Sweet Red Pepper Puree

This wonderful puree of roasted red peppers, olive oil and a dab of lemon juice adds a delicious surprise to any dish. We have tried it on soups, sandwiches and pasta. A spoonful will not only add pizazz but introduce a vata balancing element to your dish as well.

Baked Stuffed Pears

For dessert we had Baked stuffed pears page 469. Delightful and good for Pitta and Kapha. The stuffing is pine nuts, orange juice and diced dried apricots. Such a yummy mix of flavors. Today I wanted to try some of the non-Indian recipes in the book. Sometimes people think Ayurvedic meals are Indian food only but Heaven's Banquet has lots of international recipes.

Pumpkin or Winter Squash Curry

Winter squashes are a delightful way to introduce vata calming proprieties into your diet. This curry is delicious and very easy to make.

Sag (Spiced Greens)

In Heaven's Banquet there is a section called "Individual Bitter Greens". Here Miriam discusses the particulars of individual greens such as cooking time, availability and balancing properties for the doshas. After reading this section, I cooked the Sag recipe on page 105 with red chard. It was very light and flavorful tasting. Both my husband and I noticed a good affect from the meal. For us this means no heaviness after eating, no dullness of the mind and a sense of satisfaction and comfort. This is definitely a simple, good recipe for cooking greens and sometimes simple is the best.

Broccoli with Peppers and Cashews

I cooked the Broccoli with Peppers and Cashews on page 70. Yummy, easy and Pitta and Kapha balancing. Makes a great side dish.

Winter Pasta for Vata and Ginger Gremolata

Another delightful thing about Miriam's cookbook is that the recipes she gives you are cooking methods that you can apply to any in-season vegetables. Winter Pasta for Vata on page 260 is an excellent and filling meal by itself. I used pine nuts instead of pecans this time but both are good.

The Ginger Gremolata on page 261 is a very flavorful addition to the Winter Pasta for Vata recipe.

Peas and Lettuce

The Peas and Lettuce (page 114) recipe in Heaven's Banquet is a spin on a French recipe and has become one of my favorite ways to eat greens. The dish calls for shredded lettuce and peas. It also has fresh herbs like parsley and mint. It was delicious and very fast and easy to cook.

Lemon Rice

I love this rice recipe. It is so easy and very good for vata. Just cook your rice in a little cumin and turmeric. Then add a couple of tablespoons of lemon juice at the end of cooking.

Cranberry Sauce

November means cool weather and Thanksgiving will soon be here again. Our organic grocery store had beautiful ripe cranberries, so I decided to make cranberry sauce and use it as a fresh fruit chutney.

I used 3/4 cups of date sugar and 3/4 cups of fruit juice to 1 pint of cranberries. The date sugar made the dish a little darker red than store bought, but the taste was outstanding.

Plum Chutney

 Recently we visited a local organic farm and we found some fresh prune plums. So I decide to make the Plum Chutney recipe on page 519. The prune plums are smaller than most plums and the pits are easy to remove. I cooked them for about an hour with date sugar, ginger and raisins. Miriam says her brother likes this chutney on burritos so we gave it a try with several bean dishes. Very good.

Scrambled Tofu or Panir for Brunch

The Scrambled Tofu or Panir for Brunch recipe (page 211) is one of my favorites. I made it with lots of chopped kale, carrots, and sweet red peppers. I added Maharishi Ayur-Veda Vata churna for a nice depth of flavor. Scrambled tofu served with toast, marmalade and the Oven-Roasted Potatoes (page 120) made a very scrumptious brunch.

Pan-Browned or Oven-Roasted Potatoes

The Pan-Browned or Oven-Roasted Potatoes (page 120) are super simple to make. I chose to oven-roasted them in olive oil then added some thyme and they were delectable. I served them along with Scrambled Tofu (page 211) and toast for our Saturday morning brunch.

Universal Muffins

I made a variation of the Universal Muffins (page 369) which I'll call Pumpkin, Spice, and Pecan. These muffins are made without eggs so you have to mix the batter quickly. I found the muffins to be less crumbly than muffins made with eggs but still very tasty. Miriam gives many variations for these muffins and they are fun and easy to make.

Moussaka

Happy New Year! The Moussaka recipe (page 96) is what I cooked for a New Year pot luck dinner that we attended. Miriam says this recipe is "one of the most popular recipes in the book." With that recommendation, I felt confident to serve it to our friends. I served it with Cranberry and Almond Couscous.