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.

30 Day Yoga Challenge

30 Day Yoga Challenge

by Steve Arcos 

When you first heard about the 30-Day Challenge what went through your mind? Were you excited? Did you feel overwhelmed? I remember my first time participating in one of these challenges. I thought: how will my practice transform?  Is thirty days a commitment I'll be able to keep?

The first week flew by. Seven classes in seven days? I felt unstoppable!  I could already tell my forward folds were getting deeper and my arm balances getting stronger.  My focus was unshakable.  I felt the solidarity of the yogis. I had this in the bag.

By the second week my momentum was slowing.  I pushed it hard and was sore from over exertion.  Meanwhile my social life kept trying to get in the way: dinner plans, movie date nights, was I always so popular?  I realized I had to mix up my routine with restorative and meditation classes to find a balance between the demands of the 30-day challenge and my personal limits. I also realized that I couldn't keep every one of my social engagements. If I wanted to get to thirty days; this month, my priority was my practice. 

Once the third week rolled around I had found a new source of motivation.  I was starting to see a lot of the same faces around the studio. I would look forward to class because I would also be seeing all of my cool yoga friends.  These were my people now.  A lot of us were having major breakthroughs on the mat and it was awesome being able to share that with my fellow 30-day challengers.  

When I finally reached the end I knew that I had accomplished something amazing.  I completed thirty classes in thirty days!  I had discovered a new level of physical intelligence and self-awareness. Most remarkable though was the realization that I was part of something bigger than myself.  Sharing this experience with so many inspiring yogis, many of which are still my close friends, truly made the 30-Day Challenge memorable. 

Have you signed up for the #30dayNamaste yoga challenge?  Just write your name on one of the poster boards hanging in the lobby.  Every time you take a class place a star sticker next to your name.  Every five classes you will be entered into a raffle for some fun and fabulous prizes including private yoga sessions with many of our teachers, art lessons, ayurvedic assessments, acupuncture, Town Pizza, La Tehuanita tacos, and so much more.  See the full list below, and don't forget to post your journey using #30daynamaste.  See you on the mat. 

Lea Kramer - Ayurvedic Assessment

Dana Kraft - Private lesson, Pre-natal Lesson

Ana Aguire - Photo shoot

Jasmine De La Paz - Homemade Bliss-Balls

Steven Arcos - Private handstand lesson

Nora Brank - Philosophy of Yoga group lesson

Chona Bernardo - Mandala art lesson

Sondra Sun - One free workshop

Meg Shoemaker - Private yoga session

Roxy Lange - Date night Nanny

Jenny - Private yoga session

Town Pizza - $25 and $5 gift cards

Leader of the Pack - $25 gift card

Shorthand - Stationary gift set

Study Hall - Swell water bottle

House of Intuition - May HOI MOON BOX 

La Tehuanita - Gift cards

Joy - Gift cards

Adriana Rizzolo - Healing Shakti Haircut

Amalia Gardner - Pardon my Heart Acupuncture

Jolie Matty - Private yoga session

Dylan Coffey - Herbal Remedies goody basket

More to be added! 

Cookin' with Jazz - Glowing Yogi Bowls

Glowing Yogi Bowls

by Jasmine De La Paz 

Like many things in life, I go through phases with chia pudding. There are times when I crave it, make huge batches, and eat it everyday for breakfast or for a snack. Then there are times when just the thought of chia pudding makes my nose scrunch, and I don't eat it for weeks. Well, lately I have been all about the thick, gelatinous pudding and am always thinking of ways to adapt it. 

A few weeks ago I strolled into a juice bar (I will not mention the name), and was perusing their fridges full of pre-made puddings, juices, and bars. Not to sound too presumptuous, but most of the items I found I could easily make myself (or already do), and really didn't feel like paying the hefty price for a chia pudding bowl. I did however notice their use of probiotics in puddings, and that got my brain going. The result is this Glowing Yogi Bowl - I added coconut yogurt as the probiotic to the chia pudding, which also makes it extra creamy. I was also wanting to re-create an orange creamsicle flavor, so decided to make orange coconut cream to swirl on top (plus it looks pretty). 

Glowing Yogi Bowls (serves 4 - 6)

Probiotic Vanilla Chia Pudding

4 cups coconut milk 

1/2 cup coconut yogurt (unsweetened) 

3/4 cup + 2 tbsp. chia seeds

4 1/2 tsp. pure maple syrup

2 1/2 tsp. pure vanilla extract 

Orange Coconut Cream

1 cup orange juice (I juiced a 2-3 oranges)

1/2 cup coconut milk (the thick cream from a chilled can) 

2 tsp. maple syrup 

squeeze of lemon juice 

Directions: 

1. For the chia pudding, blend all the ingredients together except for the chia seeds. More the mixture into a bowl, and slowly stir in the chia seeds until well combined. Let the mixture sit for about 5 minutes, give it another stir, and then place in the refrigerator, ideally overnight. 

2. For the orange coconut cream, juice your oranges (I used a variety, including one blood orange to make the color pinkish). Add the juice with the rest of the ingredients to a blender, and blend on high for a couple minutes. Pour into a jar or bottle, and let is cool in the refrigerator for a couple hours. Once ready to use, you will need to stir or shake it up to combine again. 

3. Add chia pudding to a bowl, top with coconut cream, granola, fresh fruit, and edible flowers! 

BREAKFAST ON THE PATIO

Join us for yoga, community, and Glowing Yogi Bowls! 

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

Free to those who attend class before or after. 

Reserve your spot online here.

For more recipes and food inspiration, follow Jasmine on Instagram. 

Namaste! 

Ask & You Shall Receive!

Thank you for giving us your input and ideas.  

We are excited to have implemented a few changes below, and welcome new members to our staff! 

Highland Park Studio

• Sunday GENTLE :: Yin Restore :: 6:15 - 7:30pm has been extended to 75 min with a new start time. 
• New 90min class! VINYASA :: Intermediate on Saturday at 9:15am with Alex Halenda. 
• Saturday YOGA :: Hatha & Kundalini will start at 9:30am.
• Saturday VINYASA :: All Levels moves to 11:15am and is now taught by Ani Raya-Flores
• New Saturday GENTLE :: Flow + Restore :: 11:15am with Meg Shoemaker
• New MEDITATION :: Morning Sit (c) with Nora on Wed 7:50am - take a class before or after.
• Per popular demand Wed 8:15am now moves to 8:30am as a VINYASA :: Intermediate class.
• New VINYASA :: Advanced classes:
• Monday & Friday at 8-9:15am with Chris Reed  
• Tuesday 6:45-7:45am with Ani Raya-Flores

Downtown Los Angeles Studio

• Welcome Hannah Rodriguez! Join Hannah downtown on Sundays VINYASA :: Candlelight at 7:30pm and on Saturday at 4pm VINYASA :: Intermediate.
• New VINYASA :: Basics on Saturday at 10am taught by Chona Bernardo.
• Chris Reed now teaches a weekly VINYASA :: Intermediate on Wed at 7:45pm.
• New class with Kendra Baranko on Mondays at 7:45pm VINYASA :: Candlelight.
• Roxy Lange has a regular class downtown on Wednesday at 5:15pm VINYASA :: All Levels.

Visit our schedule HERE and sign up for class. 

Namaste!