Miami Spice isn't the only thing happening this month. National Yoga Month kicked off last week and lasts through the end of September. To celebrate, Icebox Cafe has partnered with Green Monkey's Paula Walker to craft a specialty menu for Miami's yogi community. If yoga isn't your thing, don't worry — Icebox says the menu serves anyone interested in healthful eating.
"We wanted to give our diners an opportunity to select menu items that support an overall healthy lifestyle," says Robert Siegmann, founder/owner of Icebox, "and were handpicked by a true inspiration in the yoga community too."
Walker, a dedicated yogi and strength instructor at Green Monkey, curated Icebox's newest items. Though the menu lists only five dishes, each one incorporates nutrients that everyone, not just yoga aficionados, should eat to refuel.
"I recommend meals that allow diners to eat as clean, fresh, local, and organic as possible," Walker says. "I also encourage avoiding processed foods."
According to Walker, everyone, especially yogis, should listen to their bodies. Instead of depriving oneself, try methods such as balance and moderation.
"If you are craving sugar or carbs," she says, "eat organic and unprocessed sugars such as fruit or a smoothie... instead of something processed."
To start, find homemade dumplings on the menu. Made with cellophane noodles, they're stuffed with shiitake mushrooms and cilantro. For an added kick, dip each bite into a tangy, spicy kimchee sauce.
"The steamed homemade dumplings are a treat," she says. "I love the consistency of the dumpling with the spicy kimchee sauce."
There's also an avocado and seed salad — which mixes quinoa, linseeds, pumpkin seeds, pine nuts, arugula, and grana padano — along with a tuna wrap and a falafel wrap.
Walker's main dish, the vegan bowl, incorporates aspects of both of her smaller dishes. It fuses broccolini, roasted peppers, braised mushrooms and onions, quinoa, garbanzo beans, and ginger. Then it's topped with a green curry sauce and fresh basil, cilantro, and mint. The bowl boasts a fresh element yet remains zesty thanks to ingredients such as green curry, ginger, and mint.
"The vegan bowl is not only filled with veggies," she adds. "It has protein from the garbanzo beans and quinoa. I personally love the curry spice that's added too."
As a bonus, those who dine at Icebox for dinner will receive a complimentary yoga class at Green Monkey, plus a 15 percent discount on future dinners at Icebox during September. The menu is available nightly for dinner.
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