17-21 June 2019 – 5 day early morning yoga

The Sampoorna Yoga Studio team celebrates the start of the Summer with a delightful 5 day early morning yoga challenge.

Let this week be your inspiration to a daily morning practice! Get up early and start your day with yoga followed by a nourishing vegan breakfast of porridge and fruits!

On five consecutive mornings we meet up before work and duties for a full practice of hatha yoga. There’s no better way to start the day!

 Price: 50€ for the 5 classes (or you can use your regular pass). Free vegan breakfast included!

Dates: 17-21 June 2019 from 7 to 8AM, followed by a filling vegan breakfast

Register online or simply drop by on the day(s) you can make it, even if it’s only 1 day!

Om shanti -ॐ शान्ति

Leek & sweet pea soup Ⓥ

Making soup is so gratifying, it’s relatively little work, especially if you buy organic produce: no need to peel the veggies!

I was inspired by a soup in a restaurant I’d recently been too & I wanted to recreate the flavours, however, I didn’t find the lemongrass needed for the recipe, hence I made a different version. The lemongrass recipe will follow.

Ingredients (3-4 portions)

• 3 leeks
• 1 cup of cashew nuts (preferably soaked overnight, but for at least a few hours in cold water, or for 30 minutes in hot water)
• 100-200 grams of frozen sweet peas
• 2 garlic cloves
• 1,5 l of vegetable stock (more or less depends on your taste for more liquid or dense soup)
• 1 tbsp dry coriander seeds
• 2 tbsp (or more to taste) fresh or frozen parsley or coriander
• 2-3 tbsp brown rice or other miso
• 4-5 tbsp tamari or shoyu sauce, or to taste
• Freshly ground pepper, to taste
• Herbamare or Himalaya salt, to taste
• Olive oil

Preparation

1. Cut and wash leek. Put aside one green stalk for garnish.
   
2. Peel the garlic & cut in small pieces.
3. Heat the pan, add the coriander seeds & dry fry them until they ‘pop’.
4. Add the olive oil & stir fry the leek until slightly golden, add the garlic & stir for about 1 minute more.
5. Add the water & once it boils, add the stock powder.
6. Lower to medium heat.
7. Add the cashew nuts.
8. Cook for about 8 minutes, then add the frozen sweet peas.
9. Cook for about 5 minutes longer.
10. Turn of heat, add miso, shoyu or tamari sauce, parsley, black pepper & some Herbamare if needed.
11. Use an immersion blender & mix the soup until it’s nicely creamy.
12. Heat a small pan, add 1 tbsp olive oil, add the thinly chopped green leek & fry until golden.
13. Serve the soup in bowls, add the fried green of the leek.

It’s delicious with homemade croutons .

Om shanti -ॐ शान्ति

Home made granola Ⓥ

Raw granola, before going into the oven

Buying granola is such a chore, as when I start reading the ingredients’ list, I’m put off. So much crap they put in there, even in organic granola. Obviously, it comes in plastic or whatever packaging, hence I’ve started making my own. It’s super simple! It demands quality ingredients, that I buy from organic shops that are packaging free, or mostly. Basically, you buy in bulk, and can bring your own jars & reusable bags.

 

Baked granola, cooling on tray

 

My inspiration for today’s recipe is a mix of two of my favourite recipe websites & cookbook authors: Angela Liddon, Oh She Glows Every day & Minimalist Baker.

 

 

Ingredients

Dry

• 1 1/3 cups rolled oats
• 1 1/3 cups raw nuts/ seeds (I used almonds, cashews, sunflower & pumpkin seeds)
• 2 tbsp chia seeds
• 1 tbsp flax seeds (preferably ground)
• 1/2 tbsp ground cinnamon
• 1/2 tbsp ground ginger
• 1/2 tsp ground cardamom
• 1/4 tsp sea salt

Wet

• 1 tbsp (15 ml) coconut or another neutral vegetable oil (suitable for baking)
• 1/3 cup agave syrup (sub with brown rice or maple syrup )
• optional: 1 tsp vanilla extract
• optional: 3 tbsp peanut or almond butter

Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 160 degrees.
   
2. Mix the dry ingredients together in a large bowl.
   
3. In a small pan over medium low heat, melt the (coconut) oil. Once melted, take the pan from the heat source & whip in agave syrup and vanilla extract. Pour over the dry ingredients and mix well with a wooden spoon.
   
4. Spread the mixture evenly onto a a large baking sheet or tray and bake for 10 minutes, stir, then turn the cooking tray to ensure even cooking. Bake for another 8-12 minutes. The coconut oil will help this granola to become crispy, check carefully as it browns quickly (my first time making granola: the granola baked too long & had a slight burnt taste, I ate it anyway…).
   
5. Once the granola is visibly golden (about 18 minutes in this case), remove from the oven and let cool completely on the tray before storing in glass jars.

It’s delicious with some coconut flakes, dried raisins or cranberries & maca powder with your favourite type of plant based milk or yoghurt, but also wonderfully eaten just like that as a snack.

Om shanti -ॐ शान्ति

Banana-oat breakfast cake Ⓥ

This morning I felt like eating something sweet but relatively healthy, hence I went to my go to banana ‘bread’ recipe by ‘The Colorful Kitchen’ and pimped it a bit with:

• A few tablespoons of coconut flakes
• A handful of crushed walnuts
• Some ginger & cardamom powder
• FYI: I used buckwheat milk & 2 ultra ripe bananas

Enjoy it warm or cold with or without peanut butter on top 🙂 (that’s the Dutchness in me).

Om shanti -ॐ शान्ति

 

 

 

 

 

24-28 April 2017 – 5 day early morning yoga

It’s April, so the Sampoorna Yoga Studio celebrates Spring with the delightful 5 day early morning yoga challenge.

Let this week be your inspiration to a daily morning practice! Get up early and start your day with yoga followed by a nourishing vegan breakfast of porridge and fruits!

On five consecutive mornings we meet up before work and duties for a full practice of hatha yoga. There’s no better way to start the day!

 Price: 50€ for the 5 classes (or you can use your regular pass). Free vegan breakfast included!

Dates: 24-28 April 2017 from 7 to 8AM, followed by a filling vegan breakfast

Register online or simply drop by on the day(s) you can make it

October 2016: early morning yoga challenge

Get up early and start your day with yoga and a nourishing breakfast!

Let this week be your inspiration to a daily morning practice! On five consecutive mornings we meet up before work and duties for a full practice of Sampoorna Yoga. There’s no better way to start the day!

Price: 50€ for the 5 classes (or you can use your regular pass).

Complimentary vegan breakfast!

Dates: 3-7 October 2016 from 7 to 8AM, followed by a filling vegan breakfast

• Register online or simply drop by on the day(s) you can make it

Om shanti -ॐ शान्ति

Vegan treat: nice cream

Ooooh how I sometimes crave ice cream! As a vegan it’s not always easy to find ice cream, as most ice creams are made of cow’s milk cream…

Hence my huge happy surprise when I discovered nice cream! Ice made of frozen bananas! It’s super easy, healthy and cheap. Often you might not know what to do with overripe bananas, so from now on, trust me, you’ll simply make nice cream out of them.

Preparation

1. Peel, slice and freeze a very ripe banana/ some bananas.
2. Mix the frozen banana(s) in a blender or using a handheld blender or a kitchen machine.

 
 
 

Variations

From here you vary according to your desires and the available ingredients. Some examples:

• Chocolate nice cream: blend in 1-2 tbsp of cocoa powder & some small pieces of black chocolate.
• Raspberry nice cream: blend in a handful of (frozen) raspberries.
• Blueberry nice cream: blend in a handful of (frozen) blueberries.
• Bounty nice cream: blend in 1-2 tbsp of cocoa powder,1-2 tbsp of grated coconut and 2 tbsp of coconut milk or cream.
• Acai bowl: add 1-2 tbsp of acai powder to your nice cream, blend. Add toppings such as granola, blueberries, goji berries, banana, coconut shavings, chocolate sprinkles, …
• Peanut butter nice cream: blend in 2 tbsp of peanut butter and some nuts of your choice.

 

4 more days this week: early morning yoga challenge

Do join us and feel bright & light after participating to 1 (or several) early morning yoga classes this week at Sampoorna Yoga Studio, followed by a free vegan porridge and fruit breakfast !

4 more days: from 2 to 5 June, 7-8 AM

40, Rue du Houblon / Hopstraat, 1000 Brussels

Website

5 day early morning yoga challenge at Sampoorna Yoga Studio (Brussels)

Get up early and start your day with yoga and a nourishing vegan breakfast!

Let this week be your inspiration to a daily morning practice!

On five consecutive mornings we meet up before work and duties for a full practice of

Sampoorna Yoga. There’s no better way to start the day!

Read more about the benefits of starting your day with yoga.

Dates: 1-5 June 2015
Teachers: Eknath, Ramdas & Ambika (on Thursday and standby on Wednesday & Friday)

Price: 50€ for the 5 classes (or you can use your regular pass). Free vegan breakfast.

Place: Sampoorna Yoga Studio, 40 rue du houblonstraat, 1000 Brussels.

Enjoy your fruits & vegetables in a whole new way! Join the workshop on 25 October in Brussels!

Want to learn about the art of juicing, making smoothies, preparing fresh organic pestos, purees, nut butters and more? Katariina Bastos (friend, yogini and juice aficionado) and myself organise a workshop about these topics. We will be using the JazzMax slow juicer and a blender.

During the workshop you’ll discover the ins & outs of juicing and blending, which vegetable and fruit combinations work best, when to juice, how to prepare, how to clean, how to store. As well as how to make nut butters, spreads, pesto and even sorbet ice cream.

The workshop takes places in Uccle (Brussels), on Saturday 25 October from 3-6 PM. The price for the 3 hour workshop, including all organic ingredients (and the opportunity to buy the Jazz Max juicer with a discount) is 45€ per person.

Please register by sending me an e-mail.
Event on Facebook.

Your registration will be final once you’ve made the payment. The workshop will take place if there are at least 8 registrations, if there are less people, then it will be cancelled, you will be refunded entirely. If after confirmation of the workshop YOU need to cancel, then you can send another person in your name, but there won’t be a refund.

Early morning yoga challenge from 21 to 25 October 2013

This is the 3rd time Sampoorna Yoga Studio organizes the Early Morning Yoga challenge, every day from Monday to Friday this week there’s a 60 minute asana class followed by a free yogic (vegan) breakfast. If you didn’t come yet, please do, it’s a wonderful experience and getting out of bed isn’t hard at all once you know you’ll give yourself the gift of yoga (& won’t have to think about breakfast as it’ll be prepared for you!).

Looking forward to welcoming you this week in at least once morning class.

Om Shanti

Porridge Ⓥ

Especially in winter time (whenever it’s cold basically), I love to start my day with yoga (obviously) and then a scrumptious, easy to prepare, filling & warm breakfast. This porridge recipe gives you enough energy until lunchtime !

Ingredients (I prefer organic)

• 2 cups non-dairy milk of choice (preferably unsweetened) or mix of water & non-dairy milk
• 1 cup oats
• 1 tsp chia seeds or ground flax seeds (omega 3)
• A handful of raisins (low G-I sweetener) or chopped dates
• Half an apple or banana
• 1 tbsp sunflower or pumpkin seeds
• 1 tsp mesquite or maca powder (optional)
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1 tbsp coconut butter or nut butter
• 1 tbsp shredded coconut (optional)

Preparation

1. Put oats in a pan with the non-dairy milk and raisins.
2. Once it boils, then let it simmer for a few minutes on a low fire/ heat until the oats soften.
3. Add more milk or boiling water if your porridge is too thick.
4. Add the spices, powder, and coconut or nut butter.
5. Add the porridge to a bowl, top with coconut flakes.

You can vary with the fruits & dried fruits depending on what’s in season & what you have at home (i.e. replace the raisins with goji berries, dried dates, apricots or cranberries).

These quantities are enough for a few servings depending on your appetite.

Om shanti -ॐ शान्ति