GalaLiving

Nourishing Recipes and Wellness Guides for your Mind, Body and Soul

Tropical Green Smoothie

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It’s the middle of February, and I know what you’re thinking…

VACATION!

It’s finally that time. We’re tired of the cold, rain, and gray and our bodies are screaming out for some sunshine, and trying to improve our low vitamin D levels… OK, the last one is undiagnosed, but come on, we live in Seattle. The sun shines here for 3 hours a day and when it does we all run out to greet it like that episode in “Portlandia” where the whole town follows each other around fighting for that little ray of goodness.

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Coriander Spiced Black Bean Quesadillas

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This is my favorite quesadilla.

Maybe it because I’m Indian… Maybe it’s because I love to eat Mexican… Maybe it’s because this quesadilla tastes like I’m eating eating a cumin and coriander spiced Indian chaat in a warm black bean Mexican corn tortilla… I’m not sure really what it is, but there is something magical about this dish that makes me want to make it, and eat it, over and over and over and over again…

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Pizzeria Gabbiano – Pizza by the Kilo

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” It seems to defy our perception of food, when a pizza dough, having only three visible ingredients, can have the depth of favor, the chew, and the and overall satisfaction of a slice of pizza you may have if you visit Rome’s Campo De Fiore… That thing you are tasting that sets it apart, is not the particular brand of organic flour, or the very specific Sicilian Sea Salt chosen for the recipe, but a more etherial ingredient,  that cannot be simply found on the grocery store shelf. It’s time. ” – Michael Easton (co-owner)

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5 Ways to Make Practicing Yoga Effortless

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StretchingI’m the first to admit. I’m always running out of time! I feel like between work, bills, kids, my school, the kids school, cooking, homework, the blog, house stuff, writing an eBook and the million other things I need to get done I don’t always find the time to incorporate a long yoga session into my day… and if you’re life looks anything like mine you need some easy tips and tricks to integrate a yoga practice into your daily life. So here are 5 ways to make your yoga practice less time intensive, and ultimately, really, just effortless.

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Black Quinoa and Green Lentil Stew

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DSC09348-2It’s funny, but I’m actually a little fooded out! We just got back from a 3 week globe trotting adventure around the world (Thailand, India, UAE) and I’ve literally eaten almost every type of cuisine possible. Indian, Italian, Middle Eastern, Thai, a sprinkling of Mexican…. and all of it was, well, delicious!… But boy I am ready to get back to our kitchen and our cooking. 

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Creamy Broccoli and Basil Soup

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If you want to know the real inspiration for GalaKitchen I’ll let you in on a little secret… It all started with this soup in the middle of a winter snowstorm and an old Cabbagetown Cafe cookbook in a college town suburb of Michigan.  As a young sophomore in 1993, Vishal, trying to avoid the blizzard outside, first tried his hand at “making a dish” and after the storming success of his first bowl of goodness he and his friends were hooked.. and it was with this, simple, easy to make recipe, that Vishal’s, and eventually my, intensity and passion for good home cooking came to be born. 

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Urad Dal with Coconut, Blistered Shallots and Cilantro

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Is it time for snow? If you didn’t already know, my husband was born in Buffalo, NY. Over the last 48 hours it has snowed over 6 feet in the region with more expected to be on its way…  And while it hasn’t quite been that cold here in Seattle, a lack of rain, or should I say clouds, has brought in not only the sunshine but super chilly air to follow (agh! where is that down coat parka from 1998!!). It’s times like this that I need a kick of something warm and hardy to make it though the night. Walking in the door, throwing on some thermal PJ’s and cozying up to a hot bowl of this dal is all I wanted last night. Served with some warm tandoori naan, you are sure to sleep a nice warm slumber through the night.  

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6 Strategies to Start Living With Way Less Stress

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I just got home from a tennis lesson and my 25 yr old instructor told me that two days ago he had a panic attack and ended up in the ER. Thankfully, he seems to be on the road to recovery, but it got me thinking, where along the way do we grow up and loose that childhood ability to let go of stress and let things roll off our back?  Here are 6 strategies to use when it seems like the going is getting too tough….

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How Starbucks New Concept is Transforming Fast Food

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DSC08889-1It’s about 9:30 in the morning… I just dropped the kids off at school and headed home thinking about the six things I need to accomplish between now and 3pm when it’s time for pick up. On my way I stopped to pick up a smoothie and salad from one of my absolute favorite spots. With everything that needed to be done today the last thing I had time for was to make myself a healthy breakfast or lunch…. and this, my friends, is how Evolution Fresh is changing the way we eat on the run.

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