Sikil Pak at CESiaK
Returning to the brutal cold and snow of my Motherland, Cleveland, after spending a lazy sunkissed week in the Mexican Yucatan was just plain old rude re-entry for this self-proclaimed freeze baby. Brrrrr. One snow angel at the first deep snowfall and I am DONE. Once home, I dropped the backpack that carried floaty little beach attire of the last week and zipped into oppressive outer gear, gloves and boots – better outfitted to chip open my ice-encrusted car. A quick trip to the local grocery for staples before nestling in for a few days in hopes that my body thermostat would soon regulate. Eventually, I coaxed myself out of the house for the sole purpose of getting my cold bones to a heated yoga class – ahh, finally warmed to the core.
Still, it’s difficult for my mind not to wander back to Mexico – the sun, the beach and the cuisine that is laced with a dizzying variety of native chiles. The habanero chile is thought to have originated in the Yucatan Peninsula, and you will find on the table of every local joint a bowl of salsa made from the fiery fruity pepper – hued either young and green or the hot orange of a chile left to ripen longer on the bush. I’m grateful for chiles adaptanogenic ability to cool the body down when heated, and to warm it when cold with a slow-burning inner torch.
When in Tulum, I make a point of heading down to the the wild jungly environment of Sian Ka’an Biosphere for a leisurely bite at eco-lodge CESiaK, where their kitchen prepares a particularly delicious and creamy version of the Mayan pumpkin seed and habanero blend called sikil pak. Hummos-like in consistency, this dish of the ancients makes for a unique softly smoldering treat. It’s easy to while away time sitting on the rooftop patio with a cold beer, sipping a shot of reposado tequila and scooping mouthfuls of a tasty local snack. A gaze over each shoulder offers a natural pantone palette of blues – one side is the Caribbean, the other, a dreamy lagoon – take your pick.
Hot chiles aside, a favorite way to bring fire and spice into my life is with a hot Baptiste-style vinyasa flow yoga class. That being said, heidirobb.com enthusiastically welcomes Cleveland Yoga , Cleveland’s Official Baptiste Power Vinyasa Yoga Affiliate Studio as sponsor to this post – let’s hear it for Cleveland Yoga with a resounding group OOOOHHHHMMMM.
With the help of heidirobb.com, Cleveland Yoga wants to help ignite your inner fire to let your outer light shine bright with this auspicious giveaway: A comment below ensures your entry: we want to know your special way of heating up in the coldest of weather. Is it bundled up with a pile of books in front of a cozy fire? A drink of steaming chai tea from your favorite mug? A nourishing bowl of your signature soup? I told you mine – now tell us yours. In two weeks, by random computer-generated selection, one commenter will be selected to win a package of FIVE FREE CLASSES at Cleveland Yoga – now that is something truly worth getting fired up about!
Ready, set, start your commenting. Giveaway ends at 10:00 p.m. Friday, March 19th – can’t wait!
Lauren, #30, a woman confident enough to admit she owns a pink snuggie, is the lucky winner of the Cleveland Yoga 5 class package. A winner was selected by CY yoga instructor, the lovely Jenn Harte. Congratulations, Lauren!
I’ve yet to persuade CESiaK to share their version of sikil pak, but here is a wonderful version from Heidi Swanson of 101 Cookbooks. If you own a Vita-Mix, use it to ensure the creamiest consistency:
Sikil Pak
From “Super Natural Cooking” by Heidi Swanson
Yield: 2 cups
Ingredients
1 habanero chile, stemmed
10 cloves garlic, unpeeled
4 tomatoes
2 1/2 cups toasted pumpkin seeds
1/3 cup vegetable stock (or water, via HR)
1 small onion, finely chopped
1/4 cup finely chopped fresh cilantro
2 pinches ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
Method
In a large, heavy skillet over medium-high heat, char habanero and garlic cloves until garlic has patchy dark brown spots and habanero has char marks all over its skin. Remove from pan, add tomatoes and do the same thing.
Grind pumpkin seeds into a fine, uniform meal in a food processor. Carefully cut habanero into quarters and use a paring knife to seed and devein. Using a hand/immersion blender or food processor, combine habanero, tomatoes, garlic and liquid in a medium bow and puree a bit, leaving mixture semi-chunky. Add pumpkin seeds and continue blending, until consistency is similar to thick mayonnaise; you may need to thin it with a bit of warm water.
Stir in onion, cilantro, cinnamon and salt. Taste and adjust seasoning if necessary. Serve with your favorite crackers or chips.
Look for future posts sponsored by Cleveland Yoga.
Interested in amplifying your business or product? Alternative, creative banner and sponsorship opportunities are now available at heidirobb.com. Direct inquiries to Heidi on the contact page.
61 Comments
Wow! Both the recipe and giveaway are great!
I have a homemade knit blanket and socks to warm me up (I have concrete floors!!! lol). But a giant cup of hot chocolate is always the best way to warm up. With marshmallows.
Oh my gosh, I hope I win. I love yoga so much and totaly can’t afford it right now as a stay at home mom. My way to stay warm is to pile onto the couch and get my 2 cats to come over and lay near me. Baby in lap, cat on either side. Now thats warm. Then we watch trash tv like the Kardashians. mnowac@gmail.com
I keep the woodstove cranked, move around a lot and try not to think too much about how cold it would be if I didn’t have a stove and couldn’t move.
A hot bath. Loaded with Epsom Salts, and preferably preceded by a yoga class. Then– quickly into bed laden with blankets and a good book.
Music is my warmth! The first sign of snowflakes in the CLE air means reggae doesn’t stop playing until the last flake is melted! Music is so much to me and in the frigid winters it brings me back to my favorite place in the whole world, Jamaica.
Oooh I am definitely going to try that recipe.
I love warming up at Cleveland Yoga! But my favorite way to warm up is in flannel pj’s, fuzzy slippers, a warm blanket and a cup of tea with a little cream.
Love all your travel info and recipes!! I love to read by a fire and have a warm fuzzy blanket on and of course sweatpants :) to keep warm. Love Clevland Yoga!
One of my favorite ways to heat up is HOT YOGA at CY!!! Maybe that one is too obvious…ok, I love to make my ginger, lemon, cayenne drink; I juice fresh ginger, a small amount of cayenne pepper, and squeeze fresh lemon. It’s a hot tea that stimulates circulation and gets the blood flowing!
How generous of Cleveland Yoga! I try to cultivate peace and warmth by wrapping myself up in my stylish snuggie, a HOT cup of Jasmine Green Tea, and a great movie! Namaste!
My favorite way to warm up: fireplace on, cup of vanilla tea & my husband with me under a blanket. And many pairs of thermal socks. Great giveaway!
LOVE Cleveland Yoga!!! My favorite way to warm up is to cozy up with my three toddler children in my king size bed with my super toasty down comforter!
Namaste
electric blankets and heated mattress covers…melts the cold and crabby attitudes..till ya jump into a 6:30 am yoga class!!! …word!
I prefer to embrace the cold. Winter is a lot more fun when you have fun in the snow. I love to ski and hike in the snow.
The best way to warm up for me is to make my heart rate go up – a workout or a yoga class – followed by a steam room visit. That way not only my body gets warm, my brain is all cozy too with the thought that I’ve done something good for myself that day :)
Why you warm the cockels of my heart!! What cockels are exactly, I don’t know, but you warm them. You and hot vinyasa yoga. And oh yes, a nice, steaming cup of tea is yummy too. Oh, plus if I’m really cold, I jump into a steaming hot shower. That really does warm my bones. And once you have warm bones, well…it’s just plain toasty in here ya know….and if all else fails, there’s always Vodka
;-)
The coldest winter day easily gets melted away with a 90 CY class. The only problem is keeping the inside of your car from fogging up on the way home b/c you’re so hot!
I love to warm up at Cleveland Yoga. I drive 40 minutes to get there because it’s the best place around. I leave feeling very energized. I also like to warm up in front of the fireplace with a blanket and watch Dr. Oz and The Doctors.
I feel like we’re so close to spring! 40s and 50s this week…yeah!
My favorite way to warm up in winter is to put on my snuggly socks, burrow under the covers and nosh on popcorn with my husband as we watch a movie.
i’m glad you brought some sunshine back from mexico!
my favorite way to warm up in the winter is sitting in front our fireplace reading a book from the library – so relaxing!
i’ve been dying to try yoga – i’m usually into high-intensity workouts and lots of cardio. but i’ve been battling a few injuries and lots of stress, so my friends keep recommending yoga. now i just need to find a mat…
Breads in the oven baking, drinking hot (soy) chocolate, snuggling with my husband and watching the cavs!
My favorite way of warming up in snuggling on the couch with my quilt that made sister made for us for our wedding and having the fire going.
What a great site! I will be back again. Every week i look for new recipes for that week’s meals! Thanks! I like to warm up with a warm mug of almond milk, honey and cinnamon! MMMMM YUM!
Wonderful recipes! The most rewarding way to spend a cold winter day in Cleveland is to warm up from the inside out and take a nice long run outside through the Cuyahoga Valley Park- this national park is an asset for Clevelanders in all four seasons! Cleveland Yoga is a perfect way to stretch out the body post run, and create balance in your workout.
In the Cleveland winters I love to warm up with a homemade bowl of soup with my husband! We are big fans of soup and have a few favorite recipes! The newest one we added is the Cuban Black Bean Soup from Moosewood cookbook. It’s hardy with a little bit of spice to keep it interesting.
We also enjoy early morning yoga classes at Cleveland Yoga to start the day off with a nice hot practice!
Playing in the snow with the kids!
Great recipe! I spent a wonderful day touring the biosphere and hanging out at CESiaK…the food was great…as is this site…a little hot yoga would bring me a little closer to the Yucatan :)
A cup of hot tea with honey and a couple of snuggly blankets are what I use. That and the occasional visit to the Cleveland Botanical
Garden!
Definitely some hot yoga, followed up with some hot tea, and my hot dog napping in my lap.
heidirobb.com, how do yo do it?
Although I am ready to wear my flip flops and sandals, there is nothing better than a winter day when you just HAVE to stay inside. I make sure to keep my blinds open so I can see all of the snow falling and then curl up on the couch with my cozy pink snuggie. A nice warm cup tea helps also!
My favorite way to warm up this winter is a Power Yoga class at Cleveland Yoga with my favorite instructor, Ryan. He is likely the most motivational yoga instructor I have ever gone to.
hot yoga.
hot chocolate.
many hugs, tears, smiles.
heart warms.
beats.
heats.
The sun – that first feeling of warmth when it finally peeks through the Clevland cloud cover!!! Being warm from the inside out when I come to the mat.
I am a fan of spontaneous dance parties while hanging around the house in the winter :)
I don’t need anymore fire in my diet says my wife, but I could use a lesson on how to chill out. I’m interested in a new steady yoga diet and this could be the way to kick start me into doing.
My favorite way to warm up is snuggling under a blanket with my husband.
This site is really well-done and informative. In the winter I spend a lot of time cooking rich pots of chicken and noodles for my family along with hearty braised dishes and wonderful gravies made solely from reductions of carefully and mindfully prepared pan juices. I take the extra time to cook old family recipes like short rib beef vegetable soup and yet I create new warm inspirations like brandied-peppercorn seared prok tenderloin sliced and served over baton-sized slices of roastef winter root vegetables topped with pan jus. Cooking whether literally spicy or warming to the soul, is my winter warm up. For myself… I have enjoyed the Korean Martial Art of Hapkido “the way of power and coordination” and I am working toward a black-belt and the cardio- kickboxing that has helped me burn off over 80 lbs. over the last two winters. Hence keeping me warm based on feelin the burn has been fueling my own personal winter warm-up. NOTE: I would really enjoy the physical and spiritual benefits of Vinyasa yoga as my muscles though getting very defined are in serious need of flexibility and elongating my musclature. Martial arts and boxing is hard on my nearly 42 yo body. I have come so far… Just a long strech further would do the trick. Warmest regards,
Denise
Copious amounts of hot tea, homemade soup and comfort food! I am a mad little chef in the winter. Cooking in the cold months means an excuse to stand close to the stove which=warm :)
Love your site Heidi! Share your pain returning to Cleveland cold earlier this month after a week in Miami! The recent sun has made it bearable. Haven’t tried “hot yoga”, but discovering yoga this year has changed my life!
I have to things I do to warm up – the first is a winter-time treat…I make a nice drinking chocolate with either Hartzler or Snowville whole milk and some awesome chocolate from Whole Foods. My other favoriate is a hot bath, laden with a lavendar scented mineral bath powder I recently found. So much of the “lavendar scented” stuff on the market smells so fake, but this stuff reminds me of the fields at Saltspring Lavender in BC – love it!
And, man would those yoga classes be nice after the baby is born! :)
Hmmm let’s see how to stay warm? Bottle of red, fire, and my favorite blanket!
Cozy blanket, bottle of red, and a fire!
I love to have some hot ginger tea, a good spiritual philosophy book, and a big pile of heavy blankets, topped with one or two fluffy felines for good measure!!
I am also a self proclaimed frrrreeze baby and there’s nothing like warming up at a HOT yoga class. Om. Om. Ommmmm.
I’ve been missing Cleveland Yoga due to a disk injury, but I’m on the mend now & eager to return! The recipes sound divine.
I’ve been warming up with a cozy fleece blanket & hot cup of white tea.
This recipe sounds delicious! I agree with the fellow yogi who posted above…hot yoga has kept me warm through the cold winter days! Post yoga…nestled in a blanket on the couch with my cats and my sweetheart!
A power vinyasa yoga class at Cleveland yoga, then cuddling with my husband and our dog.
Cleveland yoga is the perfect warm up spot!! If I’m not in a hot yoga class I can be found snuggling with my two little girls to warm a cold winter night! What a great new site to bookmark!
The best way to warm up is homemade soup, in bed, shared with the dog. The only way it gets better is if I have a good book to read after soup.
Love crawling into bed under a cashmere blanket.
I warm up on the couch in my fleece robe and my handmade crocheted afghan and warm socks on my feet.
My fav way to warm up is definitely a hot yoga class at Cleveland yoga. Unfortunately, I don’t get enough yoga!! The receipe looks delish!
Today was my last day for 1 week trail and I must say, I still love it, you guys are awesome, you made me (beginner) feel as if I can concur anything. Thanks for everything. Good Luck everyone!
I cannot wait to try these recipes, as they sound soooo yummy!!! Happy that spring is arriving, and thankful to Cleveland Yoga keeping me warm all winter long!!!
I like to wear my warm fuzzy socks, make a nice blazing fire, a bowl of homemade veggie soup, a bit of homemade kettle popcorn and a good book…couldn’t be better!
Best way to warm up is playing my saxophone in front of the fire in my living room of course.
of course, hot power yoga is pretty good too!
I love taking time for myself and going to cleveland yoga. My favorite way to warm up is soaking in a bubble bath with a good read.
The recipe’s sound delish!
If my husband has to work on a snowy Sunday,
snuggling up
by the fire with my pup’s and a good book
keep me warm and a bowl of homemade soup.
My new favorite to make is Tom Yum soup,
a spicy Tai soup
Homemade matza-ball soup, electric blanket, and The New Yorker magazine.
My favorite way to warm up is to go cross country skiing and come back to a warm fire
My favorite way to warm up is my NEW yummy bed, soft, soft sheets, moisturizing sock and…my HUSBAND!