Yoga- Playa Guiones, Nosara, Costa Rica

I fell completely in love with Plays Guiones during my last vacation to Costa Rica.  This place is a yoga mecca and a surfing hot spot.  I managed to make at least one class, if not two, every day I was there.  If you make it down to this wonderful place check out these studios and instructors:


1. The Yoga House

 

This amazing little studio was a little hard to find, but my good friends Jeff and Karla made sure I knew where it was because it is one of their favorite places to go. If you are on the main road in Playa Guiones, headed toward the beach, take a left at the mini market just past the bank and Surfing Nosara.  Go down that road until you see a break in the hedge and you will find The Yoga House. My favorite instructor was Monica. She had such great energy and knew how to tailor the class perfectly to your needs.  They offer an amazing surfer's yoga daily and plenty of flow. There is an indoor studio with air conditioning and outdoor studio. The indoor studio was so nice on hot days!!! The Yoga House is located right in town and is super easy to get to. 

2. The Nosara Yoga Institute

This studio is world-renowned.  Their daily classes are offered in their "tree tops pavilion" studio, which is breath taking.  Although it is outdoors it is high enough up that the entire studio catches the breeze off the ocean cooling the space to a very comfortable temperature.  This institute is a short walk to the edge of town, I rode my bike when I went, but there were some intense uphill spots.  I took yin and flow yoga here and loved both of them.  Young Joo and Amber were my favorite teachers. Both put on great classes, but if you are looking to sweat hit up one of Amber's flow classes.  It was amazing, with lots of adjustments.  

Spring Break 2011 Must Haves

Okay I just got back from Costa Rica and have complied a list of Spring Break must haves.  I knew I wanted to get a little sun, but did not want to burn.  I found myself apply sunscreen constantly.  I got this great face sunscreen from origins. Its not too oily, which is big concern of mine.  I reapplied every few hours and managed to stay burn free.  A heavy duty sport sunscreen is absolutely necessary if you plan to be in the water.  When I wasn't surfing or in the pool I kept myself covered up...its super easy to burn when walking around or going to and from the beach. A hat is essential and super stylish. Also, I found some great cover ups at JCrew and Victoria's Secret.  Last, if you do happen to burn, slather on the aloe. Its best if you can find an aloe plant, but the store bought stuff works great too.  It will take the sting out and will calm the redness.  If you find a plan you can cut a leaf off, then cut it in half down the middle so you have two wide flat pieces.  Rub all over your burn.  Keep the leaves in a plastic baggie in the fridge for later use, it will last about 5 days.  Also be careful because aloe plants tend to have a red tint that can stain your clothes, so make sure to wash your hands and let it dry completely.

1. Sunscreen for your face: Origins Brighter By Nature SPF 35

2. Sun cover for your head: JCrew Summer Straw Hat

3. Beach Cover Up: JCrew Solid Beach Cover Up

4. Footwear: Clark's Flip Flops

5. Just In Case: Aloe

Brunch at Life Alive

After the amazingly warm weather last week it was such a bummer to wake up to snow this morning.  But I did get to sleep in this morning and am going to be spending next week in Costa Rica with a short stint in Florida with Grace and Levi, so I really cannot complain.  However, again while it is a holiday, because of the lovely weather this winter in Boston I have a make up day at school today, meaning I have class from 1-8 PM, yuck!  So I figured the best way to get this day going is with a good breakfast.  And what would be better then smoothies and granola (the crunchy hippie) from Life Alive, well nothing. So while this day is cold and snowy and I'm forced to sit in class on a holiday I cannot complain.  I had an super yummy banana smoothie with almond milk and shared an amazing bowl of granola with dried fruit and fresh apples!!!

After brunch I hit Ame Wren's lunch time power yoga class for a little extra lovin....such a perfect day!!!
(**Special thanks to my partner in crime....such a good morning).

Nobu's Black Cod

This is by far the best fish recipe I have ever made.  Although not vegan, I have been having small amounts of white fish lately, following traditional macrobiotics. 

Ingredients

1/4 cup mirin

1/4 cup sake

5 tbs white miso

5 tbs maple sugar

1 lb black cod (yield four fillets) 

Method

Bring the saké and the mirin to a boil in a medium saucepan over high heat. Boil for 20 seconds to evaporate the alcohol.

Turn the heat down to low and add the miso paste, mixing with a wooden spoon. When the miso has dissolved completely, turn the heat up to high again and add the sugar, stirring constantly with the wooden spoon to ensure that the bottom of the pan doesn’t burn. Remove from heat once the sugar is fully dissolved. Cool to room temperature.

Pat fillets thoroughly dry with paper towels. Slather the fish with Miso and place in a non-reactive dish or bowl and cover tightly with plastic wrap. (Save a small amount for plating). Leave to steep in refrigerator for 24 hours.

Preheat oven to 400°F. Preheat a grill or broiler. Lightly wipe off any excess miso clinging to the fillets but don't rinse it off. Place the fish on the grill, or in a broiler pan, and grill or broil until the surface of the fish turns brown. Then bake for 10 to 15 minutes.

Immersion Blenders

I love to make soup..... but its tends to be a lot of work.   My friend Avi introduced me to an amazing kitchen tool that I find absolutely necessary if you like to make soup.  An immersion or hand blender allows you to blend a soup right in the pot you are cooking it in.  No more mess, less to wash, so convenient.


Consumer search rates the Cuisinart Smart Stick CSB-76 as the best basic hand blender.  Most importantly it retails for around $30.

http://www.consumersearch.com/hand-blenders/cuisinart-smart-stick-csb-76

Carrot Soup with Ginger and Lemon

Last night I cooked dinner with Avi and TK.  Avi made an amazing carrot soup with ginger and lemon.  As well as a chipolte chili broccoli rabe!! I love carrot soup but don't make it very often because I haven't found an easy recipe that I really liked.  This recipe has filled that emptiness in my life. It does not have an overwhelming carrot flavor and is well balanced with hints of citrus and ginger.  Its very light and pairs well with fish or pasta in a white wine sauce.  It is also very easy to make, especially if you, like Avi, own a immersion blender.  (I must get one of these!)  This saves you from having to blend the soup in batches, and also means less mess.

Ingredients
1/4 cup Earth Balance Butter or EVOO
1 1/2 cups chopped onion
1 tbs finely grated fresh ginger
1 1/2 tsp minced garlic
1 1/4 lbs medium carrots, chopped (about 3 cups)
2 tomatoes, chopped (about 1 1/3 cups)
1 1/2 tsp grated lemon peel
3 cups vegetable broth
2 tbs fresh lemon juice

Method
Melt butter or heat EVOO in a large pot over medium-high heat.  Add onion; saute 4 minutes.  Add ginger and garlic; saute 2 minutes. Add hopped carrots, tomatoes, and lemon peel; saute 4 minutes.  Add 3 cups broth and bring to a boil.  Reduce heat, cover partially and simmer until carrots are very tender, about 20 minutes. Cool slightly.

Puree soup in batches in a blender OR blend right in the pot with an immersion blender.  Return to pot if using blender.  Mix in lemon juice.  Season with salt and pepper.

The Blue Room

This restaurant was so good.  Great environment, nice but unpretentious.  They focus on local ingredients...which I love, and are very accommodating to requests.  The other thing I loved was that they took note of the fact the people might be time constrained considering the "holiday" and were willing to get you in and out quickly.  While I was not in any hurry whatsoever, I really appreciated that they took that into account.  Our waitress was amazing, very friendly, and extremely knowledgeable about all the dishes and the wines.  She suggested the Nigl Blauer Zwieglet, an Austrian wine, which I had never had before but was amazing. They have a great cocktail list, with very creative drinks, but since it was a Monday I figured I should stick to the wine.  We ordered the fennel and chili marinated olives...delish.  My favorite dish was the vegetable antipasto, which was an amazing selection of local veggies cooked to perfection.  I recommend this restaurant to anyone looking for a nice dinner in a laid back environment.

http://www.theblueroom.net/

Valentines Day Treats

The days surrounding Valentine's Day can be a huge challenge for those of us trying to avoid a candy/sweets overload.  Office treats, dinners, and gifts can be overwhelming temptations.  One trick for allowing myself to indulge but for making sure I have healthy treats is to make them myself and take them to work or give them as gifts. These peanut butter cups are sweetened with all natural sweeteners, which are much better for you then refined sugars.  I buy organic graham crackers sweetened with agave and use maple sugar, instead of white sugar.

Chocolate Peanut Butter Cups

1/2 cup Earth Balance butter
3/4 cup crunchy peanut butter
3/4 cup graham cracker crumbs
1/4 cup maple sugar
1 cup grain-sweetened, nondairy chocolate chips
1/4 cup almond milk (unsweetened, vanilla)
1/4 cup chopped toasted walnuts or pecans

Line a 12-cup muffin tin with paper liners. Set aside.

Melt the butter in a small saucepan over medium heat.  Stir in the peanut butter, graham cracker crumbs, and maple sugar and mix well.  Remove the mixture from the heat.  Evenly divide the mixture, approximately 2 tablespoons per cup, among the muffin cups.

Combine the chocolate and milk in another pan.  Stir over medium heat until the chocolate has melted. Spoon the chocolate evenly over the peanut butter mixture.  Top with chopped nuts.  Place in the refrigerator to set for at least 2 hours.

(Recipe from The Kind Diet)

My favorite question: how do you get protein?

Answer (one of many): Sea Vegetables!

Sea vegetables are high in vitamins, minerals, and protein, they are also alkalizing and detoxifying to the blood.  Most important, they anti-inflammatory, antiviral, reduce blood pressure, and make give you glowing skin, hair, and healthy nails.

Favorite sea vegetable recipe? Answer:  Gingered Green Beens with Hijiki

3 tbs dried hijiki
1 tbs shoyu
1 tbs olive oil
1/2 cup sliced onion
1 tbs finely chopped garlic
pinch of SI sea salt
1 cup fresh green beans
juice from 1 tbs grated ginger (grate and squeeze the ginger to extract the juice)

Place the hijiki in a small bowl, and cover with hot water.  Soak for 20 minutes, then drain and rinse thoroughly.

Combine the hijiki with the shoyu and water to almost cover in a saucepan.  Cook, uncovered, over medium heat until the water has nearly evaporated.

While hijiki cooks, heat the oil with a few tablespoons of water in a skillet, add the onion and garlic and salt, saute until translucent.  Cut the tips from the green beans, and add to the onions.  Cook, covered, until the green beans are tender, 3-5 minutes.  Add the hijiki and ginger juice.  Mix well, and cook for another 1-2 minutes to marry the flavors.  Serve immediately.

  

Waterville Valley Review

Last weekend I was fortunate enough to get to ski Waterville Valley for my first time.  Waterville is located in NH about 2-3 hours from Boston.  While the mountain is relatively small there are a ton of great things about this mountain.  First, they have cubbies. I always pack a lunch and hate having to carry it in a backpack all day.  The cubbies at Waterville are big and free, my favorite kind.  Second, unlike lots of west coast resorts they opened the mogul course to the public while they were not training.  I love perfect moguls and got some serious practice in on Saturday.  They also have tons of terrain parks.  A small mountain can be so much fun with the right amount of jumps, boxes, and rails- I also got some needed practice in at the park. Oh, and they have amazing lift line organization.  If you leave people to figure it out on their own life lines can become a disaster, however when you have a person telling you where to go and when the life line is incredibly quick.  Last, they gave out vouchers for free hot chocolate and coffee...anywhere on the mountain.  So we went to the Schwendi Hutte!!!! It was awesome- lots of vintage ski memorabilia and tons of great snacks.....including grogs (alcoholic beverages)!!!  So even though I skied the same trails all day this place gets a return rating from this seasoned west coast skier!!!

My favorite run...True Grit!

Quadzilla....sweet!

Hutte.....note "grogs"!!!!!