Layered smoothie of mango&blueberries

This past weekend was really good fun, we had a easy and chilled Friday at home finishing the day with a sunset skateboarding and walking around with friends, while on Saturday we spent the full afternoon kitesurfing until the sun was almost gone...life is great :)

Today I decided to spend the morning in the kitchen and instead of going to the yoga studio I decided instead to do yoga at home. I am starting to love more and more my own home practice, my space, the silence and the sounds of my bubble.

After holidays and keen to be back on the track, I started the day preparing some snacks to have them in the fridge and among other things I prepared some layered smoothies of mango and blueberries...they are yummy!!

They are really easy to do and the recipe doesn't differ a lot from the ones that I originally do. However these ones makes a even more colourful breakfast :)

Ingredients:

• 1 medium to large avocado 
• 1 can of organic coconut milk 
• 1/2 mango
• 1 cup of blueberries (I used organic frozen ones) 

Let's do it:

• Cut the avocado in half 
• In a blender pour half of the avocado, the half mango and half of the coconut milk and blend it for 30 seconds until smooth
• Pour the mix into individual glass jars and put them in the fridge while preparing the other layer. Is optional to put some chia seeds but if you choose to add them just pour 1Tbsp in each jar and mix well with a spoon without spreading the smoothie around the sides of the jar to allow the other layer to seat perfectly. This layer needs to be 10 minutes in the fridge before receiving the next layer on the top
• Is important to rinse the blender cup to make the second layer
• For the blueberry layer just had the remaining half of the avocado, the rest of the coconut milk and 1 cup of frozen blueberries. Blend for 1 minute as the frozen blueberries needs more time in the blender
• After 10 minutes of the mango smoothies being in the fridge, you can remove them and gently pour the blueberry layer on the top. I advise you to use a spoon to this step.
• Put them again in the fridge and in few hours they will be ready to eat. They get better if they stay at least 4h in the fridge before consuming
• Then just add some berries and laminated coconut or almonds on the top and is ready to go

Time of preparation:  15 minutes to prepare 

Quantity: Depends of the size of avocado and mango off course but for me it usually gives me 4 glass jars as the one from the pictures

And because today is the beginning of the week, at least in here, I leave you The Cinematic Orchestra with Patrick Watson. 

The Cinematic Orchestra is a british jazz, electronic music group, that when playing live or in studio they have always a band that improvises along. Among few albums I totally recommend "Ma Fleur" and "Man with a movie camera".
The album "Ma Fleur" has Patrick Watson in the vocals and you can find this song "How to build a home" that is one of my favourites.
I found this song super relaxing, emotive and it helps me to stop and breath all the good things in life. I have it also in one of my Yoga playlists.

Have a great week! 

Coconut&Chocolate Brownie

Is nice to be back after one month off.
I went back home for Christmas holidays and then I went in a kitesurf trip to Cape Town...it was unbelievable, amazing, awesome kiting conditions and good vibes. Is nice to be outside the Middle East once in a while and make sure that there's still life out there :-)

Cape Town is such an amazing place, people are super nice and relaxed and they have such an amazing lifestyle which reminds me a lot the lifestyle in Sunshine Coast in Australia. People wake up and they go kiting or surfing before going to work, at lunch time or after work...basically they go when they want as wind is on 24h and if there's no wind there is all the time swell.
That place is my Disneyland, wonderland, whatever you want to name it...is a kind of watersports paradise.
But beside the watersports they have so many things to do as hiking, wakeboard, skateboard everywhere, loads of yoga studios.
I confess that I didn't went to any yoga studio as my body was only switched on to kitesurf.

We made nice trips along the vineyards, which I totally advise to someone that goes there. South African wine is maybe one of the best ones of the world, their Pinotage is just amazing.
I also came across with so many organic stores, full of produces that I struggle to find in here and so cheap comparing to Oman...I wish to have a kind of shop like that one in here, probiotics, different flours, organic oils, organic produces for body, everything...I bought few things I confess.
Some people spend their money in purses and shoes, I buy organic things and flours :)

But is enough of talking about my holidays and let's go back to the recipe world.

I start by saying that I recently made this brownie to take to a workshop of Yoga and all the yogis loved it...it was so nice to have such a good feedback.

When I started to have a Low Carb High Fat diet I discovered a recipe of coconut brownie but I wasn't really happy with the final result, or it was to dry or I didn't liked the texture...there was all the time something that would make me twist my nose.

After few experiments I think that I am happy with the final result of this one. I achieved the flavour and texture that I was searching for.

This recipe was adapted from one recipe that I have found in Pinterest mixed with one from http://ceyloncoconutcompany.com and although people may think that this has too much coconut I can ensure that you don't even feel the coconut flavour. The dark cocoa powder cut all the coconut flavour so it really tastes like a traditional brownie. And the moisture....OMG....yummmyyyyy :)

For me the hard thing was to find the proper coconut flour as some flours are not really powder and look a bit more like almond meal. So I found one from Sri Lanka really white and in a thin powder, awesome for baking.

Although I try to use only honey, dates or stevia in my recipes, in this one I used organic unrefined coconut sugar. I already tried to replace it with honey and also with Stevia and it wasn't so tasty and the consistency was a bit weird.
I might give a go with honey another time, as I am starting to be a bit more comfortable baking with coconut flour. I have to say that takes a while to get used to bake with coconut flour as it absorbs all the liquids and swells a bit.
It took me really long time to understand the proportions and how to use coconut flour and coconut oil in baking...and I am still learning :)

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup of coconut oil 
• 1/2 cup of  dark cocoa powder 
• 6 eggs 
• 1 cup of unrefined coconut sugar 
• 1/3 cup of coconut milk (or almond milk) 
• 1/2 cup of coconut flour
• pinch of salt 
• 1/2 cup of walnuts or pecans (optional) 

Let' do it:

• Pre-heat the oven to 250 C
• In a saucepan combine the coconut oil and the cocoa powder and melt it under low heat. Let it cool down
• In a bowl mix the eggs and coconut sugar, coconut milk and pinch of salt
• Add the chocolate mixture and mix it well 
• Add the coconut flour and mix well 
• Add the nuts previously broken in small pieces 
• Grease a ceramic dish with butter and pour the batter 
• Bake for 25-30 minutes 

*Note*- I advise you to use a ceramic dish instead of a aluminium tray. I find that the ceramic dish keeps a bit more the moisture of the brownie, while the aluminium trays dry the batter.

Time of preparation: 10 preparation + 30 minute baking
Quantity: It gave me 12 brownies but it depends on the size of the squares that you chose to cut :) 

Please let me know how it went! I am sure that you will love it.

Today I leave you Portuguese sounds. Sara Tavares is a Portuguese songwriter and singer with deep roots from Cape Verde. 

She has an amazing voice and unfortunately she is not really known worldwide but she is good..oh yes she is. 

Please listen if you like african sounds...I love African sounds! 

I have this song in my yoga playlist :)

Have a nice day and enjoy life as much as you can. Love every second of your life!