Some fresh news and a recipe
I'm writing this after spending the last weeks f 2016 and the firsts of 2017 at what will be one of if not the coolest places in Southern Sri Lanka, Ceylon Sliders. Ceylon Sliders is THE place for the traveling surfer: right in front of Weligama beach, super stylish rooms and a lovely cafe that opened in the beginning of the year. And thus the reason why I traveled to Sri Lanka and staying here until mid May: to help to get this beautiful cafe up and running!
Every time I stop and become aware of my life right now I feel completely overwhelmed with so much that changed in such a little time!
It's been a challenge, not only cultural but also logistical. Communicating with and training local staff, sourcing the right ingredients, building an interesting menu that pleases all tastes, all this and more while living in a completely different country and adjusting to a new lifestyle.
At the same time, I'm also investing time in expanding the concept that my friend Maria João and I created, Essenciais. We are so happy with all the positive feedback we've been having from our super exclusive and curated seasonal workshops around conscious nutrition and cooking that we've decided that we want this to be more a part of our lives.
Our Spring workshop will be in May but in the meantime Maria will be participating in the event Recharge, held at A Sociedade on the 26th of March, in Lisbon.
While we're building our brand, researching and thinking about how we can serve you better, our minds are constantly in search of new methods to use the medicinal power of plants to promote health in a sustainable way. And that is what brings me to the following recipe.
Gotu kola, or Centella Asiatica, is found abundantly here in Sri Lanka. It's an Ayurvedic medicinal plant known for its powerful stimulation of the brain function alongside with regulating your hormone system, improving circulation and tissue regeneration. When paired with yet another local ingredient, the Pineapple, an impressive tissue, muscle and ligaments anti-inflammatory, makes a dynamic combination towards the dreaded cellulite.
When coming up a new smoothie recipe, there are 3 things that help keeping in mind: the base, the core and the enhancers. The base is normally a liquid and preferably with nutritional or medicinal properties. In this recipe in particular I'm using green tea for its known antioxidant, brain stimulant and thermogenic effects. The core is what the smoothie is all about, in this case, gotu kola and pineapple. The enhancers, or sometimes seasonings or superfoods, should be used in small quantities. Right now, my elected superfood is Moringa powder. I've been adding it to my smoothies maybe 3 times a week and not more than half a teaspoon. You can also add a bit of a sweetener of your choice, maybe some raw honey, but I've decided to keep it out of this recipe because the pineapple was quite sweet already.
To sum everything up: it's a great smoothie to boost your good looks and smartness!
Brain and Body Regenerative smoothie (serves 1 big glass)
2 cups of chopped pineapple, peeled, including core
1 cup of fresh gotu kola leaves
1 cup of freshly brewed green tea, at room temperature
Pinch of salt
1/2 tsp Moringa powder (optional)
Sprinkle of bee polen (optional)
Blend the first 4 ingredients in a blender. Add the optional if desired and blend lightly again. Serve immediatly with a sprinkle of bee polen.
