Spring Update

Hi my followers!

You probably think I have fallen off the face of the earth it's been so long since I posted anything! I have just been adjusting to all the transitions that life entails, some planned and some surprises. I am settled back in Santa Barbara now in the middle of what seems like a million different projects.  The garden at Shoreline Community Church is thriving while I am finding that tending to it's needs are quite therapeutic. I am continuing to teach in the preschool classroom and unfortunately have made zero headway on my New Year's resolution of learning Spanish... Becky and I have begun a fermentation experiment in out pantry, we have three large jars of kombucha in the makings! I am in the process of beginning a new blog focused on holistic health traditions where I will be sharing everything I am learning as I progress in my studies at Bauman College. I am on the search for a job in the health arena but nothing has opened up yet so I continue to babysit as a means of self support, for now it's working out just fine.

Bianca is living in our home town, Santa Cruz waiting to take off overseas for YWAM in Australia! YWAM, Youth with a Mission is a missions organization that trains up disciples to go to unreach places and preach the gospel of Jesus Christ. She is very excited and would love your prayers and support, she is raising funds as well if you feel led to bless her in that way. She has been getting involved at Vintage Faith Church and using her gift of music in the worship band. I was even able to see her play violin while I was staying up there, it was beautiful. She is working at Harbor Cafe, Linda's Sea Breeze Cafe and her stepdad's business BounzCity. She is quite the busy bee nowadays, so please no hard feelings for her lack of posts either.

But I am hear to say that I have posts to come so please keep an eye out! My new blog will be launched shortly as well and will be regularly updated! Hope all is well!

God Bless,
 <3 Dani

Stuffed Portobella

Now, I am very aware that this photo is not very appetizing. It was hard to capture this creation of mine on camera but it was really yummy so I wanted to share the idea. Besides the best way to cook is to rummage through ideas then experiment in the kitchen. Plus I was especially creative with making this because I used leftover bruschetta from another recipe.

Recipe
1/3 C quinoa
1/2 C bruschetta
1 portobella mushroom

Rub balsamic vinegar and a bit of olive oil on the portabella after washing it scrapping off the inside ribbing. Bake at 350 degrees for about 15 minutes. Meanwhile cook the quinoa, 1/3 C quinoa to 2/3 C water, bring to a boil then let simmer on low until all the water is absorbed, about 15 minutes. While steaming hot add the bruschetta to the quinoa and mix well. Stuff the portabella full and put back in the oven for another 10-15 minutes.

Wallah, a beautiful stuffed mushroom. This was obviously a night I was cooking for just me but make two or three and serve as appetizers or sides to a wonderful dinner!

Enjoy,
<3 Dani

Asian Sauteed Tempeh

Here is the tempeh recipe I had promised to share with you once I could upload the pictures. Looking at these pictures is making me very hungry and disappointed that I don't have any tempeh in my fridge! Hope you enjoy!

Recipe

Tempeh, small cubes

2 T tamari

1 clove of garlic minced

1'' cube of ginger, peeled and minced

half a lemon, squeezed

 

Cut tempeh in to small cubes. In a saucepan add tamrai, garlic, ginger and lemon. If you prefer them crispier you can add a bit of oil, preferably coconut or grapeseed as though can withstand the high heating. Saute for 5-7 minutes of until steaming hot. Toss on a salad!

Blessings,

<3 Dani

Sojourners and Wine Tasting

 The two sisters were shortly reunited just after I moved back to Santa Barbara. Bianca came to visit only a week later and we were determined to do something really fun. Having wanted to go wine tasting together for months now we figured that was a good place to start with ideas. We got online and found the Santa Barbara Urban Wine Trail, a map of eleven wine tasting rooms downtown Santa Barbara. But we decided to make it especially adventurous and bike all the way there from Isla Vista, a whopping 13 mile ride! So we combined our efforts and called it the "Santa Barbara Urban Wine Trail on bike"!

We hit up three different Wine Tasting Rooms, Kalyra Winery, Oreana Winery, and the Santa Barbara Winery, all of which we thoroughly enjoyed. All three had very different environments making each it's own unique experience. Each room cost $5-10 and served 6-10 tastings, we tried 25 different wines in all! Our favorite: a dessert wine from Oreana Winery called The Eliminator. I know, hilarious name.

 Before all the wine though, we filled up on a delicious lunch at Sojourners Cafe, a sort of health foods restaurant off of State Street. It's one of my favorite restaurants in Santa Barbara. I enjoyed a salad with hummus, pesto, tabbouleh, eggplant and bell peppers and Bianca had the Mediterranean nut burger. Delicious, if you haven't been here you must go soon! They serve a wide variety of desserts some gluten-free, vegan, sugar-free, egg-free, etc. The prices are very reasonable and I love the homey environment. As you can see with the wonderful weather we had we sat outside.

Now, we're both back in our separate locations missing each other but as our dear friend Annalisa reminded us, we both know we're where we're supposed to be.

Plenty of posts to come now that I am back in Santa Barbara and settled! I also will have tons to share as I am learning so much at Bauman College!

Blessings,
<3 Dani

Comforting Breakfast Quinoa

Today was sadly my last day at Bauman College in the classroom. I am moving back to Santa Barbara this weekend and will be officially enrolled in the Distance Learning Program, but it will great because I can move through the curriculum at my own pace! Today, I mulling over everything I have learned in the last few weeks and I realized one thing; there is always a need to be learning, always. In life of course, but specifically with nutrition. You'll never know it all and you'll never have it completely figured out. There is so much to know about our bodies and how to fuel them properly. Even more, there is such a need for every person to learn for themselves because of how individualized our bodies are. Plus trying to combat all the constant progression with the food industry and factory farming that's always in the wrong direction. All in all I am so excited to be back on the learn...and full speed ahead!

Today's cooking demo was done by Tracy Young and was absolutely delicious! I came home raving about it to my mom. This was by far the best quinoa breakfast I have ever had. Tracy was telling us she chose this breakfast bowl because she loves comfort foods, especially warm and cozy breakfasts. It was perfect for this rainy and gloomy day.

Recipe
1/2 C quinoa, rinsed and soaked overnight
1 C water
1/2 T coconut oil
1/2 C oats, rinsed and soaked overnight
1 T blackstrap molasses
1/4 C chopped walnuts
1/4 C raisins
1 t ground flax
Place the quinoa in a saucepan with the water and coconut oil, bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer until water is absorbed, probably about 5 minutes or so. Remove from heat and add the oats, molasses, and chopped nuts. Stir until light and fluffy. Serve steaming hot. Sprinkle raisins and ground flax seeds on top.

Soaking grains allows enzymes to break down and neutralizes phytic acid so the digestion process is sped up and the nutrients more readily absorbed. Difficult proteins are partially broken down into simple components that become available for the body. Now, soaking the grains is not necessary for the recipe for it is the healthiest option here. It will take a lot longer to cook and you will want to add the oats in with a little more water during the last few minutes of the cooking process if you don't soak. I haven't become organized enough to soak my grains all the time but I really am going to work on this!!

Enjoy,
<3 Dani

Mom's Harbor Bowls

My mom absolutely loves the Harbor Cafe, the restaurant where Bianca works here in Santa Cruz. Her favorite meal; the Harbor Bowl. A bowl of Spanish rice, black beans and cabbage. She loves it so much that she re-creates it at home for her and my dad and he loves it too! Of course, she puts her own touch to it. It's very easy to make and wonderfully healthy, try it!
Ingredients:
brown rice
salsa
black beans
green cabbage
avocado
diced red bell pepper
sliced cherry tomatoes
Morning Star Sausage Patties*

Step 1) Mix salsa with cooked warm brown rice to make a simple and quick Spanish rice. Place desired amount in bottom of a deep bowl.
Step 2) Next, add desired amount of black beans. If canned, be sure to rinse and drain thoroughly and heat on the stove top.
Step 3) Slice cabbage thinly, dice red bell pepper, and slice cherry tomatoes. Scoop out avocado and add to the bowl on top of the black beans and Spanish rice.
Step 4) Heat the patties in a frying pan, you may need to spray some olive oil to prevent sticking. Slice, or crumble and throw on top.

Enjoy!
<3 Dani

*I wouldn't recommend using soy products like these very often because their highly processed and normally made with GMO (genetically modified organisms). They do sell organic Morning Star products, these of course are definitely preferred.

Lemony Split Pea Dish

I really love split peas and I especially love the yellow variety though they are much harder to find. While I am visiting here in Santa Cruz I am doing all my shopping at New Leaf Markets and they just so happen to have them! And they were on sale, I bought a ton and wanted to do something new with them. I found this recipe with ginger and garlic and thought it sounded delightful. Split peas are certainly not everyone's favorite but if you like them try this dish cause it came out wonderful.

It was quite funny actually because my mom and dad both thought they it was corn! I could have fooled them...up until the first bite of course :)

Recipe
2 C yellow split pleas
4 C water or low-sodium vegetable broth
1-2 T grapeseed oil
3 cloves of garlic
2 T finely chopped ginger
juice from one lemon, freshly squeezed
cilantro
sea salt and black pepper

In a large pot on the stove, heat the olive oil and saute the garlic for a few minutes. Add the split peas, mix around a bit then add the water or broth. Cover and bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low and simmer for around 30 minutes. Half way through add the ginger and lemon. After a half hour, check the split peas they should be done but if they are too crunchy let them go ten more minutes. There may be extra liquid so drain once they are well cooked. Finely chop the cilantro and mix in, a handful is plenty. Season with sea salt and black pepper. Enjoy!

Split peas are a great way to get healthy lean protein as well as dietary fiber. In a one cup serving of split peas you will get 16g of fiber and 16g of protein! That's 65% of the daily recommended intake of fiber a day. That is outrageous and with vegetable proteins you bypass all the saturated fat and cholesterol of animal proteins. This dish is sounding really good now, huh? You should also check out my infamous Split Pea Soup!

Enjoy,
<3 Dani