On a Whim in Nicaragua

  Oh She Glows by Angela Liddon is this months cookbook author.  She has numerous recipes online .  Her cookbooks are paleo recipes. I have The Oh She Glows Cookbook, Oh She Glows for Dinner and Oh She Glows Everyday.  You are welcome to use any recipe you like and leave a comment or photo for inspiration. The first of my bookmarks was Soul-southing African Stew.  I was missing a few items and my pantry was short on a couple so I did make adjustments to taste but followed the recipe reasonably closely.  I try to cook with fresh, local and organic ingedients when possible.  I am very fortunate to have fresh organic peanuts growing about 1/2 hour from me.  The limes grow on my tree, the spinach vine on my wall, culantro in my herb garden.  There have been some very nice tomatoes in the market so I used fresh here and not canned.  Overall this was delicious and I will make it again.  This one is not online but the next one will be Sund...

Our first womens circle of the year was great.  An intimate experience in a tropical beach setting. https://www.harpersbazaar.com/culture/features/a12063822/emotional-labor-gender-equality/ I found this article a few years ago and never completely forgot it.  I have since continued to think about this and the workshop was a great outlet for all of us to add our own spin to it and help the group with ideas....our top 3 ideas! 1. Digital ideas using a shared note about whatever subject was required.  Mine is a grocery list that I share with my partner, but there are a few other maintenance type notes we use as well. The best part is I rarely forget my phone but I almost always forgot the paper list.  A digital calendar with reminders is also a good way to keep track of birthdays, anniversaries, etc.  A little data entry can last a lifetime on repeat. 2.  Meal Planning and prep can make a big difference in your day when you don't have to think everyday "what i...

Everyone tells us about diet and exercise and I agree that's good for us, but i also believe they're part of a delicate scale of balances that include so many other factors. Nutrition is very important..I won't call it diet because it's not about restricting or dieting at all.  It's about eating foods that fuel your body. We are all different. I am lactose intolerent and overtime that has become worse.  I also have trouble with carbonated drinks making me gassy.  On the other side my body loves a good bone broth and I always feel lighter and healthier and comforted immediately.  As much as what you eat is important it is also important to eat the things that nourish your body specifically.  Craving sugary sweets is not intuition but imbalance.  Learn to let your intuition guide you to finding your best nourished self. Exercise and levels of exercise are different for everyone and their metabolism.  We all need exercise but we all need different le...

 

I am very excited to offer this new service, although truthfully I have been coaching family and friends for as long as i can remember... I can be that person that you unload it all on...then we can sift through it all and make better choices, change poor habits and help you feel your best.  There is no one size fits all with health so i cant say do this and that and you will be well.  It will take numerous changes and some time to convert what you think you knew into what really works for you.  I will be there every step of the way, asking the tough questions when needed and being your biggest chearleader with every step forward!  What are you waiting for...start now and be ahead of your goals this January!  Start to feel better as soon as tomorrow!

I will continue to edit this list...... Okonomiyaki   Sweet Potato and Mung Bean sliders https://cookieandkate.com/caesar-dressing-recipe/ https://www.bonappetit.com/recipe/chocolate-almond-fridge-fudge/amp#referrer=https://www.google.com

  I was lent this book by a friend before the pandemic.  It is the kind of book that takes time to read so you can look around and figure out where your rooms fit in. Whats a bagua map you ask? well so did I....it's a square diagram that lays out the areas in your house. I have a lot of toilets in my house, and they also seem to be predominantly in my wealth section....wealth chi draining down the toilet with the seat up....hmmm..more reasons we should put down the seat. There is a lot of good information in this book that I will reference often.  

Yoga and Massage   It is still pandemic time, so in person classes will continue to be privates only.  Thai massage is available by appointment and masks are required.  And while we are doing our own yoga at home mostly I am going to focus on healthy eating.   365 recipe challenge...from  The Big Book of Sides .   I am making an effort to eat more plant based and dairy free this year.  In keeping with this I have set myself this challenge.  I have tried a few recipes in this book and enjoyed them and this is a great way to try many more this year.  There will be some other books I am cooking from this year....so stay tuned for updates and new content.  

 Ok great..but where is that? Is there a beach,you ask?  Why of course..it's easier to walk up the street than wade over to it.

 A  few things I look for when choosing a recipe from a cookbook; are they dairy free,  can I get the ingredients here in Nicaragua, and is the recipe easy to follow?  This book fits all the criteria, so this is a good start. Let's cook with Andrea! I tried the turmeric coconut rice, page 258 and it was good, but my favourite is still the recipe in the Modern Ayurvedic.  I am not a big fan of turmeric so that also plays a role. The crispy caramelized pork crumbles, page 184 were tasty, tasty, tasty and I used the cheat with molasses.  We will most certainly be having these again... super for a rice bowl topper.  Blistered green beans and bacon, page 239 - this one also features on my favourites of this year list....This is the best blistered bean I have had since Lai Lai  Restaurant was at the corner of Strange and Victoria St. in Kitchener. Nuoc cham,  page 44...I tried this a couple times but I have yet to get the flavour just right.  ...

I am still cooking away and trying new recipes.  The things I have learned from this book continue to ingrain into my cooking repretoire... Most recently I tried the peperonata....we had it with bread at 3 meals in a row...definitely make again when my little stash gets eaten up.  We've had it alongside stuffed chicken breast and pasta...every time delicious.

I have a lot more time to cook and bake this year... so I am going to compile a list.....and go! Vegan Avocado Fudge                                                                                       I substitute fresh, local organic peanut butter for the almond and love it! Gamja jorim braised potatoes These are delicious...I will make many more times. Carrots in Creamy thai sauce, The big book of sides. Loved them...have made them 3 or 4 times now...almost memorized the recipe.

 Let's start with the recipes I make that happen to be in the cookbook.... Homemade yogurt, page 266.  It is so easy to make I don't know why I waited all these years.  I am lactose intolerant so I used lactose free milk but I want to experiment with nut and coconut milks.  According to the notes in the book, yogurt is pacifying for vata, neutral for pitta and raises kapha slightly, it's very beneficial for healthy gut bacteria and digestion...even people who have trouble with dairy may find yogurt easier to take.  I added my homemade mango jam and granola for a delicious breakfast.   There are a number of different chutneys I also make all time and have for years....the great thing about this cookbook is it tells you how your favorite items affect your dosha...so you don't have to be an expert to eat and cook ayurvedically.   Pacifying to all doshas cilantro and mint chutney, page 259 is as easy to make and very similar to chimichurri which ...

I have always been against Monsanto and it's chemicals as well as genetically modified foods.  I have tried to buy organic and local or grow my own for many years and it's in times like this it's worth trying to make change in an entire industry..so here goes. I have been inspired to write this because I am reading Animal, Vegetable, Miracle by Barbara Kingsolver.  So far I am on page 56 of 354...I see more of these posts in my future before I finish this book.   P.S. I love to garden and eat good food as well. My hope is that more and more people will go back to gardening and producing their own vegetables or at least be more conscious of what they are putting into their body and the nutrients the things they buy have or don't have.  Our bodies can only digest so much in one day so we need to be fastidious about what we put in on a given day if we do not want to be obese...are you nourishing yours? I urge everyone reading this to read the labels ...

This card feels appropriate in a few aspects of my life and none involve work....what about in your life? "This week, set your intention to determine what you'd like to express to the world before you embark on the task."  This is an important intention to set for me since I have few filters at times. "What does blueberry say to you?"  This is the question asked on day 2 of the week long journey into the card.  It asks you to look beyond blue and into the combinations that make blueberry and the meanings of those colors as chakras.  We are asked to be open to the universes feedback as we examine our personal expression in life. "The fifth chakra reminds us of the legacy we're here to share with others.  What is yours?  How will you know when you've succeeded?" The group exercise is one i'd like to do and will just not this week... The fifth day of 7 is a meditation...go within and release your inner mystic.  ...

2020 Cookbook Club Join me each month as we explore vegetarian, vegan and ayurvedic cooking. I have chosen a number of my favourite cookbooks and some new ones I haven’t tried, but all are renowned authors and respected experts in their fields. Choose your recipes to make and post pictures in the group of your creations from the books each month. Every Thursday will be throwback Thursday where you can cook from any of the books of previous months or your favourite cookbook, using the hashtag #tbt. In December we will vote on a book from the January favourites you used. The bonus book for the whole year is The complete book of Ayurvedic home remedies, Vassant Lad M.A.Sc. While this book does not have recipes it has extensive food lists, breathing, meditation and yoga suggestions. It is a worthwhile read for anyone interested in ayurveda written by one of the most respected experts on ayurvedic living. January: cook from your favourite cookbook and post a pict...

I was recently gifted this beautiful decks of oracle cards.  I am very privileged and grateful to have received such a gift.  I had always heard that you should be gifted your tarot deck so I didn't use the one I had purchased so much over the years but the interest has always been there. I have been practicing with this oracle deck for the last few weeks and I want to share them with you.... So here goes.... They are created by Tori Hartman and are of very good quality for the box and the cards.  The illustrations are thought provoking and I feel connected to the cards by "buzzword".  The word on each card alone sends me into neutral observer down multiple rabbit holes at once.   I think it says something that the picture I took for this post happened to turn up the  gratitude card.   Each week I will draw a card on Mondays and post it here with my questions and insights for you to decide how the card fits your week. ...

I am part of the Food 52 Cookbook Club and  a few others on Facebook.  I like these groups for the amazing food they post.  Out of a bunch of books they try in a year, I pick a few. This is one and I am glad I did...everything is delicious. Most of the recipes are very easy to make with few ingredients which are readily available most places.   It doesn't end there. This book completely changed my green herb game!!! I like a bit of fresh herb, but I had no idea that eating them all (dill, mint, culantro, parsley) fresh together in one salad with only lime, olive oil and kosher salt as the dressing was such a flavor sensation.  I took so much inspiration from the book that I am eating fresh herbs in everything now. Another memorable recipe is the tonnato.  In the book he uses canned tuna but I used our in house smoked mackerel instead....I make it all the time now and even add larger pieces to make it a smoked mackerel salad sandwich. I al...

Energy Healing: The Essentials of Self Care This one resonated with me. I could hardly put it down and that is unusual for me with a book in this genre. It all started for me on page 10 with a great composite view of different energy anatomies that had been explained in the preceding pages. For me, it really brought together the Chinese medicine, Thai massage, chakras and aura system in relation to each other. The healing stories through opening our connections to the energy fields of the universe were motivating and interesting to read. The first exercise I tried was the first one in the book "toe tapping". It's a pretty simple exercise so following the instructions was easy. I only kept it up for about a week but I believe I did start to feel benefits. I like to meditate and I am always looking for new ideas. This book provided. I still want to try the metta meditation and many of the other meditations that are throughout the book. I still have a numb...

This month I am doing an ayurvedic cooking workshop that embraces the seasonal changes in our diet and gives specific information like shopping lists and tables that help you change an "everyday" recipes into a seasonal one. Flexibility is a spectacular item to have in your toolbox. My first attempted recipe from the book....Everyday dosas.  They are like a tortilla but instead of corn are a combination of rice and mung beans.  They are fermented which gives them a great taste that you don't find in a tortilla. I have also tried the everyday chia pudding and I love that it's blended.  It really made the texture more pudding like and less jelly like.  I also wasn't really a fan of the whole seeds so blending is a win win for me. There are a number of great recipes in the book and we will have a chance to try these at the workshop on May 12. The workshop turned out well and the food was delicious even though we questioned how some of the flav...