Sample Meal Plan

Breakfast: 1/2 cup Organic Rolled oats cooked with a pinch of Saffron, Cardamom powder topped with a sliced banana and two chopped walnuts (pre-soaked overnight and drained).

Or 1 slice of Ezekiel Sesame toast sprinkled with Ceylon Cinnamon Powder and 1 ripe banana smooshed with a fork on the toast.  Topped off with a few sliced toasted blanched almonds.  6 oz. Silk Unsweetened Soy milk.  Cup of green tea.

Snack: 6 oz. Soy milkshake with 1 ripe Banana, 1/2 TBS unsweetened Cacao powder blended as smoothie.

Lunch: 1/4 Cup mixture of cooked Brown Basmati Rice and Quinoa.

1/2 cup daal (usually yellow mung daal or toovar daal cooked with leeks and any squash, bell peppers and carrots.

Large serving of any vegetable like Eggplant or Broccoli or Okra etc.

A side salad of mixed greens with my homemade salad dressing.

I usually walk for 45 minutes after lunch.

Green tea or a cup of Coffee around 4pm.

Dinner: 1 Dosa with a large serving of vegetables like freshly cooked green beans or cauliflower, or steamed broccoli etc.

Large serving of mixed greens salad with my homemade hummus and blueberry preserves and balsamic vinegar dressing.  I also add an apple and or a few pieces of freshly peeled clementines.

I only sip hot water or herbal tea after dinner.  No food after dinner.

Vegetable Biryani

Cook 1 cup Brown Basmati Rice with 2 cups water, 1/2 tsp salt and pinch of crushed saffron per package in rice cooker. Set aside when done. 

6 oz Green beans cut french style and steamed for 15 minutes and set aside or use frozen beans and steam per package instructions.

2 cups cauliflower florets steamed until done about 7 to 10 minutes and set aside

1 red or yellow onion sliced or shredded
2 Carrots (grated) or buy a pack of shredded carrots

1/2 Red Bell pepper sliced or cubed

1 tsp salt

1/2 TBS more if you like it spicy - Dwarka Organic Biryani Masala Powder

1TBS raisins (optional) 

1 Tbs sliced almonds (optional) 

Handful of washed and chopped cilantro for garnish

In a large non stick pan sauté onions, peppers, carrots, raisins with a 1/2 tsp salt.  Cover and cook on medium heat stirring every few minutes adding 1 or 2 TBS of water when the vegetables start sticking to the pan. Cook for about 10 minutes or vegetables are done to your liking. Then add the Biryani Masala powder, green beans, cauliflower and rice and mix well.  

Garnish with ciliantro and sliced almonds before serving.

Optional: Add 2 cups cooked black beans to the Pulao.

Quinoa w/Peanuts & Vegetables

Ingredients:

1 Cup cooked Quinoa. I use a rice cooker and follow the package directions for Bob's Red Mill pre-rinsed Tri-colored Quinoa.

1 Red Bell Pepper chopped into 1/4 inch pieces

1 Bunch Cilantro chopped 

2 Carrots coarsely processed in food processor 

1/2 tsp cumin seeds

1/2 tsp turmeric

1/8 tsp cayenne pepper (optional)

1/2 inch piece of ginger grated or crushed

Juice of 1/2 fresh Lemon

1/2 cup dry roasted unsalted peanuts (partially crushed in blender)

Optional: 1 Steamed and cubed Japanese sweet potato.

In a large non stick pan add onions, carrots, bell pepper and cumin seeds and cook covered about 7 to 10 minutes stirring occasionally until onions are soft.  Add 1 or 2 TBS of water when the vegetables start sticking to the pan until soft and carrots are cooked. Then add the cilantro, grated ginger, turmeric and salt.  Stir well and continue to cook covered for about 5 minutes until cilantro is wilted stirring the mixture a couple of times. Then add the cooked Quinoa, cayenne pepper, lemon juice, crushed peanuts and optional cooked sweet potato. Mix well and remove from heat.

Enjoy this as a meal or as a snack with chai.

This is a great dish for brunch, lunch, snack or dinner.  Also great to pack and bring on trips since it tastes good at room temperature. 

Dosa with Urad Daal, Moong Daal, Pearled Barley and Brown Basmati Rice

Ingredients:

2 Cups Urad Daal (Mapte beans)

1 Cup Green Moong beans
1 Cup Pearled Barley 

1 Cup Brown Basmati Rice

4 tsp. salt 

1 tsp. Fenugreek powder

Rinse and soak the rice, barley, moong daal, and urad daal about 10 to 12 hours.

Before grinding discard the soaking water, and grind about 1 cup of soaked rice and beans mixture in blender adding about an 1/8 cup water until smooth. The batter should have a pancake like consistency when done.

You will need to grind it in 3 or 4 batches.  Add the salt and fenugreek powder to the first or last batch to grind along with the mixture.

Pour the batter in a large steel bowl, and when finished grinding and mix well. Cover the batter and place it in the oven with the light on for 10 to 12 hours to ferment.  You will know it is fermented because the batter will rise in the bowl.  Remove from the oven and store it in the fridge until you are ready to make the dosas.

The batter can be stored in the fridge for about 1 week. 

To prepare the dosa: 

Heat a nonstick pan on medium heat until a few drops of water sprinkled on the pan start to sizzle. 

Take two serving size spoonfuls of batter and pour it on to the middle of the pan.  Spread the batter in a circular manner until it looks like a very thin crepe.  Drizzle 1 tsp. coconut oil and cook uncovered.  The dosa will cook in two to three minutes. You do not need to turn it on the pan unless you make the dosa thick like a pan cake where you will need to cook both sides well. When it looks a golden brown, remove from pan with and serve with cilantro and coconut chutney or a side dish of steamed broccoli.

Date and Tamarind Chutney (Sauce)

Ingredients:

4 Tbs. Tamarind paste (Swad brand that has no High Fructose Corn Syrup

 or sugar)

12 Mejdool dates (remove the seeds)

1 Cup water

1 tsp. Black salt

1 tsp. Roasted cumin seeds powder

1/4 tsp. Cayenne pepper powder ( more if you like it spicier)

Place all the ingedients in a 3 quart or larger sauce pan, cover and bring to a boil and immediately remove from heat.  Carefully pour the hot ingredients into a blender.

Blend until smooth (saucy texture) and let it stand until it cools.

Store in a glass container in the fridge for up to two weeks.

Cilantro Chutney

2 bunches cilantro washed and chopped up in thirds

Juice of 1/2 lemon

1 inch piece of ginger

1/2 inch piece of jalapeno

1 mejdool date (seed removed)

1 Tbs Sesame seeds

1 tsp salt

2 tsp cumin seeds

1/2 tsp turmeric

2 Tbs unsweetened coconut flakes (optional)

4 Tbs blanched almonds

2 Tbs Olive oiln (optional) * substitute with water

*Optional: Add 2 cups of washed spinach

Place all the ingrediants in blender with the cilantro on top and blend until smooth.  I use the Vitamix and push the cilantro to blend well.

This chutney is delicious with Dosas and also as a spread for a sandwich with lettuce, sliced tomatoes and cucumbers.

Brown Basmati Rice with Zucchini

Ingredients:

1 Cup Brown Basmati Rice cooked and set aside.

1 Zucchini quartered and cut into 1/2” cubes

2 Tbs. Extra Virgin Coconut oil

1/2 tsp. Cumin seeds

1/2 tsp. turmeric

1 tsp. salt

1/4” Jalapeno diced (optional)

1/2 bunch of chopped cilantro

Heat the coconut oil and cumin seeds in a pan (I use an 11” or 12”ceramic coated saucepan) on medium heat until the cumin seeds start sizzling.

Add zucchini, turmeric and jalapeno and saute covered stirring as needed until zucchini is soft but not overdone.  Add the cilantro, cover and cook for a minute.

Add the cooked rice and salt.  Mix it well, lower the heat and cook covered until rice is heated evenly.  

Toovar Daal - Pigeon Peas

Ingredients:

1 Cup Toovar Daal (Pigeon Peas)*wash and soak for 2 hours. Overnight or all day soaking will reduce cooking time.

2 Cups peeled and cubed Butternut squash

1 Leek trimmed and diced

2 Button Mushrooms diced

2 Tomatoes quartered

1 Cup shredded carrots

1/4 tsp. Curry leaf powder or 4 curry leaves (Optional)

1/2 tsp. Ground Turmeric

1/2 tsp. Black Mustard seeds whole or ground

1/2 tsp. Cumin seeds whole or ground

1 Tbs. Corriander seed powder

1/4 tsp. Fenugreek seeds

1/4 tsp. Cayenne pepper powder (Optional)

2 inch piece of Ginger crushed

1 clove Garlic crushed

1.5 tsp. Salt

5 Cups water

*Set aside handful of chopped Cilantro and Juice of 1/4 Lemon

Discard the soaking water and place the Pigeon Peas and 5 cups water in a 5 quart steel pot and bring to a boil uncovered on high heat stirring occasionally then reduce heat to medium.  Cook for 1/2 hour then add the rest of the ingredients *except the lemon juice and cilantro.

Continue cooking uncovered or cover the pot with a lid slightly ajar to prevent overflowing.  You will need to watch it to be sure it does not overflow and adjust the heat if it spatters.  Stir it occasionally and continue cooking for another 1/2 hour until the pigeon are soft and almost melted consistency.   You may need to extend the cooking time to make sure the pigeon peas are well done.  

Remove from heat when done and add lemon juice and cilantro.

** If you are using an instant pot: Put all the ingredients in the instant pot but reduce the water to 4 cups water and cook for 40 minutes.  At higher elevations increase the time to 70 minutes.

Serve with Brown Basmati rice.

* Optional: 1 cup of cubed any color Bell Pepper and/or Summer Squash and/or Zuchinni

Hummus with Balsamic Vinegar

Hummus

2 cups cooked chic peas  * see note below 

2 TBS Balsamic vinegar

1TBS Extra Virgin Olive oil

1 tsp. Sesame seeds

1 tsp. salt (omit the salt if you are using canned chic peas).

Juice of 1/2 Lemon

Place all the ingredients in Vitamix blender and blend on Smoothie setting while using the tamper to push the chic peas into the blade for even blending.

Or use any food processor and blend until smooth creamy consistency.  You may need to add a couple of teaspoons or more of water to blend in your food processor.  I did not add any water for required consistency in the Vitamix blender.

Store hummus in airtight glass container in refrigerator and enjoy as a dip or salad dressing.

* I prefer to pre-soak organic chic peas 8 to 10 hours, drain the soaking water and then place them in a strainer to sprout.  My method of sprouting is to rinse them every morning and evening until sprouted.  Usually takes a couple of days from start to sprout.

Cook the sprouted chic peas in slow cooker with 8 cups water until well done. Approximate cooking time is about 7 hours in my slow cooker. 

Khichadi with Yellow Mung Daal

Ingredients:

1 cup Brown Basmati rice

1 cup yellow mung daal

2 cups French beans I like the french cut beans (frozen ok)

20 Brussel sprouts shredded in food processor

1 Green or red bell pepper chopped into small pieces

2 Carrots grated or chopped any way you like

* handful of chopped cilantro for garnish

1 inch piece of ginger - crushed or grated

1 tsp. salt

5 1/2 cups water

Spices:

1tsp mustard seeds

1 tsp. cumin seeds

1/2 tsp. turmeric powder

1 tsp. black pepper corns

8 cloves

1 cinnamon stick

1/8 tsp. asafoetida (hing)

Rinse the rice and mung daal and soak in 4 cups of water for an hour.  Then discard the soaking water and set aside.

Spray a 5 quart pot with avocado oil on medium heat and add the mustard seeds. Add the drained rice and daal along with all the spices and cook for about 5 minutes stirring every few minutes.  Add the water and bring to a boil and cook for about 20 minutes uncovered then add the rest of the ingredients, cover and cook for another 25 minutes until all the water is absorbed and the rice and daal are well done stirring occasionally.  

When done remove from heat.  Garnish with cilantro and enjoy.