Bali- Ubud (1/2)

Daily offerings to the gods- Ubud

I have now been back from Bali for 2 weeks and finally get myself together to start telling you a bit about it! 

I went to Bali to go on a little adventure, discover, challenge myself, do yoga, explore, and eat well! I wasn't disappointed...

It all started in Ubud, where I ended up spending a large part of my stay. Ubud is considered the cultural centre of Bali, where artists, dancers and healers live together. It is quite touristy but still seems to remain true to itself and the Balinese culture is definitely not lost. 

Bali is the one island in Indonesia to be Hindu ( everywhere else being muslim). And they surely are dedicated to their gods. Daily offerings are prepared using natural leaves and flowers, incense and rice  to worship the gods and protect their homes and shops. Get up early and wander the streets of Ubud and you'll see the Balinese gracefully place their offerings. 

There are many celebrations in the Balinese calendar and I was there just for Galangan, celebrating the ancestors's spirits coming back to earth for 10 days. At the end of the 10 days, this is Kuningan, saying goodbye to the ancestors. This celebration occurs twice a year and is a pretty big one. Balinese people spend  a lot of time preparing decoration for their house, their temple, their streets. It is rather beautiful and I was lucky to see it! 

It was amazing to see how people take time to celebrate and prepare, spend time with family and not worry about closing their shop for a few days. I soon started to feel relaxed and enjoying life without worrying too much about what's next to do on the list...

My first homestay's owner, preparing offerings for Galungan

But I was also there to do yoga and eat raw food, so on I went to Yogabarn to enjoy a class in a studio half open to the outside. Simply feeling the heat felt like heaven! And nothing like a good sweaty class to get rid of jet lag (or at least diminish it..). Now the great joy of this beautiful studio is that you can have lunch straight after your class, with a wide range of raw and cooked vegetarian and vegan food, de-li-cious drinks- my favorite being a mix of aloe vera, lime and natural soda. I definitely recommend it. Nothing better to feel regenerated!

Yogabarn- Ubud

Raw food at Yogabarn- Ubud

In between yoga classes and delicious meals I did explore Ubud a bit, its rice fields, its motorbike-crowded streets, its market and shops where negociating hard is a rule, its forest full of monkeys ready to jump on you... 

The first few days were full of discoveries, trying to get to know the place, find my feet by myself, contemplate the mixture of challenge and joy of traveling alone, and simply just to BE. 

This is the end of part 1, enjoy the pictures and I'll be back with more...

Ubud

Ubud- Family house temple

Sweet treats at Ubud's market

Ubud Market

Organic Nasi Campur at Sari Organik- Ubud- Fried Tempeh, Green beans and carrots with coconut, veggie fritter, tofu curry, sambal, red rice.

A beautiful place amongst the rice fields Sari Organik, organic farm and warung (little restaurant). Definitely worth a little walk to get there!

View from Sari Organik- Ubud

Freshly picked garden salad at Sari Organik- Ubud

Fresh young coconut, drinking the coconut water from a bamboo straw- Sari Organik Ubud

Coconut tree

Rice fields- Ubud

Bali Buddha- Ubud- another great veggie & raw friendly place

Ubud

Monkey Forest- Ubud

Raw fig and blackberry tart

Hi guys!

So I am back from Bali and before I tell you more about it and some delicious foods and great yoga I had there, I wanted to share this recipe I made this week, with deliciously ripe fresh figs, one of my favorite fruit in the world...

This is a very easy one, raw, so no need to cook and no risk of burning the tin!

Raw fig and blackberry tart

Crust

1 1/2 cups Almonds

1 1/2 cups Medjol Dates

1 tsp Sea salt

1 tsp Vanilla essence

Put everything in a food processor and mix until sticky (I like to keep some chunky almonds for some crunch). Press the mixture in a tart tin and reserve.

Filling

1 vanilla pod

2 1/2 TBSP Agave syrup

5 fresh figs

1 small punnet of blackberries

Make a syrup by mixing the vanilla beans and the agave.

Slice the figs and gently mix them with the syrup. Add the blackberries.

Nicely place the figs on the crust, add the blackberries and drizzle with the rest of the syrup, if there is any left. 

Enjoy!! 

Quinoa and summer vegetable Salad

Quinoa and summer veg. salad

A quick idea for your summer lunches, this salad is very easy, deliciously healthy and yummy!

There is no exact recipe for this one as I always improvise around it and want to invite you to do the same. Use any of your favorite summer vegetables, some quinoa, loads of fresh herbs and a simple dressing made with lemon juice, olive oil, salt and pepper.

Here are the ingredients I have been using for this one:

- Quinoa, cooked

- Avocado, diced,

- Red and yellow peppers, diced and roasted in the oven

- Asparagus, cut in 3 and roasted in the oven

- Flat leave parsley

- Chervil

For the dressing:

- lemon juice

- Olive oil

-Salt and pepper

Et voila !

Bon appetit and Happy healthy summer!!

Carob fudgy-truffly- yummy

EN FRANÇAIS AU BAS DE LA PAGE!!

A week ago I gave up chocolate, for 2 weeks I said. Yes I did. Me. Chocolate addict and lover. Yes. Me.
Why? Well unfortunately it looks like chocolate is giving me a blocked nose, possibly headaches and if it's raw it's even worse... Yes I know it's supposed to be good for you, especially in its raw form. However, for some extra- sensitive people it does not agree with them and the theobromine (stimulant) contained in it is not always ideal for some. Anyway I let you do your own scientific research and tests, and to be honest if you don't have any bad effects, then if I were you I would not give up!!

The experience has  been rather enjoyable, more than I would have thought actually. It made me aware of how I had been getting used to reach for a piece of chocolate anytime I felt a bit bored or when I did not feel fulfilled... It had also become a bit of a habit and breaking it has meant it liberated some energy for other things.

Also giving it up hasn't meant not enjoying a little sweet thing from time to time and it has inspired me to create more raw sweets ( and maybe even a new e-book??). So I have rediscovered carob and love it!

Here is an ultra quick-ultra easy recipe for some carboy-fudgy-truffly yummies.

For about 10 squares/ balls

- 1/2 cup dried shredded coconut
- 1/2 cup carob powder
- 1/4 cup agave syrup
- 1 TBSP melted coconut butter

Put all the ingredients together in a bowl and mix well until it comes together.
Either form little balls or press the mixture into a small tray, about 5mm deep and keep in the fridge. When cold and set cut squares.

Yummy...

EN FRANÇAIS ICI:

Il y a une semaine, j'ai abandonne ma petite habitude de manger du chocolat... pour 2 semaines, histoire de faire une expérience. Oui je l'ai fait. Moi. Addict et amoureuse du Chocolat. Oui. Moi. Pour 2 semaines... 

Quinoa Muesli- A gluten free breakfast

A bit of Yoga on a saturday morning...

I have been enjoying a lot practicing in my living room recently. Meghan Currie  has been a great inspiration as to letting go and have fun with your own practice. I sometimes like to take it a bit as a dance, following my breath and just letting my body move how it wants to. The creative aspect of it always feeds me deeply, in the same way as creating a wonderful recipe from ingredients you (seemingly) randomly put together...

Raw Lasagna

Sorry for the lack of blogs recently, I've been busy setting up my local Yoga classes, teaching, and living! I invite you to "like" my page on Facebook though as I often post quick ideas and pictures that don't appear on this blog. You'll get all the updates of the events coming up too, to see the page click HERE.


As promised, here is the recipe of the Raw Lasagna that was a big success in my last Raw Gourmet class in London. Don't be put off by the "Rawness" of the recipe, it's absolutely delicious, and will make you feel energised and nourished. Of course it is not the same as a cooked version, it does not intend to be, but just try it... and let me know what you think!


This recipe is packed full of nutrients, vitamins, and deliciousness... Serve it with a big green salad and it makes a great dish for warmer days. I can't wait for you to try it!


Bon Appétit!


Lasagna

serves 4

3 large courgettes

2 Avocados

Pine nut “cheese”

Pesto

Tomato sauce

Pumpkin seeds

Alfalfa or any other sprouts to decorate

Green leafy salad to serve with the lasagna

For the “Cheese”

2 cups pine nuts- soaked in water for at least 2h

Juice of 1 lemon

2 Tbsp Olive oil

Salt and Black pepper

(1 Tbsp nutritional yeast optional)

Drain the pine nuts. Place them in a food processor with all the other ingredients. Mix well until it forms a paste. Taste and adjust the seasoning. 

For the Pesto

2 bunches of basil

juice of 1 lemon

3/4 cup (70g) pumpkin seeds

1/2 cup (80g) olive oil

Salt and Black pepper

Put the basil leaves in a food processor, add the lemon juice and the pumpkin seeds. Pulse and then slowly add the olive oil while blending. Adjust the seasoning with salt and pepper.

For the tomato sauce

115g sun dried tomatoes (soaked or in oil- drained)

 4 fresh tomatoes

1/2 tsp dried sage

1/2 tsp dried thyme

1/2 clove of garlic ( optional)

Make sure to drain the dried tomatoes well. Place them in the food processor with the garlic if using and blend. Once they form a sort of paste (it’s fine if there are still some chunks), add the fresh tomatoes roughly chopped, the herbs and some black pepper. Usually the sun dried tomatoes are very salty so you should not need to add any more salt but taste and adjust.

To Assemble:

Slice the courgettes lengthways with a mandoline, or a vegetable peeler. 

Take a rectangular dish and place some courgette slices at the bottom. Sprinkle with sea salt and black pepper, add a layer of tomato sauce, some “cheese”, some pesto and some sliced avocado. Top with another layer of courgettes and repeat until you don’t have any more ingredients, or until the lasagna becomes too high!! 

On the last layer of lasagna, you can spread some pesto and then sprinkle some pumpkin seeds on top, add some sprouts, or decorate however you like, have fun!

Reserve in the fridge, cut gently into squares, and serve with a nice green salad.