CARROT BREAKFAST BREAD
MAKES 10 SERVINGS
At Xinalani, the day begins with a breakfast buffet of fresh fruit
and baked goods, including this moist carrot bread.2 1 ⁄ 2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 teaspoon baking soda
Pinch of salt
2 cups shredded carrot
3 large eggs(^3) ⁄ 4 cup raw or light-brown sugar
(^3) ⁄ 4 cup canola oil
1 tablespoon vanilla
1 cup chopped pecans
(^1) ⁄ 2 cup milk or soy milk
1 Preheat oven to 325°. Lightly oil or
butter a 9-inch loaf pan.
2 In a bowl, stir together the flour,
baking powder, cinnamon, baking
soda, and salt, and set aside.
3 In a large bowl, mix carrots, eggs,
sugar, oil, and vanilla until well
blended. Fold the flour mixture into
the carrot mixture until just combined.
4 Gently stir in the pecans and milk and
pour the batter into the prepared pan.
5 Bake until the top is golden brown
and a tester inserted in the center
of the bread comes out with moist
crumbs attached, 50–55 minutes.
Retreat-center chefs know that one
of the keys to making healthful food
appealing is to include a variety of col-
ors and textures in each dish. “That
old saying ‘We eat first with our eyes’
applies to everything I prepare,” says
Roa. “The bold use of color is very
appetizing and so easy [to achieve]
in all seasons with vegetables.”
In your own cooking, think about bal-
ancing colors and textures as well
as flavors. Top a bowl of rice and
colorful curried vegetables with
crunchy toasted peanuts, shaved
coconut, and a few torn, fresh cilantro
leaves. Add crisp, paper-thin slices of
raw fennel to a salad of roasted red
and gold beets and curly baby spin-
ach leaves. Accompany a smoothly
puréed red-pepper soup with a dollop
of bright pesto and a crunchy toasted
crouton. When your food is a sensory
pleasure, you’ll enjoy it all the way up
to the last bite.
A drizzle of flavored vinegar, a
squeeze of lime or lemon juice—
bright, acidic ingredients like these
are one of the reasons that dishes
prepared for you on retreat sing
with flavor. To put flavorful finishing
touches on dishes you cook at home,
experiment with freshly squeezed
citrus juice and see how just a tea-
spoon or two can highlight the flavor
of soups, salads, vegetables, and
fresh fruit.
In addition to fresh lime juice, mild
rice vinegar is a favorite ingredient
of Inglizian, who drizzles it over
slices of cucumber and papaya to
make a sweet and tangy salad. “It’s
so simple,” she says, “but it really
stands out to people.”
Conventional wisdom says you
should eat your biggest meal of the
day at midday, with a lighter meal in
the evening. But warm weather and
activity-filled days call for light, eas-
ily digested midday meals that leave
you satisfied but not so full that
you’re groggy in the afternoon.
At Prana del Mar in Los Cabos, Mex-
ico, guests have a light snack of fruit
first thing in the morning, followed by
a heartier breakfast after morning
practice. The midmorning meal
“gives that digestive fire substantial
fuel for the rest of the day, to help
with the recovery of the muscles and
to energize the more subtle systems
of the body,” says founder Erik
Singer. Since afternoon practice is
only a few hours away, lunch is a
lighter meal that might include salad
greens, whole grains, and lots of
fresh fruit and veggies.
Whether your days are filled with
meetings and carpools or yoga
classes and beach time, you can bal-
ance your energy throughout the day
by eating lightly before periods of
activity and making every meal a
combination of fresh produce, whole
grains, and protein-rich plant foods,
such as beans and legumes. “For the
midday meal, I like to focus on com-
plex carbohydrates like wild rice, qui-
noa, and all sorts of beans,” says
Jean-Baptiste Belledent, the owner
of Xinalani in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico.
“This takes care of the high energy
needs of the day instead of giving
you peaks of power and letting you
down when you really need it.”
Charity Ferreira is a freelance writer
and editor, and the author of multiple
cookbooks, including Healthy in a
Hurry.
seek contrast
add a flavorful
finishing touch
be in balance
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