Goodbye Bellingham, Hello Germany!

Sitting at the airport patiently waiting is a great time to update my blog. After a whirlwind of a last week I am finally on my way to Germany. Since it is a time of goodbyes I thought I would put up pictures of the farewell party at my place Tuesday night.

We ate like Kings and Queens. My table was covered with delicious things. We had grilled black cod and rockfish, salmon cakes, quiche, nettle pesto, a vegan stew, and many more savory dishes. For a sweet finish there were gluten free lavender lemon custard tartlets, truffles, and a whole meyer lemon tart.

We held our glasses to camaraderie and good times, drinking wine, beer, and spirits shared by all. Cheers! Brost! Salut! And we laughed and remembered like old friends. The evening was full of smiles, heart felt speeches, some tears here and there, but mostly its was full community. The little family I have built in Bellingham was there to represent, and it was beautiful!

Thank you for the good times! I will miss you all!! Watch out for postcards :)

For the party I made two decadent treats; chocolate goat cheese truffles and the gluten free lavender lemon custard tartlets. Here are the recipes:

Chocolate Goat Cheese Truffles

Makes about 18 truffles

INGREDIENTS

6 oz. Goat Cheese (plain)

1/3 cup bittersweet chocolate (chopped)

1/4 cup toasted almonds (chopped)

1/4 cup cocoa powder

1 tsp vanilla (or any other flavor, mint, lemon zest, raspberries)

rose petals (optional for decoration)

DIRECTIONS

1.  Put the goat cheese into a food processor and blend until smooth.

2.  In a medium sauce pan fill abou 1/4 of the way with water and place inside a small bowl. This will be your double boiler. Into the bowl put the chopped bittersweet chocolate and melt the chocolate, stirring occasionally to make sure all is incorporated. 

3.  Add the molten chocolate and the vanilla into the food processor with the goat cheese. Blend until smooth. 

4.  With a spoon scrape out the goat cheese mixture into a bowl and stir in the chopped almonds. 

5.  Refrigerate for about an hour or two until the mixture is solid. 

6.  Once solid make truffles by hand and roll them in the cocoa powder. Place on a plate and refrigerate until served.

Lavender Lemon Honey Custard Tartlets (Gluten Free)

Makes about 10 tartlets

CRUST INGREDIENTS 

2/3 cup rice flour

1/3 cup coconut flour

1/4 cup arrowroot flour 

1/4 cup tapioca starch

2 Tbsp sugar

1 tsp sea salt

1/8 tsp xantham gum

1 stick cold butter (sliced)

3 Tbsp ice water

DIRECTIONS

1.  Place all ingredients except for butter and water into a food processor and pulse to aerate.

2.  Slowly add in butter. Pulse between adding a few slices at a time.

3.  Then add 1 Tbsp of ice water. Pulse. Add 1 Tbsp of ice water. Pulse. Add last if needed to bind. (Make sure to feel the dough after each added Tbsp of water to see if it is binding. 

4.  Once dough is binding place onto a counter and form into a ball. Flatten the ball and wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for about 2 hours. (This can be done a night in advance)

5.  Once the dough is chilled take a medium sized chunk at a time and roll between two sheets of parchment until about 1/8 of an inch thick or less. Cut out circles that fit to your tartlet molds. I used typical pint beer glass to cut the dough. Continue to make your circles until all the dough is finished. Refrigerate between parchment paper for best results. In the mean time you can make the custard.

CUSTARD INGREDIENTS

1 cup whole milk

1/2 stick butter

1/2 cup cornstarch

1/4 cup honey

1 whole egg

1 egg yolk

zest of 1/2 lemon

1/2 vanilla bean

2 tsp lavender

pinch of sea salt

DIRECTIONS

1.  Place the milk, butter, lemon zest, lavender, vanilla bean into a saucepan and bring to a boil. Remove from heat and let it steep for at least 10 minutes, then strain the herbs and spices.

2.  Whisk eggs and honey together, slowly add in cornstarch until a smooth cream is formed.

3.  Temper the warm milk into the egg base while whisking. 

4.  Allow to cool to room temperature. 

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Butter the tartlet form and then take the dough from the refrigerator and gently press into the molds. Take a fork and poke little holes into the bottom. Fill the tartlets with the custard filling and bake for 15-20 minutes until the crust is golden brown. 

Allow the tartlets to cool before taking them out of the form. Then dust with powdered sugar and top with fresh berries. Enjoy!

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Road Trip: Olympic Peninsula

Photo by Jenden Pano: Coupeville Ferry at sunrise.

My partner Dane, is born and raised in Port Angeles, and very close to his family. Every few months we take the time to road trip over from Bellingham to spend some dedicated family time. The ferry ride, and the beautiful scenic drive always make it exciting. From the ferry you can see Mt. Baker, the Olympics, and the Canadians all in a 360 degree view. Sunrise on the ferry is my favorite, absolutely stunning.

We arrived Thursday night in order to have a full day of fun on Friday--the forecast, sunny and clear skies. Friday morning we woke up before the sunrise, and were out the door as soon as the first rays peaked through the kitchen window. Our adventure of the day: touring the Hurricane Ridge backcountry. We arrived at the Olympic National Park gates by 8:30am and drove on through, the first guests of the day. As we wound our way up to the lodge, the snow banks continued to grow from barely visible to a near 10 ft, and the Olympics peaked up through the snow-covered trees. It was breath-taking.

We reached the top and quickly got ready, antsy to get out and play. The sun warmed my face, and I knew today I would get those sun kissed cheeks and rosy nose. We were ready--Dane with his split board, and I with my snowshoes, lets go!!

Everything glistened and sparkled, and looked as though we had arrived in a fairy tale land. Snow covered bushes and trees turned into rounded towers, snow drifts formed soft pillowy balls. It was magical.

We snowshoed 6 1/2 miles and summited a peak. Dane rode a line he had been day-dreaming about for quite some time. It was perfect. The adventure of the day--successfully accomplished.

Saturday morning we had a slow start. Gluten free teff and blueberry pancakes wafted through the kitchen and fresh coffee was brewing in the pot. Ahhh.....so cozy.

It was cloudy, with a potential for clearing. The sun shone bright over the Vancouver Island, but we were still in the dark. We decided to drive out to Cresent Beach so Dane could check out the surf and that I could go on my favorite peninsula run. Its beautiful there. A long sand beach with amazing breaks, and a small haystack in the distance. Yet today, there was no surf, and a very low tide. I went for my run, while Dane went on a walk. By the time I returned to the truck, the sun had made its way to us. The beach was lit with the warm glow. I walked out to the haystack on the tidal flats where I knew I could find Dane.

He had discovered a large batch of mussels at the bottom of the haystack. Some as large as my hand, others as small as an almond, they were begging to be harvested. My eyes grew big, and I began to pick the "perfect size" mussels, medium-small. After only 5 minutes the two of us had about 2 lbs of mussels, enough for an appetizer to share. YUM!!

Once we arrived back at Pamela and Mike's home,(Dane's Parents) Pamela and I went   to the Port Angeles Farmers Market. Small but sweet, it was bustling with food vendors, farmers, artists, and visitors all enjoying the warm spring sun. There was everything from raab lacinato kale, to pasture-raised eggs and meats, to organic fair trade coffee. Spring is here and the foods are beginning to flourish!

The Olympic Peninsula is the only place I know where the ocean and the mountains are so close to one another. Not only does this make the peninsula a natural beauty but a place with plenty of awaiting adventures. If you love to hike, ski, mountain bike, etc., its all here.

I will miss you Pamela, Mike, Betty, and the adventures of the Olympic Peninsula!! See you in 6 months!

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Beating the Colds of Late Winter

Pretty in Pink is the name of my new favorite juice concoction. I guess the true color of it is not pink, but rather a deep beautiful magenta. It is filled with many amazing fruits and veggies that can keep the late winter blues at bay. Not only full of vitamin c due to oranges, apples, pears, and lime, it has an even deeper healing effect with the beets, turmeric, and ginger.

Beets are amazing, not only are they beautiful but they also carry a punch of health. Beets are full of phytonutrients called betalains, responsible for their vibrant color, which have been shown to provide antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and detoxification support. Usually destroyed by longer periods of heat (roasting, steaming), using them raw keeps the betalains intact. If you choose to cook or roast, heating for 15 minutes or less reserves the majority of betalain integrity. 

Why beets? Well, Betalains act as anti-inflammatory compounds in their ability to inhibit the activity of the enzymes responsible for triggering inflammation. Today's diseases such as heart disease, atherosclerosis, and diabetes are all associated with chronic unwanted inflammation. Also Betalin pigments support Phase 2 detoxification of our body. Phase 2 is a metabolic step that our cells use to eliminate unwanted toxic substances via our urine. Great, right? And to top if off, beets are great sources of vitamin c and manganese, both antioxidants which help rid the body of free radicals and help benefit our eye and nerve tissue health.

Turmeric is another great addition to this juice. It is full of curcumin, the pigment responsible for its bright orange color. Turmeric is a potent and safe anti-inflammatory root, that helps in controlling daily issues such as flatulence, menstrual difficulties, toothache, bruises, and chest pain, as well as common diseases. Curcumin helps relieve pain and swelling in rheumatoid arthritis patients, and has shown to inhibit cancer cell growth and metastases. Also, it is an excellent source of your daily iron and manganese. 

Finally, the ginger root, tops off the healing attributes. Alleviating gastrointestinal stress, motion sickness, dizziness, and vomiting, it is often used in the natural kitchen. Ginger also a potent anti-inflammatory root like turmeric and beets, helping patients with osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis to relive pain and swelling. The gingerols responsible for this response, also induce cell death in ovarian cancer through apoptosis (programmed cell death). Due to its spiciness, ginger also boosts the immune system through healthy sweating. Sweat contains powerful germ fighting agents that may help keep infections at bay.

WOW!! All that in today's juice?? Yep! So, ready, set, go! Get your juicers out of the cupboards, wipe off that dust, and make yourself some Pretty in Pink juice.

PS. please don't make the same mistake I did, and wear your favorite clothes while juicing. Otherwise you will have beautiful red, orange, and yellow marks on them from the pigments in the beets, turmeric, and ginger. Cheers to your health!

Pretty in Pink

Makes about a quart of juice. 

INGREDIENTS 

2-3 medium small beets

3 navel oranges

2 granny smith apples

2 pears

1 thumb sized piece of fresh turmeric root

1 thumb sized piece of fresh ginger root

Juice of 1/2 lime

DIRECTIONS

Wash all produce and place into strainer. Cut all the produce, except the lime, into small enough slices/chunks in order to fit into your juicer. It is okay to leave the skin on all produce except the oranges. Place into a large bowl.

Juice each separately and pour into a large glass jar. Add the lime juice and stir. Cover jar and refrigerate.

I like to drink 4 oz of this juice in the mornings prior to breakfast. It wakes me up and energizes from within. Its sweet and spicy and refreshing to boot!

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The Beginning of Something New

Photos courtesy Commerce Street Reality

Sitting on the bus usually lends to daydreaming and the beautiful ability to think of nothing. However, on Tuesday March 13th, my bus ride home took a turn for the better and the more exciting. My phone rang, it was an unknown number. At first, I wanted to ignore the call, lending the caller the chance to leave a message, but at the last minute answered it instead. "Hello?", I said, " this is Selva." It was my admissions advisor from Bastyr University, Emily. She introduced herself and then told me, "I just want to congratulate you on your acceptance into the Masters of Nutrition DPD program. You are an outstanding applicant and we want to personally congratulate you. A letter will be sent to your home shortly."I was stunned, and my heart began beating as if I had just kissed a new crush. I started smiling and laughing. This phone call had been long awaited. Truthfully I had been watching the mailbox like a hawk, expecting a letter in the mail, and hadn't even thought about the chance they would call me. "Thank you," was all I could say. The conversation was brief--short and sweet. I couldn't think of much else to ask or say. The only thing I could think of was I DID IT. My dream of attending Bastyr has finally happened. All the long, hard work paid off. Now, the only thing else I can hope for is funding. Scholarships? Grants? Something that can help me pay off the large amounts of money I will spend attending my dream school.As soon as I hung up the phone with Emily, I began calling those close to me to pass on the great news. I was giggling and smiling like a young school girl in love....it is now time to CELEBRATE.

Photos courtesy CollinsWoerman/Lara Swimmer

My favorite place away from home, to meet for good wine and food, is the Temple Bar. They have one of the best happy hours in town, offering a bottle of wine and a small cheese plate for $18. Not to mention their food is always delicious, and often pairing wonderfully with the wine. My mother was my date. She has always been one of my biggest supporters and cheerleaders--to spend this evening with her only seemed natural. We treated ourselves and celebrated with the chocolate truffle cake for dessert. A rich decadent gooey goodness, that should be saved for special occasions. It was served with a raspberry sauce and topped with whipped cream...mmmmm....so good. Food, wine, laughter, and love, filled the three hours spent in our cozy bar.

 Not only did we eat and drink well, but the ideas, dreams, and gossip flowed. One of the inspirations of the night, is the reason why I am writing today. "2012 has a lot in store for me," I said, "perhaps I should write about my adventures in food, life, and nutrition. Would you find that interesting?" My mother smiled, "of course! I would follow your blog every day." I know any mother would express similar words, but I felt inspired. People have always urged me to blog about my recipes and cooking adventures, but not until that moment did I feel an urge to document my life. Excitement brewed within me, I could write about everything. Not just food, but also my travels, ideas, and anything else that I want to share. Writing a blog will be a great way for me to take the information I learn throughout my life, may it be through grad school, through work, or travel, to teach others....what a great opportunity....and voila! Here is the beginning of something new.

PS...I want to thank everyone that has been apart of the winding path that has lead me not only to the doorsteps of Bastyr, but to the discovery of my calling in life. You will always remain dear to me.

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