Cooking – Snapshots & My Thoughts by Ailee Petrovic

Food May 23, 2014

5 Ingredient Raw Vegan Brownies

I am not a baker. But seriously, every vegan dessert I try fails (except these beet muffins – yum!). So when I came across a recipe for a simple, raw vegan brownie bite recipe, I jumped at it. I made some slight adaptations to the version I found online, and both Sasha and I love the result! These have five ingredients – raw cashews, organic honey, pitted/chopped dates, coconut oil, and unsweetened cocoa powder. They take five minutes to prepare (minus recommended refrigeration time) – and they are healthy-ish (no refined sugars!). Perfect tiny snack to fill your sweet tooth cravings!

Ingredients: 1 cup of plain cashews, 1 cup of pitted or chopped dates, 1/4 cup of unsweetened cocoa powder, 1.5 tablespoons of coconut oil, 2 teaspoons of honey

Step 1: Add 1 cup of raw, unsalted cashews to your blender and pulse until finely chopped

Step 2: Add pitted or chopped dates to cashew powder and pulse until completely mixed (should get kind of solid)

Step 3: Add 1/4 cup of unsweetened cocoa powder

Step 4: Add 1.5 tablespoons of coconut oil and 2 teaspoons of honey to the blended mixture – may have to stir with spoon vs. blend (depending on how strong your blender is!)

Step 5: Lay down stick-free parchment paper or aluminum foil and make into small brownie bites

Optional (but I recommend) Step 6: Add to fridge for an hour so the coconut oil hardens – then enjoy!

If you try them, let me know how they turn out!

City Guide January 2, 2014

Bali Travel Guide

If you’ve been reading Snapshots and My Thoughts for awhile now, you’ll know that my husband and I just got back from our delayed honeymoon to Bali. We were gone for 15 days and loved every minute of the trip. We had a 50/50 split between relaxation and cultural activities, so we saw the best of both sides of the island. We ate some amazing meals, especially those in Ubud and Seminyak (where we believe the best food is on the island). We stayed at the Conrad Bali, which was dream-like. The hotel is located in Nusa Dua, which is at the southern part of the island, near most of the other big name hotels. If we were to go back again though, we would stay in Seminyak at an independent hotel to be close to the beach, quality shopping and delicious food – ideally the Samaya Hotel. It’s also important to spend a good amount of time in Ubud, which is in the northern part of the island and is the heart of the culture and arts scene. My last big tip is to get a good driver. We found Panji of Bali Safest Driver on Trip Advisor, and he was such a saving grace. Don’t rent a car – the driving is out of control. Email Panji and he’ll take you wherever your heart desires, and his rate is more than reasonable. Please contact me if you are planning a trip – I’d love to help!

Best restaurants (all with good vegetarian options)

Chandi in Seminyak: Our favorite meal by far – I wanted to savor every single bite and I’m craving the crispy tofu appetizer right now!
Melting Wok Warung in Ubud: This small restaurant has a limited menu, but they’ve perfected each of those dishes, so you can’t go wrong.
Bumbu Bali in Nusa Dua: Sign up for the cooking class and then eat at the restaurant (in that order), so you’ll appreciate every delicious bite.
Sakala in Nusa Dua: A very fancy restaurant (think gastro-cuisine) with delicious meals and a very Vegas-meets-Bali atmosphere.
Bella Vista in Legian: A gem cafe with a delicious menu – we found Belle Vista on Trip Advsior – the good reviews weren’t wrong!
The Bistrot in Seminyak (shown below): I want this restaurant in Houston. The decor and food were both out of this world. I loved it!
Rin in Nusa Dua: This Japanese restaurant is part of the Conrad, but open to all guests – Sasha liked his sushi and I loved my seaweed salad.
8 Degrees South in Nusa Dua: You feel like you’re sitting on the beach while eating tasty mediterranean cuisine – the best of both worlds.

Must-Do Activities

Visit the Tirta Empul Temple – bring a spare set of clothes so you can get into the holy water and pray
Go and watch the Devdan Show at the Nusa Dua Theater – well worth the ticket cost
Go to Jimbaran Bay for sunset and eat at one of the many beach-front seafood restaurants
Take a Balinese cooking class – I highly recommend Bumbu Bali with Chef Heinz von Holzen
Visit Padang Padang Beach where they filmed Eat, Pray, Love
Go to the Elephant Safari with Bali Adventure Tours
Get a massage at the Jiwa Spa at the Conrad Hotel
Enroll in surfing classes at Pro Surf School on Legian Beach
Shop in local markets in Ubud
Try Luwak Coffee at Santi Coffee Plantation
Eat dinner in Seminyak (see recommendations above) and browse in the nearby boutiques
Watch a traditional Balinese dance performance
Play with monkeys at the Sacred Monkey Forest Sanctuary in Ubud
Try mangosteen
Play with parrots at the Blanco Museum in Ubud

Area Guides

Ubud: The yoga-crowd of Bali resides here. There are hippie coffee shops, yoga stores everywhere, gorgeous temples, elephants, and a monkey forest. What more could you ask for? You could easily spend 3 days in Ubud.
Seminyak: Sasha and I loved Seminyak and would choose to stay in one of the gorgeous hotels here and eat all the delicious food nearby. The boutiques have high-end shopping that I was drooling over!
Nusa Dua: This is the more touristy part of the island, so activities and food nearby are price-adjusted (i.e. more expensive!) accordingly – we ended up taking cabs north almost every evening.
South Kuta: Home to Padang Padang Beach, where you must go to see the breath-taking beaches and rock formations (surfing here too). You’ll also find Jimbaran Bay, where you should go for a romantic seafood dinner!
Legian: Just north of Kuta and south of Seminyak, this is a total surfer spot (i.e. Australians everywhere!). Sasha did his surfing classes in Legian, and we ate at Bella Vista – definitely worth coming here if you want to surf or see gorgeous beaches.

Map by Kate Evans

Love to travel? Check out my other guides to Paris, Durango (Colorado), Austin, Houston, Washington, DC. I’m also working on ones for Istanbul, Athens, and San Francisco. More to come soon!

International December 16, 2013

Balinese Cuisine

For the best seafood on the island, any Balinese native will point you toward Jimbaran Bay. We hopped in a cab one night and headed to this gorgeous sandy beach which is lined with seafood restaurants where you literally hand pick your dinner (this is far beyond my vegetarian mind can grasp). Sasha loved it and definitely over indulged (see photographic evidence below) at Kampoeng Restaurant.

The following day, we were picked up at 6am from the hotel and went to a local market, where we met up with our cooking class and instructor from Bumbu Bali. Heinz von Holzen is the Swiss man who runs the show – and we (especially Sasha) loved him. We were gone for 9 hours and loved every single second. We shopped in the local markets for fruit, vegetables, meat and fish, all the while learning about the local Balinese culinary customs. We headed to Heinz’s bed and breakfast, where we spent the latter half of the class learning how to prepare 20 traditional Balinese meals. We were both in awe of Heinz’s passion towards food and left inspired to recreate the dishes we made in class (and devoured after). It was one of our five favorite things we did on the trip. I recommend anyone traveling to Bali to take this class!

Sunset at Jimbaran Bay

Loving the soft white sand on my toes

Sasha working it

Sasha at Kampoeng Seafood where we ate dinner

Deciding which poor lobster to eat

Weighing his dinner for the night

Please see Sasha’s snapper, shrimp and lobster (eyes bigger than the belly)

The most gorgeous sunset

Heinz showing us the local spices

Gorgeous colors in the market

A local Balinese woman preparing rice religious offerings

Bali bananas are all this tiny

Traditional Balinese flower offerings that you will see everywhere on the island

We used plenty of these gorgeous peppers in our cooking class

Another local Balinese woman prepares another type of Hindu offering

Getting ready to get his hands dirty

Preparing the vegetarian peanut sauce salad

The vegetarian end result (heaven on earth)

Certified Balinese chefs (i.e. we have a certificate!)

Sasha demonstrating the hardships of the sulphur porters of Indonesia (read more here)

International December 12, 2013

Initial Bali Snapshots

I’m in love with Bali. It’s truly one of the most magical places I’ve ever visited, and the people here could not be any nicer. I’m a little behind on posting, so I’ve compiled our first few days in one post and will share additional pictures from our cooking class, trip to Padang Padang beach (where they filmed Eat, Pray, Love), dinner at Jimbaran Bay, and elephant ride soon.

Food

Eight Degrees South – great Mediterranean food

Suku – tasty Asian cuisine with nightly Balinese dance performances

Azure – our poolside go-to for lunch

East – a casual dining spot at the Conrad

Sakala – a phenomenal food experience – a trust “must” in Bali

Lakeview Cafe – delicious Asian buffet with breathtaking views

2Day Cafe – as close to a warung (local restaurant) as we’ve tried – great veggies

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Experiences

Relaxing at the gorgeous Conrad Bali lagoon pool and beach

Eating miso soup and drinking freshly squeezed mango juice for breakfast

Practicing outdoor yoga and exploring Nusa Dua by foot

Watching the awe-inspiring Devdan Show (think Cirque du Soleil + So You Think You Can Dance?)

Trying fresh Luwak coffee (read this to find out how it’s made)

Exploring the Balinese coffee plantation, Santi

Witnessing a perfect rainbow between Mt. Agung and Mt. Batur (sleeping volcano)

Trying lots of fresh fruit (except the stinky durian fruit – see Sasha eating it below)

Enjoying the cultural Barong and Kris Dance performance

Our favorite so far – praying in Bali’s holiest water at Tirta Empul

Morning view from our room

Where you’ll find us (every second day – 50% culture, 50% tan!)

Temple style watch guard points

I’m never leaving

Miso and mango for breakfast

Onsite temple

Practicing my yoga moves (outside of the 7:30 Sunrise Yoga class)

My poolside Summer Salad and Sasha’s hamburger – is there anything better?

At the Kris and Barong Performance

Evil and Pure Spirits are fighting (can’t you tell?)

Amazing costumes in play at the performance

Two of the main performers

Waiting to pray in the holy springs at Tirta Empul

Lots of people and things to be praying for

Sasha looks darn good in a sarong (I’m totally biased)

Trying teas and coffees at Santi Plantation

The freshly picked coffee beans and spices at Santi

In front of Mt. Batur

A gorgeous rainbow outside of Lakeview

Sasha being brave and trying durian

Me being less brave and trying mangosteen

Durians look as unappealing as they smell (and taste!)

My only picture at Devdan before getting scolded for taking pictures!

Food November 11, 2013

Black-Bean-Beet Burger

I love black bean burgers (especially Adair Kitchen’s), and I love beet burgers (especially Tiny Boxwood’s). So the other day, I began to search the internet for the perfect black bean and beet burger. I found a number of recipes, but this one stuck out. I tried it. The burgers are heavenly. I made one swap – I replaced the rice for barley, and oat flour for quinoa flour. They still taste amazing. While I’m a full time vegetarian, Sasha only observes Meatless Mondays, so 3 black-bean-beet-burgers are packed in his lunchbox today. Pair them with whole wheat buns (for him), or bunless (for me), with a grilled veggie salad, and you’ve got the perfect meal.

Patties (makes 6):
8 ounces beets, steamed or roasted and peeled*
1 (15 ounce) can garbanzo beans, washed and drained
1 (15 ounce) can black beans, washed and drained
1/2 cup cooked brown rice
1/4 cup rolled oat flour**
1/2 red onion, diced
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 teaspoon sumac
1 teaspoon dried thyme leaves
3/4 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon ground coriander
Salt
Pepper

Pulse beets in a food processor until roughly chopped. Add beets to a large bowl, along with the garbanzo beans, black beans, brown rice, oat flour, red onion, garlic, sumac, thyme leaves, ground cumin and ground coriander. Mash with two forks until all the beans are incorporated. Salt and pepper to taste. (I added about one teaspoon of kosher salt and half of a teaspoon of pepper.)

Using a half cup measure, form six patties. Cover them with plastic wrap and transfer to the refrigerator to chill for 30 minutes. (Since we aren’t using egg to bind the mix, this step helps the patties hold together.) Melt butter or olive oil in a non-stick skillet. Toast the hamburger buns for 1-2 minutes. Remove and set aside. Add more butter or olive oil if needed. Add the patties and cook on both sides for 3-4 minutes and until the tops are lightly golden brown. Optional: Place slices of cheese on top of each burger and cook for 1 minute longer, until cheese is melted.