Suggested meal recipes for individuals who are primarily Vata

Simple Daals (Legumes in a wet curry)
(Editor's note: Daals are like a hearty soup, suitable for Vata year round. Increase Ginger and/or Asafoetida if excess gas is exeprienced. Feel free to add small quantities of vegetables as Daal begins to boil, examples are cut snow peas, green beans or peas).

Simple yet delicious daal(Legume). Indian cuisine has tens of varieties of daals (legumes or beans).  And since they are grown in all parts of the country, there could be perhaps a hundred different combinations of recipes for daals.

Ingredients
2 cups any small-seeded daal (example Moong beans)
1.25 inch cube ginger, finely cut
2 sliced green chilies
½ teaspoon Turmeric powder
1 teaspoon whole Cumin seeds
½ teaspoon Asafoetida powder
4 table spoons oil
1 teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon sugar
¼ cup unsalted, non-fried peanuts

Method:
1.Check that the daal does not have any stones.  Wash in running water and set aside.
2.Put oil in a deep pan and fry Cumin, green chilies, peanuts and Asafoetida in oil till the seeds crack
3.Put the rest of the ingredients and daal in this pan, just cover with water, tightly cover pan and boil till daal is totally cooked.  Feel free to add boiling water to bring the daal to a consistency of choice.  Serve.

Remarks:
Big beaned daals will take a longer time to cook, and also big beaned daals need more spices for them to be tasty.  Consider using a pressure cooker.  In a pressure cooker, keep heat on maximum till first pressure.  Then reduce heat to a minimum, and exactly two minutes later, take off heat, and open when cooled down.  Longer times for larger seeded daals.  Increase or reduce amount of water, depending on how you like the final dish.  Remember, for a daal to be properly cooked, it has to be slightly overcooked – the seeds should all be one and not be singularly discernable, and yet it should not all be a “paste”.

An offering from the Heart – a Deepak Singh recipe.  www.SpiritualJourneys.net

Indian Spiced Guacamole
preparation time: 10 minutes
Yields 1 Cup

2 large avocados
1 Tbs. raw olive oil
Juice of ½ lime
1 Tbs. celtic sea salt
1 tsp. brown mustard seeds
1 tsp. each: ground cumin & coriander
½ tsp. each: ground cardamom, cinnamon & caraway seed (optional)
1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper
½ tsp. ground black pepper
1/4 cup chopped fresh basil

Cut avocados in half, removing pits.  Spoon avocado meat into a medium sized bowl & mash until creamy.  Add olive oil, lime, celtic sea salt & spices.  Mix well.  Stir in chopped basil & serve.  Delicious over quinoa with raw radishes and celery sticks.
Copyright Talya Lutzker. www.talyaskitchen.com/

Garlic Dream Sauce
V-P+K=
Preparation time: 15 minutes
Yields: About 2 Cups
Benefits:  Vegan and Gluten-Free, “Garlic Dream Sauce” is a healthy alternative to traditional Garlic Cream Sauce.  The cashews replace what would usually be heavy cream.  This recipe can also be made “Raw” by simply not heating over a flame.  To make this recipe appropriate for Pitta, replace garlic cloves with fresh dill or peppermint leaves, omit black pepper and do not heat.

1 Cup Raw Cashew Pieces
1 ½ Cups Cold Water
1 ½ Tbs. Raw Garlic, Peeled & Minced (about 4 cloves)
1 Tbs. Miso Paste
2 Tbs. Very Hot Water
1 Tbs. Fresh Lemon Juice
½ tsp. Mineralized Salt
¼ tsp. Coriander Powder
¼ tsp. Ground Black Pepper
1 tsp. Coconut Oil
1 tsp. Dried Dill Weed

To make the Cashew Cream… Place Cashews and Cold Water in a blender.  Process on high speed for 1 minute.  Pause and scrape down the sides with a soft spatula.  Process for another full minute - until your Cashew Cream sauce is smooth.  Set aside. Peel and finely mince garlic cloves.  Set aside. In a small glass or ceramic bowl, combine Miso paste with Hot water (recently boiled water is fine) until the miso paste has dissolved.  Add Lemon Juice, Salt & Coriander Pepper.  Stir again and set aside.Place Coconut Oil in a medium saucepan over medium-low heat. Add 1 Tbs. of Raw Garlic into the pan and sautee for one minute.  The garlic will feel a little sticky but that’s O.K.  Add the Miso mixture and the Cashew Cream. Stir well. Lower heat to simmer and stir for another 2 - 3 minutes.

Turn off heat.  Stir in remaining Garlic and Dried Dill.  Voila! “Garlic Dream Sauce” is amazing over pasta, fish, chicken, lamb, steamed vegetables etc.  It even doubles as a creamy ranch-like salad dressing or as a dipping sauce for steamed artichokes. 
For a thicker sauce, or to use this recipe as a vegan spread, reduce Cold Water to 1 Cup and reduce Miso Paste by ½ Tbs.  When serving this sauce over the holidays (for extreme beauty and delight), garnish with Fresh Rosemary and Fresh Pomegranate Seeds.  It’s so Delicious!
Copyright Talya Lutzker. www.talyaskitchen.com/

Soothing Saffron Milk
preparation time: 10 minutes plus overnight soak
Serves 2
Benefits: Helps sound sleep and overall body hydration. Can also help soothe Vata-aggravated gas or bloating.

2 cups raw almonds
2 cups water
6 strands saffron
1 Tbs. cardamom
1 Tbs. raw honey or maple syrup (optional)

Soak almonds overnight in water or use raw almonds in a pinch.  Whenever possible for Vata, remove almond skins if soaked. 
Place almonds in blender with 2 cups fresh water.  Blend until smooth, adding more water for a thinner consistency.  Strain through a cheesecloth and set aside the almond “meal” that is leftover*.  Place milk in a saucepan over low heat and simmer with saffron & cardamom.  Add sweetner if desired.  A delicious aphrodisiac, this sweet, warm and restorative “tea” is especially appropriate after intimacy to replenish ojas, vital reproductive & bodily fluids.  *Leftover Almond meal can be set aside for a future dessert treat.  Add 1 Tbs. honey, ½ tsp each; cinnamon, nutmeg & cardamom to every ½ Cup of Almond Meal and enjoy.  You can also use it to make raw pie crusts that are delicious and nutritious throughout warm summer months.  Combine almond meal with agave syrup and spices to taste, then press into pie pans.
Copyright Talya Lutzker. www.talyaskitchen.com/

Mango Kulfi - Indian Mango Ice Cream Dessert

Ingredients
1 can (400 gr, 14 oz) sweetened condensed milk
1 can (850 gr) sweetened mango pulp.  Prefer “Alphonso” mangoes
1 pinch saffron
1 to 2 tablespoons regular (whole) milk

Method
1.Put the mango pulp and condensed milk in a blender.
2.Heat the 1-2 tablespoons of milk in a small pan till it starts to boil.
3.Grind the saffron in the palm of your hand and sprinkle it in the boiling milk.  Stir and pour in the blender.
4.Blend the mixture, and pour into serving dishes.
5.Store in freezer, and serve after 3-4 hours as it freezes, but has not totally solidified.  Alternatively, freeze solid and microwave to a “slushy” consistency prior to serving.

Remarks
A heavy but delicious dessert.  Normally cooked by boiling off the milk and using the creamy milk. 

An offering from the Heart – a Deepak Singh recipe.  www.SpiritualJourneys.net