Yogurt with Nuts, Raisins, Agave, Bananas

Serves: 1

Ingredients
1/2 cup Homemade Yogurt (If unavailable, use any plain yogurt without preservatives)
Agave Syrup, to taste
1 medium-sized Banana, sliced
1/4 cup Chopped Walnuts
1/3 cup Raisins
Optional* Pinch of Kesar/Elaichi (Pinch of Saffron/Cardamom)


Preparation
Combine all the ingredients in a bowl and enjoy! Be sure to only add a pinch of Saffron/Cardamom if using.

Quinoa & Roasted Red Pepper Burgers

Another favorite from the Oprah Magazine. I left out eggs in my recipe and they patties still came out great!

Serves 4 with accompanying dish
Ingredients:
1 cup of quinoa (Cooking: Use 1 cup quinoa, 1.25 cups water. Combine in a pot, let it come to a simmer, then turn heat low)
3 red peppers, chopped
3 small red onions, chopped
salt and black pepper to season
240g of original feta cheese
baby spinach leaves
8 small whole wheat buns
12 cherry tomatoes
6 garlic clove, chopped finely
3 teaspoon of brown sugar
Splash of balsamic vinegar
Olive Oil
Avocado (optional)
Ranch Dressing (optional)

Method
1. Cook the quinoa and set aside.
2. Now preheat the over to 350 degrees on Roast. Place chopped onion & red pepper in an over dish, sprinkle with olive oil and roast until soft.
3. Next, do the same thing with the chopped tomatoes & garlic (which should be topped with a splash of balsamic vinegar and some brown sugar).
4. Once the onions & bellpeppers are soft, mix them with the quinoa and feta cheese. I did not use eggs (which it orginally calls for in this recipe). Instead, I put 3/4 cup of the mix into my Vitamix and processed on the lowest setting until slightly "mushed." Repeat until you have done this for all of the mixture. Add salt and black pepper, to taste. Now you can form them into 8 equally sized patties.
5. Spray an iron skilled with some olive oil. Place the patty on the pan and spray a little bit more olive oil. Cook on the lowest heat setting until brown. Now turn it over and do the same on the other side.
6. You are now ready to put your burger together! Place the burger patty on one side of your whole wheat bun, top with some spinach leaves, the tomato/garlic mixure, some avocado (optional) and some dressing (Ranch or Thousand Island both tasted fantastic!)

Roasted Sweet Potato & Black Bean Tacos

This dish is a gem I found in the Oprah Magazine and was a hit with my entire family! I have just made one minor change in encouraging the use of organic, minimal ingredient whole wheat tortillas. I also added my recipe for a-mazing black beans to accompany the dish, and topped our tacos with avocado!!

Serves: 4

Ingredients:

Soft Yellow Tortillas (Organic with minimal ingredients)

1 cup Black Beans, cooked

1 Yellow Onion, diced

1 Poblano Pepper (or Green Bellpepper), chopped

2-3 Cloves Garlic, chopped

2 cups Oaxaca or Monterey Jack Cheese

Chipotle Sauce (recipe follows)

Salsa or Pico De Gallo

1 medium sized Orange Sweet Potato, diced in 1/2 inch cubes

Olive Oil

Salt, Black Pepper

Method: 

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. In a cast iron skillet (or other heavy ovenproof skillet), saute onion & poblano chili/green pepper. Cook until lightly caramelized. Stir in garlic and salt. 

2. On the side, mix the sweet potato, some olive oil and salt. Cook this in a separate iron skillet until tender. Then add to ingredients in step #1.
3. Place the skillet in the oven (make sure it is overproof!) and cook on ROAST for 15 minutes. Once out of the oven, stir in the black beans and black pepper. 

Tortillas dorado is a Meixcan style of taco that involves toasting cheese-topped tortillas in a skillet before serving. Here's how you prepare the tortillas: Heat a frying pan over medium-high heat. Brush 1 side of the tortilla lightly with oil and place oil side down in pan. Scatter a generous spoonful of cheese over center of tortilla and cook until the cheese is melted and the tortilla is lightly golden on the bottom side. The tortilla should still be flexible. Place on a place and repeat the same way for as many tortillas as you would like to eat! When finished, lightly oil a piece of foil and use it to cover tortillas.

Once the tortillas are ready - top each one with the sweet potato mixture, some avocado (optional) and a drizzle of the chipotle sauce. Add salsa/pico de gallo if desired.

[Chipotle Sauce: Blend together the following ingredients until smooth - 7oz chipotles in adobo sauce, 3/4 cup mayonnaise, juice of 1 lime and salt).

* Black Beans: For additional flavor, try the following when cooking the black beans - add 1/2 tsp cumin, salt (to taste), 2 cloves finely diced garlic and approximately 1 tbsp jalapeno juice (from store-bought jar of jalapenos).

Black Eyed Peas (Chodi)

Serves 5-6
Ingredients:
4 cups black-eyed peas (Chodi)
4 cups water
Oil Saute (Vaghaar): 1-2 tbsp oil, Mustard Seeds (rye), Dry Roasted Red Pepper, 6-7 Curry Leaves (Limbdo), pinch of Asafetida (Hing).
Turmeric (Haldar)
Coriander-Cumin Powder (Dhana Jeeru)
Red Chili Powder (Marchu)
Salt, to taste
Jaggery (Gaud) - optional

Preparation:
1. Pressure cook the beans in a pressure cooker with the given amount of water. It's okay if there is a little more water (you can either boil it off when cooking for a thicker consistency, or keep it if you want this dish more soupy). I add a little bit of salt into the pressure cooker. There is no given amount of time or number of whistles - it all depends on the size of the pressure cooker and type of bean, gas, etc. What I have learned is... to turn off the cooker when I start "smelling" the bean. If this doesn't work, start with 3-4 whistles for this dish. Then you can open it and check, and re-start for another 1-2 whistles until you learn your own technique.

2. Once the beans are done, add the Vaghar and the spices to taste. Then I add some water to the whole pot and let it simmer until it achieves the consistency I want. Usually, the longer you let it simmer the better it will taste!
3. If you have a sweet tooth add some jaggery. My husband doesn't like it sweet, but I have a HUGE sweet tooth so I make it without the jaggery, and then crumble some on top of my dish right before I'm about to eat. The other alternative is to add the gaud and not tell them (yes...I do that shhh!)

Serve with Indian Flatbread (Bhakri) and/or Rice.

Lulya (Indian Pancakes Made of Lentils)

Serves: 5-6
Ingredients:
1 cup White Rice
1/2 cup Toor Daal
1/2 cup Moong Daal
1/2 cup Masoor Daal
1/2 cup Chana Daal
1/2 cup Urad Daal
Ginger, to taste
Salt, to taste
Serrano Pepper, to taste (finely chopped or shredded)

Preparation: 
1. Mix all the daals (lentils) together in a large bowl with enough water to cover them. Allow it to soak overnight.
2. In the morning, grind the daals together in a blender, adding only enough water to allow for smooth blending.
3. Add the salt, serrano pepper and ginger to taste when blending. The consistency of the lentils should be that of a pancake mixture. Allow the mixture to sit (covered) on the countertop if warm outside, or in the oven if cold outside. It should be ready for eating within a couple hours. Be sure not to let it sit out for more than a couple hours otherwise it will go into a fermentation process and rise....that makes a completely different meal!
4. Take out a large pan or iron skillet and warm on low-medium heat. Make sure you allow the pan to warm up enough. If you start cooking the lentil cake prematurely, it will stick to the pan and you'll have a hard time taking it off. Spray olive oil to coat the pan. Now you are ready to spread the lentil mixture onto the coated pan. Allow it to cook through on one side before flipping it to cook on the other side.
5. Serve with yogurt, chundo (a sweet chutney found at Indian Stores) or even alone for a snack.

Culinary Medicine Tip: Lentil's are a great source of protein! They are an essential part of every Indian Household. The lentils used in this recipe are not only high in protein, but high in fiber and low in fat. They're also packed with folate, iron, phosphorus, potassium and fiber.(http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/lentils/AN01640). 

Whole Wheat Pancakes

Serves: 2

Ingredients:

1/2 cup whole wheat flour

3/4 teaspoon baking powder

1/3 cup milk, plus more if necessary

1/4 teaspoon salt

Agave Syrup

4 tablespoons blueberries

Preparation: 

1. Sift together flour and baking powder, set aside. 
2. Mix the milk, salt and artificial sweetener in a bowl. 
3. Stir in flour until just moistened
4. Add blueberries and stir to incorporate.

Preheat a heavy-bottomed skillet over medium heat, and spray with cooking spray. Pour approximately 1/4 cup of the batter into the pan for each pancake. Cook until bubbly, about 1 1/2 minutes on low-medium heat. Turn, and continue cooking until golden brown!


Variation: Instead of blueberries, try adding any combination of cinnamon/pumpkin spice/nutmeg/walnuts/chocolate chips/apples to the batter and the whole family will be smiling with the IHOP style variety offered in mommy's kitchen!

CPK Salad

California Pizza Kitchen is one of the ONLY chain restaurants my husband and I feel like returning to every couple months! Over time, their BBQ Chopped Chicken Salad (minus the Chicken) quickly became my favorite. Here is a quick and easy dinner, especially for these warm summer evenings. It is both satisfying and filling alone, however you could choose to add a cold sandwich or soup alongside it if you please.

Ingredients:
1 Iceberg Lettuce or Romaine Lettuce
1 1/2 cup Black Beans (made by soaking overnight, or in a pressure cooker day of)
3 Roma Tomatoes, chopped
1 bunch Green Onions, chopped
1 Jicama - chopped
A handful of corn (I used frozen corn)
3-4 Avocados - cut into cubes
Monterey Jack Cheese - shredded
Tortilla Strips (found in the grocery store near other salad toppings)
Ranch Dressing
BBQ Dressing (optional)

Preparation:
1. Layer all the ingredients above, in the order listed. It is as simple as that, enjoy!