Five essential elements to incorporate in your daily meals...

1. Beans - Green Beans, Garbanzo Beans, Red and Black Kidney Beans, Black eyed peas, Legumes, Lentils...
2. Nuts - Almonds, Walnuts - no more than a fistful or 6-12, whichever is less!
3. Seeds - Pumpkin, Sunflower - no more than a tablespoon
4. Eggs - Natural egg cholesterol is different from your blood cholesterol, so for it
5. Veges - Broccoli, Cauliflower, Cabbage, Brussels Sprouts, Kale, Spinach, Chards, Beets, Radish, Eggplants, Peppers, Mushrooms, Bottle-gourd, Bitter-Gourd

And do start your day with a bowl of Oats (unprocessed, steel cut) with Unsweetened Almond Milk, handful of blueberries, teaspoon of flax seed powder, pinch of chia and hemp seeds.

Natural fruit snacks (no juices or pills or concentrates please) - apples, berries (blueberries, raspberries, blackberries), oranges, pears, grapefruit, pomegranate, cherries...Eat all colors of fruits for snacks...

Incorporate all of the above in your daily meals and see the blood chemistry run towards a perfect mix of numbers...

New Age Pancake...

You ask anyone what is your favorite vege and they would never list “Bottlegourd”, but this is such a great starch-free vegetable, with so few calories, that one could create an entire delicious meal with it.

The picture below is of a bottle gourd from my very own garden. You can also find it in Asian stores. I plucked it fresh and created the pancakes as an appetizer, a curry with lentils, a salad, and even a dessert!

• Start with peeling the bottle gourd; remove the ends. 
• Next, cut into large chunks and pulse them in your food processor. This step should give you a dry grated bottle gourd. If you pulse it too long, you would get a very watery grated bottle gourd - hang it in a cheese cloth to drain off the excess water. It is better if it is dry so that you do not end up using too much of flour as a binder.
• Bind it with a tablespoon (or more as needed) of flour (almond flour works great, but you can use a very small quantity of regular flour as well). 
• Add grated ginger, pinch of salt and chili flakes, teaspoon of cumin and caraway seeds. 
• Heat your pancake griddle to 400 degrees. Spray some olive oil spray. 
• Next make flat balls in your hand and flatten them. Place them on the heated griddle. Turn and cook them on both sides.
• Take them off the heat once both sides are golden in color. Enjoy these delicious pancakes today as an appetizer or a whole meal.

For a variation, soak half a cup of lentils and pulse them separately and add them to the grated bottle gourd. This combo gives you a whole meal in a pancake - proteins, carbs, and all the vitamins and nutrients of a non-starchy vege!

Stay tuned for my curry and salad and dessert recipes using bottle gourd as the key ingredient.

Ginger: Spice up your life…

Looking for a natural way to bring down inflammations in your body or control nausea?  Ginger has been used for thousands of years in China, India, and Middle Eastern regions as a remedy. Now scientific studies tell us why. 

Ginger is rich in phyto-nutrients called gingerols that are anti-oxidant, ant-inflammatory, anti-bacterial, and anti-viral. Several controlled researches have shown ginger to have a positive effect on various diseases like Arthritis, Cancer, Migraine, Asthma, Heartburn, Cholesterol and cardiovascular diseases. 

I have drunk my fair share of ginger ale during my pregnancy to combat morning sickness. Many folks take concentrated ginger capsules to prevent motion sickness and nausea. Ginger suppresses the release of vasopressin from the central nervous system that helps with nausea.

Ginger has been incorporated in many cuisines worldwide. Gingerbread cookies anyone? Gingerbread house is a Christmas tradition around the world. Picked ginger in Japanese cuisine and the main ingredient in Kimchi is ginger. South Asian countries like Thailand, Malaysia, Mynamar, India, Sri Lanka use ginger extensively in their curries. Ginger Beer, Ginger Liquor, Ginger Ale, Ginger Candy, Ginger flavored coffee, and Ginger Tea are popular drinks worldwide.

Ginger is a root and sold in supermarkets. Store fresh ginger in a cool dry place along with your onions and garlic and it would stay fresh for few weeks. You can also find ginger powder in Asian markets, but I prefer fresh ginger! To use it in your cooking, peel it, and then grate it. And use it in practically any and every dish being prepared in your kitchen.

I am a heavy user of fresh ginger in my cooking. Below are some ways of incorporating it in your cooking:

• Teaspoon of grated ginger in Masala Chai (tea) makes it a tasty drink to sip slowly and enjoy.
• Grated or ground ginger added to all curries and stir fries enhances the taste of the dish manifold.
• Grate ginger and combine it with fresh mint leaves paste. Heat a tablespoon of olive oil or butter and add the grated ginger-mint paste to it. Use it as a dip for your chips or use it as a spread on your crackers.
• Use grated ginger as a garnish on your noodles and stir fry vegetables.
• Add a teaspoon of grated ginger or a pinch of dry ginger powder to the bread dough.
• Add grated ginger to your quinoa or couscous or whole grains as you steam cook them.

Net: Ginger is a very versatile ingredient with amazing health benefits and so easy to incorporate in your cuisine, that there is no excuse not to do so. Enjoy…

Spinach & Blueberry to the rescue today…

On the hook to prepare something and take something to the last summer BBQ of the season? Here is a delicious salad recipe that would make you the star chef of today’s gathering!

Pickup a pack of fresh blueberries and a bunch of fresh spinach leaves from your local Farmers Market. Wash the spinach and blueberries and combine them in a salad mixing bowl. Take a quarter cup of sliced was and roast them in a pan. Toss them into the salad bowl together with the blueberries and spinach. Now dress up the salad with fresh grapefruit juice (half cup), pinch of sea salt and black pepper. Optionally, you can garnish it with fresh crumbled feta cheese. Enjoy this refreshing salad as you bid good-bye to summer in some parts of the country.  Serve on top of steamed quinoa for a full hearty meal.