Earth Day: Show some love to mother Earth!

Some of you must have noticed the enthusiastic discussion Kevin, Kris, and I have been enjoying on Facebook that the almond muffins post triggered. I agree with Kris, it is a great discussion, timely because Earth Day is tomorrow.

I am proud and inspired to have close friends who go the extra step quietly in their daily lives and with great awareness beyond themselves to work towards a healthier planet for us and our future generations. 

It's a responsibility we should all be aware of and that needs some thought. You may be recycling diligently, but that doesn't permit you to waste packaging and plastic. You may be using natural cosmetics, but what about the tons of plastic grocery bags you get for every trip to the store? You may be buying bulk already, but wasting lots of water when you wash and clean. The task of being conscious consumers is not an easy one. Whatever you do, think of the chain of activities associated with it and how you can do your bit in your lifestyle to create sustainable practices.


On Earth Day tomorrow, let's make a pledge to incorporate one little thing in to our routines to thank mother Earth. We may not be able to clear traces of all the waste we've created dring our lifetime, but we can try to not leave a greater mess behind when we leave. You may call it carbon footprint or have other names for it. The point is to think beyond your needs and keep in mind how your actions affect the environment and the future. 

This beautiful image was taken from the Earth Day, Sacremento, CA website

Here are a few things you can incorporate in your lifestyle. I would love it if you shared some of your practices of how small steps can lead to big change for our planet.

1. Buying unpackaged, loose foods in bulk are a good way to start. - farmers' markets are a great way to buy local food that is not packaged or shipped from the other sie of the world. In India, I would buy from street vendors or organic farmers and take my own cloth carry bags. We also still have the luxury of buying grain in gunny sacks in India or easily getting loose grains by weight. Out here in the US, Whole Foods and similar conscious grocery stores have bulk sections where you can buy lose grains in a bag or your own container and pay by weight. 
2. No plastic water bottles, please! - More and more I see people carrying their empty water bottles through security check at airports and then refilling them. Plastic bottles are a menace and I noticed the overuse in India and cringed a the thought that we are making the same mistakes the West made ten years ago. It's about forming the habit - get a light weight water bottle and take it with you when you leave the house or keep it in your car. 
3. Soak. Sprout. Pressure cook. - Here's another practice I find very common in India, but something we need to hold on to. Sprouting is healthy and uses less energy to cool. Pressure cookers are irreplaceable and you can cook anything from greens and lentils to chicken in them in minutes. So, you save time, energy, and calories. What a great solution!
4. You can use nature's cleaning agents to clean. - Do whatever it takes to use less gas and less water when you are in the kitchen. Salt, vinegar, and lemon and orange peels are the best cleaning agents. I rub used peels on my counter tops, cooking range, and my face. Their fruit acid works great on all surfaces.

There are so many such solutions. You just have to look around with an open and aware mind. 

Your life, your relationships, your actions can all have a sustainable approach that includes the environment, economics, and society. 

Here are some interesting links for more lifestyle ideas - 

Earth Day

Recycling is Cool

Tree Hugger

Have a beautiful Earth Day! 

Don't forget to stop and smell the flowers this week and thank our lovely planet for it's endless beauty.

Why waste time on toast? Try these muffins for breakfast.

Give your breakfast a gluten-free and high protein filled face-lift and start the day with lots of energy and no guilt. These delicious flour-less Almond Energy Muffins will make your day.  No, they do not taste like marzipan and they go well with your favorite morning beverage. They are great after a work out or a long night of partying. ;) They are easy and fun to bake with kids - plus, the smell of fresh muffins will put every one at home in a good mood.

Ingredients: (6-7 large or 12 mini muffins)

• 1 egg, beaten
• 1/2 cup Omega oil or any light vegetable oil from your kitchen
• 1/4 cup agave syrup (used instead of sugar, safe for diabetics, low glycemic index)
• 2 cups almond meal (ground almonds)
• 1 tbsp. baking powder
• 1/4 cup organic milk (can be substituted with soy, almond or any other nut/grain milk)
• 1 tsp. almond extract (can be substituted with vanilla extract)
• 1/2 tsp. sea salt

Procedure:

1. Preheat oven to 376 degrees Fahrenheit or 200 degrees Celsius.
2. Combine the beaten egg, oil, agave syrup and mix well. 
3. Add the almond meal, baking powder, milk, almond extract, an sea salt and blend just until smooth.
4. Fill a regular sized or mini muffin tray with two-thirds full using a large spoon or a 1/3 cup measure.
5. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in to the center of a muffin comes out clean. 

Variations:
You can substitute half of the almond meal with any whole grain flour if you think this is too healthy for you. :) I have also used ground oats or a porridge mix and it works really well. There might be a slight change in texture.

You can also add 1/2 cup of carob or bitter-sweet, high cacao-content dark chocolate chips. In addition to absolute bliss, they give you anti-oxidants for the day.

If you like this recipe, ask me for more!

The Perfect Match

Certain wines go well with certain foods, but have you ever tried wine with chocolate? 

It's very simple.

Bite the Chocolate, let it melt slightly in your mouth,   take a sip of the wine, feel the burst of flavors!  But remember, it's all about portion-control and it needs to be the right combination to get the right harmony of taste.

Wine and chocolate pairing has been experimented for a while, but with more awareness in consumers, there are more choices of both chocolate and wine available in the market now. Depending on where you live, you should be able to find milk and dark chocolate and most probably dark chocolate with different percentage of darkness. 

The rule is simple for starters - 

Milk chocolates go better with light and fruity white wines while dark chocolates go best with red wines. The darker the chocolate the more full-bodied your red wine should be. For me, generally, light white wines like Chardonnay and Pinot Grigio or Sauvignon Blanc go well with milk chocolates or semi-milk chocolates, while I prefer to have a 60-75% dark chocolate piece with Merlot or my all time favorite, Malbec. If I am going more full-bodied, I like to up the chocolate percentage. So, you try an 70-85% Cacao content chocolate with a Cabernet or Pinot Noir. 

So what are you waiting for? Crack open that chocolate bar from your secret stash behind the organic brown rice container in your pantry. Get the wine at the right temperature to match and create pure bliss in your mouth. 

For those who have access to these, here are two of my favorite combinations.

 with 

Valrohna Manjari 65% Cacao with Gascon Malbec 2008

with

Vosges Habana 45% Cacao with Kendall Jackson Chardonnay

Enjoy!!!

Culture, imagination, memory, travel, personal identity=MOLESKINE

I finished filling up my first Moleskine notebook recently; it was mostly out of curiosity about the "experience" that everyone from Picasso to top travel photographers have claimed it gives you. So what's the big deal about Moleskine note books? 


Well, I realized a few things - 

1. They know their s*** well when it comes to design (every good company should know why they exist) - Moleskines are compact, tough, and robust
2. They know their paper - no matter how cheap the pen is that you are using on a Moleskine page, your writing will look good! And, if you use an fancy pen (I tried an ink Mont Blanc), you will be further amazed.
3. They know the cool-factor - Moleskines are to low-tech what iPhones are to hi-tech. 
4. They speak directly to travelers and everything that goes with what travelers love - "Culture, imagination, memory, travel, personal identity" is their philosophy.

I just found out that they recently introduced a travelers' collection of bags, cases, etc. in the minimalist Moleskine style. If you are a curious soul like me, get yourself a Moleskine note book; you will not regret it.  

And, before you do that, check out MOLESKINE 


I'd like to acknowledge NOW by Phenomenon for inspiring this entry.

It's the journey that matters.

I love photography and this week, I am celebrating my hobby by dedicatedly working on moments and memories captured during my recent travels through four incredible cities - Hyderabad, Bombay, New Orleans, and Savannah. I am in the middle of a work in progress and realize that learning never stops when it comes to photography. That's why I probably like it so much. It's just like with speaking a second language, you have to keep on using it to be good at it. And, it's also like yoga, it constantly makes you discover new things about yourself and pushes you to do better.

Another big reason to celebrate this week as my photography week is because I am getting a chance to meet Annie Griffiths, an incredible National Geography photographer. This is a first opportunity for me to meet a National Geo photographer - a profession I have incredible respect for and which I like to consider as my second-life aspiration. Annie for me is an ode to passion with a cause. She is someone who has used the power of her photography to help women and nature all around the world. Check out her work here.

While revisiting Annie's photos on the National Geo site today I felt the exhilaration, the same blood gushing I feel when I see a scene that I want to freeze in my camera in the best possible way, as I witnessed a perfect and delicate coming together of light, perception, and art. Photography is not about pointing and shooting. Photography is a life long practice, just like yoga or mastering a language, a practice that has it's perfect moments when light, perception and art meet in the right proportion and then, again, a new challenge begins. 

Life is exciting when the journey is more meaningful than the destination and all the things you do along that journey. I am inspired by Annie Griffiths' command over photography, but way more moved by what she has accomplished with it. 

There is no one destination. It's all about the journey.

School kids on a tour in Hyderabad 

 I met these adorable high-energy kids while visiting a palace in Hyderabad; they saw me with my camera and wanted me to take their pictures. My shutter competed with their zest and we ended up with some beautiful expressions. I was feeling sad that they would never really see these photos besides on my camera display. But, thankfully, dad managed to get an email address and I have emailed the shots over to their school somewhere in Maharashtra. I am hoping these kids will finally get to see their photos.