Spinach and Panir

Our Christmas Day menu was Spinach and Panir; Savory Rice and Green Pea Pilaf; Double-Dal Soup; Green Apple Chutney, Naan Bread, Sweet Lassi, and Burfi for dessert. It was a true feast. I used Heaven's Banquet for the Spinach and Panir recipe (page 126). Tien and Jim made this dish back in October (see archives) but made it with tofu. The Spinach and Panir recipe is easy (especially if the panir is made the previous day) and it tastes fabulous. I decided that in the future, I'll try this recipe with other greens such as bok choy and swiss chard.

Asparagus Torte

The 3 recipes I used from Heaven's Banquet today were: Asparagus Torte, Prebaked Single Pastry Crust & Partially Baked Crust. This was a bit like a science experiment because you refer to 3 recipes for one crust. The good thing is it's crystal clear for anyone who has never tried it before. Ruth has already made these recipes (November archive) but I'll say a few words too.

The Asparagus Torte (page 68) has lots of cheesy ingredients in the filling... like a quiche does, so I managed to use some substitutions to make this a little less fattening. First I substituted homemade yogurt for the sour cream. Next I substituted tofu for the ricotta cheese. I used the recipe in Veganomicon by Isa Chandra Moskowitz for the ricotta. And lastly, I used panir instead of Monterey Jack.

The Prebaked Single Crust (page 408) says 1/2 recipe Pastry Crust, then when you go to bake you cover it with parchment and fill the pan with rice or beans to weigh down the crust, then bake. See the science experiment yet?

The Partially Baked Crust (page 409) says prepare a single crust as for Prebaked Single Crust steps 1-3. Next you bake it until it becomes crisp but not brown and then take out the rice or beans and continue to bake the bottom a bit more. So in the end you have a beautiful crust that is ready to receive the filling.

The end result is a lovely vegetable pie that is very festive looking and good to eat. Merry Christmas.

Pastry Crust & Cornish Pasties

The Pastry Crust (page 406) & Cornish Pasties (page 62) are the two recipes I made from Heaven's Banquet today. I stuffed the pasties with fresh corn, green beans, celery, and summer squash. I replaced the ricotta cheese with tofu to make it a bit lighter. The pastry recipe came out very flaky. I was very pleased with how they looked and tasted. Of course we ate them while they were still warm.

Halusky Kapusta

This Slovakian dish, Halusky Kapusta (page 261) is the recipe I made today from Heaven's Banquet. It is another easy, fast and tasty main course. Basically is consists of cooking cabbage in ghee (I used olive oil) until the edges turn brown. Then you add the cabbage to some flat noodles you have already cooked and toss them together. This dish was a little more substantial than I thought it would be from reading the recipe. Definitely good for a cold day when there's not much time to cook. It took me less than 20 minutes to make it.

Scones

The forecast is rain all weekend, so it seemed like a good morning to bake some Scones (page 366).
A cup of hot tea and a warm scone... mmm. The entire house smelled like Christmas while the scones were baking. I substituted dried cranberries for the raisins and added 1 teaspoon of nutmeg instead of orange zest. They tasted terrific and were pure comfort food.

Fennel Baked With Fennel

Fennel Baked With Fennel (page 99) is a simple dish that cooks itself. Just quarter a fresh fennel bulb and add olive oil and lemon juice. Sprinkle it with a little fennel seeds, fennel tops and put them in the oven to bake. Easy, delicious and it went well will our simple mung dal and lemon rice.

Dosa (Dal and Rice Pancakes)

Dosa, (page 202) a dal and rice pancake, was a challenge for me to make. The whole process of making a Dosa is a very interesting one. You start at least two days prior to the day you want to eat them by soaking the dal and rice. Next day you grind it up and let it ferment which takes 24 to 36 hours. By the third day, you are ready to cook them. This is harder than it sounds... out of the eight dosas I made only four were edible. I was just getting the hang of it when I ran out of batter. I never made a really thin one. I decided to make ours the Masala Dosas by adding the curried potatoes with peas in the center of it. They were very good and we ate them all.

Beets with Orange, Ginger, and Mint

The recipe Beets with Orange, Ginger, and Mint (page 69) sounds terrific and it was. The combination of orange juice, ginger and mint with the sweet beets was delicious. This is a recipe that is very good for vata.

Mixed Fruit Chutney

The Mixed Fruit Chutney (page 520) is cooked for an hour or more, so a little planning is necessary for this recipe. Heaven's Banquet says you can use any fruit. I made it with pears, apples, and raisins. I like making my own chutneys better than buying them because the jarred chutneys have to much sugar in them for my taste. This recipe has a little sugar but it relies on the sweetness of the fruit and the cooking process for the sweet taste.

Pumpkin Bread

I've eaten more sweets since cooking from Heaven's Banquet than I'd ever eaten before, but it's a different type of sweet. Pumpkin Bread (page 362) is an example of what I mean. Before if I wanted a sweet, I'd go to the store and buy some M&M's but now I have a slice of my homemade bread and usually I have plenty left to share. Most importantly, I know what's in it... 1/4 cup of butter and 1 1/2 cups of sugar for the whole loaf. So how much butter and sugar am I getting is one slice? Not as many calories as I get in a bag of M&M's and no chocolate cravings either. Also, it contains 2 cups of fresh pureed pumpkin so it has some nutritional value too.

Upma & Vegetable Pie with a Double Crust

Miriam says that Upma (page 181) is a breakfast or a snack. I made it for our Sunday breakfast. I was not keen on the idea of green beans and peas for breakfast so I substituted dried fruits and followed the recipe from there. The Vegetable Pie with a Double Crust (page 61) we had for lunch. This recipe I also adjusted a bit. Miriam states that, "besides encasing vegetables in pastry, you can sandwich them between layers of grains... to serve as bottom and top crusts". I decided to use polenta as the bottom crust and quinoa polenta as the top crust. My friend gave us fresh green beans from her garden so I filled the pie with green beans, fresh corn, parsnips and panir. I loved the recipes flexibility.

Broccoli-Potato Soup

Broccoli-Potato Soup (page 222) is a wonderful version on the classic potato soup. I made it more pitta-balancing by adding light coconut milk and cilantro. This is definitely my new potato soup recipe.

Polenta & Pan-Fried Cornmeal Squares

Polenta (page 164) and Pan-Fried Cornmeal Squares (page 166) are some of the many ways to use cornmeal as an alternative to rice. I used homemade soup stock in the polenta and fried the cornmeal squares in olive oil without bread crumbs.
Very good.

Date-Pistachio Bread

Date-Pistachio Bread (page 362) tastes like a dessert. I used almonds instead of pistachios but it was still fabulous. It is so sweet that if you put a bit of icing or whipped cream on a slice then you would think you are eating a cake rather than
bread. Yummy for those of us who like sweets things.

Tender Loving Cauliflower

Tender Loving Cauliflower (page 83) has a very delicate texture almost crumbly after it has been steamed then fried in a little ghee to form a golden crust. I added toasted almonds for a little textural variety and some protein. Be careful not to steam the cauliflower too long because it can easily fall apart in the skillet. Heaven's Banquet also says you can cook Brussels sprouts and broccoli the same way. I'll try Brussels next time.

Barley Soup

Miriam calls this recipe "European peasant" which is exactly what I was raised on. So for me Barley Soup (page 224) is a taste of home. This soup does require at least two hours of cooking time but the whole house smells like basil and rosemary. The prep time is only about 20 minutes, so this is a good recipe when you are staying around the house anyway. It has all my favorite winter flavors including turnip.

Fennel Stuffed with Ricotta

This recipe, Fennel Stuffed with Ricotta (page 99) was a wonderful Sunday lunch main course. The photograph shows one half of a fennel bulb that has been stuffed with ricotta cheese and topped with ground walnuts and bread crumbs. So although it isn't a colorful main course, it is extremely satisfying and tastes fabulous. The breadcrumb and walnut mixture adds an interesting texture to the dish. We found it to be vata and pitta pacifying while still being light enough to avoid that heavy "I ate to much" feeling.

Pumpkin Soup

A lovely Pumpkin Soup (page 227) for the evening meal. It was extremely easy to make. I started this morning by baking the pumpkin, then this evening I added the nondairy milk, and spices... done. It couldn't have been easier and it's very soothing.

Broccoli Burritos with Golden Rice & Warm Corn Salsa

For today's lunch I made the Broccoli Burritos with Golden Rice (page 71) and the Warm Corn Salsa (page 73). This was a very easy and satisfying lunch... I found I really like the flavor of black-eyed peas with the broccoli. I chopped the broccoli very small so that I wouldn't be struggling with large broccoli spears in the tortillas. The corn salsa is a terrific alternative to the same old salsa recipes. Both of these recipes were absolutely delicious.

Stir-fried Vegetables with Almonds & Golden Rice Simmered in Coconut Milk

The Stir-fried Vegetables with Almonds (page 49) is a basic, fast and delicious stir-fry. The roasted almonds add a nice richness to the dish. This will be a go to when I want a light, quick meal. Next time I'll try it with sauteed tofu.

We had Golden Rice Simmered in Coconut Milk (page 177) along with our stir-fry. This rice dish was a very nice surprise. The coconut milk made it very creamy, almost like a pudding while the fresh ginger gave it a little punch. John mentioned that he like the rice dish several times during dinner.

Vegetable Stock & Fox's Noodles

The Vegetable Stock recipe (page 219) is an extremely easy base for soups. Miriam called for it as the stock for Fox's Noodles (page 271). It is a simple, light alternative to something like an egg drop or wonton soup. The photo only shows a single serving but it was enjoyed by all.

Cranberry-Orange Nut Bread

I was going to make some fresh cranberry sauce for dinner but decided to try this Cranberry-Orange Nut Bread (page 361) recipe instead. I used fresh cranberries and they were a little difficult to get chopped up until I used the food processor. Anyway, the bread tastes like no other bread that I've eaten, the cranberries give it a tart taste. I really enjoyed it.

Squash Stuffed with Wild Rice Succotash

Squash Stuffed with Wild Rice Succotash (page 134) is my new favorite recipe. When we went to Fairfield recently, a friend mentioned to me that this recipe is her favorite from Heaven's Banquet. The combination of wild rice, beans, fresh corn kernels and blueberries is just scrumptious but by adding them to a delicious acorn squash... simply outstanding!

Cauliflower and Peas with Tomato

Okay another cauliflower dish but truly, I love these simple veggie dishes with the warming spices. I ran into a little problem when making this recipe, it called for peas but when I went to get them out of the refrigerator they were no longer usable so I substituted Lima beans as you can see if you look closely at the photo.

Today I'm going to look at the recipe in terms of the ingredients and the effects of those ingredients on the three doshas, Vata, Pitta, and Kapha. Vata governs the nervous system and all movement. Pitta governs the process of metabolism and digestion. Kapha governs structure of the body and fluid balance. So for Cauliflower and Peas with Tomato (page 84) the ingredients are:

Cauliflower which balances Pitta and Kapha
Peas which balances Pitta and Kapha
Lima beans (my substitution) balances Pitta and Kapha
Tomato which balances nothing
Fresh ginger which balances Vata and Kapha
Mustard seeds which balances Vata and Kapha
Cumin seeds balance all 3 doshas
Turmeric balances all 3 doshas
Fenugreek balances Vata and Kapha
Cilantro balances all 3 doshas
Salt balancing to Vata
Ghee balancing to all 3 doshas

So it appears to me that this dish is mostly balancing for Kapha and Pitta but the spices add balance for Vata as well.

Fasoulada

Well, here we are: recipe 100! It's been 72 days and 100 recipes... sure has been fun and tasty. I'm very happy with all the information I've learned about cooking from Miriam. There was a line in the movie "Julie and Julia" where Julie says, "I know what I've learned from Julia; how to cook." That single line made a big impression on me because I wanted to learn to cook ayurvedically. I'm well on my way.

Fasoulada (page 243) is a lovely white bean soup with carrots, celery and tomatoes. This was an easy recipe as long as you have presoaked the beans. I made the soup and just let it cook on low heat while I did my evening program. The recipe calls for a little lemon juice before serving, which I thought sounded a bit odd. I tasted the soup before and after the lemon juice addition and I really liked the little kick the lemon juice added. This was a good evening meal that once assembled; you can go do other things while it cooks.

Mixed Vegetable Curry I

I've found a new favorite vegetable recipe, Mixed Vegetable Curry I (page 55). It has 6 different veggies in it and it's so simple to make. The recipe calls for cauliflower, eggplant (which I didn't have), green beans, peas, zucchini, potato or winter squash. It takes about 30 minutes from start to finish. I added couscous with toasted almonds as my grain and a sweet lassi to make a great lunch. I could eat like this everyday, yummy... oh, and my kitchen smells wonderful.

Baked Rice Pudding

Today I made the Baked Rice Pudding (page 445). It's a nice recipe for when you have some extra rice already cooked. You bake it until this light brown skin forms on the top, so the photo is only showing the skin. The dates add a subtle dimension to the dish, and it's a good, wholesome sweet pudding... and did I say very easy?

Squash-Pecan Casserole with Dried Cranberries

Well, I have to confess to taking a few liberties with today's recipe. I made the Squash-Pecan Casserole with Dried Cranberries on page 133 with Delicata squash. It's a very sweet casserole and it made a wonderful vata pacifying dish with all the flavors of Thanksgiving.

Minestrone

The Minestrone (page 222) soup turned out wonderful. John called it "perfect comfort food" and I couldn't agree more. The recipe was easy to follow and it seemed that you could use the vegetables you have on hand if you were missing any ingredients. One of the things I really like about Miriam's soup recipes is that she has you sauté the spices (even leaf spices) first in oil to bring out the flavors and it does the job. You can smell the spice aromas even after an hour of simmering the soup. The entire kitchen smells all 'welcome home'... mmmm

Lentil Burgers and Avocado Mayonnaise

Lentil Burgers (page 199) was a recipe that I was expecting to be fairly easy but some issues came up during cooking. First of all, the recipe said one cup of lentils... which kind? I guessed the common brown type. Then the next issue for me was that they were too wet to form patties, maybe I needed to cook them longer or on a higher heat... but instead, I added a bit of flour to dry them out. I fried a few in the skillet and baked the rest. Miriam gives you a choice and I wanted to see what the difference would be. I put a burger in a pita pocket and added plenty of Avocado Mayonnaise (page 504) which is outstanding. The whole thing came out very nicely even though I had to ad lib a bit.

Corn Chowder

Today's lunch consisted of finishing off the last of the summer sweet corn. I made Corn Chowder (page 239).  I've noticed that I'm picking out some pretty fast and easy recipes as I go through the cookbook. I think that's partly because after 7 weeks of cooking from Heaven's Banquet, my idea of what is hard and easy, or fast and slow has changed. I'm more confident in the kitchen. My motivation for eating has shifted too. I used to eat to stop the feeling of hunger or occasionally to socialize with friends and family. But now, I feel more coherent in relation to food. I stopped in the grocery store a few days ago to pick-up a few things. Everything I looked at I'd think, "No... That has this preservative or that other thing... I'll just go home and make my own." So there is some improved field independence from the marketing of food, and the old habits that were comforting to me. Heaven's Banquet gives so many recipes for things we are accustom to buying at the store such as sour cream, yogurt, mayonnaise, cheese, salad dressings and teas; and these recipes are ayurvedic, so no more preservatives or poor food combinations.

Mixed Vegetables in Coconut Milk

Mixed Vegetables in Coconut Milk (page 140) was a quick Pitta-pacifying main course for lunch today. The recipe actually calls for cabbage but I didn't have any, so I used more cauliflower. I paired that with wild rice and chapatis for a lovely light lunch.

Oatmeal Cookies

Oatmeal Cookies (page 431) are full of nuts, raisins and I added dried cherries because I didn't have enough raisins. Miriam's directions say to "transfer immediately to a plate to cool and harden" and she means immediately, otherwise the cookies stick to the pan and break apart when you try to remove them. This recipe is a good oatmeal cookie recipe and again I'm amazed because it's egg less. The Ayurvedic reason to avoid eggs according to Heaven's Banquet is, "Eggs have the subtle effect of causing the mind to wander..."

Shepherd's Pie with Vegetables

Shepherd's Pie with Vegetables (page 62) is a wonderful take on the traditional Shepherd's Pie. When I was growing up in England, Shepherd's Pie was my favorite but as an adult vegetarian I had not found a satisfying alternative until now, true comfort food. I used asparagus, yellow squash, parsnips, carrots, celery and sweet red bell pepper as my mixed veggies. I sautéed tofu and added it to the veggies for a more substantial lunch.

Mashed Potatoes (page 123) are used as the top crust. Miriam gives a good explanation about why potatoes are not a favorite of Ayurveda. I've been advised to avoid potatoes by the Vaidya's, so I cut the recipe in half to make a thinner crust of potatoes. It is also a recipe one should avoid for dinner... although; you'll want to eat it for dinner.

Pesto Alla Genovese (510) is a good pesto that I thought might taste nice on some bread or on top of the potatoes. I've found that I like how Miriam adds little garnishes, sauces and other alternative tastes to a major recipe. I cut the oil down a bit to make it a little dryer and was very satisfied with the results.

Persian-Style Millet with Dried Cherries

The Persian-Style Millet with Dried Cherries is a very nice kapha-balancing grain dish. It contains pistachios for a little crunch and cherries for that touch of sweet. This dish was easy, quick, delicious and will go nicely along side some veggies and dal.

Mixed Vegetable Curry II

Today I needed some good Indian food. Mixed Vegetable Curry II (page 56) was the prefect answer. This is a very nice curry dish which is far more elaborate than I would usually make. It included buttermilk which I've never used before but found it very nice for a saucy curry.

Tostada with Refried Beans

Today's lunch consisted of three very tasty Tostadas with Refried Beans (page 201). I used all the following recipes from Heaven's Banquet to make them as homemade and ayurvedic as possible.


For the Refried Beans (page 201) I chose black beans instead of pintos because that is what was in the cupboard. As long as you remember to soak them overnight, this part is pretty easy.

The Guacamole (page 279) also very easy and fast. However, I waited until the last minute to make the Guacamole because Miriam says to "prepare no more than an hour in advance..."

The Salsa Cruda (page 507) was easy, fast and delicious. This is the first salsa recipe that I can eat, as I can not tolerate hot and spicy foods.

And lastly, but not easily were the Tortillas (page 353). I was a little confused (and still am) regarding the type of corn to make the tortillas from. I used yellow corn meal but I don't know if that's the same as masa harina or not. Miriam said you can use blue cornmeal, so I was hoping yellow would work too. I have a tortilla press and if it were not for that piece of equipment, I seriously doubt any tortillas would have turned out.

Biryani with Peas & Potato Curry

Making Biryani (page 175) is like making lasagna. You start by making 3 other recipes then combining them all together and bake. First you make the yogurt the night before, then the basmati rice, and lastly the Peas and Potato Curry (page115). You combine all these recipes and top with cashews and raisins and for all your hard work, you are rewarded with bliss! This is a wonderful dish with a delightful presentation and a great recipe to take to a pot luck dinner.

Carrot Cake

I baked a Carrot Cake today (page 394). Carrot cake is my favorite birthday cake but it's not my birthday, so even better.

It's a very moist and delicious cake without being overly sweet. I decided not to frost it because the cake is perfect without it. I thought if someone wanted frosting, then I'll add a bit of whipped cream. John mentioned he liked it better than the zucchini bread...

 

Zucchini Bread

I picked the Zucchini Bread recipe on page 364 because I wanted something I could take into the advanced lecture at the TM center to share and something for breakfast the next morning. This recipe was prefect for both of these things. People at the TM center seemed to enjoy it and I got a chance to tell others about the blog and Miriam's cookbook.

The Carrot (Squash) Crumble didn't do as well, but it was my mistake. The recipe calls for wheat germ in the crumble part of the recipe and I grabbed the oat bran... so the crumble wasn't very crumbly but more like a sand texture. Oh well... I'll make it next time with carrots and wheat germ. (yes, I was in a hurry)

Samosas and Mint Chutney

Today I made samosas for the first time. It was a bit time consuming but the first time trying a new recipe always takes me a little longer.

The Samosa recipe is on page 283 and I found her directions and drawings of how to put a samosa together to be very helpful. I substituted cauliflower for potatoes as the author suggests and ended up with 24 samosas. Next time I will cut the recipe in half and make each samosa larger than the recommend 3 inches. This is just a personal preference for more filling and less dough.

Miriam says that traditionally samosas are served with Mint Chutney so I made her recipe on page 520. The mint chutney was just a few minutes to make and really added a fresh flavor to the samosas. It was delicious.

Daily Dal

 I made the Daily Dal but I added fennel seeds and coriander seeds (not in the recipe) thus eliminating any internal heat problems after eating since these spices are good for reducing pitta.

Dal I

I made Dal I, it has mustard seeds and cloves both of which I love but are heating. About an hour after eating, I was internally hot... I know that for me, these spices will have to wait until cooler weather. I remember a vaidya telling me that pitta is strongest in October because it has accumulated in the physiology from the summer heat.

The Vaidya's Salad

Here's the photo I took of the The Vaidya's Salad recipe. It is made with grated carrots, beets and fresh ginger. A little eaten at the beginning of the meal will increase the digestive fire or Agni.

Summer Pasta for Pitta

Heavens Banquet has several suggested menus for the main meal of the day. I decided to try one that sounded good for the end of the summer season.

Summer Pasta for Pitta (left)

The Vaidya's Salad
'Swonderful Shortbread

Summer Pasta for Pitta was delicious, very quick and easy to make. Miriam has what she calls Homage to Vivaldi: The Three Ayurvedic Seasons of Pasta. Fun and yummy.

The vaidya's salad is one of my husband's all time favorite salads. It was sometimes served to us on Residence Courses at the local TM center. I never had the recipe before now and it is as wonderful as I remember.

The 'Swonderful shortbread was easy but I think I did something incorrectly. It came out so crumbly that I can not cut it into squares for serving... but the crumbs taste great.

Dal #2

During the last 2 days I've made 6 new recipes from Heaven's Banquet. I'm finding more and more things about this book that I really like. The most recent discovery is the rhythm of the book.
When I first started using it, I could not find what I wanted easily. I thought this was because the table of contents was rather brief and the index only fair compared to my other cookbooks.
However, now I think the layout is done in a more holistic way. Let me use an example to explain. When I was busy painting, I would lay my paints out in "families" of color. I could have laid them out alphabetically but that's not how I work. I paint and cook very intuitively and after using this book for a few weeks I now feel in tune with the rhythm of the author.

I'm very happy with the flavors of all the recipes I tried. Some are extremely subtle... like the Daily dal #2. This will make a great evening dish for those of us who eat light at night and our main meal at noon.

Pilau

Today I tried the Pilau (Savory rice) recipe from Heavens Banquet on page 172. It is a fairly simple recipe to make but it has quite a lovely balance of some very sattvic ingredients. Sattva is the ayurvedic principle responsible for creation. It governs purity and the impulse to evolve. The recipe calls for saffron, almonds, raisins and pistachios (to balance pitta) cooked in basmati rice.