Pistachio Pesto For Edith

The recipe called Pistachio Pesto For Edith (page 511) is shown here mixed with black beans, fresh tomatoes, and Orzo. This is the time of year for traveling to see loved ones so I made this recipe for our lunch on the road. The pesto was delicious and gave us a great simple meal we could feel good about.

Tofu or Panir Quiche with Broccoli

The Tofu or Panir Quiche with Broccoli (page 211) was made with tofu and cream cheese. I also added Miriam's Sofrito (page 218) which adds a real depth of flavor to the quiche. I used broccoli but next time I'd like to try it with artichoke hearts. It was a hearty dish without being heavy and it tastes delicious.

Fig or Date Bars

Today I decided to make the Fig or Date Bars (page 438). Ayurveda highly regards both dates and figs and today I used dates. I also replaced the wheat germ with rolled oats as suggested in the variation. The crust is a little more crumbly than I expected but the bars are still good and chewy. This is a sweet treat with no guilt.

Puris

The Puris recipe (page 352) is made with the basic Indian flat bread dough recipe and then deep-fried until they puff up. After they are cooked the puff deflates, so I decided to take the photograph while it was cooking. Ideally, they get completely round like a ball but since mine started as a square, I only got a pillow. However, it tasted crispy and delicious so I'm happy. I served them with a side of crab apple, pecan chutney. Nice...

Artichoke Filo Pie

Today I made the Artichoke Filo Pie (page 65) recipe from Heaven's Banquet. I do not have a springform pan, so I used an 8" pie pan and cut the recipe in half. It worked beautifully and gave us 6 to 8 servings intead of 10 to 12. The results of this recipe are very impressive as well as tasting wonderful. Who doesn't like artichokes or filo pastry? Everyone had seconds.

Parathas

The Parathas recipe (page 352) is a nice chewy layered flat bread. They look rather triangular in shape from folding them over and layering the folds with ghee. A chef at the Raj Restaurant once made these for me layered with ghee, cinnamon and sugar. He said it was good for my pitta. I always had a hard time keeping the flat breads warm enough until I bought a casserole dish that is insulated. It keeps the bread hot until I bringing it to the table.

Almond Crescents

The Almond Crescent (page 433) cookie recipe is recipe #300 from Heaven's Banquet! I made a big deal of the first 100 recipes I cooked and then again when I reached #200 and now #300. It helps to keep me motivated. So... about this recipe, I can say that these cookies are divine. They are a shortbread cookie filled with ground almonds so they remind me of a delicate nut butter cookie with powdered sugar sprinkled on top.

Savory Tofu or Panir Tart

The Savory Tofu or Panir Tart (page 212) recipe is one I had been avoiding because I thought it was going to be hard and take a long time; it was neither. To my delight this was a joy to make and better still to eat. This would please any crowd of vegetarians or vegans if you use just the tofu.

Almond Milk

The Almond Milk recipe (page 488) is as easy as the name sounds... almonds and milk. I soaked the almonds overnight and served the drink warm on a very cold day. A lovely, energizing drink.

Corn Fritters

The Corn Fritters recipe (page 88) is a simple corn pancake that has a savory flavor from thyme and sage. They are very easy to make just remember to plan for an extra hour to chill the batter before cooking. Yummy.

Cranberry Juice

The Cranberry Juice recipe (page 485) has fresh cranberries, water and sugar and makes a lovely refreshing drink. I'd never had fresh cranberry juice before, but wow... what a difference. It's really delicious and it took less than 10 minutes from start to finish.

Boston Baked Beans

The Boston Baked Beans recipe (page 195) uses good ol' navy beans and cooks them for about 7 hours in molasses and brown sugar. When John tasted them, he commented that they tasted like barbecue. So two thumbs up from him. I was a little disappointed because although I cooked them for over 7 hours the beans never got very tender. The section called "The Ten Commandments of Bean Cookery" says," Thou shalt not add salt to simmering beans... and Thou shalt not add acid ingredients while thy beans are cooking..." Alas, next time I'll boil the beans until tender and then "stir in the remaining ingredients."

Boston Brown Bread

The Boston Brown Bread recipe (page 196) is part of the section called "The Puritan's Feast." The feast includes the Boston Brown bread and Boston Baked beans. Miriam explains this is how Boston became known as "Beantown." The bread bakes for about 2 hours in a pan of boiling water. It is dense but not heavy and sweet from the molasses but not too sweet. I enjoyed it with some of the homemade honey butter.

Butter

Guess what I did today? I made my own butter; it was so easy but it made me feel so farm girl. The Butter recipe (page 528) uses heavy whipping cream beaten until it separates into butter and whey- "the original form of buttermilk." I got the biggest kick out of making this and it's so much nicer than butter from the store! I added some honey to part of the butter to make honey butter. Miriam gives at least 15 different flavorings for butter. This is just so yummy.

Holiday Pudding & Caramel Sauce

The Holiday Pudding (page 450) and the Caramel Sauce (page 458) combined together to make the most decadent dessert I've ever made. The holiday pudding is full of raisins, apples and grated carrots which is a lot of sweet ingredients but then add on the caramel sauce as a topping and that's sweet and delicious. Hope the crew at work will help us eat it.

Hazelnut-Crusted Saffron Potato Cakes

The Hazelnut-Crusted Saffron Potato Cakes (page 120) was made with the recommended variation of pistachios instead of hazelnuts. As you can see, I had some trouble with how long to brown them. All the cakes tasted great, it was just a matter of desired crustiness.

Apple Pie

I have been saving the Apple Pie recipe (page 413) for the fall when the apples are in season. This is a classic recipe which tastes fabulous. I love having a piece of homemade pie when I have a sweet tooth.

Tahini Milk

I selected to make the Tahini Milk (page 488) on a day when I was feeling a little weak, some lack of sleep. I found this simple drink to be a wonderful restorative. It was easy to make, has a lovely taste and was a very comforting drink.

Green and White Lasagna (Lasagna Verde Bianca)

Even though the Green and White Lasagna (page 266) appears to have a lot of tomato sauce on it, there is only about 2 tablespoons which I added on top for color (not in the recipe). The recipe called for parsley and artichoke hearts to form the green. This tasted wonderful! I wish the picture did it justice. Since it's just the two of us, I quartered the recipe and filled an 8" x 8" baking dish. This would be a really nice "green" pot luck dish.

Tomatoes Stuffed with Vegetable Hash

The Tomatoes Stuffed with Vegetable Hash (page 138) is definitely company worthy. I really had fun making and eating this recipe. Miriam suggests topping the tomatoes with sour cream (I used yogurt) and guacamole. For the photograph, I just topped one so that the stuffing shows in the other tomato. I thought it was too pretty to cover completely.

Baked Bananas

The Baked Banana recipe (page 464) is a 15 minute dessert that is especially good for the vata types. Miriam has a fascinating section on bananas with information such as "botanists classify them as herbs." Most interesting to me is that even though a banana tastes sweet to us, Ayurveda identifies bananas as sour. In this recipe the bananas have unsweetened coconut sprinkled on them.

Thai Eggplant Salad (Yum Mekeyau)

The Thai Eggplant Salad (page 302) is a really terrific main course salad. As I've said previously, we don't eat eggplant so I substituted zucchini. I treated it exactly as the directions said for the eggplant except I did not peel the skin off after I broiled the zucchini. I liked the charred flavor the broiling added and the dressing was perfect for the salad recipe.

Acaraje (Black-Eyed Pea Fritters)

The Acaraje recipe (page 193) is a type of hush puppy made with black-eyed peas. It is quite tasty and not difficult to make as long as you remember to soak the beans. I made half the recipe amount and cooked them in oil at 310 degrees to make sure they cooked all the way through.

Candied Sweet Potatoes

The Candied Sweet Potatoes (page 136) looked like a good recipe to test before Thanksgiving. The candied part turns the potatoes into a special treat without being overly sweet.

Apple, Rhubarb or Blueberry Tea Cake

The Apple, Rhubarb or Blueberry Tea Cake (page 397) is wonderful. Not too sweet and filled with the wonderful flavors of apple, pecan, cinnamon, and brown sugar. The recipe is easy, just assembled all the ingredients, put it in the oven for 60 minutes and enjoy. I can't wait until tea time!

Risotto Verde (Green Risotto)

Today I made the Risotto Verde (page 179) and it came out very creamy. I think I added too much liquid but it still tasted wonderful. It's full of herbs, fennel and yellow bell pepper. Since it's still summer here, I used the variation which calls for olive oil and coconut milk. I served it with an Italian spiced Cannellini bean burger and a salad.

Provencal Stuffed Tomatoes (Tomates Farcies A La Provencale)

The Provencal Stuffed Tomatoes (page 137) took no time at all to assemble and they make a lovely presentation. Stuffed with fine bread crumbs, basil and thyme, these tomatoes are an elegant side dish. I served them warm but Heaven's Banquet says they can also be served at room temperature.

Spinach and Toasted Almond Pesto

The Spinach and Toasted Almond Pesto (page 511) is a versatile recipe for pesto. You can change the nuts or change the spinach with green herbs, which is what I did. It is the end of summer and highs are in the 90's this week, so spinach can be pitta aggravating. Instead of spinach, I used basil, parsley, cilantro and mint for a nice cooling effect. I served it over pasta with some roasted asparagus on the side.

Risi E Bisi (Rice and Peas)

The risotto recipe called Risi E Bisi (page 178) is a creamy rice dish that takes about 30 minutes of constant care to cook it. I made it with a very good vegetable stock which was packed full of green herbs, and gave the entire dish a pleasant pale green color. I served the rice and peas dish with braised cauliflower and green beans and a tofu steak. Risi E Bisi is a very delicious rice dish that I would make again for company.

Tahini Dressing

The Tahini Dressing (page 321) took only a minute to make and tasted superb. I often enjoy making a simple supper of fresh steamed veggies and pasta. This combo lends itself very nicely to try any sauce, dressing or chutney for added flavor and variety. The tahini dressing was great on top of veggies with mung bean pasta.

Cucumber-Beet Soup

The Cucumber-Beet Soup (page 231) is a cool or room temperature soup. With the unusual pink color and buttermilk base; I didn't think I was going to like it but I was wrong. It tastes wonderful. It's filled with many different flavors which reveal themselves one by one as you slowly enjoy. The mint garnish adds to the subtlety and complexity of this delicious soup.

Rice Horchata (Horchata de Arroz)

The Rice Horchata (page 493) took some time to make but it was worth it. You have to remember to let the rice soak overnight. The best thing I liked about the horchata was how cooling and refreshing it was. I imagine it can be served hot but we enjoyed it as a summer drink. Excellent!

Ginger-Coconut Chayotes

Making the Ginger-Coconut Chayotes (page 86) was a learning experience. I didn't know what a Chayote looked like but I found a picture in order to tract one down in the grocery store. Miriam says they are often called "vegetable pear" and Google says they are available in late summer to early fall. This recipe mixes Chayotes with fresh ginger and coconut milk and it tastes fantastic. Since I was completely unfamiliar with the chayotes I had to monitor the cooking time carefully. It turned out to be about 20 minutes on med-low heat. I will definitely try chayotes again.

Thai Corn Fritters (Tod Man Khao Pohd)

The Thai Corn Fritters (page 89) were really very good and not difficult to make. I'm not sure what makes them Thai other than the cilanto. Basically, you make a thick batter and then add the corn and cilantro. Then fry them in about 1/2 inch of oil until brown. They are yummy and rather impressive looking for as simple as they are to make. Miriam suggests serving them with Sweet and Sour sauce. I bet the Pineapple Sweet and Sour Sauce would be good too.

Sour Cream Spice Cake with Gingered Molasses Frosting

I decided to make the Sour Cream Spice Cake with Gingered Molasses Frosting (page 391) for John's birthday cake. So this time I didn't make cupcakes but I did not make a double layer cake either. Miriam is very good about anticipating any problems from baking without eggs. I followed her directions carefully and the cake came out beautifully, no sticking at all. I found the taste very pleasing and John seemed to enjoy his birthday cake too.

Bread Pudding

The Bread Pudding recipe (page 442) is another sweet dessert. I used multi grain bread and 1% milk in the recipe. It is full of apples, cinnamon, dates and raisins. This is the easiest dessert recipe in the book. Just cube some bread, add the milk and fruit then bake for 45 minutes. No wonder restaurants have a bread pudding on the dessert menu. It's a great way to use up old bread.

New World Chopped Salad

The New World Chopped Salad (page 301) calls for 1 cup of cubed jicama. But I could not find jicama in my local organic store. I went on line to find a good substitution and found that white turnip is sometimes used instead of jicama. This salad has many delicious ingredients in it including cucumber, avocado, corn and pepitas. It is a wonderful cooling summer salad with lots of complex flavors. The tomato is not part of the recipe, I just added one sliced cherry tomato for color.

Nut Butter & Nut Butter Cookies

The two recipes for today are the Nut Butter (page 546) and Nut Butter Cookies (page 435). The nut butter was made in a blender. I used toasted cashews and pistachios and left out the salt. The cookies were straight forward enough to make but I did have some difficulty getting them off the cookie sheet without breaking them. The second batch I cooked just a few minutes less and they came off the cookie sheet without any trouble. These are really rich cookies.

Celeri Remoulade with Ginger-Mustard Seed Dressing

The Celeri Remoulade with Ginger-Mustard Seed Dressing (page 308) uses the root of the celery plant. Although it looks rather ghastly in it's raw state, I really like the mild flavor and texture. I would have never tried this root if I had not been cooking from Heaven's Banquet. This recipe has a creamy dressing made from about 10 different ingredients and it is wonderful. I made a little extra to pour on steamed veggies.

Ajiaco

The Ajiaco recipe (page 229) is a vegetarian version of a traditional Colombian soup. The soup is full of fresh cilantro which turns the stock completely green. Miriam suggests serving it with sour cream and avocado which are not shown in the photograph. This was an extremely quick soup to make, about 30 minutes total time and very tasty.

Dried Tomato and Walnut Pesto

The Dried Tomato and Walnut Pesto (page 510) is a very delicious sauce that is great for pasta and pizza. I served it over quinoa pasta and added a little more Parmesan. It has a heavier texture than most pestos because of the walnuts. This is a very good and hearty pesto sauce with lots of flavor.

Mango, Kiwi and Raspberry Salad with Ginger-Honey Dressing

Wow is this a beautiful salad or what? It's the Mango, Kiwi and Raspberry Salad with Ginger-Honey Dressing (page 316) and I really felt great about serving this because it looks as good as it tastes. I enjoy fresh fruit salads but the Ginger-Honey Dressing really takes the flavor up a notch.

Avocado Soup

The Avocado Soup (page 231) is under the Cold Soup Section of Heaven's Banquet. I'm a really big fan of hot soups so I was a little hesitant to try this section of the book. What a delightful surprise this recipe turned out to be. First of all, it is so easy, you just put everything in the blender, turn it on and walla... soup. Second, it tastes fabulous. I highly recommend giving this one a try during these dog days of summer.

Fennel Cole Slaw with Pecan Dressing

The Fennel Cole Slaw with Pecan Dressing (page 309) is the salad I decided to make today. There is no cooking involved, just assembling. If you have a food processor the entire dish can be ready in about 15 minutes. This dish has an interesting mix of both cooling food and spice and warming food and spice. Cooling fresh fennel and cilantro and warming pecans and ginger. I added the seedless grapes to the salad as the variation suggested. It's a really delicious slaw that has an delightful and unexpected flavor.

Mango Fool

The Mango Fool recipe (page 466) is cooked pureed mangoes mixed with heavy cream that has been whipped into soft peaks. Miriam points out that according to Ayurveda, sour fruit is not compatible with sweet cream so we use ripe, sweet fruit for this dish. It tastes heavenly. It is as light as a feather and as sweet as honey.

Creamy Salad Dressing

The Creamy Salad Dressing (page 318) is very similar to the Yogurt, Buttermilk and Other Creamy Dressings except it is made with cheese. I used panir that I had made the day before. This is a good salad dressing for those of us who love fresh food without preservatives.

Broccoli and Other Pureed Vegetable Dressings

The Broccoli and Other Pureed Vegetable Dressings (page 321) reminded me of Miriam's Sofrito (page 218). In both recipes you saute all these finely chopped vegetables on low heat with different spices and the aroma just fills the entire house. Truly wonderful and delicious. Today I used the broccoli stalks and yellow bell peppers to make this dressing then poured it over the steamed broccoli and carrots. Miriam says that the variations on this recipe are endless, just change the herbs.

Tarragon-Pistachio Goddess Dressing

The Tarragon-Pistachio Goddess Dressing (page 319) is shown here on some crusty white bread. I find it a little challenging to create ways to take photographs of dressings. I've tried on veggies, on salads, in small dishes and now on top of crusty bread... motivated purely by aesthetics of course, and not by the fact that I eat it after it's been photographed. This is a delightful dressing made with green beans, sour cream (I used yogurt), tarragon and pistachios. Very yummy.

Yogurt, Buttermilk, and Other Creamy Dressings

Today I made the Yogurt, Buttermilk and Other Creamy Dressings recipe (page 318). I didn't have much time to cook today so I made a salad and this dressing. I used homemade yogurt rather than sour cream or buttermilk. It has a delicious tart and sweet taste that had me trying to get every last drop.

Wilted Greek Salad with Caramelized Walnuts

The Wilted Greek Salad with Caramelized Walnuts (page 300) took a little prep time but it was well worth it. I first made panir since I didn't want to use feta cheese. Then caramelizing the walnuts is easy but not eating them all before making the dish is hard. You'll really want to make the walnuts again as a snack. Then you just wilt the spinach and combine all the ingredients together with a little lemon juice.