I went to this place once at its old location on De Longpre in Hollywood - I attended a class known as Kundalini Yoga for Creativity, led by Adesh Hale. I was in awe of this place, as it was beautiful and serene. With its many rooms and a full daily schedule, Golden Bridge is a sanctuary from the buzz of modern life. Like so many other yoga studios, when you enter this place, you leave your judgements and anxieties at the door, and you can expect to be greeted with gentle smiles from students and staff alike.
I see that they have relocated to a new place not far from their old one - they are now on Highland. Their old location had an amazing vegan cafe with delicious and healthy buffet offerings, and I hope this new location retained that! I haven't a clue what this new place is like, but I'm totally down to check it out sometime and if anyone wants to join me, let me know. For those of you who commute, catching an evening class could be a great way to wait for the traffic to die down. For the center's website and schedule, click here. Namaste!
Wednesday, February 23, 2011
A Word on Crockpots
My crockpot/slow cooker fell into my hands at a white elephant party some years ago, but I never got around to using it until this past September. Why on earth did I not use it any sooner? This needs to be a permanent fixture in any household for the following reasons:
1. You can chop up the ingredients, dump them into the crockpot and leave it for hours and do your thing.
2. Any meat that goes in comes out tender and perfectly cooked.
3. You wind up making a large batch of food, and you can really stretch it over a few days. Sure, you wind up eating the same food for those days, but when it's that good you're really not going to get sick of it! Especially since it also happens to save you money!
I generally make good use of the crockpot over the weekend so that I have a lunch to pack at least Monday through Wednesday. By Thursday I begin to eye my leftovers with paranoia and into the freezer they go, to enjoy at a later date not too far down the line.
Give it a go! Here's a nice meal:
- Barbecue Pulled Chicken - 25 min active time, 5.5 hours total. I wished I had made an extra servinng of barbecue sauce to have the side, as the chicken I had purchased had a lot of water in it, so the sauce in the crockpot was a little watery at the end. It was still delicious, but if you like having your thick bbq sauce, then set aside a separate container and mix another round of tomato sauce, green chiles, cider vinegar, honey, paprika, tomato paste, Worcestershire sauce, dry mustard, salt and chipotle chile.
- In the last half hour of cooking time, you can whip up some Green Beans with Caramelized Red Onions. I thought there was a little too much red onion in this recipe, so I would just used 2 medium red onions instead. If you're a fan of mushrooms, try throwing in some portobellos into the skillet with the onions! You can't lose.
1. You can chop up the ingredients, dump them into the crockpot and leave it for hours and do your thing.
2. Any meat that goes in comes out tender and perfectly cooked.
3. You wind up making a large batch of food, and you can really stretch it over a few days. Sure, you wind up eating the same food for those days, but when it's that good you're really not going to get sick of it! Especially since it also happens to save you money!
I generally make good use of the crockpot over the weekend so that I have a lunch to pack at least Monday through Wednesday. By Thursday I begin to eye my leftovers with paranoia and into the freezer they go, to enjoy at a later date not too far down the line.
Give it a go! Here's a nice meal:
- Barbecue Pulled Chicken - 25 min active time, 5.5 hours total. I wished I had made an extra servinng of barbecue sauce to have the side, as the chicken I had purchased had a lot of water in it, so the sauce in the crockpot was a little watery at the end. It was still delicious, but if you like having your thick bbq sauce, then set aside a separate container and mix another round of tomato sauce, green chiles, cider vinegar, honey, paprika, tomato paste, Worcestershire sauce, dry mustard, salt and chipotle chile.
- In the last half hour of cooking time, you can whip up some Green Beans with Caramelized Red Onions. I thought there was a little too much red onion in this recipe, so I would just used 2 medium red onions instead. If you're a fan of mushrooms, try throwing in some portobellos into the skillet with the onions! You can't lose.
Wednesday, February 16, 2011
Mighty Muesli
Ever been to Susan Feniger's STREET on Highland? I have, but I haven't been there for brunch. The last issue of Gourmet back in '09 featured recipes from this eatery and there was one for muesli that caught my attention. It's been a little over a year since I tore this page from the magazine, and I've made Kajsa Alger's Muesli almost every week! You can make a batch over a weekend and you've got a wholesome breakfast everyday for the rest of the week. Kids love it. I swear by this stuff.
Kajsa Alger's Muesli
makes about 6 cups
2 cups rolled oats (not quick-cooking)
1 1/2 cups puffed millet
1 cup raw almonds (with skin), chopped
1 cup raw sunflower seeds
1/4 cup flaxseeds
1 tsp kosher salt
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 cup canola oil
1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
1 cup dried currants (4 oz)
1 cup dried pitted dates (5 oz), chopped
- Preheat oven to 350F.
- Line 2 large (17 x 11 in) 4-sided sheet pans with foil and lightly oil the foil.
- Stir together oats, millet, almonds, seeds, kosher salt, and cinnamon in a large bowl until combined. Add oil and brown sugar and toss to coat, breaking up any lumps of sugar with your fingers.
The recipe recommends dividing the mixture between the two sheet pans and baking them on racks placed in the upper and lower thirds of the oven, and switching the pans' positions halfway through baking time. If I were out to impress someone I might be inclined to make the effort, but when I'm lazy I forgo the jiggerypokery and I just throw it all in one pan and give it a stir while it bakes.
Bake until toasted and golden, 16 to 20 minutes total.
- Cool completely in pan(s), then stir in dried fruit.
Muesli keeps in an airtight container at cool room temperature for 1 week.
Notes:
1. puffed millet can be found in the cereal section at Whole Foods or any other health food store.
2. I have read that we don't really digest whole flaxseeds too well, so you could always substitute the whole flaxseeds with ground. Since flaxseeds do go rancid, you're probably better off adding a spoonful or two of the ground flaxseed just before you consume your bowl of muesli. Enjoy the muesli with yogurt or a splash of milk with fresh fruit!
Kajsa Alger's Muesli
makes about 6 cups
2 cups rolled oats (not quick-cooking)
1 1/2 cups puffed millet
1 cup raw almonds (with skin), chopped
1 cup raw sunflower seeds
1/4 cup flaxseeds
1 tsp kosher salt
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 cup canola oil
1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
1 cup dried currants (4 oz)
1 cup dried pitted dates (5 oz), chopped
- Preheat oven to 350F.
- Line 2 large (17 x 11 in) 4-sided sheet pans with foil and lightly oil the foil.
- Stir together oats, millet, almonds, seeds, kosher salt, and cinnamon in a large bowl until combined. Add oil and brown sugar and toss to coat, breaking up any lumps of sugar with your fingers.
The recipe recommends dividing the mixture between the two sheet pans and baking them on racks placed in the upper and lower thirds of the oven, and switching the pans' positions halfway through baking time. If I were out to impress someone I might be inclined to make the effort, but when I'm lazy I forgo the jiggerypokery and I just throw it all in one pan and give it a stir while it bakes.
Bake until toasted and golden, 16 to 20 minutes total.
- Cool completely in pan(s), then stir in dried fruit.
Muesli keeps in an airtight container at cool room temperature for 1 week.
Notes:
1. puffed millet can be found in the cereal section at Whole Foods or any other health food store.
2. I have read that we don't really digest whole flaxseeds too well, so you could always substitute the whole flaxseeds with ground. Since flaxseeds do go rancid, you're probably better off adding a spoonful or two of the ground flaxseed just before you consume your bowl of muesli. Enjoy the muesli with yogurt or a splash of milk with fresh fruit!
Brussels Sprouts Addendum
Wow, there were a lot of enthusiastic responses to the posting on brussels sprouts, so I had to pass on some recipes:
-Brussels sprouts with coconut milk, from Doug
- an amazing crunch sweet Brussels sprout salad, which according to Alex F. is quick n' easy to make and yummy beyond belief!
Brussels sprouts are the little cousins of cabbage! They are a great source of vitamin C, hunger-curbing fiber, iron, phosphorus, potassium, and vitamin A. You can't lose!
Tuesday, February 15, 2011
Feel the Burn Bootcamp...
... is having an insane deal right now via Groupon. $30 for a one-month unlimited membership. Only about 11 hours left on the sale, people!
Roasted Brussels Sprouts
I know you either love them or hate them... but for the haters, have you ever tried them roasted? Because this is insanely amazing. And simple. You just toss it all in a ziplock bag and roast them for 30-40 minutes and voilà. Salty sweet goodness, and filling. They're amazing even when they're cold! I tasted a leaf after pulling them out of the oven, and it was like a potato chip, no joke! But they're way better for you than a potato chip will ever be. I've been making these every weekend and snacking on them or having them as a side to a meal. Make them. Now. You won't regret it.
Welcome.
If you're as fed up as I am with the salty and sugary offerings in the kitchen here at work, then you've come to the right place.
A few years ago (long before coming here to work) I was the fittest I had ever been in my life. Upon my arrival here though, things changed drastically. How could they not? Potato chips, ice cream, chocolate, popcorn, thirty flavors of gum (all sweetened and flavored with a cocktail of synthetic chemicals, no doubt!) all lie at our sticky fingertips for us to turn to when things get rough. For a while I was simply unhappy with the effects all this food had on my appearance and my energy level. Still, it wasn't enough to get me to do a whole lot about it. We're all so busy, right? Who has time to make lunch when the roach coaches line up right there in front of the office building? This might be my third pack of Kit Kats, but I worked my ass off to hit my deadline, so I earned it, dammit!
And then I found out how it was affecting my health at my last annual physical exam. This, my friends, was the last straw. I am cooking my own food at home and bringing in most of my snacks to minimize the enchanting call of the Salt and Sweet sirens of the kitchen. I am back at the gym for cycling classes and yoga, and in a couple weeks I'll be trying out bootcamp for the first time.
Some of us are more disciplined than others, some of us have observed better health and wellness habits than others. And then some of you can eat whatever the hell you want and it does nothing to you, you bastards. I do know that many of you can relate to the experience I shared above. I decided that it's high time we wage war on that kitchen and make this a nice informal forum for us to share recipes, gym class specials, tips, etc. in a bid to make health and wellness a greater priority for ourselves. A healthy (or healthier) diet and an active lifestyle contributes to our happiness and productivity - not just as employees of this company, but as living, breathing human beings in need of nourishment in a time-strapped culture. Do it for the sake of your body and soul! It's annoying and seemingly inconvenient, but you know it always winds up costing you something in the end when you neglect it. I know that's how it is for me, and I'm tired of it!
So, follow along if you will! Let's have some fun while we do this. Links to recipes, health articles, suggestions are all welcome - you may send it my way at fighterfilms@gmail.com
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