Rushing in, rushing out… days go by and suddenly 2 months have passed from the first time we agreed with Minna to feature her on Hungry In Helsinki! As we finally greet each others for the first time, we marvel at how it so easily feels like there is never enough hours in the day to get everything done.
“I get easily inspired, and from my work as a ballet dancer, I am used to being tired & feeling some pain, but there is a risk that you don’t always see you are reaching your limit. You need to stay mindful and take good care of yourself” Minna explains.
Her incredible career has clearly given Minna rich insight on ways to reach for your potential but I also sense a taste for simplicity and “down-to-earthness” that makes me this chat even more exciting!
Endless Curiosity & the ability to laugh…..at yourself too!
“As a person, I am driven by an endless curiosity, towards life, towards others… It is fascinating to see how people who have kept their childlike wonder are able to remain young despite of the years passing by. Especially as an artists, this openness and opportunities to be surprised by life makes everything more meaningful.
I laugh a lot, this willingness to laugh, to see the humor in any situation is essential. It gets even more important when times are toughs. It doesn’t mean you don’t feel the sorrow or the pain, it simply means that you allow space for the joy to return. I can laugh about myself, the more i’m able to do it, the better I move on.
Another driver in my life, is the opportunity to give back. I have had great teachers, and have met countless people who have helped me to get to where I am in my career, I feel that it is my time to give back both mentally & physically. Amazingly when you help someone, it is a virtuous circle; it gives you strength and sometimes, you may remember an advice that you hadn’t picked up at the time, to guide you, even years later! It all adds up!”
Minna’s MidSummer Smoothsicles!
“I have a ton of recipe book but have never followed a single one! I’m an the laziest cook so whatever I can throw into a mixer or a wok will most likely be what’s for dinner!” she laughs. Smoothie, vegetable soup or a wok, I laugh with my friend that “I only do Sad food” sometime my appetizer is a carrot , raw food has been fashionable for some time now, In my case my raw food can be a single carrot.
About the Recipe: When you buy the popsicle mold, the standard recipe is just to make some juice based lollipops, but since the boom of smoothie & homemade ice-cream i just came up with this idea to freeze the smoothie. I experimented with the recipe and tried to make it home made.
Ingredients:
- 1/2 an avocado,
- ~1 dl coconut milk
- 1/2 dl of orange juice (preferably freshly pressed)
- 1 mango
- 1 banana,
- * optional, Honey, agave syrup, Raw berries
Steps:
- blend all the fruits into a smoothie mixer or a regular food processor and fill in the mold to 2/3rd *
- Pop to the freezer, wait patiently & Enjoy!
- You can dust some coconut flakes before serving
*Galith’s tip: Taste before freezing, if you want to add a twist to the recipe, I recommend a few tablespoon of honey or agave syrup and some whole berries in the mix once it has been blended and right before putting to the freezer!
We chat some more and I share my belief that there is not such thing as “Sad cooking”, as when you eat very simple food such as Minna does, you have to pay special attention to the quality and provenance of ingredients as they can’t hide behind any crafty tricks. She explains that, as an artist, Food is first and foremost “Fuel”: “As I work with my body, I need to ensure that I get the right energy from what I eat in forms of good vitamins, carbohydrates, fat and proteins”.
She is already escaping to stretch for her next performance, “I don’t like to sit down for long time, New York is my type of a place, everything is “to go”, even your soup!” she laughs! A half melted smoothsicle on the table, some coconut flakes like fairy dust and the vibrant fruits glimmer by the afternoon sunlight, I leave with the sense that when it comes to Food & Art, simplicity and elegance are truly one & the same!
Hungry in Helsinki 