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• Simple Open-Faced Tomato Bites

  

  I love cooking, I really do, I love doing pastry too, but honestly, it makes sense to buy some things ready-made. One of these things is puff pastry, and I proudly use it in this recipe. Summer is the best time to use the fresh ingredients – tomatoes in this recipe are from my grandmother's garden, and I have been indulging in them for the past few weeks. Summer tomatoes are something else and love them in every shape and form. Of course, you can use other fillings for these squares too – I like to use sliced mushrooms, zucchini, and even beetroot, but if using beets they need to be parboiled first as they take longer to cook.

• Hot Tropical Rooibos Tea Cocktail

  

  All cocktails don't need to be served cold and all tea does not need to be just tea. So you are free to decide if you wish to call this drink a warm cocktail or next-level tea, it is delicious either way. Truth be told, I usually don't like adding anything that contains calories to my drinks. Alcoholic beverages are an exception, but I never drink milk, juice, or lemonade if I am thirsty, and I never add any sweeteners to my hot beverages. But I needed to create a hot cocktail for an event and just serving tea did not cut it, so I experimented a little and am super happy with the result. Rooibos has a nice warmness to its taste, and mango with passionfruit complements it well. At the same time, Aperol, which is a super nice summer drink with sparkling wine, gives it slightly bitter notes and it all balances out to my liking. It is not going to be my go-to drink while reading a book late in the evening, but I am definitely serving it as an aperitif at my next autumn dinner party!

• Energy Balls - Perfect for a Small Present

  

  I don’t know how it looks like all over the world, but in Estonia, Christmas time often means overindulging big time. I am talking about eating way too much meat (mostly pork) in different preparations – roasted, as blood sausages and aspic. Aspic is a meat jelly, set with natural gelatin from cooking the bones and a pig’s head for a long time on a low temperature, and blood sausages are exactly what they sound like. Both of them may seem weird, but actually, they are much more delicious than expected. Besides – if the poor pig is anyway, then I am always voting for the whole animal to be eaten. Next to this enormous amount of meat, there are also loads of different sides and sweet treats throughout December.

• Chickpea Miso Soup

  

  As many of us in the northern hemisphere approach the coldest weather of the year and flu season, I thought I would share with you my new favorite go-to soup when I feel under the weather. Over the years, as I’ve slowly worked to better my health with a plant-based diet, I’m usually a little puzzled as to what to eat when I get sick. When it comes down to surviving the flu, I’m sure I’m not alone in thinking chicken noodle soup, ginger ale, saltines, toast and jelly. And even though I haven’t had any of that stuff for a few decades (or the flu for that matter!), they’re still ingrained in my mind as flu comfort foods. What I know and live by, most importantly when I’m sick, is that whatever I’m going to eat has to be nourishing and healing, and not simply comforting – although all of the above would be nice. Aside from homemade chicken noodle soup, which isn’t going to happen when you’re sick unless mom lives nearby, none of the previously mentioned foods are going to support your immune system with any extra love. When you’re sick, boosting your immune system’s fighting power with nourishing, vitamin and mineral-filled food will help you feel better faster. As a veg-head who hasn’t eaten chicken noodle soup since high school, over the years I’ve turned to miso (pronounced mee-so) soup. Miso, which has its origins in Japan, is traditionally referred to as fermented soy. It’s known as an all-purpose, high-protein seasoning that’s most often used in soups, salad dressings and veggie dishes. It’s rich in vitamins, minerals and contains all eight essential amino acids. It also has quite a few healing benefits now back by scientific research – reduces the risk of heart disease, hypertension and breast cancer, to name a few.

• Back to Basics Chicken Bone Broth

  

  Bone broth is all the buzz in the health food world these days. And I’m not talking about broth or stocks that come in a box or a can. These shelf-stable soup bases don’t have the same nutrients and vitality of a homemade broth. They can be fine in a pinch but they don’t share the same superfood status of bone-stewed liquid gold. True bone broth comes from the slow-simmering of animal bones, together with scraps of meat and lots of nutrient-dense veggies. The result is a flavorful elixir of health.

• New Moon Astrology Forecast: January 13, 2021

  

  This new moon is another planetary packed lunation. The moon will sit at 29*04’ of Sagittarius with the Sun resting at 29*03’ of Sagittarius, both creating a bridge into the Capricornius constellation. This new moon is bringing a clean slate for the conjunction (multiple planets sitting together) to shine through. There is a lot going on, but it’s all moving you to take greater ownership of this precious life you are creating. These conjunctive energies will show how to sharpen new tools to cut away karma, how to dispel karmic debts, and how to rise into our dharma through devotion, and ownership. Anything that is a distraction, a delusion, or a habit that displaces one's power and dharma will come to light. You are being asked to rise in all levels of the self: spiritual, mental, and physical. Align with your heart and you will feel dissonance and misalignment on all levels if you are not following your heart. This is stronger guidance for your purpose and personal evolution.