black bean salad {recipe}

Everyday I try to come up with new ideas to incorporate vegetables into our meals. I spent a year as a vegetarian while living in Kenya but still struggle when thinking what to make for lunch and supper so that it is healthy and we all enjoy it. This is a simple meal by itself and very easy to make. I always have beans at home because where I come from it is a staple food.

{recipe} Black Bean Salad

serves 4 to 6

1 1/2 cup cooked black beans

1 1/2 cup corn

1/2 cup white or red onion (I used white onion)

1/2 pickled jalapeño pepper, minced

4 fresh Roma tomatoes, chopped

1 avocado, peeled, seeded and cut into medium chunks

1/3 cup chopped fresh cilantro

2 Tbsp fresh lime juice

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

Salt and pepper to taste

In a large bowl, combine all the ingredients. Add salt and pepper to taste. Chill a bit before serving. Enjoy!!!

packing necklaces

For a few weeks now I have been shipping spring-summer 2010 orders. These striped necklaces are for a huge order and they were made by just one knitter. Each "bobble" is crocheted separately and then attached to each other by a double chain string.

Each necklace is packed separately in a bag so they do not get tangled.

chez Kasia {Lagos, Nigeria}

On February 3rd, my dear friend Kasia had a trunk show and sale of the zoe & ana spring-summer collection at her house in Lagos, Nigeria.

She outdid herself in creating a unique shopping environment for her friends in her new adoptive city {she moved to Lagos just over a year ago}. Kasia not only took care of all her customers but also baked yummy treats to host them at an all day event.

I wish I could have been there, but instead Kasia was very kind to share these photos. Thank you!!!

Don't miss my next Thursday's blog post featuring an interview with Kasia to learn about her amazing life and inspiring yoga practice.

I love the display of the crochet scarves and also the tops with necklaces.

Wooden racks with linen tops and dresses displayed in her living room. Also one of the linen bags that I designed and personally embroidered is displayed on the rack!!!!

Love, love the crochet brooches displayed on the golden plate next to the crumble cake.

sunday bake {peach crumble}

I am eating a piece of peach crumble with vanilla ice cream as I write this post... It's been two weeks since I baked something as I had to travel to London for the Bubble show last weekend. Sometimes you just need some fruit and a recipe so you can eat a crumble.

bubble london

It's been a while since my last post, but I have been busy with the collection and Bubble show in London.

It was a great show! I opened new accounts not only in the UK but also in Spain, Norway, France, Japan and others. Some of my regular customers also stopped by to place orders.

I decorated my booth with pom-poms I made in different sizes and colors. They looked as if they were floating in the air.

The plaza in the center of the show was furnished with modern chairs and oversized letter cushions.

tamale filling

In my family we like to eat tamales year round, not only for Christmas. Usually we make corn tamales with chicken filling and we add olives, prunes and sometimes capers. It can take all day to make 3 dozen tamales but then we freeze some of them to eat later.

sunday bake

{sticky buns} It took me all day to make these sticky buns... the recipe is from the book Baking with Julia but I changed it a bit adding raisins and walnuts and using less unsalted butter for the glaze. We could not eat them for breakfast like I wanted. Instead we had them for dinner with a cup of rooibos tea.

Hope you all had a wonderful weekend. I'm off to Miami tonight and then to London for the Bubble show. Not really looking forward to the freezing cold now that it is so warm and sunny down here, but hoping for a good show.

just a glimpse

{fall-winter 2010/11}