellatio.  that's when its time to cut your losses and move on.  a good rule of thumb, if you aren't willing to pay for the service, don't waste your time offering up your services in exchange.  In this year of simplicity, I look forward to some new trade adventures, creating relationship and community, while getting my needs met!

Green Tea Blossoms

Green Tea Blossoms has the special honor of being my first custom blended tea.  It is a fragrant blend of Jasmine Green Tea, White Silver Needle Tea, White Peony Tea, Jasmine Blossoms and Rose Petals.  It is lightly caffeinated, certified  organic, and fair trade certified.

2013...you're kicking my ass...

2012, a big year for me.  I began my tea business.  I quit all work for others and went out 100% on my own after a decade of juggling multiple employers while also running my own business.  In general this year I was experiencing a transition from young adult to more seasoned adult in many big and small ways.  At the end of the year I began concentrated efforts of cleansing and preparation for the change of seasons and the move to a new calendar year.  Many of you followed my posts as I took a 30 Day Cleanse in November and December.  But, just before Christmas, my dog died and since then it's been one thing after another keeping me down.  I came down with whatever gunky respiratory madness has been spreading across the country this month and then this last weekend I butchered my thumb in the kitchen slicing bread for the chicken noodle soup I had lovingly prepared for my husband, sick in bed, having caught my illness as I was just beginning to see the light!  I feel as though a month of my life has disappeared before my eyes and all I can say is, 2013...you're kicking my ass!

So, what's the plan?  What to do when life gets you down?  First option, lay low.  And that's what I have been allowing myself to do.  Work the least possible, watch a lot of bad TV (Upstairs Downstairs is my poison of choice), lay in bed, drink tea, eat soup, and wait for the change of weather.  Now that I am finally feeling able to live again I find myself wanting to center and direct myself in to this new year.  I've worked a bit with themes in the past, choosing a theme for my year as opposed to a resolution.  Instead of trying to do or not do some particular action, the idea is to chose a theme or concept to reflect upon throughout year.  I did this a few years back with Grace.  I would try to remember to reflect upon the concept of Grace, what does it mean, how do we see grace or act in a way that is graceful.  By coming back to the idea again and again at different intervals during the year, I gradually formed my own deeper understanding of the concept of Grace and what it means to me and how I can embody Grace in my daily life.  This last year I was inspired by a yoga teacher who said in class "No negativity" and I tried to bring that in to my life, but it was difficult and I definitely didn't carry the concept in my heart for very long like I had the concept of Grace.  But it was still a wonderful exercise, one that I should employ again, immediately!

As for 2013, I think the theme will be Simplicity.  How can I live in a way that is more simple?  I think it will involve concepts like spending and using less, dealing with problems head-on, having a good attitude, creating community.  I think of the sanskrit word, santosha, contentment, being happy with life just the way it is.  Let's see if I can remember in the little daily moments of my life this new them of Simplicity, and let's accumulate life's knowledge, and add some Grace and Positivity into the day-to-day.

Kombucha Tea: Soda Pop for Hipsters

The Kombucha Display at the local Whole Foods, so many wonderful flavors, I love Guava!

A number of years back in my freelance yoga training I began to see the magically marketed GT Dave's Kombucha bottles in the hands of glowing yogis.  I began to treat myself at the local food co-op after classes taught in OB...and soon at Whole Foods...Sprouts....and now even at Von's, corner stores in San Francisco, at the Ashram gift shop.  You can learn about Kombucha on the internet, but basically it is similar to yogurt in that you have a starter liquid, milk in the case of yogurt and tea in the case of kombucha.  You add to this starter liquid some finished product, yogurt into the milk cultured with probiotic organisms, brewed kombucha tea with mushroom skoby into fresh tea.  Then there is a waiting period, over night for yogurt, 5-15 days for kombucha.  You reserve some of the finished product to begin a new batch, an on-going cycle in the kitchen.  Now what is the mushroom skoby?  It is a symbiotic culture of bacteria and yeast that forms a gelatinous patty that resembles a mushroom.  When added to sweetened tea and fermented the resulting liquid contains vinegar, B vitamins, other chemical compounds and a small amount of alcohol, making the drink effervescence.  Many other compounds are produced in this process such as organic acids, active enzymes, amino acids, and polyphenols.  Finished kombucha may contain any of the following components:
Acetic Acid
Butyric Acid
B-Vitamins
Ethanol
Gluconic Acid
Lactic Acid
Malic Acid
Oxalic Acid
Usnic Acid

It's pretty mixed news as to whether this stuff is good for you or not as you can read in this article from the NY Times.  It's the latte for Generation Namaste of which I am a reluctant card carrying  member, and I'm hooked.  But it's not cheap, sometimes I'll be lucky and find 2 for $5, but typically it's priced about $3.50, and with recent scandals over alcohol content, it just doesn't have the fizz and buzz of a few years back.  This change in formula and high price has cause my consumption to decline recently.  So in the theme of my life lately, making things from scratch, I have been contemplating brewing my own.  On Etsy you can easily find the skoby, or mother mushroom, used to brew this probiotic tea.  I choose a seller that listed the product as organic and that included educational support and great return policy if you have problems.  It came today and I'll post my results of my first batch as I proceed through he process.

A more oficial photo from the G.T. webpage.

Dia de los Muertos

Sugar Skull inspired Sugar Cookies

Hand Made Tamales

I had a great dinner party for Dia de los Muertos, a holiday where we remember those who have left us.  We prepare beautiful food as though we were to receive our beloved as guests and we build beautiful altars with offerings to the deceased such as flowers, sweets, old photos and candles. 

An altar to our Ancestors

The menu was very healthy, mostly vegan takes on Mexican classics.  There was refried beans, three color rice, several flavors of tamales, jalapeno poppers and holiday salad, shrimp ceviche, candied pumpkin and hibiscus margaritas.  I was so busy getting all the beautiful food on the table that I forgot to take any photos, but luckily I have a few that a friend sent me and a few from a day of the dead party two years ago that show tamales.

The party was extra special because my stepdaughter and her boyfriend decided to get involved.  They did all the decorations, here you can see one of Natalie's amazing paintings and flower sculptures.  Below is an altar where guests could put up a photo they had brought of a loved one.  And during dinner John played for us his own compositions on the piano.

Her Majesty's Tea

Her Majesty's Tea is a fragrant blend of Ceylon Black Tea, Marigold, Cornflowers, Calendula and Mango Essence. It's flavor is light and delicious.  Purchase the tea by opening this link to my Etsy Store.

Shop for The Robin's Nest Tea on Etsy

Open this link to view The Robin's Nest on Etsy: www.etsy.com/shop/TheRobinsNestLaJolla

Frida watches over my Kitchen

I got very excited about embroidery last year and made these kitchen towels.  Someone had given me a Frida coloring book and the line drawn images were perfect for following with needle and thread.  I'm now one of those silly women with towels in the kitchen that no one can use!

Chamomile Tea

Purchase on-line from my Etsy Shop

Chamomile has been used for thousands of years.  Internally it acts as a sedative and sleep aid.  Chamomile stops spasms in the smooth muscles lining the stomach and intestines, and contains chemicals that are anti-inflammatory, antibacterial, antiviral, and anti parasitic.  In the US, chamomile is one of the most widely used herbal ingredients in teas as well as in cosmetic, health and beauty products.  The amount of chamomile imported into the US each year is between 750,000 and one million pounds, with an estimated 90%used in teas.  The Robin's Nest Chamomile Tea is organic and Fair Trade Certified. 

Mexican Hot Chocolate Tiramisu

I made this beautiful take on a Tiramisu for our family holiday dinner.  It even tasted better the next day, so you could definitely make this well in advance.  It took on an amazing Mexican Hot Chocolate taste for the reason most of my food turns out interesting, because thats what I had on hand!

One batch of chocolate mousse
One can of coconut milk chilled
Package of Ladyfinger cookies
Khalua coffee liquor
Cointreau orange liquor
Espresso 1/2 cup chilled

Here is the recipe for the mousse Julia Child's Chocolate Mousse.  I replaced the chocolate with mexican chocolate and since it is already sweetened, I reduced the sugar in half.  I also replaced the rum with Khalua.  For the cream layer I whipped canned coconut milk.  If you place a can of coconut milk in the refrigerator for 24 hours you can then beat it with a mixer, just as you would whipping cream, and you end up with a wonderfully, dairy-free whip cream.   No need to add any sugar as the coconut has its own sweetness.  Now you assemble the Tiramisu, laying down a layer of coconut cream then a layer of ladyfinger cookies that have been quickly submerged in a bath of Espresso, Khalua and Cointreau.  On top of the ladyfingers a layer of chocolate mousse, then another layer of coconut cream, another lady of espresso and alcohol laced ladyfingers and a final layer of mousse.