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.