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

Masala French Fries- a tasty alternative to the hmm- let’s say, usual, boring regular French Fries :-)

12/28/2019

Potatoes… ummm… they are probably the most loved vegetables of all. And they probably also have a very bad reputation for being fattening!!

This is probably because of all the fatty ways in which we prepare potatoes!! Potatoes do have many important nutrients. I will write another post on that… this post is about how we can enjoy this delicious vegetable.

Yes, it is true that potatoes are very starchy and one way to counteract it is to rinse and soak it in cold water and throw away that water. Also, make sure that you have keep the skin on your potatoes to ensure that you retain most of its beneficial nutrients.

Considering the fact that I absolutely love French Fries- though folks from Belgium will be quick to correct that it originated in Belgium and then became famous after being included the American fastfood meals and that “French Fries” have nothing French about them!!

Now that you know this little tidbit about French Fries history trivia- let’s see how we can enjoy it and make some special flavorful versions of this tasty side dish (sometimes main dish, like in my case- just sometimes, I promise!!)

I invested in an Air Fryer- for those of you who are not sure about how an air fryer works, you can check out my article about it, titled- Air Fryer- great way to occasionally indulge in deep fried foods!!

But bottom line is that this machine utilizes just a tablespoon or so of oil to ‘deep fry’ and make a pound of French fries.

Then considering I love my Indian masalas, I have made these fries (photographed here) with Garam Masala, by sprinkling some over the half-cooked potatoes, after around the half-cooked mark!

I have also made these with other flavors from around the world- Ras al Hanout (also written as Ras el Hanout) spice mix from Morocco is my favorite after Indian Masala French Fries.

Try out this variation or anything else that you fancy- after all it is true that food is about healthy eating and providing our body with good nutrition, but it is also true that it is important to feed our soul with food that truly brings us joy.

In this regard, there are no hard and fast rules about hey- you cannot use Indian masalas on French Fries or sprinkle some Ras al Hanout on your Belgian waffle.

If you like it and it is not detrimental to your health and you do not overdo it, then a little indulgence should help to not just feed your body about also feed and uplift your soul.

Maybe this is where the word- soul food originally came from?? I need to now research that word origin. Will let you know my findings in another post… :-)

#soulfood #frenchfries #masalafrenchfries #sinfulfoods #enjoyfood

Curried Tri-color Roast Potatoes Salad

9/3/2017

Curried Tri-color Roast Potatoes Salad

Here is a yummy hot recipe for roast potatoes that you can eat as a side or enjoy on its own!

Drizzle some extra virgin olive oil on washed and dried tri-color new potatoes. Next sprinkle some turmeric powder and paprika. After that, sprinkle some coriander and cumin powder along with freshly ground black pepper. Finally add sea salt and mix well. Roast at 400 °F for 20-25 minutes. Half way thru turn the potatoes to ensure they roast evenly.

Now to assemble your salad- finely chop up yellow pepper along with red onion and cilantro. Add the roasted potatoes. Finally drizzle some olive oil and juice of half a lime. Mix well and serve fresh. Slightly ‘tart & hot’ curried roast potato salad is a delightful treat particularly with autumn arriving- where the weather starts to cool and days shorten. Gives one just the right amount of summer feel with its lime-tartness and warms us up with its paprika heat.

Hope you enjoy this recipe. Let us know how it turned out for you in the comment box below…

Garlic Shrimp and Potato Gnocchi

4/2/2016

Garlic Shrimp and Potato Gnocchi

Garlic Shrimp and Potato Gnocchi

Heat some olive oil in a pan. Add a few cloves of garlic. Once garlic cloves start to turn golden brown, add the shrimps and sprinkle Italian Herb mix, a little sea salt and some freshly ground black pepper. Once shrimps are cooked then add cooked potato gnocchi (cook as per pack). Drizzle a little olive oil on top and garnish with dried parsley for a simple, awesome Garlic Shrimp Potato Gnocchi.

Saffron Rice- a simple and tasty Mediterranean side dish

3/13/2016

Here is another simple and tasty rice side dish which you can serve by itself or with any curry or with kebabs and other skewered meats. With spring approaching and barbecue season coming up soon, this last option is definitely a great idea.

Saffron Rice- a simple and tasty Mediterranean side dish

To make the rice: wash some parboiled rice. You can also use other non-sticky rice like Basmati or brown rice, but parboiled is best for this dish, which has more Mediterranean flavors. There is an Asian version of saffron rice, which is best made with Basmati rice- that’s another healing recipe for another day… ;)

Heat a pot on high heat and then add the washed rice and a little olive oil. Mix well and then add chicken or vegetable broth. You can also use plain water, but using broth adds wonderful flavors and heightens nutritional value; so a better choice. Bring this to a boil and then cover and lower heat to a simmer. Allow for rice to cook completely and cover, so that there is just a hint of gap for excess moisture to escape and simmer on very low heat for another little bit, while all excess moisture escapes and rice is well cooked but also is nicely defined (i.e. does not look sticky or pasty).

Saffron flavoring our rice: Take a few strands of very nice quality Spanish saffron in a couple of table spoons of water and let sit. Heat a pan on medium heat. Add a little olive oil. Be careful that the pan is not too hot, otherwise olive oil will smoke, which is not good. Next add a few cardamom and mix in oil, so they start to release they awesome aroma.

Next add the prepared rice and the saffron-water. Drizzle a little extra olive oil on top and mix well. Cover (but leaving a little gap) for these flavors to set in from the steam, but at the same time, for water-moisture from the saffron water to escape. We want our rice grains to be well-cooked but also nicely defined for maximum texture and taste!

Finally chop up loads of fresh parsley and mix with the rice before serving. Serve hot as a nice, filling side dish or with curry or kebabs.

Saffron Rice- a simple and tasty Mediterranean side dish served with Pan roasted curried Shrimps

Moroccan inspired Egg & Baby Arugula Salad

3/12/2016

Moroccan inspired Egg and Baby Arugula Salad

Moroccan inspired Egg & Baby Arugula Salad

Heat a pan or flat griddle. Add some olive oil (make sure the pan is not too hot, otherwise olive oil will smoke- not good!) and then break couple of eggs on the griddle. You don’t want to make it quite a nice round omelette per se, since we are going to roll it anyways when we serve. So, a little rough texture will add to it’s character!  Sprinkle some freshly ground sea salt and black pepper to the eggs. Also sprinkle Ras-al-Hanout which is a Moroccan spice mix (available in any Mediterranean food store) and crumble up some feta cheese.

In your serving bowl- lay out baby arugula leaves. Drizzle extra virgin olive oil over the leaves. Crumble up some feta cheese. Sprinkle freshly ground black pepper (to taste) and as well as dried parsley leaves. Finally sprinkle a little Ras-al-Hanout spice mix. You can enjoy this salad by itself or proceed to add our egg assemble for an even heartier meal…

Switch off the heat, roll the egg omelette and serve warm over the bed of baby arugula leaves for a yummy brunch.

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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Chicken Sausage Tapas

5/19/2015

Its summer and time to hang out with friends on deck for long “meaningful” conversations! ;-) What better foods to eat than a string of sensational and yummy tapas. With that in mind, let’s make this amazingly simple and taste-filled Chicken Sausage tapas.

For those of you that are not familiar with Tapas- these are special finger foods (almost similar to appetizers) that are served in Spain. But unlike appetizers, where folks are expected to order a main course later thru the meal, there are Tapas bars in Spain; where friends gather and spend an entire evening chomping on tapas and drinking delicious concoctions (alcoholic and non!). Tapas are typically noted for their beautiful looks and can be quite hearty and filling. Of course, in addition to specialty Tapas bars which seem to be everywhere in Spain, you can also find them served at specialty market stores, i.e. Spanish version of a farmer’s market- food court.

Chicken Sausage Tapas

So, now back to making our Chicken Sausage Tapas. :-)

Finely chop up some red onions and pepper. You can choose the type of pepper based on your taste and heat-tolerance. I am being quite daring here and am using Habanero. But any variety including vibrant sweet peppers will do! Next coarsely slice up some garlic and finally thinly chop up an uncooked chicken sausage. Here I have used feta and spinach chicken sausage. But you could use plain chicken sausage or veggie (non-meat) sausage. This recipe would work well with chorizo or any other sausage as well…

Start with heating some olive oil in an iron griddle. You can use a steel pan, but there seems to be something ‘just special’ about using an iron griddle for such type of grill/pan cooking. Add a little whole cumin to hot oil. As it starts to release its aroma, add the chopped peppers and garlic. Sauté them for just a little bit and then add the chopped chicken sausage. Sprinkle some fragrant dried oregano and thyme on this mix. Freshly grind some black pepper and sea salt to taste as well. Finally, add the finely chopped onions, mix and sauté this till sausages have cooked well and have browned a little on each side.

Note that you can also use this mix to make Chicken Sausage and Mushroom salad.

To serve- slice up some whole grain French bread. Spread some cream cheese on it. Here I have used a tasty version of Ricotta- Herb Cheese spread. Be sure to check it out by clicking on the link. Top up with our chicken sausage mix and viola- an amazingly tasty Tapas is ready. Enjoy it hot, warm or even a little limpid. That’s the best part about these dishes- since one enjoys it over a conversation, you want to ensure, it will still taste good when it has got cold ‘waiting’ in the plate!

Do let me know if you have any questions or if you used any amazing variations. Tell me and others about your experience by writing in comments below…

Chicken Sausage Tapas

Tomato & Cucumber salad full of Moroccan healing herbs and spices

5/18/2015

This is a tomato and cucumber salad which has been completely transformed with fresh and healing Moroccan flavors! In addition to all the healing herbs and spices, this salad also contains raw onions and garlic, which are very known to enhance immune function of the body.

Finely chop up half an onion. Add couple of super finely chopped up garlic cloves. Next add chopped up cucumber and tomatoes. Then add finely chopped up half a small dill pickle. Then chop up some cilantro, though we will add it at the very end!

In a salad mixing bowl, add all the chopped up ingredients minus cilantro. Then sprinkle some grated cheese mix. To increase nutrition quotient, I have added Tex-Mex mix which is made up of three cheese varieties (Mozarella, Cheddar and Monteray Jack). In case, you don’t have this, any single variety of cheese such as parmesan will also do. Now that we have all our key salad constituents in place, it is time to add all the healing herbs and spices.

First sprinkle some cumin powder. Then just a hint of coriander seed powder. Then a pinch or two of sumac. Sumac and dill pickle lend a slight sourness to balance our salad taste. That is the reason we have not specifically added any lemon juice or zest. But in case, you do not have any sumac or prefer to have a more sour-y taste, then feel free to add a little lemon juice and some grated lemon zest. Next fresh grind some black pepper over this mix followed with just a hint of sea salt (to taste). Then sprinkle generous amount of dried parsley. Finally add a little of Ras-al-Hanout. This is a specialty Moroccan spice mix. It lends a little extra oomph to the salad, but in case you don’t have it around, then no worries, you can easily skip it!

Once you drizzle some extra virgin olive oil over this salad, mix it well and serve it in a bowl with fresh cilantro as a garnish as well as a distinct salad component. This is a very Moroccan style of salad-presentation. Also, if you want to increase nutritional content, then substitute all or some of the olive oil with flax seed oil for an extra dash of Omega 3s.

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 Cucumber salad with Moroccan Herbs and Spices

Tomato and Cucumber salad with Moroccan Herbs and Spices

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...

Zucchini Salad

8/23/2014

Zucchini Salad

This is a super yummy summer salad. Perfect on a hot day by the pool side or a good accompaniment for barbecued meats.

Cut zucchini into thin strip pieces. Finely chop fresh parsley. In a mixing bowl, take the zucchini strips, parsley and add juice of half lemon. Drizzle a little of good quality olive oil. In a stone mortar pestle- coarsely ground black pepper and cumin. Add this to the salad and mix well. Sprinkle some coarse sea salt to taste and serve fresh.

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

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

Dress it your way- making your own salad dressing!

8/9/2014

Home-made Italian Herbs Salad Dressing

Italian Herbs Salad Dressing

You have wonderful Organic vegetables that you got from the framer's market and as you fix your salad, you reach out to the dressing and it's the store bought version! Blah! :( Even though it is organic- it still should have some preservatives and if it claims- no preservatives, then maybe you should wonder- what's in it that keeps it "edible" thru all the shipping and shelf time. It's best to skip the store versions, particularly when it is so very easy to make your own- and since you can make it to your taste, it makes it even better. :)

Here's a quick recipe for home-made salad dressing: Take juice of one lime (for less tart taste, use lemon) in a small glass jar. Add equal quantity of good quality organic first press extra virgin olive oil. Screw on the lid and give it a good shake. Here is your salad base- now you can add herbs of your choice. For this example, I have added one-third tea spoon of Italian Herbs, a pinch of salt, a pinch of jaggery (Gud in Hindi, or you can use unbleached pure cane sugar) and a pinch of freshly ground black pepper to taste. Give it one more good shake and viola- your very own home-made Italian Herbs Salad Dressing is ready. Wasn't that easy? And the fact that you know what's in it, makes it that much more comforting!

It's best to make it fresh, though you can keep any unused portions in the refrigerator for a day or two.

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Author

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.

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.

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