A sweet birthday and a sweet pie

Today is my birthday! Woo 22! I've never been a huge fan of birthdays I took it pretty easy for most of the day, which was a nice contrast to most birthdays, which tend to be filled with high expectations and too many activities for one's good. I started off the day with some restorative yoga and watercolored a card to send send to my dad for father's day. Then I just texted or spoke on the phone to all the people who are really important to me, which reminded me of all the amazing people I have in my life. I think because I didn't try to make a big deal out of the day, it ended up being one of the best birthdays I've had in a while.

Flowers my amazing mama sent me. Note the "Ms. Farth" on the card ha

I made a semi-raw pumpkin pie for my birthday cake (I know, but I really wanted to cook on the day of my birthday). Two other people cooked a delicious dinner for everyone. Here's what our table scape looked like:

INGREDIENTS::


Raisin-Walnut Crust:
3 Cups almond flour (almonds pulverized in a food processor)
2 cups walnuts (add these at the end so some remain whole)
2 cups raisins 
1/2 cup maple syrup
3 Tbsp coconut oil
1-4 Tbsp water (for blending, depending on how )


Pumpkin Chia Filling:
6 Cups canned pumpkin puree
2/3 Cup unsweetened almond milk
1 Cup pure maple syrup
6 Tbsp chia seeds
4 Tbsp fresh grated ginger
8 Tbsp pumpkin pie spice


Maple Whip:

3 Cans coconut milk (chilled in the fridge for at least one hour)
1/3 Maple syrup


Topping:
1/2 Cup Vegan chocolate chips

Whisk all the filling ingredients together in a bowl until smooth. Set in fridge to chill.


If making your own almond flour, place almonds in a food processor one cup at a time until ground to a powder. Add raisins and walnuts and pulse to combine. Add oil and drizzle maple syrup until a dough is formed. Add water if it seems too dry. 

Place dough into a pan and press down into edges to form a crust with your fingers. I greased the pan and my hands with coconut oil to prevent sticking. Place the crust in the freezer for a half hour.

Pour pudding into the crust. Melt the chocolate chips in a double boiler and drizzle over the pie. Allow to chill for at least an hour before serving

To make the coconut maple whip cream, place the cans of coconut milk in the fridge and chill for an hour. Once chilled, remove the cans and scoop out only the solidified coconut milk, leave the liquid in the can and use for a smoothie or just drink it straight! 
Add maple syrup and whip with a hand mixture until it resembles whipped cream.

The pie wasn't the only sweet thing I enjoyed on my bday. After dinner, I was  blindfolded and lead up the stairs. Then I sat down in a chair and was lifted and spun around hava-nagila style before being placed down on the ground. All the musicians in the house played music and everyone else came around and whispered nice things in my ear. I felt so disoriented not only because I had no clue what was going on, but because I never expected anyone (let alone a group of people I've only known for a week and change) to surprise me with something so sweet and thoughtful. It was a truly magical day.

On routine...

I've been out of the city for over a week now and have made the transition pretty smoothly. One thing that has made the move from my tiny East Village apartment to a shared house in the middle of nowhere (aside from how beautiful and peaceful it is here, and how totally necessary it was for me to leave the city) was that I brought with me an established daily routine. I've had to ability to really examine my morning ritual and omit anything that seems extraneous (goodbye make-up, complicated clothes, packing up a bag with lunch and any other materials I may need throughout the day...) I've been able to extract the essentials.


Having a routine is vital to me because it allows me to feel like I have a sense of control over my life (even if the rest of my day is full of the unexpected) and it also provides me with a sense of accomplishment. This seems to have a trickle-down affect on the rest of my day; once I start checking things off my list, I just want to keep on going. Being my crazy self, I even attempted to make a "non-schedule-schedule" that eventually ended up having exact time allotments for each activity and a specific order. I quickly realized that this is stupid and contradicts the whole purpose of this ritual. The goal is to feel both centered and accomplished, not stressed out and disappointed if I neglected to drink the warm water with lemon before stretching or something equally unimportant. 


In essence, a morning routine is a fiesta of stuff that makes me feel balanced in my otherwise crazy life. I mean, I love being insanely busy, but I can't concentrate on any single task (let alone ten) if I haven't taken the time to check in and care for myself first. My morning ritual is an ongoing lifestyle experiment, but bellow is roughly what has been working for me lately::


-Rise and Shine (around the same time everyday allows my body to follow its natural rhythm)
-Self-care Ritual
a. cold water eye-rinse (This is an ayurvedic practice that removes excess heat from the eyes and just plain wakes me up.)
b. Tongue scraping (x7-10time to remove any toxins that accumulated over night and gather information about what to eat.)
c. Oil pulling (Swish around 1-3tsp coconut oil in my mouth for as long as possible to pull out toxins)
-Drink a mug of warm water with lemon (This balances out your pH levels. Lately I've been adding some turmeric, cayenne, black pepper and pink Himalayan sea salt to the mix!)
-Yoga (I aim for an hour of some sort of gentle physical activity/ stretching per day. Sometimes that whole hour doesn't happen in the morning. That's cool.)
-Meditation/ Breathing exercises/ Setting intentions for the day (This is probably the hardest one for me right now, but very important for checking in and seeing if there is anything in particular that your body needs for the day.)
-Dry brush/ Oil massage and Shower (This sometimes happens at the end of the day, unless I get really sweaty from yoga. Dry brushing is great for exfoliating the skin and also a wonderful detoxifier. Massaging yourself with coconut or another type of oil not only moisturizes your skin, but I find its a great way to physically check-in and give attention to your whole body. 
-Make a delicious and super healthy breakfast (My day doesn't start until I fuel myself up. Trying to work without eating would be like trying to drive a car without putting gas in the tank first; it just won't go. I aim to get a mix of carbs, fat and protein and as much green stuff as possible.)

*                            *                            *

I'm becoming more and more interested in the idea of the art of the everyday life; making art for daily use and using life as an artistic medium. I've decided to integrate the idea of routine into my art project here. I'm starting off by recording interviews with people about their daily routines and seeing where that takes me...


Interview Questions:
1. What are your daily routines/ rituals? (anything that starts or completes your day)
2. Do they have to occur at a specific time?
3. What happens if you don't get to tick off all the things on your "list"? How does it affect the rest of your day?
4. How do the people around you affect your daily routine? Positively? Negatively? Do you benefit most from internal or external stimuli?
5. How can your physical environment change the way you experience the same daily activity? Can the same act be burdensome in one environment and enjoyable in another?
6. Do you create any "rules" for yourself?
7. What are challenges that arise? What would you ideally like to have to aid in a seamless routine? (can be mythical concoctions or realistic goals)
8. What, if anything, brings you to the present moment and centers you? In other words, brings you to a state of "relaxed curiosity" rather than "sleepwalking" through your day. 
9. Have you ever tried to create a set of personalized activities to check off each day? What did it include? 

Raw thai salad and mexican chili

Today I decided to co-sous chef in the kitchen so I could learn how to make these two delicious raw recipes. I mostly made the salad (which was so bomb, I ate it again for lunch AND dinner the next day) but the chili was equally amazing and filling!

Thai Inspired Slaw Salad::  (you can adapt to what you have on hand)

Carrot, grated

Cucumber, sliced julian style

Zucchini, sliced

Broccoli, chopped into small pieces 

For the dressing:

Penut butter (or almond butter)

Sesame oil

Maple syrup

Orange juice

Salad Ingredients: (you can adapt to what you have on hand)

Mix dressing ingredients in a bowl and set in refrigerator to chill. Slice veggies into small pieces and coat in the dressing. Allow to chill for a bit before serving as to let the flavors meld together. 

Raw chili:

Tomatos 

Red and green bell peppers

Corn

Jalepeno pepper 

Acocado

Sun-dried tomatos

Dried chipotle pepers 

Process half the ingredients in a food processor. Chop the rest (excluding any dried ingredients) and mix well. 

Hemp protein barz

These little green bars are full of protein and will keep you energized for hours. They are subtly sweet and have the consistency of fudge when left out at room temperature. They are also great for travel :)

Dry ingredients:

1cup raw pumpkin seeds (pepitas)

1cup coconut shreds **plus more for topping the bars 

1/2cup hemp protein powder (I used Nutiva brand)

4T chia seeds

4T flax seeds

dash of pink Himalayan sea salt

Wet ingredients:

1cup dates, pitted and soaked overnight

1cup prunes, soaked overnight

1t spiralina

4T raw cacao powder

1cup Brown rice puffs


In a food processor or blender, pulse the dry ingredients quickly. Do not over-process, or it will turn to nut butter. You want a chunky consistency. Place the mixture in a bowl and set aside. 

Add all wet ingredients to the food processor or high speed blender and blend to combine. This might take some time, and if your blender isn’t strong enough you might have to help out by stirring around a few times with a fork or add a dash of water.

Pour the wet ingredients over the dry ingredients, add puffed brown rice and stir until well combined. 

Spread the batter evenly into a 11 x 7-inch (28 x 18 cm) baking dish, make sure it becomes quite compact. Place in the fridge for about 30 minutes. Cut into bars. **Optional: press extra coconut flakes onto the top of the bars**

Wrap them in paper and store in an air-tight container. Will keep around a week in the fridge.

For the Traveling Foodie

Now that I just graduated college, quit my job and found someone to sublet my apartment, I plan to travel as much as I can in the next few months before "real life" begins. Of course, the first think I thought of is what/how am I going to eat while wandering around unknown territory with all my belongings stuffed into one bag?? The following are some of my packing essentials:

Mobile Spice Kit

For foodies, nothing is scarier than being in a strange place where you're subject to sub-par food. The horror! With this handy Mobile Foodie Survival Kit, you can doctor up even the most repulsive meal. Stocked with organic herbs and spices, plus indispensable extras like wasabi. Containers are unlabeled so they can be re-used for your favorite spices (separate key included).

$26 via Uncommon Goods
Spices I plan to bring: Sea Salt, Black Pepper, Cayenne, Cinnamon, Turmeric, Ginger, Red Pepper Flakes, Hot Curry, Sesame Seeds, Dulse Seaweed


Klean Kanteen Insulated Bottle

This may very well be my smartest purchase of the year. After sadly misplacing my regular 20oz canteen that I took with me everywhere (even to Ghana and back!) and going through a plethora of thurmoses (or is it thurmosi?) that never lived up to their spill-proof claims, I decided to finally invest in this bad boy. I legitimately use it all day, everyday. I first use it for my morning tea, which I can brew at home and just toss the bottle in my bag without the fear of soaking all my books and then enjoy the warm beverage an hour later in class (or actually, up to 8 hours later!) I end up re-filling it from a water fountain or sink, creating what I like to call "tea water" mmm and then eventually toss the tea bag (or actually strainer, see bellow) so I can sip on plenty of water throughout the day.
$28 via Klean Kanteen 


Stainless Steel Mesh Tea Strainer Ball

It's pretty self explanatory what you do with this one. I will mention though that it fits perfectly in my insulated Klean Kanteen AND I also use them at home too. I love loose tea, and I like using these mesh balls over non-reusable tea bags because you eliminate waste, toxins from bleached tea bags (yup, it's not just green tea you're brewin' in that mug) and best of all, you get make little concoctions out of different amounts of loose tea (bancha green + nettles + fresh grated ginger = yum)
$4 via Amazon

This Tea-Rex would also totally get the job done, in style.
$14 via Fred Flare 


Bottle Opener Ring

This is a very smart idea.
$9 via Fred Flare


Travel Space Bags

While this one isn't exactly food related, it will allow me to over pack as I usually do (how can I predict what I will feel like wearing a week in advance??) while leaving plenty of extra room for food and art supplies and other goodies picked up along the way! They also come in handy for keeping your dirty clothes separate from clean ones.
$4.99ea via The Container Store


Green Superfoods

I'm at a point in my life where if I don't get enough greens in one day, I feel it. I also understand that it's not always possible to eat three cups of spinach by lunch time when I'm away from home, especially if I'm not doing my own grocery shopping. This mix has everything that I fill my fridge and cabinets with at home, all in an amber glass jar! It's raw and contains 33 superfoods including spiralina, sprouted flax and chia seeds and 25 billion live probiotics per serving. Yes please!
$59.99 via Billy's Infinity Greens

Coconut Oil

Coconut oil is full of dietary fiber,protein, healthy fats, vitamins and minerals. It is the healthiest oil to cook with (high smoking point) and I personally love using it as a moisturizer for my entire body and my hair (so it eliminates the need to bring lotion + hair products + leave-in conditioner etc..). Definitely going my suitcase! Oh and did I mention it tastes freakin' delicious and you can use it to make raw chocolate...
$12 via Spectrum Naturals but also Trader Joes sells it (organic) for around $8 !!


Swiss Measuring Spoons

If you plan to do lots of cooking wherever you are going, these measuring spoons will pack up small and look bad ass. These would be great for camping!

$16 via Fred Flare

Zip-Locks
I used to make fun of my mom for obsessively putting every item she packed into individual zip-lock bags. Then I went on a trip and my sunscreen exploded all over my clothes on the way over, and now I put everything in zip locks yay! They not only keep things from spilling, but I'm always so happy when I have empty bags to put dirty or wet clothes in when I'm re-packing. Bottom line- mothers are always right and its a good idea to use these.


Trail Mix


Being in an unfamiliar place with unfamiliar food is not fun. Especially if there is a lack of options, or barriers such as language or travelers-stomach that keep you from trying local cuisine immediately upon arrival. I even keep trail mix with me when I'm just walking around NYC. It's perfect for tying me over until my next meal, and can be caloric enough to be used as a meal replacement if your not able to find one/ feel too sick to experiment with exotic foods at the moment. My favorite includes any and all raw nuts and dried fruits. I'm especially into raw almonds and goji berries these days.

Ginger Tea (and other tea you love)

I always bring tea with me whenever I travel now. Ginger tea in particular is perfect for aiding in digestion, which can easily be disrupted when traveling. If you love a particular tea in the morning, bringing it with you when you travel is a great way to feel comfortable in a new surrounding. You can also enjoy it anywhere- even on the plane just ask the flight attendant for some hot water and mmm soothing ginger tea that will keep you happy and hydrated :)
$5 via Yogi Tea (my favorite brand of tea bags...be sure to read the quotes!!)

Other Teas I plan to bring: Green tea, Roobios chai tea, Tulsi (a.k.a Holy Basil), Nettles and Peppermint 


What are your travel essentials?

A Food Flashback

What was the local New York food scene like in 1938? A collection of archived photographs inthe Museum of the City of New York provide some clues. From lobsters at the Fulton Fish Market to a fruit pushcart on a street corner, it's a fascinating look at our shared food experiences.

HAPPY VALENTINES DAY

xKim

Raw energy drink

Lately I have been making this delicious energy drink to have around 4pm at work. You know that time. It's made of entirely raw, whole ingredients so no crash later on! Now put down the red bull and make yourself a batch of this good juice :)

You will need:

1 clean empty jar or bottle (I use old kombucha bottles)

1 T chia seeds

1t or more to taste, spiralina

1T raw cacao (I've been using my favorite maca/cacao blend)

stevia or sweetener of choice

filtered tap water or coconut water

Place all the ingredients into the bottle Fill with water and shake until well combined. *Sometimes I have to go in there with a chopstick to break up the spiralina as it has a tendency to clump together in liquid. The chia seeds expand and get get coated in the cacao. It's such a yummy treat. It's great to make these the night before or make a few batched and have sustained energy all week long!

raw cacao snowballs

Even though it hasn't snowed yet here in New York (hellooo global warming?) I've been enjoying these entirely raw, chocolatey snowball-looking treats (I mean how could something chocolate that looks like a snowball be bad?) as dessert and also giving them as holiday gifts. They are super simple to whip up and a great alternative to processed treats to feed your sweet tooth! This recipe was inspired by a few different raw treats I have tried over the years, but mostly came from this recipe for raw brownies over at Lookbook Cookbook. If you haven't already checked out this site, I highly recommend!

Ingredients:

(makes 12 snowballs)

1/2c raw walnuts

1/2c almond meal

1c pitted dates

4Tbsp raw cacao powder

1/4tsp vanilla extraxt

dash of salt

about 1/2c coconut flakes for rolling

Just testing to make sure they're not poisonous ;)

Combine the first 6 ingredients in a food processor. I added the walnuts in last and just gave them a few pulses so there would be whole chunks in the mix. The mixture should stick together between your fingers a little. Don't overmix, as it will release the oils from the nuts. You can add a few drops of water if it isn't sticking together at all.Roll the batter into the size of golf balls, then roll in the coconut flakes. Place on a plate in the freezer for at least 30 minutes to harden. Enjoy!

Did I mention these make a great gift?

*yes it is vital to overly wrap them in girly pink bows & things

my little poney juice and the cutest flax seed crackers ever!

I should start off by mentioning that the following recipes in this post do require some appliances that you might not have at home. The first is a juicer (which I actually bought for my mom for her birthday during her short-lived juice phase. She never used so when I moved into my new apartment she sort of re-gifted it back to me as a house warming gift. I was down) The juicer I have is by no means a fancy-shmancy industrial one, like those you find at a juice press. This is the exact juicer that I bought (yup, I have a pink juicer!) and it does the job just fine. Part two of this post calls for a dehydrator. I got my dehydrator as a holiday present a few years ago (isn't that what all 17 year-old girls wish for??) and it is probably the cheapest models out there, but it does exactly what I need it to. However, if you're not into obscure kitchen appliances like I am, you can definitely substitute with things you might already have in your kitchen, like a blender and an oven on a low-heat setting.

So, onto part I: My Little Poney Juice

Sometimes, on a [rare] day-off, when I have time to move really slowly in the morning and want something light, I will make some juice. I like juicing from time to time because it allows my body to take a break from working so hard at digesting all the (delicious and healthy) food that I put into it everyday. When my body takes a break from digesting, it has time to clean itself out. Raw juice is also full of enzymes and phytonutrients and really just makes you feel amazing. Hungover? Juice. About to get sick? Juice. This isn't so much a recipe (as I didn't measure anything and chose my ingredients based on what needed to use up in my fridge) but I wanted to share because it tasted great but most importantly made the silliest color.

Into the juicer went: red cabbage, kale and spinach stems (best use for these guys ever! since I stopped eating them raw in my salads after realizing they were a but hard to digest), 2 celery stalks, and a small pear. Afterwords, I added 1/2 tsp spiralina & a squeeze of lemon juice. Mmm.

mmm purple stuff

So after my little juice party, I went to clean up the mess I made and discovered inside the base of the juicer remained all the fibery veg pulp from my juice! I couldn't let this stuff go to waste!

Moving along to Part deux: The Cutest Flax Seed Crackers I Ever Done Seen!

The obvious decision was to make this carnival-colored puree of goodness into some flax seed crackers to be enjoyed at a later date. I walked you through how to make flax seeds crackers in detail in an earlier post. Again, not a real recipe, but if you ever find yourself with about 1.5 cups of vegetable mush (you'd be surprised how often that is in my household) simply stir it into a big bowl that has 1/2 cup of flax seeds that have been soaking in 1 cup of water until it turns into a jell (about 15 mins). I also added some garlic powder, black pepper and Himalayan sea salt to the mix. That's it. Spread the "dough" onto a dehydrator tray lined with parchment paper, plugged it in and went about my day only to come home to some funfetti-esqu flax crackers :) I've also made these over-night which is nice because I find they need a solid 10-12 hours to fully dehydrate and become crunchy. Otherwise you are left with more of a flax tortilla. Alternatively, you can make flax seed crackers in the oven, they just won't be entirely raw and you can't leave the house while they "cook".

I mentioned this in my earlier post, but adding spices is a great idea as the flax seed crackers are pretty neutral on their own. Garlic powder, nutritional yeast, a dash of cayenne and pumpkin seeds have all been winners in my experience.

What is your favorite way to use up veg pulp? Ever tried making flax seed crackers?