Your pharmacy in the kitchen

Herbs and spices add so much love to the food and our bodies. Check out this article for the details.

http://hlifemedia.com/2010/08/culinary-herbs-natures-pharmacy/

Green Juice for a Sparkling Glow

Green juice is a great way to get some vibrant life energy! I used to drink almost two liters everyday in Montezuma, since I am in San Jose and I don't have juicer, I've been slacking and simply relying on big green salads. The truth is it is never enough, the amount of greens and alkalizing power we get from the greens we eat in a salad. Juicing really supports our intake of vital vitamins and energy. It also shows directly with my mood. Green Juice picks me up! It makes me feel light, energetic and super vibrant. So, today I did a research for a green juice recipe without a juicer and found out that I can just blend all the greens and add a glass of water and enjoy it as is. You can also strain it, but I do want to get the fiber from this delicious drink and it just looks too good to throw away. If I were juice fasting, that is another story.

So, super easy, just blend 2 cucumbers, peel the skin if not organic, handful of spinach, handful of your favorite herbs, i put cilantro, two celery stalks with the greens and a cup of water. Blend it all. Add one lemon juice. Cumin would also work great, ginger of course is so warming and helps to get a warming feeling especially when it is not super hot. It is raining non-stop in San Jose right now.

Here are the five benefits of greens:

1. Chlorophyl
2. Trace minerals (magnesium, iron, calcium)
   
3. Vegetable Protein
4. Enzymes
5. Alkalizing Power
   

Try to add this drink to your daily diet. You can still eat your favorite chocolate, pasta or smoothie. It is just a support to your body to show how much you love yourself and care about yourself. Watch the magic, see your skin glow, your eyes sparkle and your heart melt! Just with a glass of juice a day!

Banana-Maple Oatmeal Cookies

Happy Mother's Day!

It is Mother's Day in Costa Rica. Just a joy to celebrate mother's day
twice in a year. My mom loves raisins and cookies, so I am baking for
her these cookies with double raisins, and veganizing it for me, and
making it gluten-free for my sister. So everyone is happy! (My dad
would eat anything, he is so sweet when it comes to food.) I wish one
day I can make everyone happy, just like these warm cookies right out
from the oven, chewy, healthy and full of love.

Banana-Maple Oatmeal Cookies

1 tablespoon ground flaxseed
3 tablespoons water
Mix well and wait for a few minutes until the mixture thickens.

1 1/2 cups oats
1 cup gluten free wheat flour (I used brown rice flour)
1 tsp xtan gum
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon cardamom
3/4 cup raisins
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 cup maple syrup
1 banana, mashed
2 tablespoons of coconut oil (or canola oil)
1/2 teaspoon lemon juice

Preheat the oven to 375.

Mix the oats, flour, xtan gum, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and
cinnamon in a medium mixing bowl. Add the raisins.

Add the maple syrup, vanilla, oil, mashed banana, and lemon juice to
the flaxseed mixture and combine well. Pour into the dry mixture and
stir well but don't overmix.

Drop by heaping tablespoons onto a baking sheet lined with a silicon
mat or parchment paper. Flatten each cookie slightly with a fork. Bake
for 15-20 minutes or until bottoms and sides are lightly brown.

These cookies are cakey, if you like your cookies crunchy, I'd
recommend to bake them more. Uff, just realized mom doesn't like soft
cookies and dad doesn't like them hard. So, I guess, mom you will bake
these for 20 minutes for dad, and keep baking five more minutes for
you. Whewww...that was an easy, last minute adjustment:)

Inspired from Fat Free Kitchen, but I could not help and make some
major changes:)

http://blog.fatfreevegan.com/2010/02/banana-maple-oatmeal-cookies.html

I got about 20 cookies, they are going to my yoga class tomorrow.

I need some help...

My beautiful friends,

I have recently taken some time away from the business and trying to
have a relook at what is working and what is not. Most of you have
already made some great comments about pricing, hours and employees
who do not speak any english. Right now I have the time and the energy
to work more and offer more to the community in Montezuma.

It is very important for me to have your support. If it was not your
smiling faces coming to the cafe every time and showing me how much
you appreciate the cafe even if I was not in my best mood, made me
come this far. I am humbled and grateful for your friendship and love.
Please don't be shy about sharing your comments and I'd love to make
Organico even more inviting so we can all get together more, bring
friends and share many more great memories with love and compassion to
each other. It is my practice now not to take things personal and
accept that it is a good time to listen to my friends and hear what
you have to say. I really appreaciate it.

1. What would you like to see changed in Organico, that might make it
more exciting for you to come more often?

New Dishes

More portions

Prices

Employees (english speaking, more friendly)

Music, entertainment

Furniture
Chairs, pillows

Hours
(Now we are open only for lunch, 11 to 5 pm.)

Breakfast ?

Dinner ?

New Beginnings

I moved for to a beautiful house up in the mountains, with a secret
garden that is so magical, you have to come for a visit to experience
it, because I don't have the right words. The green, the air, the
space, the touch, the dew in the mornings, the coy in front of my
house, the flowers in my backyard and of course the city lights at
night, the view...Magical. I am blessed, grateful to my friends who
made this possible for me, to my beautiful cafe, to my employees who
are helping me so much to live the life of my dreams.... I have no
plans, no direction, only yoga and chanting and the desire to find
inspiration to help others, to be with others, to connect with more
people. And it is happening already. I signed up for San Jose Yoga
Festival, that is coming up in September 11th. We will bake cookies,
make green bars, meet yogis and celebrate life.

I am so grateful, it is growing and growing everyday. Life has never
been so fulfilling and delicious.

I am sorry it took so long to update the blog, but now I have so much
to share, I will be back soon!