Yesterday we decided to discover some new parts of Dublin. We ended up in Ranelagh, a cute neighbourhood on the other side of the canal, where we found some nice health food stores and book shops. I was really impressed by Urban Health, a newly opened store with all the essential superfoods. Must come back to try out their menu, the juices looked really fresh. We also found a really cool bookshop with so many must-buy books. I got the book from Ireland's healthy eating revolutionaries at the Happy Pear. Back home, I went through the whole book which now has so many post-its in it, that I think I have enough new recipes for another month, at least.

After reading over a hundred recipes, I was definitely in the mood for some baking and decided to make a batch of granola for the week. I went for a recipe that I have experimented with for a while now and once I took the granola out of the oven, I knew it. This is it. The ULTIMATE CHEWY GRANOLA RECIPE.

I've never managed to make the granola chewy enough with oil. Sunflower or coconut oil never do the trick for me. The oil makes it nice and crunchy but I prefer it chewy too, almost like pieces of crumbled cookie. One day when I was making my granola my eyes caught sight of a few ripe avocados and bananas in my kitchen. And that was it, my oil-free avocado granola was born. Here's the recipe:

Chewy avocado granola (oil-free)

1/2 avocado
1 ripe banana
3 tbsp maple syrup
1/2 tbsp cinnamon
2 cups (200 g) organic oats
1/2 cup (60 g) desiccated coconut
1/2 cup (100 g sunflower) and/or pumpkin seeds
1/4 cup (45 g) sesame seeds
1 tbsp raspberry jam (I use St Dalfour) 
 
Preheat the oven to 180 C degrees and line a tray with a baking sheet.

Mash the banana and avocado in a bowl until completely smooth. Add cinnamon and maple syrup and stir everything together. Mix oats, coconut, sunflower and your choice of seeds in another bowl. Then add the oat and seed mixture to the wet ingredients and mix everything well together. Finally add a tablespoon of raspberry jam and make sure it mixes well with the other ingredients. 

Pour the mixture onto the baking sheet and spread out evenly until it covers the whole sheet. Bake for 15 minutes and then remove it from the oven, crack it a little with a wooden spoon and put any dark golden pieces from the edge into the middle of the tray so that they don't burn. 

After another five minutes, remove from the oven and let stand to cool. You might need to break down the granola into smaller pieces with the spoon.

Once cooled, pop the granola into a mason jar and enjoy for a week or so. 

HAPPY NEW YEAR!
Let's fill the new year with love, nourishing food and yoga.

This year we spent Christmas in France and went to Stockholm for New Years Eve. We have been spoiled with amazing food and I was excited to finally teach yoga to my French and Swedish family. In France, we rolled out a large bedspread and practiced a hip opening routine. It was the day before Christmas and a magic hour . 

In Sweden I first practiced with my mum and sister, then with my enthusiastic grandmother, followed by my mum again and at last I practised a core strengthening routine with my dad. I am still amazed by how each of these moments were so special and I feel so lucky to be able to share this knowledge with them.

After being spoiled with delicious food - I even got to try oysters in France, I was happy to share some of my latest  favourite recipes with my family in Sweden. When I travel, the main thing I miss is having a green smoothie for breakfast. It increases my energy and it makes my skin glow and my belly happy. To my pleasant surprise, my family loved it. So let me share it with you, too. 

When it comes to smoothies I really like it simple. In my experience, a few simple ingredients makes the most refreshing flavour.

Creamy kale smoothie with ginger and lemon
Serves 2

2 cups (100 g) curly green kale, stems removed
2 small or 1 large sweet red apple(s)
1 orange, segmented
1 lemon, juiced
1/4 avocado
1 tbsp chopped fresh ginger
1 1/2 cup cold water

Wash the kale and remove the stems. See how I do it here. Chop the apples and put them at the bottom of the blender. Top with the segments of an orange, the juice of a lemon, avocado, chopped ginger and the kale. Lastly pour the cold water into the blender. Start on a low speed and then blend on high speed for two minutes. 

Serve cold in a nice glass. Drink as it is or why not top it with some granola and eat it with a spoon. 

This is a "let's feel great" - kind of smoothie!