Enter, the Sesame Seed.. Small in shape but loaded with goodness, these nutty seeds contains substances that belong to a group of fibers called lignans, which lower cholesterol. Due to its high levels of copper they are a wonderful ant-inflammatory food and can be beneficial for those suffering from rheumatoid arthritis. Copper also activates an enzyme necessary for building elastin and collagen, which provides structure and elasticity to the bones and joints. In the hull of the seeds are loads of calcium, which is a mighty mineral that lowers blood pressure, reduces migraines (which are caused by blood vessel spasms) and builds bone structure and overall health.

Grind up some Sesame Seeds with a bit of oil to make Tahini Dressing, a wonderfully tasty Middle Eastern fundamental.Drizzle over a boring salad and bam, best salad ever it becomes..

Here's how easy it is:
Homemade Tahini
2 Tbsp Sesame Seeds
1 tsp Olive or Unrefined, untoasted Sesame Oil
1/8 cup Water (or more depending on desired consistency)
Juice of 1/2 Lemon
1 tsp Sea Salt 
In a food processor (or blender) grind Sesame Seeds until smooth, then add in Oil and Salt. Slowly add in water and lemon juice, blending until smooth. Enjoy over everything...

xoS

Take some time today to enjoy the fruits of your labor..

Do what you love and love what you do.
xoS

Now that the Holidays are over, now what? Back to the program is what..
I just came back from an unbelievable getaway to Thailand which consisted of savory, tasty and fresh Thailand food x 3 meals everyday, snorkeling and swimming alongside wildly-neon fish, riding motos, basking in age-old and mirror-tiled palaces, reading for leisure (!),  swimming through an emerald cave, falling in love with an elephant, gawking at bats (I know), and getting massaged... 

I crawled my way to a yoga class last night for the first time in weeks and I kind of fell asleep in child's pose. The process of getting my groove back has been trying, but at least it's begun. "Letting go" and keeping up with healthy habits during the winter months are always more difficult to sludge through. But here I am, being my best cheerleader and yours too. You can do it! Get back on it and find your groove again. A bunch of friends and coworkers are embarking on juice cleanses this week, which is a splendid idea and a great kickstart. Juicing has tons of benefits and is great to implement as a regimen, not to mention extremely popular these days. Honorable mentions include Living Greens , Can Can, Organic Avenue and Blueprint, for starters.

But what happens post-juicing? How to maintain that glow, lightness of being, clearer eyes, bloat-free belly and improved energy? It's easier than you think to change your food and get on a path that's not necessarily FREE of gluten, alcohol, sugar, caffeine, meat and dairy, but one that contains a lot LESS of these categories which are taxing on the body. I can show you how!

I usually lead a nourishing food cleanse and detox seasonally both with private clients and at Yoga Garden. Stay tuned on the next group cleanse, btdubs. The point of my cleanse program is not to convert people to veganism, but more about providing the tools to help people make good food choices that ultimately make them feel way, way better. Besides, you are what you eat, so what you eat should be clean, nourishing, nutrient-rich, delicious food that is ideally prepared with love.

Stock up on these yummy Detox foods:
*Root Veggies (Sweet Potatoes, Carrots, Beets to puree for soups or for roasting)
*Broccoli & Cauliflower (also perfect as soups and as a roasted side dish)
*Dark Leafies (Kale and Arugula top my charts; mixed greens =less boring)
*Nuts and Seeds (an unsalted variety for snacking or pureeing as dressing!)
*Miso Paste (for soups and salad dressings)
*Organic Beans (red, white, navy, mung, garbanzo, black- for dips and salads)
*Gluten-free whole grains: millet, quinoa, brown rice, amaranth (for nutrient-dense salads and morning porridges)

Big diff between eating and feeding. Don't eat just to eat. Feed yourself. Nourish, enjoy and take care.
Happy New Year indeed.
Peas and love,
S

Tis the season for lots of cooking.. and baking! 
I used to stay away from baking; I could never get anything to rise properly or get my cookies soft enough. But alas, Babycakes came along and everything changed. 

Try these surprisingly simple and super delish morning muffins!

Roasted Apples
1 lb Granny Smiths, peeled, cored and diced into 1" cubes
1 lb Pink Ladies, same
1 Tbsp Ground Cinnamon
1/2 Agave Nectar
1/4 Fresh Lemon Juice

Muffins
2 cups Bob's Red Mill All Purpose Gluten Free Baking Flour
2 tsp Baking Powder
2 tsp Baking Soda
1 tsp Xanthan Gum
1 tsp Salt
2 Tbsp Ground Cinnamomn
1/4 tsp Ground Nutmeg
1/2 Coconut Oil (gotta melt the solid! to do this, place entire jar with top off in a small pot of boiling water)
2/3 cup Agave Nectar
2/3 Rice Milk2 Tbsp Vanilla Extract

Preheat oven to 325. Line a baking sheet with parchment. In a bowl, toss together apples, cinnamon, agave and lemon until apples are completely coated. Spread mixture over prepared baking sheet. Bake apples on center rack for 35 min, rotating the sheet 180 deg after 20 min; apples should be soft by then. Let apples stand for 30 min.

Now for the muffins- keep oven at 325; line a standard 12-cup muffin tin with paper liners. In a bowl, whisk all the dry goods: flour, powder, soda, gum, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg. Then add in the wet stuff: oil, agave, milk and vanilla to the dry ingredients and stir until the batter is smooth. Add 1 cup of roasted apples and stir to distribute.
Pour 1/3 cup batter into each prepared cup. Bake muffins on center rack for 20 min, rotating the tin 180 deg after 15 min until muffins are golden brown and fork inserted into center comes out clean.
Let cool and enjoy with a cuppa tea!

Happiest Holidays to you and yours!
xoS

Tis the season for lots of cooking... Try these super easy sides for the next Holiday dinner you throw or go to! 
While we did have a bird, the sides are as always (well mostly) vegan/gluten/dairy-free,  delish, quick and won't leave you with that sinking feeling afterward. 

Glazed and Roasted Brussel Sprouts
1 lb. Brussel Sprouts (optional to halve them; they cook faster and more even that way.. I did not halve them this time and liked the toasty exterior/ fresh and crunchy interior)
3 Tbsp. Olive Oil
2 Tbsp. Leftover Bacon Grease (optional; if you happen to've cooked some bacon that morning and have leftover grease that you didn't throw out yet, use it for a smokier flavor... the guys will thank you)
2 Tbsp. Maple Syrup
Huge handful golden Hunza Raisins and crushed Almonds
Salt to taste
On a baking sheet, lay down the sprouts, drizzle oil over and massage well until well coated. Pour on maple syrup and add in raisins, almonds and salt. Bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes until edges start to get toasty looking.

Simply Mashed Potatoes
Quite simply the easiest thing on the menu and the hardest thing to mess up!
3 lbs  Medium Potatoes (15 or so)
2 Tbsp Earth Balance (Vegan Butter) or Regular Butter
2 Tbsp Coconut Butter
1/4 cup Almond Milk
Minced Chives
Fresh Rosemary
Salt to Taste
Boil Potatoes for 30 minutes, or until soft when pierced with fork. Drain, let cool, and peel off skin. Start mashing with a large wooden spoon or spatula and add in Milk, Butter, Coconut Butter, Chives, Rosemary and Salt. For creamier potatoes, take all ingredients into a food processor.

Roasted String Beans
3 Tbsp Olive Oil
3 Cloves Garlic, minced
Salt and Pepper to taste
1 tsp Paprika
1/2 tsp Ground Red Pepper
Lemon wedge
On a baking sheet, lay down beans and pour over oil, salt, pepper, Paprika and Ground Pepper- and sprinkle over garlic Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes until roasted and toasted looking. Optionally, squeeze over a small lemon wedge when cooled off.

Mashed Sweet Potatoes + Cran-Orange Sauce
4 Large Sweet Potatoes
2 tsp Cinnamon
2 Tbsp Coconut Butter
2 Tbsp Earth Balance (Vegan Butter) or Regular Butter
1 tsp Salt
Bake Potatoes at 350 degrees on center rack for 20-25 minutes, until soft when pierced with fork. Let cool, then peel off skin. In a bowl, mash potatoes with wooden spoon or spatula, then add in the rest of the ingredients. Easy as that..

Cran-Orange Sauce
1 package Organic Cranberries
1/2 cup Agave Nectar or Maple Syrup
1 cup Fresh Squeezed Orange Juice
1/2 orange peeled and cut into 1/2" bits
In a pot, boil cranberries in OJ over medium heat until cranberries start to pop and absorb all liquid. Start mashing with a wooden spoon or spatula, then add in syrup or nectar and orange bits. Turn down heat to low and mix it all up until thick sauce forms. Serve with everything!

Glazed and Herbed Hormone/Antibiotic-Free Bird 
We were blessed with a giant bird that I glazed, stuffed and over-herbed. Try this simple glaze to pour over the whole thing...
2/3 cup Apple Cider Vinegar
2/3 cup Maple Syrup
1/4 cup OJ
Bring all ingredients in a pot until boiling and mix until sort of thick (3-5 minutes). Pour it over!

Apple-Chestnut Stuffing
1/2 old baguette or 5 slices of toasted bread, cut into small pieces
1 cup Veggie Stock (or Chicken stock if desired)
2 stalks Celery, chopped
1 small Onion, chopped
1 apple, chopped
1 cup Chestnuts (roasted in oven for 20 minutes, skin peeled off)
1/2 Pecans
Fresh Thyme and Sage
Mix it all up and stuff it!

A wonderful Thanksgiving was had indeed... Happy Holidays!
xoS

The makings of homemade pies... recipes to come!

Being grateful is not only good for you but good for the others around you when you flex that grateful muscle. A little gratitude goes a long way, and everyone's better off..

Today I'm feeling grateful for the lucky and loveliest things: wonderful friends, jobs I love, a cozy nest, a neato partner, my sissy, and all the nourishing food I get to constantly make and indulge in; speaking of which, off to do more meal-prep (and house-straightening) in anticipation of my parents' arrival!

Nothing happier than baking on a cold wintry day to A Charlie Brown Christmas... Happy Thanksgiving!
xoS

Cook- more often than not. 
Cook with love always, and whenever possible cook with the ones you love.
xoS

Carrots, Purple Pepper and Candy-striped Beets: makings of something yummy and cozy for tonite...

Amazing Fall Amarettas... I left the Farmers Market--- penniless!

Fall's my fav. I love it all- the leaves, the boots, the colors, the crisp- and in my case (since I live in SF), I love it bc it's Summertime. Some of the most glorious days occur during this time of year.. like this weekend for example. 2 beach days in a row? Stupid amazing.

I especially love the seasonal squash- mainly the varieties of odd sizes and shapes and their numerous, tremendous health benefits. How beneficial? Let me count thy ways.

There are Summer squash (like zucchini) and darker Winter squash (like Acorn, Butternut, Kabocha, Pumpkin and Spaghetti). The Summer kind contain much more water than the denser Winter variety; therefore the latter is packed with more nutrients. But really, all squash are rich in Carotene (that which helps prevent cancer and disease, high blood pressure and diabetes), Vitamin C and the B's- those which toughen up the immune system and prevent allergies as well as damaging effects of stress on the body. Lest we not forget how sweet the squash are. Adding some of this heart-healthy, rich, sweet squash to your dish makes for a balanced meal and leaves one not craving dessert so much. Try it!

Even though today's summery high temps called for a huge tangy salad to go with my sundress, I've really been in Fall- mode, and prepping for it since Fashion Week hit NY last month. Add to that the fact that I've been loading up on stew type ingredients in the Kitchen for the perfect thing to eat this season.

So I took to it. I made a stew. I loved it. It felt just the right bit of cozy on this incredibly mild night. I even enjoyed it up on my roof for a romantic sunset dinner.

Feels-like-Summer-but-its-Fall-Morrocan Stew
2 Tbsp Olive Oil
1 small Yellow Onion, diced
1 lb. Squash of choice ( I used Kabocha; slice/cut off skin with a knife; then cut into small pieces)
3 Organic baby Potatoes, diced
1/2 cup Organic Chickpeas
2 Organic Tomatoes, diced 
3/4 cup Veggie Broth
1/2 cup Green Olives in sea salt and water
1 Cinnamon stick (a wonderful anti-microbial food, but also gives the stew a beautiful flavor; you'll thank me for this)
1 tsp Cumin
1 tsp Turmeric
Salt and Pepper to taste

In a pot, heat oil and stir in onions and cook till translucent (about 3 min). Add in potatoes and squash, stirring together. Then come the tomatoes, broth, cinnamon and chickpeas. Stir up, cover and cook over low heat till squash is soft (about 15 min). Add in spices, salt and pepper. Turn off heat, throw in olives. Mix it up and serve over cooked grains of choice (I used brown + wild rice).

To make the meal even sweeter, the sunset from my roof was off the hinges. 
Cheerio to a fun-filled summery-fall weekend...

I had the great fortune of spending one of the most memorable weekends ever tucked away in no cell-phone-zone, celebrating Autumn on a wonderful farm in Capay Valley and then jetting off to soak in magical sulpherous springs in Wilbur (more on that later!). The Fall Hoes-Down Festival at Fully Belly Farm is a celebration of the end of harvest for which farmers put down their hoes and pretty much party. It's one of my favorite events ever and look forward to it with anticipation each year. The beautiful site of 300 acres is filled with all sorts of activity (like corn husking, salsa-making, sheep shearing, goat-petting, gourd painting), workshops (like cheese making, fermenting food, blacksmithing, how to use herbs), pumpkin patches and fields of sprouting crops, and informative farm tours that allow one to learn about their sustainable farming practices; not to mention tons of amazing organic food, yummy desserts, drinks, and fun, live music; we literally couldn't get enough, and I didn't want to leave. Some highlights below...

Precious, two week old baby piglets who slept in a line up; I love the rebel in the middle faced the opposite direction!

A wonderful little workshop on fermentation... Can't wait to start pickling!

Fresh and delish salads of sorts, and local brews of kombucha and beer...
Plus, gorgeous fall bounty; can't wait to go crazy with the heirloom avocados I picked up!

Hay forts, corn husking, grain-to-bread- pizza making and sheep-to-shawl wool weaving--- love that loom!

No farm, no food.

The air was mild and the sky was unbelievable... 
Fall is off to a magical start. Happy Autumn!