Peas and Panir (Mattar Paneer)

After considerable thought I decided to change something in the Peas and Panir recipe. Since I don't eat tomatoes, and the recipe calls for 2 cups of chopped tomatoes; I decide to substitute the Carrot-Pepper Sauce (page 255) recipe for the tomatoes.

I love the Carrot-pepper sauce because finally I found a great alternative for tomato sauce! Miriam explains that tomatoes aggravate all doshas because they have a high acid content. My own experience is acid reflux diminishes greatly when I do not have tomatoes in my diet. "The flavor mimics a sweeter version of a tomato sauce…" All said and done, I had a lovely Peas and Panir dish which was more pitta friendly.

Summer Squash Boats

The Summer Squash Boats (page 130) looked beautiful when they came out of the oven. This is a recipe I'd proudly serve to company.  I made the recipe vegan by leaving out the cheese and I used about a quarter of the bread crumbs called for in the recipe to make a moister texture.

Greek-Style Green Beans

Last night for dinner I cooked the Greek-Style Green Beans and my husband said "these green beans are better than Aunt Pearl's." Well, I've been trying to cook green beans better than Aunt Pearls' my entire married life! There are 2 dishes John has always talked about... his mother's fried chicken and his aunt Pearl's green beans. I'm never going to be able to cook fried chicken like his mom but I'm incredibly happy to have a recipe that rivals (dare I say, better than) Aunt Pearls. So for this reason I've decided to make Greek-Style Green Beans one of my favorite recipes.

Green Beans and Coconut

Green Beans and Coconut on page 101 is just plain wonderful! This recipe makes the plain green bean a special treat and  toasted coconut makes it especially good for Pitta.

Vegetable Soup & Lemon Pistou

After a trip to the farmers market, I made the Vegetable Soup and Lemon Pistou recipes both on page 221. Vegetable soup doesn't sound very exciting but this recipe is delightful. Miriam's guidelines for making flavorful soups is extensive.  I made the Lemon Pistou without the grated Parmesan and it's totally delicious!

Mango-Date Lassi

Mango-Date Lassi on page 491 is another fabulous way to drink your lassi. Cardamom and mango taste great together.

Sesame-Pistachio Cauliflower Quesadillas

What a delectable combination of flavors... For all of us that thought Ayurvedic cooking was only rice and dal, we now have proof positive that Ayurvedic principles can be applied to many of our favorite dishes. This is a wonderful easy and quick dish that I'm thinking might even travel well for those of us who don't like "road food." You'll find the  Sesame-Pistachio Cauliflower Quesadillas on page 81 of Heaven's Banquet.

Amritam

Amritam on page 488 is a lovely drink that Miriam has included in her cookbook. I made amritam last night before bed. It is basically hot milk with some very satvic spices; saffron, cinnamon, cardamom and a bit of ghee. These spices transform hot milk into an elixir.

Shredded Brussels Sprouts with Cream

The Shredded Brussels Sprouts with Cream recipe (page 74) was a big hit. Miriam gives us a lot of variations for many of her recipes, so I substituted coconut milk for cream.  It is a very easy recipe especially if you use a food processor to shred the sprouts. John said it was his favorite recipe for Brussels from my cooking repertoire.  I found the effects of eating this recipe very cooling. It clearly was good for reducing pitta.

Fruit Crisp

The Fruit crisp is absolutely the best tasting crisp I've ever made. I used the apple filling and the oatmeal topping but Miriam gives us lots of choices and I'm sure I'll wear these pages out. Yummy and so good for vata and pitta.

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.

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.

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.