Welcome back to the blog! I'm writing this the day before Valentine's day. In its commerciality, I'm usually not the biggest fan of the official day of LOVE, but this year I believe we need it more than ever. A day of love, respect and compassion. With everything that's going on in the world, politically, socially and environmentally, it's ever so important to stay true to your beliefs, your inner voice, connect to that power within and to treat one another with love and respect.

This week, I was listening to the latest episode on the On Being podcast and their discussion on love, compatibility, family, society and much more. One of the key messages in this episode is that love does not arise from compatibility with others, but that compatibility with others arise from deep love (and hard work).

MS KRISTA TIPPETT [Host]: I’ve been having this conversation with a lot of people this year. The truth is, more than ever before perhaps, in our world, we are in relationship. We are connected to everyone else. And that’s a fact. Their well being will impact our well being, is of relevance to our well being and that of our children.

But we have this habit and this capacity in public to — and also, we know that our brains work this way — to see the other, to see those strangers, those people, those people on the other side politically, socioeconomically, whatever, forgetting that in our intimate lives, and in our love lives, in our circles of family and friends, and in our marriages, and with our children, there are things about the people we love the most who drive us crazy that we do not comprehend. And yet, we find ways to be intelligent, right? To be loving – because it gets a better result. [laughs]

MR. DE BOTTON: That’s right. And families are at this kind of test bed of love because we can’t entirely quit them. And this is what makes families so fascinating because you’re thrown together with a group of people who you would never pick if you could simply pick on the grounds of compatibility. Compatibility is an achievement of love. It shouldn’t be the precondition of love as we nowadays, in a slightly spoiled way, imagine it must be.

MS. TIPPETT: Yes. Wonderful. I think this is deeply politically relevant. ... And I think it’s also such an important thing to bear in mind that the import of our conduct, moment to moment, that that is having effects that we can’t see.

It really is a beautiful message and good reminder. We learn to accept and love the people that are the closest to us (such as our close family and friends) despite their flaws and imperfections, and so we're also capable of seeing good in people and strangers. The road to this is spelled LOVE.

I'm using this as my inspiration for this week's practice, on and off the mat, seeing beauty in strangers and mindfully expanding my capacity for love. And not only for my family and friends, but for society as a whole. 

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On another note. Are you up for the task of love-bombing someone this week? Yes? Then I recommend making this granola. Share it with a friend, your partner, family member or why not with a sweet neighbor?

I've been making this granola for years and years, adapting a recipe from my mom and Swedish chef+author Anna Bergenström.

It keeps well in an airtight container and goes perfectly with yoghurt, Scandinavian-style sour milk (filmjölk or Skyr), almond milk or as a topping on your favorite smoothie.  

Love-bomb granola
Makes 6-7 cups

6 cups (600 g) jumbo oats
1 cup (75 g) desiccated coconut
1/4 cup (35 g) sesame seeds
1/4 cup (35 g) coconut palm sugar
1/4 cup (35 g) pumpkin seeds
1 tsp cinnamon
1/4 cup (60 ml) vegetable oil (I use sesame or coconut oil)
1 cup (240 ml) water
2 tbsp apple sauce (optional)
1 handful chopped dates, Turkish apricots, raisins or dried cranberries (optional but adds a delicious chewiness)

Preheat your oven to 200°C/400°F. Mix together oats, coconut, sesame seeds, coconut palm sugar, pumpkin seeds and cinnamon in a big bowl. In a small bowl on the side, whisk together water and vegetable oil. Pour the oil-mixture over the dry ingredients and incorporate by stirring well. Finally, add two large spoons of apple sauce and fold everything together. 

Line a baking pan with baking paper and spread out the oat mixture on the pan in an even layer. Add to a heated oven and bake for 25 minutes. Remove from the oven, and using a wooden spoon gently turn the granola. Bake for another 5-10 minutes, checking the granola so that it doesn't burn. The granola is done when it has a golden color and an amazing fragrance is spreading in your kitchen.. 

Once the granola has cooled down, add chopped dried fruit or berries and transfer to an air-tight jar or container. 

Let's talk açaí, shall we? It's refreshing, energizing and delicious. It just keeps increasing in popularity around the world. Açaí is also jam-packed with good nutrition such as antioxidants, fiber, heart-healthy fatty acids (Omega 3, 6 and 9) and over 10 different vitamins and minerals. It grows in the Amazon on tall slender palms that can become more than 82 ft ( 25 m) in height. And who wouldn't be seduced by its intense purple color?

I first tried açaí while on holiday in Brazil. For the first few days in Rio de Janeiro, I remember going for breakfast in the morning ordering something ordinary such as a croissant and a juice. We soon noticed that the locals ordered what looked like a thick purple smoothie, served in a bowl and topped with strawberries and granola. I knew I had to try it. Starting the day with açaí quickly became one favorite routine on our trip along the Brazilian coast. It kept us energized and nourished for the day ahead, and it was just so delicious!!    

It makes me smile thinking about it, since açaí has since become so popular all over Europe and US, but back then it truly felt like a unique discovery of Brazilian culture. 

Since returning from Brazil, my obsession with açaí hasn't faded and I love trying new places serving spectacular açaí bowls. What I have discovered is that not one place makes açaí like the other. Outside of Brazil, the best açaí I have tried has been here in San Francisco and in LA. Personally, I like my açaí simple. Not too many superfood add-ins, and a real pure taste of açaí. 

Click to see some of my favorites açaí bowls here and here.

Now, how do you best make this insanely delicious breakfast or snack?

1. Use a good quality frozen açaí pulp (if you can't find açaí pulp where you live, use frozen blueberries and a freeze-dried açaí powder).
2. Keep it simple, use 3 or max 4 ingredients for the base and experiment with your favorite toppings.

Açaí bowl
Serves 2 small portions or 1 large

100 g frozen açaí pulp (or substitute 1 cup frozen blueberries and 2 tsp açaí powder)
3 ripe bananas (sliced and frozen for at least 8 hours)
1/2 cup (120 ml) apple juice
50 g frozen fruit (I like pineapple, mangos or berries) (optional)

1. Defrost your frozen açaí pulp by holding the package under room temperature tap water for up to a minute.
2. Use a scissor to carefully cut open the top of the package, and break the bar into smaller chunks as you add the pulp to a high-speed blender.
3. Add in the frozen bananas, any extra fruit/berries and apple juice.
4. Begin mixing on low speed and increase the speed until smooth and creamy. (In a Vitamix, this takes a couple of minutes with the tamper.)
5. Add to your bowl(s) and top with your choice of toppings, eg. homemade granola, desiccated coconut, berries, hemp seeds etc. 

I love to eat açaí for breakfast or to fuel up after a good workout. Running, hiking, dancing, yoga, whatever you do - this superberry baby never goes out of fashion. Enjoy!

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.