one of the jobs that i currently have is driving two freshman girls to and from dance class. it ranks really high on my list of things i enjoy doing because the girls are awesome, it is close to my house and they keep me connected to what is going on in the community. not to mention, one of them gave me a giant bag of kumquats to play with last week. 

this week was hectic. prepping for my new october teaching schedule and the change of the season really had me craving whiskey. 

unfortunately, the southern california weather did not get the memo that summer is upon us and it's been HOT so i still wanted a crisp, bright, cooling cocktail. no clue why, but after my yoga class today i had to have a whiskey sour. 

the kumquats were the perfect substitution for the traditional lemon juice because they are sweeter and less additional sugar is needed. and after you squeeze the juice, the skins are delicious to eat. 

kumquat whiskey sour
serves: 1 tall cocktail
time: 5 minutes
ingredients: 2 oz whiskey. 4 oz water. 2 oz kumquat juice (about 1 cup kumquats, sliced and juiced). 1 oz sugar. 1 cup crushed ice. collins glass. 

in a medium bowl, whisk together the water, kumquat juice and sugar until the sugar is dissolved.

pour the sour mix, whiskey and ice into the collins glass. 

stir well to combine. 

garnish with kumquat and serve. 

xo, a

kumquat whiskey sour
serves: 1 tall cocktail
time: 5 minutes
ingredients: 2 oz whiskey. 4 oz water. 2 oz kumquat juice (about 1 cup kumquats, sliced and juiced). 1 oz sugar. 1 cup crushed ice. collins glass.
in a medium bowl, whisk together the water, kumquat juice and sugar until the sugar is dissolved.
pour the sour mix, whiskey and ice into the collins glass.
stir well to combine.
garnish with kumquat and serve. 

it's no secret that i'm more of an everything in moderation type of cook and less of a healthy, animal free, gluten free, paleo, atkins, juice cleanse kind of cook. 

i mean, do you. but i never met a carb i didn't like, beef gives me life (literally & figuratively) and i can't go more than a few hours with out solid food.
but now that i'm teaching yoga pretty regularly, i'm definitely becoming more sensitive to the food needs of others. 

my good friends and yoga teachers recently relocated and relaunched their studio and this weekend they celebrated with a fabulous wellness fair serving their clients and community. i did a little food drop off for the event since i wasn't able to attend for long, and these tasty, energizing treats were the bell of the ball. 

tropical chocolate bites
serves: 25ish bites (depending on how big you cut them or how tall you make them)
prep time: 5 minutes
cook time: 10 minutes
cool time: 4 hours - over night
ingredients: 12 oz semi sweet chocolate morsels. 12 oz bittersweet chocolate morsels. 1 cup roasted nuts (i used almonds, brazil nuts, cashews), chopped. .25 c dried mango, chopped. .25 c raisins, chopped. .25 c dried cranberries, chopped. .25 c shredded coconut. 3 tbs sunflower seeds. 3 tbs chia seeds. wax or parchment paper. 

pour all the morsels in a glass or stainless steel bowl. fill a large pot with water and place the bowl of chocolate over the pot to create a double boiler. a double boiler is used so you do not burn the chocolate and it melts smooth. bring the water to a boil and allow the chocolate to melt, stirring every few minutes. this should take about 10 minutes.

when the chocolate has melted, pour in the sunflower seeds, chia seeds, nuts, raisins, cranberries, half the coconut and half of the mango. stir till the mixture is well combined. 

lay out the wax or parchment paper on either a rimmed baking sheet or square baking pan. spread the chocolate out evenly. top with remaining coconut and mango and allow to cool in the refrigerator for four hours or over night. 

remove the chocolate from the paper and slice it into equal bite size pieces. serve cool or at room temp. 

xo, a

tropical chocolate bites
serves: 25ish bites (depending on how big you cut them or how tall you make them)
prep time: 5 minutes
cook time: 10 minutes
cool time: 4 hours - over night
ingredients: 12 oz semi sweet chocolate morsels. 12 oz bittersweet chocolate morsels. 1 cup roasted nuts (i used almonds, brazil nuts, cashews), chopped. .25 c dried mango, chopped. .25 c raisins, chopped. .25 c dried cranberries, chopped. .25 c shredded coconut. 3 tbs sunflower seeds. 3 tbs chia seeds. wax or parchment paper. 
pour all the morsels in a glass or stainless steel bowl. fill a large pot with water and place the bowl of chocolate over the pot to create a double boiler. a double boiler is used so you do not burn the chocolate and it melts smooth. bring the water to a boil and allow the chocolate to melt, stirring every few minutes. this should take about 10 minutes.
when the chocolate has melted, pour in the sunflower seeds, chia seeds, nuts, raisins, cranberries, half the coconut and half of the mango. stir till the mixture is well combined. 
lay out the wax or parchment paper on either a rimmed baking sheet or square baking pan. spread the chocolate out evenly. top with remaining coconut and mango and allow to cool in the refrigerator for four hours or over night. 
remove the chocolate from the paper and slice it into equal bite size pieces. serve cool or at room temp.