Cookin' with Jazz - Rich and Creamy Horchata Muesli

Horchata Muesli 

By Jasmine De La Paz

When I first realized the next Breakfast on the Patio at Namaste falls on Cinco De Mayo, the first thing that came to my mind is Horchata. 

Horchata is a Mexican drink typically made from rice milk, cinnamon and vanilla, and is simply delicious. My husband requests Horchata frequently as he likes to add it to his iced coffee. The only thing I don't like about Horchata is the amount of sugar added, so I decided to sweeten mine with dates, and made it vegan by using almonds and coconut milk. It is time consuming, but is so worth it. The result is rich and full of flavor - making the muesli extra creamy. 

Vegan Horchata (serves 4-6) 

1 cup white rice
1/2 cup almonds
1 cinnamon stick
1 can whole fat coconut milk
4 dates
1tsp vanilla 
1 1/2 cups almond or coconut milk
dash of salt

Directions: 

1. Start by soaking the rice, almonds, and cinnamon stick in water overnight. Once done soaking, drain out the water, rinse through, and add the ingredients to a blender. Blend on high with the canned coconut milk until well blended and frothy. 

2. Pour mixture into a cheese cloth strainer, or nut milk bag, and squeeze as much of the liquid out as possible. 

3. Add the liquid back into the blender, and blend with dates, vanilla, almond or coconut milk, and a dash of salt! 

4. Store in the fridge for about 3-4 days. 

Horchata Muesli (serves 2) 

1 cup oats

3 tbsp chia seeds

3 tbsp flax seeds

2 tbsp coconut flakes

1 tbsp almond or coconut yogurt

2 - 2 1/2 cups Horchata

Directions: 

1. Add all the ingredients into a bowl, and mix together. If you notice it's a little dry, you may need to add more Horchata. Keep in the fridge overnight. Enjoy with added fruit, nuts, seeds, and extra Horchata! 

BREAKFAST ON THE PATIO

Join us for yoga, community, and nutritious food! 

Saturday, May 5th from 10:45 - 11:15am. 

Free to those who attend class before or after. 

Reserve your spot online here.

Recipe Share: Easy & Delicious Anti Inflammatory Vegan Lunch

Citrus Cilantro Kale with Quinoa and Cauliflower

This recipe is a cinch and will leave you feeling nourished and light. 

Ingredients:

• 4-5 Kale leaves, stems removed
• 1/2 cup quinoa, cooked
• 1/2 cup cauliflower rice, either processed on your own or purchased (Trader Joe's has premade cauli rice in the produce section!)
• 1/4 cup EVOO
• 1-2 tbsp cilantro (to taste)
• 3 cloves garlic
• 2-3 tbsp lime juice (to taste)
• Salt & Pepper to taste

Instructions:

• Steam the kale & cauliflower, either on the stove top or in the microwave, to your desired doneness. I recommend leaving a little crunch.
• Combine kale, quinoa and cauliflower in a bowl.
• Combine remaining ingredients in a blender & blend until combined.
• Pour dressing over your veggies.
• ENJOY!

Recipe: warm chia pudding with berry syrup

With nutrition, they say, "Fail to plan and plan to fail." This is especially true at breakfast-time, when it is easy to grab the quickest thing and be on your way. But, a healthy breakfast sets you up for less bloat and more energy for the rest of your day. We love this recipe for warm chia pudding, inspired by our student Jasmine, who is a personal chef.

The best part of this recipe is it is quick, easy, cheap and can be made in advance.

Ingredients:

• 3 cups coconut milk (I prefer canned)
• 6-8 tablespoons chia seeds
• 3 tablespoons cinnamon
• 1 tablespoon honey (or sweetener of your choice, optional)
• 1/2 tsp vanilla (to taste)
• 1 cup berries (I typically use organic frozen berries to save money and waste less)

Recipe:

CHIA PUDDING

1. Chia pudding must sit for 3-6 hours. I recommend setting the pudding overnight in the fridge.
2. Combine coconut milk and chia seeds in a 1 cup: 2 tablespoons ratio. If you prefer a more gelatinous pudding, you can use a 1:3 ratio. For this recipe, the 3 cups of coconut milk can be used with 6-8 tablespoons of chia seeds
3. Add 2 tablespoons of cinnamon, 1 tablespoon of honey or syrup, and vanilla. 
4. At this point, you have some choices:
1. Place everything in a sealed container and shake it like a Polaroid picture. *This is the way I recommend because it is easy. No extra cleanup! I just combine everything in a mason jar and shake it up.*
2. Whisk it all up in a bowl.
3. Blend it with an immersion blender for a little smoother texture.
4. Blend it in a blender for a very creamy texture, more similar to regular pudding.
5. Set in the refrigerator overnight or for at least 6 hours. For the first few hours, turn the container upside down or whisk briefly every hour or so. You will notice the chia starting to expand and become like pudding nearly immediately. If you see clumps, give it a shake, a whisk or a flip. 
6. This should hold you over for a few days to a week! You can enjoy a spoon or two for dessert or a snack anytime of day.

BERRY SYUP

1. When you're ready for breakfast, place a pot on the stove at low to medium heat.
2. Add 1 cup of berries of your choice.
3. Continue to heat, stirring occasionally, until the berries release some water and soften. The consistency will be like syrup.

COMBINE

1. Stir 1 cup of chia pudding in with the berries to make one complete serving. If you are cooking for multiple people, use 1 cup of berries and 1 cup of chia for each person. 
2. Stir until the chia is warm. 

ENJOY

1. Top with 1 tablespoon of cinnamon (to taste). You can add allspice, turmeric, a dash of sea salt, or any other seasoning you like. 
2. You can top your chia pudding with granola, fresh banana, or be creative and add whatever you want!

Mindful Fooding: How do we eat with presence?

We think of nutrition as "what we eat," but how we consume our food matters. Cooking mindfully stimulates digestive enzymes, and eating with presence helps us consume appropriate portions. We can call this "eating mindfully," or, in the case of our recent Teacher Training class: Mindful Fooding.

Throughout training, each Saturday we participated in a mindful potluck. Trainees prepared food inspired by the chakras, Yoga Sutras and … in some cases … by the only foods they could cook (Dave may have taken all the gorgeous photos on our website, but he can only cook one thing.)

Want some inspiration? Check out the tips below for eating mindfully, or explore the cookbook created by Namaste Yogi Kimberlee Cordova here.

• Prepare your food. Take the time to make your food visually appealing, and even enjoy some music while you make your meal. This is not only fun and present, it also stimulates digestive enzymes.
• Sit with good posture. I like to sit on a yoga block and place my food on a low bench.
• Put down your silverware in between bites. Seriously. I know, this is the hardest part.
• Chew each bite fully and completely, paying attention to taste and sensation as you eat.
• Keep conversation to a minimum until after you are finished eating.

Join us on our patio the first Saturday of every month for 'make your own' oatmeal, coffee and tea. We hope this inspires you to eat mindfully in your daily life.  

Saturday Summer Breakfast Series

by Shira Barlas

Saturday, July 11, was the first of our summer breakfast and yoga series! After taking a yoga class, yogis from the community joined together to share a lovely breakfast consisting of steal cut oatmeal, coffee, tea, chia seeds, cacao nibs, mixed berries, and other delicious treats. 

The breakfast series is intended to bring the community together and take our practice beyond the mat.  Most of us are running in and out of the studio and don’t even get to really know the people we are practicing with or the teachers who help us with our practice. The breakfast series creates a space in which we can come together and share our insights, passions, laughter, and appetites. 

Although our asana practice is on our own mats, the space that we practice in and the energy that is cultivated from our fellow practitioners is crucial to our practice.  One of my favorite quotes is from Albert Einstein, it reads: “A person experiences life as something separated from the rest—a kind of optical delusion of consciousness.  Our task must be to free ourselves from this self-imposed prison, and through compassion, to find the reality of Oneness.”

During our yoga practice we may feel separated on our own mats, but part of the practice of yoga is to create a sense of interconnectedness with others.  Part of why we begin and end classes with the sound of Om is it is a way for us to connect and align our vibrations together, as well as with all the past yogis who have practiced for thousands of years before us, and to connect with the vibrations of the entire universe.  Eating together and sharing meals is another practice, just like chanting Om, which people have been doing for thousands of years as a way to connect with one another. 

We all need to eat in order to fuel ourselves and give us the energy to practice yoga.  The Saturday morning breakfast series gives us yogis a chance to enjoy a healthy meal and practice mindful eating, in which we eat with intention, with a purpose to fuel ourselves with energy to live a vibrant, healthy, and healing lives; as well as connect deeply with our fellow yogis and teachers. Hope to see you there!

The breakfast is free for those members that attend a class either before the meal or directly after.

Please sign up before hand so we know how much food to prepare!