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

Carrot & Dill Soup

3/12/2016

Carrot & Dill Soup

Carrot & Dill Soup

Here is a simple, heart-warming soup recipe that is sure to please the entire family and has many beneficial properties of dill and cumin.

Heat some olive oil in the pan (be careful not to heat to very high temperature, otherwise olive oil will smoke). Next, add a little cumin. Once the cumin brown up a bit and start to release their aroma, then add clear chicken or vegetable broth. Now add thickly cut carrots- I like the thin longitudinal look but you can also cut them in circles.

Cover and bring to a boil. Lower heat and simmer for just a few more minutes. Add loads of fresh dill and just a pinch of dried ginger powder. Next add some freshly ground black pepper and black salt to taste. Personally I prefer the sulfurous taste of black salt in this recipe, but if you don’t have it around, then good quality sea salt will work just as fine. Cover and let sit for a few extra minutes. It tastes best when carrots are cooked thru but not too soft.

Serve it warm with loads of crumbled feta cheese for a satisfying and soothing meal experience! Skip cheese if you are worried about the salt or fat content, though it really does taste extra-yummy with the feta. :-)

Start your own kitchen herb garden. Read on to learn more...

Garlic and Tomato Salad

3/3/2016

Garlic and Tomato Salad

Garlic and Tomato Salad

We all know the many health benefits of eating couple of cloves of raw garlic each day. But considering the pungent taste of garlic, it is quite difficult to eat it raw, that too couple of cloves!

The dressing in this salad completely helps mask the strong taste of garlic and actually makes it taste really yummy! In a salad-dressing mixing bottle add a little Modena balsamic vinegar. Add a little over same amount of extra virgin olive oil. Next add finely chopped three to four cloves of garlic and finally a little pinch of organic raw brown sugar. Shake well to mix and make up your awesome dressing!

Chop up some tomatoes into medium size pieces. Sprinkle a little dried oregano on it and then drizzle this yummy dressing. Mix well and it’s ready to serve.

Tomato and Corn Salad

5/20/2015

Heat some oil in a grill pan. To vary nutritional content with my foods, I have used mustard oil today. It is a very wonderfully tasty, though a bit strong flavored oil. When you buy it, ensure it is food grade, since some of them tend to be for external use only!

Next, add some whole cumin seeds. To make this even more healing-helpful, you may want to add a pinch of asafoetida. Once cumin starts to give out their fragrance, add thinly chopped onions. To add variety of taste, I have used a mix of white and red onions. As these onion soften, add corn and let cook for few minutes. Sprinkle some dried oregano, dried chives, freshly ground black pepper and sea salt to taste. Next add finely chopped fresh cilantro and cook till corn is al-dente cooked- i.e. cooked thru but still is firm to feel.

A few tips to keep in mind-
• if you are cooking in a small kitchen or simply ‘hate’ doing dishes, then you can use the same pan to sauté onions, cook corn as well as heat up (and flavor) any fish or meat that you want to serve with this salad.
• While this corn-onion mix is cooking, stack it over your fish, so that it absorbs the wonderful flavors of these herbs and spices.
• In addition to cooked onions, finely chop a little piece of white onion. Similarly use only part of finely chopped fresh cilantro. Both cooked and raw onions and cilantro, lend different tastes and a balanced mix of the two will really ROCK your salad!

Now coarsely chop up some Roma tomatoes. I prefer the Roma variety, since it is more firm and fleshly for such salads. But, you can use any other tomato variety as well. Pile up our cooked onion and corn mix. Add finely chopped white onions along with some fresh cilantro. Top up with your fish or meat for a complete one-dish healthy meal or simply enjoy the veggies as a warm, hearty salad!

Read about healing health benefits of including tomatoes in your diet.

It looks gorgeous and tastes great. Hope you enjoy it. Do let me know how yours turned out in comments below…

Tomato and Corn Salad

Tortellini & Radicchio Soup

8/31/2014

Tortellini & Radicchio Soup

Heat some veggie broth in a soup pot. Add three cheese tortellini and coarsely chopped radicchio. Add a pinch of thyme, savory and oregano. Add sea salt and freshly ground pepper to taste. Once the tortellini are cooked (radicchio will be cooked by then)- serve hot in a soup plate. Top generously with Parmesan petals for a truly healthy, cheesy taste! :)

Radicchio & Cucumber Salad

8/31/2014

Radicchio & Cucumber Salad

Finely chop a small Radicchio and half a cumcumber. Add a tea spoon each of black and white sesame seeds. Drizzle with flax seed oil and juice of half a lemon. Mix well and serve.

Learn more on how eating seeds and nuts can help you...

Interesting Sides: Grilled Sweet Peppers with Spicy Zest

8/30/2014

Grilled Sweet Peppers with Spicy Zest

This is a very good side for your proteins- burgers and fish. The key here is to grill the sweet peppers on very high heat, so they get a bit charred but at the same time are not too soft or soggy- so, it's juicy with a perfection! :)

Cut up red, yellow and orange bell peppers in large chunks. Drizzle some olive oil and a generous dash of Italian herbs, freshly ground black pepper, a little sea salt and mix well. Heat your grill pan on high heat, till the pan is very hot and then grill your peppers. Half way thru the grilling, add some large cut onion strips to the pan. Drizzle juice of half a lemon on the veggies as they are grilling. Continue to grill them till the peppers and onions are juicy but not too soft.

Now lay out the grilled peppers in your serving plate. Next top up with grilled onions. Then drizzle a little of sirachi hot sauce. Garnish with finely chopped onions, dried parsley and some finely grated Parmesan cheese.

A delicious veggie side is ready- enjoy it warm with a juicy burger or a generous serving of grilled chicken/fish. Bon Appetite...

Interesting Sides Tomato & Parsley Salad

8/30/2014

Another super-foods filled healthy salad which can also be a very interesting side to accompany grilled fish and meats.

In a bowl, chop up cocktail tomatoes. It is the sweet kind of tomatoes that lends the nice flavorful combination. Add finely chopped red onions and half a bunch of fresh parsley leaves. Sprinkle some sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste. Drizzle a little sesame seed oil. Squeeze juice of half a lemon and handful of toasted almonds. Mix well and serve fresh.

This salad does have good staying power. So, you can take a fresh taste to pot-lucks and parties or simply pack yourself a healthy lunch.

Interesting Sides: Tomato & Parsley Salad

Learn about seeds and nuts... how to grow your own herbs and so much more...

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! :)

FastRead books that help you to make better food choices...

Roasted Red Pepper & Eggplant

8/23/2014

Roasted Red Pepper & Eggplant

Cut up couple of eggplants and red bell peppers in large chunk pieces. Any variety of eggplant works, here I have used Japanese eggplants (which are the long narrow looking). Add a tablespoon of olive oil, Italian seasoning and an extra dash of oregano. Mix well and roast at 425 F for slightly over an hour (till the veggies are well-roasted).

Making of Roasted Eggplant & Red Peppers

Then thickly mash up these roasted veggies in a stone mortar and pestle. Folks may suggest using a food processor, but frankly I find the electric moving blades just too strong! Add a clove of garlic, whole black pepper and continue to mash and blend them. If you don't like strong garlic taste then you can roast your garlic as well- adding it later, gives a stronger flavor.

That's it, sprinkle some sea salt and garnish with fresh finely chopped parsley. You can top it on french bread for wonderful party food or eat it on toasted bagel as an open-faced sandwich. Or just eat it as a side of roasted vegetables.

Roasted Eggplant & Red Peppers open-faced Bagel Sandwich

Grilled Chicken and Micro-greens Salad

8/18/2014

Grilled Chicken & Microgreens Salad

If you want a one-dish lunch or dinner, then big leafy salad just does not seem to cut it. You feel hungry in just couple of hours and you don't want to prowl near your refrigerator in the middle of the night "accidentally" coming across chocolates and throwing your diet for a toss!

So, here is a nice way to eat a hearty, healthy and filling one-dish salad. Marinate bite-size chicken pieces for a few hours in your favorite sauce- for this recipe, I have used creamy spicy mustard marinate. Next, heat some olive oil in a pan and grill your chicken pieces. Then top them on a bed of cocktail tomatoes salad-base and sprinkle some freshly ground black pepper (optional). Finally top with generous amounts of fresh microgreens. Here I have used a mix of Broccoli Brasica and Red Clover microgreens. Also, you can garnish with finely grated Parmesan cheese for a truly yummy taste!

Grilled Chicken & Microgreens Salad with Parmesan Cheese

Great way to enjoy cocktail tomatoes

8/18/2014

Cocktail Tomatoes with Flax Seed Oil and Balsamic Vinegar

One of the nice things about summer is the availability of wonderful varieties of tomatoes- in different shapes and colors. They each have their own unique flavor- so combining a few varieties almost assures you of fresh medley-taste!

Here is a very simple way to enjoy cocktail or cherry tomatoes. Cut them in half, drizzle some flax seed oil (great source of Omega- 3s and 6s) and just a little of Modena Balsamic Vinegar. These taste so good that you can eat it like a side salad by itself or as a salad base for other meats like fish and chicken.

You can further read about wonderful health benefits of tomatoes...

Tomatoes, Roasted Garlic & Melted Cheese Salad

8/17/2014

Tomatoes, Roasted Garlic & Melted Cheese Salad

Heat some olive oil in a pan and add finely chopped garlic (thin longitudinal slices). Once they start to soften, add thinly chopped onions. Pan roast for a few minutes. Then add couple of Boconncini (fresh mozzarella pearls). Switch off heat source and let this cheese melt over (hot) roasted onions and garlic.

In a separate bowl cut couple of tomatoes into large chunks. Drizzle some flax seed oil and just a little of good quality modena Balsamic Vinegar. Mix well. Top with roasted garlic, onion and melted cheese. Sprinkle some dried parsley, dried oregano and freshly ground black pepper. Finally garnish with Parmesan cheese petals and serve warm.

This is a good side salad or even a complete one-dish lunch. Melting mozzarella cheese makes it very chewy in a wonderful way and makes it blend incredibly well with all the other tastes! The mellowed pungent taste of roasted garlic & onions seems to merge with herbs and parmesan petals- where olive & flax seed oils seem to bring it all together along with Balsamic Vinegar (which highlights tomato flavor).

Bottom-line: a simple, easy to make and super yummy salad! :-)

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

Cheese & Corn Microgreens Salad

8/16/2014

Cheese & Corn Microgreens Salad

Here is another easy to make, super yummy salad! Taste all the cheese without the guilty feeling of all-purpose flour in conventional pizza. This is also good for low carbohydrate types of diet needs. Plus these fresh microgreens adds an extra quotient of nutrition.

So, here's how to make it:

Cheese & Corn Microgreens Salad making- 1

Heat some olive oil in a pan and add few pieces of Boconncini (fresh mozzarella pearls) and finely chopped onions. Next sprinkle a little multi-purpose herb mix (such as Italian herbs) and some dried parsley.

Cheese & Corn Microgreens Salad making- 2

Then add corn- fresh will taste better, but frozen will work as well. Let corn cook for a few minutes (but not too mushy). Add sea-salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste. Remove it in your serving plate and top with generous amounts of freshly harvested spicy-tasting microgreens (e.g. Red Clover). That's it- it's easy to make and super yummy to taste...

Cheese & Corn Microgreens Salad making- 3

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

Categories

Author

Maitreyi Gautam (my mystic name) 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.

Also, check out:
Maitreyi Paradigm where she explains "The Art & Science of Being Happy".

Here you will find information, help and support... to vibrantly live your life with joy and exuberance.

Books
by Maitreyi