Cucumber Milk- Supercooling!

 Here’s a cooling drink to enjoy in the heat of the summer as a breakfast beverage, an afternoon pick-me-up or a light dinner. The recipe is inspired by a cucumber milk recipe given by Vasant Lad for calming internal heat and appeasing pitta skin issues such as psoriasis, eczema, rashes and skin inflammation.

Herb Polenta with Mushrooms

Polenta is a nutritious corn-based dish that is good for Pitta, since corn can be a bit drying. However, adding a topping that is suitable for Vata or Kapha can make polenta digestible for all doshas.

The dish here makes a soft polenta. You may wish to double the quantity, as it is always good for snacks!

 
Note that there are two types of polenta meal (or cornmeal) available – a quick or instant variety and the traditional, slow-cooking one. For most purposes I find that the quick polenta is good enough. Either one can be used for this dish

Ingredients:

4 tbsp olive oil 

1 cup mixed mushrooms, very large ones, halved

2         garlic cloves, crushed, or 1 tsp of hing

1 tbsp chopped tarragon

1 tbsp chopped thyme 

1 tbsp truffle oil

500 ml        vegetable stock

80 g (½ cup) polenta (instant or traditional)

80 g (1½ cup) parmesan, grated

30 g (2 tbsp) ghee

1 tsp finely chopped rosemary

1 tbsp chopped chervil

100 g (⅔ cup) Taleggio (rind removed), cut into 1 cm slices

        salt and black pepper

Directions:

Heat up half the olive oil in a large frying pan. Once hot, add half of the mushrooms and fry for a few minutes, or until just cooked; try not to move them much so you get golden-brown patches on their surface. Remove from the pan, and repeat with the rest of the mushrooms and oil. Off the heat, return all the mushrooms to the pan and add the garlic, tarragon, thyme, truffle oil and some salt and pepper. Keep warm.

Bring the stock to the boil in a saucepan. Slowly stir in the polenta, then reduce the heat to the minimum and cook, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon. The polenta is ready when it leaves the sides of the pan but is still runny. If you are using instant polenta, this shouldn’t take more than 5 minutes; with traditional polenta, it could take up to 50 minutes (if it seems to dry out, add some more stock or water but just enough to keep it at a thick porridge consistency). 

Preheat the grill to high. When the polenta is ready, stir in the Parmesan, ghee, rosemary and half the chervil. Season with salt and pepper. Spread the polenta over a heatproof dish and top with the Taleggio. Place under the grill until the cheese bubbles. Remove, top with the mushrooms and their juices, and return to the grill for a minute to warm up. Serve hot, garnished with the remaining chervil.

Inspired by Yotam Ottolenghi. 

lemon Compote

  

Preserving lemons opens a whole new avenue in terms of flavour. The combination of salt, lemon juice, and time softens and breaks down the lemon skin and turns it into a sharp, aromatic treat. 

You can buy preserved lemons at many stores or you can make them your- self, but bear in mind that they take time: two to three weeks of preserving in order for the flavours to fully develop. 

Yotam's Smoky Marinated Feta

This delight maze is one of those snacks that you can place over the kitchen counter and take a bite every time you need to stop and remember is time for a break. I also use the cheese and oil over almost anything as a complement to a meal or a party snack.

Serves 4 to 6 

This flavor bomb is made by letting feta sit in an oil bath infused with garlic, lemon, bay leaves, and charred chili flakes. Charring the aromatics adds an intense, smoky flavor to the oil, which the feta absorbs to beautiful effect.

Marinated feta keeps for up to 5 days in the refrigerator (the flavors only get better the longer it sits), and it’s equally delicious on toast or in a salad. Marinated feta keeps for up to 5 days in the refrigerator (the flavors only get better the longer it sits), and it’s equally delicious on toast or in a salad.

Harissa with rose water

Inspired by Ottolenghi cooking, this recipe is a must to have in the fridge to accompany any meal. I had made modifications not to make it too hot, but still keeping the flavour of chillies.

Makes about 11⁄2 cups 

Harissa is a North African chilli paste that’s wonderful when stirred into soups and stews or spooned over roasted vegetables and meats. 

Chia and chocolate pudding for breakfast

 Making this pudding is incredibly easy. All you need to do is stir together the chocolate milk ingredients— almond milk, cacao powder, maple syrup, and a splash of vanilla– and then pour that over the chia seeds.

Use a whisk to make sure the chia seeds will get evenly coated with the chocolate milk mixture, then transfer the pudding mixture to the fridge to thicken up! The pudding should be ready to serve in roughly 15 to 20 minutes, but you can also keep it in the fridge for several days, as an easy make-ahead meal.

Bhudha bowl with carrot ginger dressing

 

This bowl is easy to ensemble, to storage and to serve. It is very gratifying as a light supper or as a hardy breakfast.

INGREDIENTS

• 1/2 pound quinoa,
• 2 red bell peppers , roasted and sliced
• 1 cup carrots , shredded
• 1 cup zucchinis, cut with a Julienne peeler as noodles
• 1 avocado , sliced
• 3 green onions , diced
• 1 tablespoon sesame seeds
• 4 sheets toasted nori

How to make oat milk no slimy

 Oat milk is an easy dairy-free milk that you can make at home in just minutes. I love that it’s nut-free, low in fat, and super-affordable!

The biggest challenge I’ve found when making oat milk at home is that sometimes it can come out with a “slimy” texture, for lack of a better word. There are a few things I’ve found that help you avoid the slimy outcome.

• Don’t over-blend the oat milk. If you have a powerful blender, like the Vitamix, I wouldn’t blend this for longer than 30 seconds.

10 Ayurvedic tips you want to know in early summer

 Summer is pitta time, and in early summer our bodies use the extra fat accumulated in the winter. Our appetite changes and our Agni (digestive fire) increases so the body is ready to change to a diet that is lighter and better to sustain the heat of the summer.

Simple Basmati rice

Basmati is a fragrant, nutty-tasting long grain rice grown in the Himalayas and Pakistan. “Bas” in Hindi language means “aroma” and “mati” means “full of,” hence the word Basmati — or “full of aroma.” The key to making basmati rice that is light, tender and fluffy is to rinse it first, otherwise, the grains will be gummy and stick together. It only takes a minute or two. Simply place the rice in a bowl with water, and then swish it around to release any excess starch. The water will be cloudy at first but after several rinses, it will be clear.