Health food and healing recipes for health and wellness - Fresh & Natural

Quick and Easy Alkalizing Cucumber Salad

4/17/2016

Quick and Easy Alkalizing Cucumber Salad

Quick and Easy Alkalizing Cucumber Salad

Quick and Easy Alkalizing Cucumber Salad

Now with spring, it’s time to detoxify our body and enjoy the many fresh veggies that come to the market. Here is an alkalizing cucumber salad which is very easy to make and tastes great!

Chop up a cucumber. Add juice of half a lemon. This not only gives nice taste to this salad, it also helps in increasing the alkalizing goodness of this salad. Next sprinkle some sea salt. If you have kala namak- which is black salt (available in Asian/Indian grocery stores) then it lends the best taste and healing properties. But in case you don’t have it available or do not like its sulfurous flavor, which is an acquired taste; then sea salt will also work.

Now, coming back to our salad- add a pinch of dried ginger power, a little of freshly ground black pepper and quite a few pinches of dried parsley. Mix well and viola your healing cuke salad is ready :)

Corn, Parsley & Fried Cheese Warm Salad

3/11/2016

Corn, Parsley and Fried Cheese Warm Salad

Corn, Parsley & Fried Cheese Warm Salad

Get your kids to eat parsley with this kid friendly warm salad dish! It is very easy to make and is absolutely tasty…

Heat some coconut oil in a pan. Add few pieces of cook-able cheese like Haloumi or Indian Paneer cheese. Brown up the cheese and set aside. Next, heat some coconut oil in a pan and then add a pinch of cumin seeds. Once cumin seeds start to send out their aroma, add sweet corn. You can use fresh, canned or frozen corn. If using canned corn, make sure it is well-drained. Sauté for couple of mins. Cover with lid and let the corn cook for a few minutes. It should be cooked- but not mushy.

Now finely chop up generous amount of curly parsley in your serving plate, add the warm corn mix and fried cheese and your delicious warm salad is ready to eat. Easy to make and yummy to taste…

Cauliflower, Shrimp & Peas warm Rice Salad

3/11/2016

Cauliflower, Shrimp and Peas warm Rice Salad

Cauliflower, Shrimp & Peas warm Rice Salad
Here is a simple Indian flavored warm rice salad, which can be a nutritious, tasty side or the main dish. To make, heat some coconut oil in a pan. Add mustard seeds (be careful, since they will sputter and pop) and just a tinge of asafoetida (skip if you don’t like its sulfurous taste). Add a pinch of turmeric and a little red chili powder (or paprika) to taste.

Next add cut cauliflower and shelled shrimps. Sauté for couple of minutes and then add green peas. Add previously cooked parboiled rice and again sauté for just a few minutes and cover for another couple of minutes. This dish is a great way to use up day or two old cooked white rice. Parboiled rice gives it the best texture and flavor, but you could use other types of white rice (particularly basmati rice). Also, brown rice may not lend as well to this flavor mix- but you can surely give that a try if you wish.

Flavor this salad mix with some garam masala (which is an Indian special hot spice mix- available in most Indian and Asian food stores). Garnish with finely chopped cilantro and cover the salad for a few minutes. The key is to allow these vegetables to cook but still be firm and just a bit crunchy (particularly cauliflowers).

Finally chop couple of tomatoes in large pieces and add to the hot salad. Don’t cook these tomatoes but let them “wilt” as they are added to the warm covered salad. Serve hot… will make for a very filing side dish or a delicious main dish.

Vegetarian Tomato Omelette (without eggs)

7/11/2015

Vegetarian Tomato Omelette (without eggs)

Here is a yummy and nutritious tomato omelette recipe full of super foods and that which is totally suitable for vegetarians and vegans.

To make this egg-less omelette, you need around two cups of gram flour, also called (wrongly) chickpea flour or Besan (in Hindi- most packets indicate it as such). Besan is black gram flour not a white chickpea flour! To this add just a table spoon or so of wheat flour. If you want to make this gluten free then you can skip wheat flour, though you may face a few challenges while flipping the omelette. Oh well- you can let the griddle get really hot and smear a little extra coconut oil to help with the flipping step.

Now, back to making our omelette batter. To our wheat and gram flour mix, add around a cup and half of water to achieve smooth consistency- where it is flowing but not too watery. Then add around one and half tea spoon of oil. This not only helps to bind the veggies and the flour, it also makes flipping quite an easy breeze!

Finely chop up two medium tomatoes, half a medium red onion and half a green bell pepper. If you like it spicy- then add finely chopped serrano peppers (to taste). Add these veggies to your batter. Next, add finely chopped cilantro, sea salt (to taste), freshly ground black pepper and coarsely ground cumin and coriander seeds. Wisk a bit more and allow batter to rest for 30 mins or so- for these flavors to come together.

Next- heat up a flat griddle (like a crepe pan). Smear a little coconut oil on the pan and pour some batter and allow to cook at medium temperature. Once one side is well-done (it comes off the griddle easily), then flip it and cook further. Once it is well done- then you can add a little organic butter on top to further enhance the taste as well as increase its nutritional value. Of course, if you are counting your saturated fat intake or want to make it dairy free then you can easily skip butter.

Enjoy it warm with a little butter, coriander chutney or by itself. :-)

This is originally an Indian ethnic recipe (from Maharashtra-Goa region). It is balanced in nutrition and taste according to Ayurvedic principles. Ayurveda is ancient Indian healing science. I will shortly also share a modified fusion version with the same Ayurvedically balanced goodness but for a more western/European taste.

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Flavorful & Aromatic Super Foods Salad

8/23/2014

Flavorful & Aromatic Super Foods Salad

This is one heck of a nutrition filled super flavorful salad- full of super foods and loads of taste!

Start by chopping up an avocado and drizzling juice of half a lemon on it. Next chop up tomatoes a few small pieces and a few large ones for varied texture- here I have used one large tomato and bunch of small cocktail tomatoes. Then drizzle a little of balsamic vinegar on the tomatoes. Next, finely chop up some fresh parsley and add a handful of dried sunflower seeds. Drizzle a little of flax seed oil on it. Lemon, tomato juice, balsamic vinegar and flax seed oil make up a wonderful dressing combination which is highlighted by the avocado and our dry-mix. Then add finely chopped up red onions.

To make the dry-herb-mix: Stone grind some black pepper, flax seeds, dried rosemary and dried oregano.

Personally, I don't think we need to add any salt, but if you prefer- add a pinch of coarse sea salt to taste. Mix well and serve fresh. It is so tasty and amazingly good for you! :)

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Sautéed Kale & Garlic warm salad

8/16/2014

Sautéed Kale & Garlic warm salad served with grilled Salmon

Recently Kale has risen up to be called "King Kale" and for good reason. It is one of the most nutritious vegetables. Like all cruciferous vegetables such as cabbage and broccoli, it is rich in cancer-fighting compounds. Also, like these other cruciferous vegetables, there are some varying opinions that it should not be eaten raw. In fact according to Ayurveda- healing science from ancient India, it's always best to lightly saute all vegetables so as to make them easily digestible by our bodies. In addition, unless it is tender baby kale, it's leaves are quite tough and chewy! So, it's best to lightly saute Kale- to increase it's beneficial qualities and taste.

To make this simple Kale & Garlic saute: heat some olive oil in a pan and add finely chopped garlic. Once they are a bit soft, sprinkle just a pinch of nutmeg and then add 'loosely torn' Kale (tear/cut out the leafy part avoiding the center stem).

Making of Kale & Garlic warm salad- 1

Toss around the leaves with a pair of tongs and once they soften just a little (garlic should be quite browned by now), sprinkle some sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste. Mix well and serve.

Making of Kale & Garlic warm salad- 2

You can enjoy it by itself as a warm salad or a nice filling side. It pairs very well with grilled salmon.

Kale & Garlic warm salad served with grilled Salmon

Nutritious Salsa?

8/9/2014

If you are like me, there are evenings where you so very crave a wonderful bowl of chips. You compromise and say- "sure I will eat the multi-grain baked ones". But somehow are still left feeling guilty because it was not nutritionally complete and balanced. Well, now here is a salsa idea, which is almost like a salad. You can heap your chips with veggies and whole grains, making your fun evenings guilt-free!

To make the salsa-salad base, finely chop up half a red onion, one large tomato and add half a can of black beans. Rinse out the black beans, so you don't get any cruddy water and the texture looks so much better. Plus, doing this step also helps in removing some of the "gas-creating" negativity from beans.

Tomatoes, Onions and Black Beans salsa-salad base

Heat some olive oil in another pan and add finely chopped green chilies. You can try jalapenos or serrano. Then add corn and cook for a few minutes, till corn is cooked but still firm to touch. Switch off heat and let it cool.

Making corn for our nutritious salsa

Now mix cooked corn (cooled to room temperature) to the salsa-salad base. Add juice of half a lemon and garnish with finely chopped cilantro. Mix well and serve with multi-grain chips.

Nutritious Salsa- Salad

In case, you are eating this dish as a salad, then crumble some chips on the top to give more texture and flavor to your salad.

Nutritious Salsa and Multi-grain Tortilla Chips

Tomatoes, Sprouted Mung and Broccoli Microgreens Salad

8/9/2014

This is a very easy to make super-healthy, super-foods salad. As we know sprouted grains and microgreens are very healthy for us- when you bring them together in this mouth-watering salad with a few other herbs and spices; you truly have a completely balanced one-dish meal!

Making of Sprouted Mung Beans Mix

In a small pan heat some flavorful and healthy oil like first-press Sesame Oil. Next add a little powdered mustard (seeds) and large chopped garlic. Let garlic roast for a few minutes. This is really important, so it lends a very mild kick to our salad without being over-powering in it's raw flavor! Once garlic is semi-roasted (light brown color), add sprouted mung beans and mix well. Add a pinch of all-purpose seasoning (western herb blend) and sea salt to taste. Cook for a few minutes till mung beans are firm to feel but well-cooked.

In a separate bowl/salad plate take half cut gem tomatoes (in varied colors & flavors), add our warm sprouted mung mix, top with crumbled fresh feta cheese and top up with Broccoli Brassica microgreens.

Aromas and texture of this salad are amazing! When we eat a morsel, it seems to simply melt in our mouth, releasing a thousand flavors!

Tomatoes, Sprouted Mung and Broccoli Microgreens Salad

Sprouted Multi Grain Salsa

8/6/2014

Is it Salsa or Salad?- it's both! Here is an easy to make super nutritious recipe that you can eat like a salad or top up on nachos and enjoy like salsa. Either ways, it's yummy!

Sprouted Multi Grain Salsa

For starters, sprout a handful of multi-grains. Once that's done (does take couple of days in a sprouter or you can buy in any natural food store) then heat some sesame seed oil in a pan. It's healthier to add asafoetida but if you don't like the taste you can skip it. Add some cumin, few cinnamon pieces and couple of bay leaves.

Once they start to release their aroma, next add sprouted grains and mix well. You can dried chilies as well if you like it hot. I like to add these dried chilies to obtain flavor and some heat, but not eat these pieces- so in a way, you get best of both worlds! :)

Finally add fresh or frozen corn and some chopped coriander leaves. Mix well- add a little salt to taste and cook covered for a few minutes.

Note: I added some turmeric and saffron to increase it's healing, nutritional value. These spices can be a bit strong, but even a little pinch can go a long way in making your dish a "healing experience" for your body!

Sprouted Multi Grain Salsa

In a bowl, add some chopped tomatoes and tomatillos. Also cut up ripe avocado. It's important that avocado is very ripe, almost mushy, so it can mix well to give a semi-dip style consistency to this salad/salsa. Add cooked sprouted multi-grains and corn to tomatoes and avocado base. Mix well.

Sprouted Multi Grain Salsa

Lastly, add some petal Parmesan cheese and mix well. Serve it with some multi-grain nachos and enjoy a guilt free delicious, nutritious salsa. Or simply eat it like a salad. It can be a filling, one-dish meal.

Sprouted Multi Grain Salsa

Peas & Cous Cous Salad

8/3/2014

Here is a quick and easy way to make Peas and Cous Cous salad which is tasty as well as nutritious; making it a perfect brunch item on a lazy long weekend Sunday!

To start, make cous cous or utilize if you already have your cous cous salad base pre-made.

For cous cous base: For this boil some water. In another bowl, take half a cup of cous cous. Once water is boiled, add it cous cous- till water just covers it. Cover the bowl and wait a few minutes. Cous cous will soak up water and turn almost double it's quantity! Next add finely chopped onion and very finely chopped green chilies (optional). Finally drizzle a little oilve oil, fluff the cous cous and mix well.

Next heat a pan on stove and add a little butter and green peas. Fresh taste even better, but frozen will do. Cover and let these peas soak up butter quite well. Next add your cous cous base, mix well, add salt to taste and your wonderful yummy Peas & Cous Cous Salad is ready!

Basic Peas & Cous Cous Salad

To add more flavor, sprinkle some crispy thin-spiced vermicelli (called Sev in Hindi). It is available in most Indian stores in the snack aisle. If you want you can also break fried noddles into small pieces and sprinkle over it. Though sev makes a better accompaniment and easily mixes in the salad for a nice eating experience. You can also garnish it with finely chopped cilantro.

Peas & Cous Cous Salad garnished with Sev

Mix well and eat warm. Without adding sev, this salad will keep well in the refrigerator and can also be enjoyed cold. But, it tastes tons better if you are to eat it warm with sev and fresh cilantro garnishing.

Hope you enjoy making this- it's yummy and so very easy to make. This is a good brunch or lunch salad. Do let me know your experience and how it turned out for you in comments below...

Peas & Cous Cous Salad

Mediterranean Salad with Chick Peas, Spinach and Cous Cous

8/2/2014

This is a healthy, hearty and flavorful Mediterranean Salad. You can eat it fresh and it also refrigerates quite well. Plus you can add other veggies (more posts to follow :)) to this cous cous base and make other tasty and hearty salads. This is so filling and nutrituous, it is almost a one dish meal!

For this salad- first make your cous cous. For this boil some water. In another bowl, take half a cup of cous cous. Once water is boiled, add it cous cous- till water just covers it. Cover the bowl and wait a few minutes. Cous cous will soak up water and turn almost double it's quantity! Next add finely chopped onion and very finely chopped green chilies (optional). Finally drizzle a little oilve oil, fluff the cous cous and mix well.

Next in another bowl, add one can of organic chick peas (well-drained). Add juice of half a lemon, zest of one lemon, a pinch of oregano, a few fresh basil leaves roughly chopped and mix well. Drizzle a little olive oil to mix in and hold these flavors.

Finally, take handful of spinach leaves- roughly chop them up, mix with prepared cous cous and chick peas and viola- you have a very tasty and wonderfully healthy Mediterranean Salad.

Mediterranean Salad with Chick Peas, Spinach and Cous Cous Salad

Tomatoes & Tomatillos Salad

8/2/2014

With summer here, there is a gorgeous variety of fruits and vegetables in the market. Top of the line, are tomatoes- you get them in various colors and taste palettes! If you are to add a few tomatillos, some fresh baby basil leaves, Parmesan petals and drizzle a bit of olive oil- you will get a refreshing light salad- perfect for summer heat and outdoorsy party mood.

Just in case you are wondering- tomatillos are a cousin-variety of tomatoes (more related to cape gooseberry). They are green or purple in color and come with an outer inedible paper-like husk. To prepare, remove this outer husk and wash well. They tend to be a bit sticky- but have a nice crisp feel to them once well-washed. It's a staple vegetable in Mexican cuisine and is typically eaten fried, boiled or steamed. Of course I prefer to eat them raw in salads as well!

Note: sprinkle a little bit of black pepper if you like it hot, though the wonderful sweet taste of baby tomatoes along with the slightly sour taste of tomatillos mixed with sweet fragrance of basil is simply perfect on it's own!

Broccoli and Shrimp Warm Salad

6/21/2014

Summers are a great time for salads, though cold food is not as great for the body. So, simple warm salads are a wonderful way to eat fresh and healthy. They are very easy to make as well, which helps many of us professionals on the go! :-)

Heat some olive oil in a large pan or wok. Next add just a pinch of asafoetida. You can skip this if you want- though given it's beneficial qualities, I prefer to add this spice in most dishes! Next add cumin and dried red chilies (optional, also if you want to benefit from their healing properties but cannot bear the heat, then try non-hot varieties). As they start to roast and release aroma, add large chopped garlic and onions. Saute for couple of minutes and then add fresh broccoli heads and shrimps. Mix well.

Then sprinkle any herb-mix you prefer, in this case I used all purpose western herb-mix (very flavorful and aromatic), pinch of ginger powder, sea salt to taste and freshly ground black pepper. Mix well and saute for a few minutes. Shrimps should be cooked and broccoli should be softened but crunchy to taste. That's it- serve warm and enjoy a healthy, light meal.

Broccoli and Shrimp Warm Salad

Thai Basil Green Curry Pilaf

5/3/2014

Thai Basil Green Curry Pilaf

This morning I was writing to a friend about the wonderful benefits of turmeric (and ginger)! It can at times be really difficult to get 'healing' quantities of turmeric thru regular food recipes, since this spice really needs to be added cautiously. A little extra and it can make your dish taste weird, really yucky goofy!

One of the dishes that allows for nice generous quantities of turmeric is curry! So I decided to make this Thai Basil Green Curry pilaf. Very easy to make and yummy to taste. Not to mention, it has amazing healing herbs and spices. Like many of my foods, this is my own recipe creation- and I really loved it's taste & texture! Do let me know your thoughts in comments below...

To start, heat some coconut or sesame oil in a pan. Next add some cumin seeds. Once cumin starts to release it's aroma, add a few dried Thai chilies as well as finely chopped fresh green Thai chilies, onions and garlic. Mix well and saute for a few minutes, till onions soften and turn a little golden. Now add shrimps, generous quantity of dried basil leaves (but remember, its a taste lending spice- don't over do it! :)), green Thai curry powder, an extra pinch of turmeric, a little dried ginger powder and salt to taste (prefer to use either Himalayan Black or Pink salt). Mix well cook for a minute or two. Then add previously cooked parboiled rice, mix further- cover and cook on medium to low heat for a few minutes. This really allows these ingredients to cook softly and for the flavors and aromas to blend well. Lift lid, add a sliver of organic butter and dried chilies flakes. Cover and cook for a few more minutes...

Dried chili flakes, lend a nice color and texture to this dish. They are not really spicy anyways- but if you are sensitive to hot & spicy foods, then adjust chilies in this recipe accordingly. Finally switch off heat, remove lid- mix well and serve hot.

Garnish with a few dried coconut flakes and your one-meal dish is appealing to the eye, fantastic to taste and very healing for your body. This recipe has some of the awesome healing herbs- turmeric, ginger, cumin, basil as well as capcisum (in chilies).

Note: Even though some recipes ask to add rice and water and then cook in the pan, I find these rice pilaf flavors more vibrant when we add previously cooked and cooled par-boiled rice.

Lentils with Fenugreek Leaves (Methi Dal)

4/27/2014

Yellow Lentils with Fenugreek Leaves- Methi Dal

Fenugreek leaves have wonderful healing properties. In addition to many others- it's best effect is as a blood cleanser and it's effect in lowering blood sugar levels!

Here is a traditional Indian Methi Dal recipe. You can serve it with warm basmati rice or with Indian flat breads- roti, naan or kulcha.

Heat some olive oil or sesame oil in a pan. Add black mustard seeds and a little asafoetida. Once the seeds pop, add a few dried chilies and finely chopped garlic. Next add cooked dal (yellow lentils) and a little water. Then add finely chopped fenugreek leaves, turmeric, just a pinch of madras curry masala (a type of Indian spice-mix). Continue to cook for a few more minutes. Add Himalayan pink salt or good quality sea salt to taste and serve warm with Indian flat breads or rice.

Note- you can make this dish with Kasoori methi- which is typically available in dried packets. I prefer to use fresh methi leaves as much as possible. It has less strong and a mild-flavorful taste. Kassori methi can be quite bitterly and can over-power your dish. It goes much better with potato dishes (in another post :)) where potato can better help curb it's bitter taste.

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Juma Vera comes from the original Vedic Tradition, one of world’s oldest living cultures.

Her educational background is in Physical Sciences and Quantum Mechanics.

Maitreyi has several certifications in various Natural Health Remedies & Holistic Healing.

She is an Ayurveda Specialist & Nutritionist and a Certified Aroma, Color and Crystal Therapist.

In addition, she is attuned to Reiki Energy Level I & II.

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