This super easy baba ganoush recipe is perfect for hosting, lunching and healthy snacking! Impress guests (and yourselves) with this nutritious and delicious baba ganoush recipe. Originating from the Middle East, specifically Lebanon, but seen in many variations all over the world, this baba ganoush will leave all tastebuds satisfied!
Baba ganoush will last for up to around 5 days in the fridge but can be frozen for a longer shelf life and/or batch cooking.
SERVES 4
INGREDIENTS
2 medium sized Aubergines
4 medium garlic cloves
1/2 large lemon (juiced)
2 tbsp tahini
1 tbsp vegan mayo (optional)
1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 1/2 tsp cumin
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp red pepper flakes (optional)
GARNISH (OPTIONAL)
Sesame seeds
Red pepper flakes
Extra virgin olive oil
Fresh parsley
STEP 1
Charr your Aubergines over an open flame (turning regularly) for a smokey flavour (and less wasteful option) until burnt on the outside and very soft on the inside (or for an easier option, cut them in half lengthways and roast with a drizzle of olive oil for about 40 minutes on gas mark 4).
STEP 2
Remove the skin. If you have charred your aubergines, place them in a bowl of iced water and remove the burnt skin. If you have roasted them, allow them to cool for 10 minutes before handling and scrape out the squishy inside flesh. (If you bake your aubergines, you can include the skin to be completely zero waste).
STEP 3
Transfer to a food processor and add all other ingredients.
Happiness is not only being a source of sunshine with a positive mindset, it’s also the shadow work, the trauma healing, acknowledging and making space for the dark parts of ourselves.
Since being back I’ve felt mostly motivated and happy. I had a really tough week this week and it was deeply uncomfortable. The biggest factor to sustainable happiness is authenticity. Allowing yourself to be held and beyond that, empowered in holding yourself through your darkness. Hiding how you truly feel suppresses your emotions and results in stagnant qi (energy) building in the body.
You might find in these moments that your usual go-tos aren’t working to shift your mood. So try something else…if you normally meditate, move; if you normally dance, draw; if you normally sing, be silent. The imbalance requires something else.
In my week of heaviness I was much more physical than I have usually been recently. My usual practices weren’t cutting it. The key is to just keep going. Trust, be patient and be compassionate to yourself each step of the way. Zooming out into a broader awareness that you’re successfully chipping away at something that feels like a giant obstacle helps to embrace the process. Moving, shifting, shaking the energy into evolution - not through force, but in commitment to ourselves. When you fully let go, it transforms and you grow.
Grateful for my yoga partner Remi for bringing joy even on the darkest days. Also grateful for @suzannedoanikern for her amazing support this week and that I’ve finally emerged invigorated and full of value from the experience 🐶☀️🤍
Sending love and courage to those facing dark days. Be patient, it’s shifting and you are not alone! ❤️🩹
I’m back in the UK! Actually, I’ve been back a while 🤣 integrating the slow, meditative life I’d nurtured over the last years here with family. Although England never felt like home to me, I’ve returned with a fresh energy and perspective 🌻
I came back to spend quality time with my Nan who is still an absolute superhero at 89 far more active and resilient than most! Human life is finite, that’s what makes it so valuable. After 2.5 years away, quality time with her and my family feels important. It was also my cousin’s wedding so me, Yoni & Omer came back together, bikes and all, for an unknown time with no plan ahead except to reunite at some point 🚴🏽♀️
I wouldn’t have imagined that I’d be here now, 4 months later, in a healthy relationship with a place that always felt so challenging for me. I have a different depth of connection with myself, a more profound acceptance and peace within and less agenda, judgement and attachment to the things which challenged me so much before.
I do not see myself staying here for so long but I also have no future plan. Some find that scary but I just feel free living intuitively moment to moment. Like travelling by bike, I take my time and flow with how I feel. It feels like the next layer of learning, being able to live in London, with family, maintaining my values, honouring my constantly evolving needs, healing my trauma and actually enjoying it.
I also needed to replace all my tech and my bike, which is easier here. Swipe to last pic to see my new baby Qichi (said like Chichi), meaning energy-energy; a reminder of balance, of Yin and Yang, of creation and nurture. I bought her second hand off the wonderful Louie who has already taken her through 20 countries! Can’t wait to adventure with her soon 🚴🏽♀️
Mexico carried a lot of love and a lot of grief for me. Something that I now feel I’ve healed from which is beautiful. I’m so grateful for everything those years taught me, for José, my friends; I love you all 🤍
Now I am teaching Happiness through coaching, qi gong and meditation here in the UK. Based in Bushey (NW london/herts), reach out to connect, collaborate or work together✨
Love & blessings to all 🦋
Who fills your life with happiness, love and joy?
Life can be far simpler than most people are living. Happiness is something to practice, to feel and to embody. Back in April my brother @yonidoani came out to visit me and @omerziv13 at our home in Bacalar, Mexico and we enjoyed the most wondrous 3 months together. We lived, laughed, pranked, cried, cycled, hitchhiked and explored our way through Mexico. Pretty much everything we tried to plan resulted in hysterical disaster, there were challenges, grief and hard conversations but nothing could dull our vibrant spirits. Despite everything we lived IN-JOY ✨
I will be sharing a separate post in the coming weeks about what’s happened since then. But this is a pure tribute to thank my incredible little brother and spectacular platonic wife for shining their lights on the world and for sharing never-ending happiness, silliness and most of all LOVE! I adore you both! And also a huge thank you to everyone else who made it so special 🤍
Here’s your reminder to surround yourself with people who inspire you to shine, help you to feel safe to be every authentic expression of yourself, including your darkest parts, and also encourage you to laugh, play and not take life too seriously. You deserve happiness, we all do, so enjoy all you do and all you are, you are amazing! 💫
Tag someone you love and want to adventure with in the comments 🥰
🎶 Song written by me from our beautiful home in Bacalar inspired by our wonderful life 🙏🏽 excuse the raw cut recording, all my technology is failing so it will have to do! 🥹
#hanshappinessproject #worldbybike #bicycletouringforever #biketravel #bicycletouring #cyclingtheworld #cyclinggirl #happiness #happinessproject #happinesscoach
“Hay que vivir sonriendo para morir contentos”
Our 1700kms hitchhiking round trip to Mexico City was a wonderful and unexpected tangent that brought about the revival of Queenie 🚴🏽♀️ I met @juanitoenburra the incredible frame builder, fellow bike traveller and all round fantastic human being, I finally felt confident to solder Queenie as finding her replacement wasn’t so simple - he did a great job! 💫
A big shout out to Marcos from La Bikla in Villahermosa who was beyond helpful with storing our 3 bikes, doing our services and even disassembling Queenie and shipping her frame to me in Mexico City overnight, I couldn’t have done it without him either! And lastly my wonderful friend @masterolc who I hitchhiked with last year & hosted and helped us so much this year - thank you 🙏🏽
We’re only just getting into the rhythm of cycling but wow do I feel free again. Free and sweaty because it’s 40 degrees in Tabasco! Yoni came down with sunstroke after day 1, Omer is like me and enjoys frequent snack breaks 😅 we’re drinking our body weight in water and smiling at everyone we see. Soon to hit the mountains…not sure I’m ready for that - too many tortillas! 😉
Cycling always reminds me that happiness lies in simplicity. Do I have enough food? A place to rest? Water? Connection with myself, others and environment? Once those things are in check, the rest is simply PLAY 🤸♀️ especially with these two jolly clowns by my side! 🥰
And with mangoes literally showering the entire state at this time of year, we are full of gratitude living in this sweet abundance 🥭
Sending our love and high spirits to each of you wherever you may be; reminding you that even when something feels like a disaster, that’s the most important time to have fun, be silly and make the journey an adventure!
🤍
#biketravel #worldbybike #cyclingtheworld #bicycletouring #bicycletouringforever #cyclinggirl
HEARTBREAKING NEWS 💔 HAPPINESS & HARD CONVERSATIONS
Just days before we were due to start cycling, we took our bikes in for a service and some tweaks where the mechanic discovered a fracture in the rear part of my frame. Being an aluminium frame, soldering is not so easy, although doable, yet simply wouldn’t be safe enough for the load I carry. After 5 and a half incredible years together, Queenie, my beautiful bicycle, has come to the end of her life 🥹
This was devastating not only because of emotional attachment but it’s not a small thing to rush and replace her, we were not in an ideal location to do so and I just don’t have the money to do that how I’d like to right now either.
Trying to find the right part or new bike was proving difficult where we were. As we waited on options from cycling contacts, we detoured out of Villahermosa and the 45 degree torturous heat to head into the lower mountains nearing the Chiapas border.
Returning without progress on finding a new frame, we made the big decision to hitchhike 850kms all the way to Mexico City to find a better and cheaper replacement and make the journey a group adventure.
Yoni and Omer have been so supportive and I couldn’t be more grateful to have had two people that I love so much with me through this overwhelming time.
At times it’s been hard to meet all our needs with different work commitments, budgets, desires and preferences; we’ve had tough conversations, tears and hugs but no matter what, there is always so much love shared between us.
Life is unpredictable and things often don’t go to plan, travelling certainly isn’t always sunshine and rainbows no matter what people choose to share online and we might not always get what we want but we receive the lessons we need.
Helpful happiness group travel tips:
🤍 Take personal responsibility to meet your own needs
🤍 Create the space you need to return to awareness
🤍 Communicate your feelings clearly
🤍 Listen to each other compassionately
🤍 Make heart centred collective choices considering everyone’s experience
🤍 Laugh at yourself, your situation and the things you struggle with most
Love, hugs & happiness to all ✨
The end of an era. Thanks Casa Khushi for all that you gave us 🙏🏽 what an exceptional time we had in our home, now ready to shift the energy and get back in the travelling rhythm, this time, with two people I love so much. It’s hard for me to share the road sometimes, I’m chatting and engaging and together with cycling, that can feel intense for some people. Everything feels in perfect balance with these two and even though it took us 4 extra days than planned and a lot of bike and bag Tetris to fit 3 people’s lives and our bikes into the van and to finally get out and leave Bacalar, we did it! And, all of us are just so positive and optimistic, we still managed to giggle our way through it 😅 So grateful for the infinite hysterical moments already and we’ve barely begun! Still in the van for the moment but we’re switching to bicycles soon 🚴♀️ Much more to come 🥰
Sitting under the moon through the mesh of my tiny home again.
Revisiting a place which invites nostalgia, empowerment and effervescing happiness.
Another step closer to living the way in which I love so much;
Free to flutter in the wind
To sweat out all the pain
And summit my tallest peaks.
Internally that is,
Life is always showing me the space in which there’s room to grow.
Although this time is different;
I am mirrored in two very precious different types of love with Omer and Yoni.
My whole being is grateful,
My whole being tingles with excitement,
My whole being feels alive with adventure,
And held in safety,
In togetherness.
I look upwards to the misty parting clouds as I lay comfortably on the ground
Knowing I am complete with all I need
I can rest here simply enjoying the natural murmur all around.
Dusk will arrive faster than we think,
It’s time to close my eyes.
Into the jungle we will embark before the sun will rise.
We’ll feel the rawness of the history that rests in the kingdom beyond the trees.
Staring from the bottom we’ll reach new heights,
Climbing miracles and meditating in their profound presence and profound peace.
Hey hey!
It’s Omer here and I’m here to give you guys a bit of an update as Hannah has been too excited and too busy with her brother being around.
A few weeks ago we drove up to Puerto Morelos to get Hannah’s brother @yonidoani and had an amazing mini holiday. Finally being on beach and playing on the sand all day was exactly what we needed. Swimming in salty water and eating yummy food is all a girl can ask for.
After coming back from Puerto Morelos with Yoni in hand, we had a bit of a crazy week. Hannah and I catered our first retreat together! We had 4 days of fun, challenges, and one or two tense moments…😅. The kitchen was a catastrophe, but the food we delivered was beautiful and delicious (of course).
This week we had our friend @ivanzquez come down to visit us! We spent a beautiful day in silence together, and a day playing around before he had to go back. It is always a lot of fun to spend time with him, and we are excited for the next time we will see him☺️.
Hannah is thrilled to be with Yoni again. We spend our days laughing and guessing stupid riddles until 1 am. No humor is too dark, and there is no such thing has as too much banter 🤪. Today Hannah starts facilitating a 5 day silent retreat for him, which will connect them even more on a deeper layer.
In 10 days we are hitting the road! There is so much excitement, joy, stress, anxiety, prepping, and packing to be done. The days will go by in the blink of an eye and there is still so much to do! But the 3 of us couldn’t be happier to start our life on bikes and be out in nature 😁.
In the name of happiness activism, we have a fun little challenge of serenading a random stranger…absolutely terribly! 🫣🤣😜 Who would you rather see humiliate themselves for your entertainment? Let us know and vote below! Proof will go up on the story! 😂
Every day I commit to living in greater harmony with my nature, to welcoming spontaneous happiness and living simply, with grounded discipline. With this trust, I move along with a peaceful rhythm 🙏🏽
To the practice that completely changed my life…
Happy World Tai Chi & Qi Gong Day ☯️
“She who is centred in the Tao
can go where she wishes, without danger.
She perceives the universal harmony,
even amid great pain,
because she has found peace in her heart.
Music or the smell of good cooking
may make people stop and enjoy.
But words that point to the Tao
seen monotonous and without flavour.
When you look for it, there is nothing to see.
When you listen for it, there is nothing to hear.
When you use it, it is inexhaustible.”
#worldtaichiday #taiji #taijiquan #taijichuan #qigong #qigongpractice #qigonghealing #qigongeveryday #taichi #taichiqigong #worldtaichiqigongday
