Pregnancy Memories

We are taking more pictures these days, apparently we need to prove the US embassy that I was pregnant...At least gives me a chance to share the photos online:)

Rainy Day Sunshine, Oat Date Crumb Bars

It is rainy season in Costa Rica. I love the rain, it brings such freshness and cool air to much needed humid Montezuma, but it can really get you if you are stuck home with no vehicle, no dry cloths, no fancy entertainment center and you just can't go dance in the rain because you are pregnant:) Not you, me:)

But then, there is baking, it definitely helps! Both in the pregnancy department and sanity of the mind. These are easy to make oat bars that will make your kitchen smell like a cozy bakery and long for a nice movie with a warm blanket, a cup of tea in your hand, even in the tropics. Also, individually wrapped they make great gifts. It reminds me of a linzer torte, I could swear it tastes very buttery, though these are vegan and gluten-free! Roberto thinks it is a close relative of fig newtons...

The recipe comes from Candle Cafe Cookbook. It is a vegan restaurant/cafe, I have never been to but heard so much of it. Here is the exact recipe from the book. Below is my version with a few changes:

Oat Bars with Apricot Date Filling
1 cup whole pitted dates
1/2 cup dried apricots (or prunes or raisins)
3 cups oat flour, see below for a quick recipe
1 cup coconut flour (if you don't have it, add oat flour instead)
4 cups rolled oats
¾ cup chopped walnuts
1 cup coconut oil
1 cup agave (or maple syrup)
1 tsp. almond extract
 3/4 tsp. fine sea salt
1 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp cardamom, if you really like cardamom, you add a pinch more.
1/8 tsp nutmeg
zest of 1 orange

Fresh spices will be more powerful and fragrant. I like to grind up  cardamom and grate the nutmeg. If you haven't tried it before, I highly recommend it.

Oat Flour-Coconut Flour
You don't need to buy oat flour, just blend rolled oats in a blender until super-fine. You can also do coconut flour or any other nut flour the same way. Just make sure your blender is super dry.

Date-Apricot Filling
For the filling soak the dates and apricots in water, better the night before. If you want to bake your bars now, you can also soak them in hot, boiling water while preparing the rest of the ingredients. Once they are ready, drain, and process in a blender or a food processor until smooth. This is your sugar-free filling that is sweet and delicious! You can also use your favorite marmalade, I really want to try this with raspberry. 

Oat Coconut Crust
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

In a large bowl, combine the flours, rolled oats, cinnamon, cardamom, nutmeg, orange zest and walnuts and mix together well. 

In another bowl, combine coconut oil, agave, almond extract, and sea salt. Add the wet ingredients to the flour mixture and mix well. Press half of the mixture into a baking pan. 

Spread the fruit filling over the mixture, top with the remaining half of the flour mixture, and press down lightly.  Bake for 30 minutes, or until lightly browned.  Let cool and cut into squares.

Great for breakfast, road snack, dessert for lunch...Even this monkey enjoyed the smell in our garden:)

Use of Herbs during Pregnancy

I like this site a lot, super helpful information and lots of articles about pregnancy nutrition. It is a little complicated with herbs during pregnancy. Even my dad send me an article saying don't eat ginger. However, if you read through the research, it is the amount and how you use it that makes the difference. Culinary use is different than extracts and oils. Good to know:)

Just made a dandelion pesto again. This time I used 2 bunches of basil, 1 bunch of parsley and 1 bunch of dandelion with 2 roasted garlic cloves, 1/4 cup of olive oil, 3 tablespoons of nutritional yeast, 1/4 tsp sea salt, 1/4 tsp black pepper. Now, I want to bake some veggies and sprinkle this on top. It also makes a great salad dressing....

Lunch today and many days to come:)

It's leftovers!! We had a guest over last night for yummy veggie burgers and we made a lot! So today lunch was ready in less than 5 minutes. My god, best burger I had in a long time! Of course, I am spoiled to have my husband home, so he can bake whole grain buns and cook burgers to perfection with patience, skills I still haven't developed-yet:) It is really fun to be in the kitchen together especially on days that are gloomy gray like this. Also, I learn something new from him everyday, I am truly grateful to the universe for our connection.

Don't laugh, but I will tell you how I built my burger. We had dandelion pesto on hand, so I started with that, added Swiss chard, roasted pumpkin, home pickled cucumbers, tomato and leftover lentil burger on top. Everything was cold and it was great. Now, I know it takes a lot to do all these things at once, especially if you are hungry. The trick is to organize your kitchen in a way that works for you. You can bake bread and freeze, or skip bread and make this into a salad with lentil patty on top.

Roasting veggies is so easy because you don't need to babysit them and wait in front of the stove. They also keep well in the fridge. Kitchen can be a challenge if you are pressed against time, or don't have the inspiration. However, it can also be an artist canvas if you work with ease and use local ingredients. Then you can see the magic happen on its own, painting plates in colorful veggies and watching your inspiration blossom.

Here are the recipes I used for the burger...Something to play with, hopefully some joy and excitement! Have fun!

Pickled Cucumbers:

Using a mandolin, slice your cucumbers thinly. Long English cucumbers of thin Asian cucumbers are the best. If the cucumbers have a lot of seeds take them out because they are hard to digest. Sprinkle pinch of salt, 1/2 cup rice vinegar and a dash of black pepper. Press down with a plate and let them sit for about 30 mins or overnight in the fridge.

You can totally skip this and use fresh cucumbers. That is how I made our burgers at Organico all these years, easy yet delicious and fresh.

Roasted Pumpkin

Pre-heat the oven to 400F.

Wash the skin of the pumpkin and cut into finger thick pieces on the long side. Place them with the skin on a roasting pan, sprinkle sea salt, olive oil and sage. I used dried sage, but you can also use fresh sage or any other herb you like. Rosemary is also great.

Next, make sure to get your hands in the roasting pan and show some love to the pumpkin, covering each side with olive oil.

Bake for 40 mins, turning the pan in the middle. Check for doneness by inserting a knife. Let it cool. If using for the burger, take the skin off. This is also a great side dish to any other meal or salad.

Plantains and pineapples are also a great alternative. You can bake or grill them.

Dandelion Pesto:

1 bunch of dandelion, chopped into small pieces.
1 bunch of basil, chopped.
1 bunch of arugula, chopped.
1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
2 heads of roasted garlic or 2 raw cloves (roasted garlic is creamy and sweet and helps with the dandelion flavor, so if you have time, don't skip this step).
1/2 tsp sea-salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
Juice of a half lemon
2 tablespoons nutritional yeast, optional

Blend everything in a high speed blender until creamy. If you like your pesto chunky, use a food processor instead and process slowly, adding your greens in parts.

Keeps in the fridge about a week.

A super easy spread alternative would be mashed avocado with basil or cilantro with lime and salt. Please don't stress!!!

Lentil Burgers

3 cups of soaked green lentils, about 2 cups of dry lentils soaked overnight.
5 cups of water
1 onion, cut into two
1 head of garlic
1 celery stalk, cut into 3 pieces
1 bay leaf (its ok if you don't have it)

Bring all the ingredients to boil, and cook until the water is gone and the lentils are soft.

Saute with 4 tablespoons olive oil:

1 onion, diced small
2 stalks of celery, diced small
1 medium carrot, diced small
1 tablespoon of tomato paste

It will take about 10 to 15 minutes, until the carrots are almost mushy. Add 2 tsp cumin, 1 tsp black pepper and 1 tsp salt.

Once the lentils are cooked, put them over a sieve and drain the water. Transfer the lentils into a big bowl.

Add the sauteed veggies and combine with 1/2 cup oat flour, 1/2 cup ground flax seeds, 1 cup oats. Mix well with a wooded spoon, pressing into the lentils, like making a dough. There will be still chunky pieces of carrots and celery and that is good. If the mixture is too wet, add more ground flax seeds. If it is too dry, add some liquid from the lentils. You should be able to make patties at this point. It is ok if the mixture looks wet, as long as it holds it shape.

Make sure to taste them and see if you like the taste. Adjust seasonings to your liking, salt, pepper, cumin. I also added a dash of cayenne pepper at this point because it was a little sweeter than I liked, carrots to blame:)

Place the mixture in the fridge for about 30 mins, the flours and oats soak up more liquid. Roberto did the rest of the cooking. He first pan fried the burgers, high heat both sides about 3-4 mins each until browned and then baked 400F for about 10-15 mins, so they dry up inside. It was perfect.

Leftover burgers are great for the next day, they hold their shape even better.

Again, if you want a burger now and don't want to spend the time in the kitchen,think what could be an alternative for the lentil patties...Maybe portobello mushrooms or eggplant steaks?

Additional toppings:
Avocados
Tomatos
Fresh greens
Sauteed Onions
Sprouts
Mustard
Some good organic ketchup if you can find it...

Cheers to the happy times in the kitchen!!

Living Bridge

http://www.snotr.com/video/7331/The_Living_Bridge

This is so amazing, must be such a joy to be part of a family who build things in the nature that lasts for 500 years and help others. I want to do things like this with my family.

Carrot Muffins with Love

We were invited to a brunch this past Sunday and carrot muffins were on the menu. I got really excited to hear that, as it is super hard to find baked stuff around here outside of our own kitchen. Brunch menu was great but no carrot muffins:( Now that could make a pregnant lady go crazy! Hence, they were on my mind since Sunday, I just had to bake them ASAP:) The perfect excuse came when my husband came down with a cold and his favorite cake happens to be carrot cake. This morning, up super early with the sun, I searched for some recipes before having my first cup of red raspberry tea. On a side note, if you are pregnant, I highly recommend red raspberry tea, it helps to strengthen the uterus muscles, that you will need after giving birth.

The first recipe I found was from Angela. It was vegan but not gluten free. Then I found another one but realized it had eggs and skipped that recipe, though it is pretty easy to convert eggs into vegan eggs with flax eggs. I started with Angela's recipe and prepared the flax eggs, don't ask me why!! Totally messed up and mixed two recipes in my mind. Half way through the process, a tiny panic came in, "oh this recipe doesn't have eggs" but then added them anyways and continued making my own carrot muffins. Vegan, gluten-free, coconutty and not so sweet! They turned out super moist, packed with carrots and love.

Vegan Carrot Coconut Muffins- Gluten Free

Adapted from Angela @ Oh She Glows

Yield: 12 muffins

Dry:

• 1 cup gluten free baking flour
• 3/4 cup rice flour
• 2 tsp x-tan gum
  
• 1/4 cup natural raw sugar
• 1 tbsp ground flax seed
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 3/4 tsp baking soda
  
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp nutmeg
  
• 1/2 tsp sea salt

 Wet:

• 1/3 cup agave syrup
  
• 1/3 cup coconut oil (or vegetable oil)
  
• 1/4 cup soy milk (or coconut milk)
• 1/4 cup water
  
• 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
• 2 tablespoons of ground flax with 6 tablespoons of warm water. (Mix well and let the eggs develop while preparing the other ingredients, it will be gooey)
  
• 2 cups grated carrots
• 1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger
  
• 1/2 cup raisins, soaked in water and drained (I used prunes because we had no raisins, it came out great.)
  
• 1/3 cup chopped & toasted walnuts
• 1/2 cup shredded unsweetened coconut
• 1 orange zest
  

Directions:

1. Toast the walnuts on the stove, under medium heat. Preheat oven to 400F and line a muffin tin with liners or use a silicon muffin tray.

2. Whisk all dry ingredients together in a large bowl. Separately, whisk together the wet ingredients, flax eggs, oil, water, vanilla, soy milk. Add the wet to the dry and mix until just incorporated.

3. Fold in the carrots, ginger, orange zest, prunes (or raisins), coconut and walnuts. Batter will be THICK!

4. Scoop batter into the muffin liners, filling the batter to the top, making it a little higher than the mold level.  Bake for about 18 minutes at 400F until a toothpick comes out clean. Be patient and wait until they cool for about 15-20 minutes.

Enjoy!!!

A new chapter...

There is a new chapter in this book! It is exciting and scary and of course as my mom puts it, perfectly expected from me. I sold the cafe, got married and I am now pregnant to a baby boy who is coming to be with us in two months. Crazy fast but it feels so good to be alive now. These days life feels like a roller coaster and I am sure the pregnancy hormones are to blame!!!  I have no plans for the future, quite opposite, I am swimming in the unknown, I don't know where we will live, what we will do as we are both jobless right now and I have no clue how to be a mom. Even before that, I cant even decide if I am strong enough for homebirth or ready to fight the doctor who is not willing to wait more than 3 hours for a normal delivery. I know it will all work out, it always does. One way or the other, life goes on. And if I can breath in the middle of this, I thank myself and say I am grateful to be able to recognize the moment. That is all I can do right now. A split second of consciousness that everything is exactly how it is supposed to be.

It sure helps to be in Costa Rica, this constant connection with the nature, feeling the ocean and the green, touching my feet on earth, eating so well thanks to my husband. I can not believe I met someone who can cook better than me! It really helps to get out from my mind and just feel. I am also doing yoga, my own way. Mostly listening to my body and giving myself time to explore my muscles in this phase of my life.  I can not do many of the poses and I try extra hard not to push my self, but most of the time I am really loving this extra freedom I found, to be me. I have the best excuse to myself:) It is a great lesson that I want to take with me after the baby, because really I do love this person now. Even though I don't work 12 hours, even though I don't run 2 hours and do yoga every day...Somehow, I even think I am more beautiful than ever before- most of the time...Then there are the moments of fear, doubt, unknown, worry...pre-postpartum pregnancy thing, that is not clinically coded:) I have that too!

In the middle of this chaos, I want to write more. I want to share more and be connected more. At least to give it a try...

Carob Fudge

I just made this carob fudge, and it is fantastic. Give it a try, I
did not use mint, but hazelnuts and carob are an amazing
combination!!! We are taking them tomorrow to the market to share with
our friends.

http://gnowfglins.com/2007/03/16/nutty-minty-carob-fudge-balls/comment-page-1/#comment-43894

Up in the mountains, Camlihemsin

Its been way too long I updated the blog, but now I have a good reason to write. We discovered an incredible part of Turkey. Up in the mountains, surrounded by rivers and super cute villages. The town we stayed is called Camlihemsin. Everything is what we have missed in Istanbul for the last three weeks...Fresh air, rivers, local food, smiling happy people.

We stayed at a beautiful place, Moyy. Super nice, elegant and friendly. Every detail is done with love and care. The meals were fantastic and daily nature tours were the best. One day we ate in the mountains in someone's house. I dont think you can find a better view, better food in your life. I felt like the luckiest person in the world.

Our guide Ugur is also a published author, he lives there and he also has an adorable coffee shop, called Caynig. His photos are also amazing, so check them out.

feeling good!!!

http://www.tripadvisor.com/Restaurant_Review-g309278-d1463063-Reviews-Cafe_Organico-Montezuma_Province_of_Puntarenas.html

Check out our listing and number 1 position! Sooo happy!

Write a review on Trip Advisor!!

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Help!

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Feeling Connected...

http://www.ted.com/talks/brene_brown_on_vulnerability.html

wonderful talk, please check it out...

B-12 Deficiency

I have B-12 Deficiency and now really feeling it...I am tired all the time and it is just hard to keep up with 12 hour work schedule...I knew about my B-12 deficiency almost 2 years but did not do much about it, other than ordering pills that i never took consistently, or bought nutritional yeast that ended up on the kitchen shelf only to be used for customers...

Now I am doing a more serious reseach and oooops, it is damn serious!


My friend Sassy writes in her website:

"It's very important for you to grasp that in our modern food supply B12 is found MOSTLY in animal products. Why? Because Vitamin B12 comes from our soil. When a cow, for instance, chomps on grass she eats this vitamin B12-enriched soil. There are also microorganisms located in the animal's intestine that produce Vitamin B12.

And those ancestors of ours who were able to thrive on a plant-based diet without adding any Vegan Vitamin B12 supplements? Well, they were getting their food directly out of the ground still covered in soil -- soil which they were never quite able to completely remove. Our food today is usually very clean by the time it makes it to our stores, and then we further clean it in our own kitchen (since most of us don't like the taste of dirt). Goodbye Vitamin B12.

If you eat a vegan diet, you MUST be sure you're getting the amount of Vegan Vitamin B12 you need."

Ok, now I am taking b-12 pills and will get some more nutritional yeast for home.

Weekend Workshop

We are planning a weekend workshop at Organico...Two days of preparing
meals, tips and tricks, how to make meals for yourself and your
family. Exciting times! First dates are Feb 4th-6th. $220, including
hotel, all meals and classes and materials. We will also go to the
beach and do salsa dancing of course:) Email me at
bakingfairy@gmail.com for more details and upcoming workshops!

2011 wishes

Happy 2011! Everyday I practice meditation, I sit down and contemplate on the beauty of life, service to others and sharing love and compassion. I get up from the cushion and bury myself with selfishness...Oh poor me, oh my this, my that...It is so hard to keep the practice real. So hard. These days, I have been challenged to see my jealousy rise so much...No, it is not about a boy this time:) It is business! Living in a small town, I am friends with all the other business owners and close friends with some. We see each other daily, we hug each other daily....Recently day after day, I am seeing our menu items in other menus...and I swear it is not things like pineapple juice! It is the stuff that I made up, "claims my ego". And my "friends"  dont even mention that they put something that they love at Organico, in their menu...It is flattering to the ego for sure, but at the same time, I feel betrayal. I expect so much from human beings and just like every spiritual teaching says, you are bound to get disapointed if you have expectations...I suspect the teaching for me is to just be, open my arms and show love to these friends who live by different values. That is ok.

Why do I close my heart and become bitter and fearful and become just like them, maybe not in business but for sure in love. Instead of to celebrating differences and to love and accept each other as is, with no desire to mold, change, expect. I can't do it...I want what it is not there. I would only love unconditionally if.............Here goes my messed logic...Unconditional love with a conditional if...How silly...

I am not giving up, this is just the start...Everyday is a new practice, everytime the candle lights on the alter, it is a new beginning to be truthful, to be open, to be loving, unconditionally...the drunk on the street, the difficult customer, the lovebug, lazy employee...

Bring it on 2011. I am ready to go to the places I have never been, I am ready to cross boundaries, I am ready to lose myself and open to love...To all, no matter when, where, how...

blissed out..

we had an amazing christmas dinner with live music! It was magical and loads of fun!

Dreaming in Color

As the year is almost over, I am so grateful to life and all that has happened in this year that helped me grow, in tears of joy and sadness. Such a blessing to be alive and have all of you in my life. I am inspired, joyful, in love with life more than ever.

Happy Holidays....

Here are some of my favorites of the year, hope you find something inspiring...

Book:
The Garden, Geshe Michael Roach

Song:
Fly High, Deva Premal and Mitten

Movie:
Inception

Yoga Pose:
Headstand

Ingredient:
Irish Moss, forever grateful to my friend Maria

Fun:
Salsa Dancing and especially the spins....I just love it!

Recipe:
Fudgy Brownies

Emma's Carrot Salad:
Shredded Carrots
Parsley
Rice Wine vinegar
Sesame Oil
Mirin
Soy Sauce
Sugar
and sesame seed sparkles!

new season goodness

Wow, we are doing it! I could not be happier with the free classes we are offering now!

Spread knowledge, spread your love

I have been contemplating for long time about changes at Organico.
Location, recipes, employees, business plan, financials, groups,
workshops...I did not come up with something that made my heart skip a
beat. Until after our meditation retreat in Cabuya. During this
wonderful Lam Rim retreat, I realized I feel so aligned with the
universe when I am serving others. I dream to bring people together
where we share our gifts with each other free...

I came up with this new idea. To create a community center, or a
creativity center for body and mind, where there will be scheduled
free classes and anyone will be able to sign-up as a
teacher...Traveling teachers, hidden artists, closet chefs,
photography experts... I am excited to meet you all...We are going to
offer all the classes for free and ask for donations. These donations
will be shared with the teachers and we will also offer a smoothie of
the day to our teachers. What do you think?

So, we are looking for anyone ready to share their knowledge, art,
dance, zumba, yoga, meditation, nutrition, cooking, poetry reading,
spanish, english, astrology, herbal medicine...or your unique
gift...Please let me know if you are interested...

Spread knowledge, spread your love,

So blessed to be at the service, may all beings be happy!

P.S. of course, we will still have our wonderful juice bar, vegan
ice-cream and some special meals on the menu...:)