Kitchari/Kichadi

Simple, comforting, healing lentil and rice vegetarian stew with healthy, whole ingredients.

Have you been looking to make kitchari and didn’t know how or what to do? Were you intimidated by some recipes? Did you buy an expensive kit? This simple, comforting healing recipe is here to solve your issues and help you feel your absolute best! This is the easiest comforting and nourishing one-pot wonder.  

Description

We grew up eating kichadi almost every Sunday night.  For years, I thought it was because we had eaten through everything fresh in the fridge and our poor mom was exhausted.  She probably was, indeed with three kids and a full-time job.  In reality, my mom was helping to reset us and nourish us for the week to come.  Many of the things my mom cooked incorporated healing Ayurveda tricks.  Often, we hated it, but we were so lucky.

Simple Ayurveda that I practice in our daily life is gentle and kind.  She is the sweet friend who does not say, I told you so,  but here my darling, eat this and tell me everything.  My ayurvedic kitchari does not have too many spices and it is super quick and simple to pull together.  Both our kids ate this as babies, through toddler years, when they got teeth pulled, braces, and most definitely on Sundays when they had gone to multiple birthday parties and had too many slices of pizza and cupcakes to even count!

I love to eat kitchari at least once a week for dinner to stay balanced, for lunch AND dinner after an overindulgent week. Every season, I eat kichadi for a full day or two, to help gently detox my body. I end up feeling light, nourished, and that my digestion is that much stronger.  In my meditations, I can feel my body thanking me. Now we like to call it a cleanse, a mini cleanse, mono eating, put simply: it’s rebalancing the body so it can do the work we ask it to for us.

The beauty of kichadi is to master the ratios, and then you can add any spices and seasonings that make your taste buds happy.  Once you have the ratios down, you are living on a street called EASY and can make kichadi very quickly, whenever the need or urge strikes.

For a fun change in flavor profile, but still easy on the digestion, I have made Mediterranean Kichadi.  It’s not fusion, per se, but I created a lighter flavor profile.  I love it!  I include the fresh herbs of Italy, adding fresh parsley, basil, fresh-pressed olive oil on top with plenty of juicy lemon. It’s delicious!

Separately, if you don’t have these spices, but still want to give it a try, you can make this without all the Indian spices.  It will still help gently cleanse your digestion.  It may taste bland, so make sure you are using good quality sea salt and lots of fresh-squeezed lemon.  Don’t let not having cumin and coriander stop you from experiencing the healing properties of kichadi.

I know I grew up eating this, but this always feels like a hug and a supportive conversation.  I hope the hug makes you warm and happy, that you make this often and feel the LOVE!

Take a moment.  Take a full deep inhale.  Feel the breath in your side body.  Exhale slowly and smoothly.  Take two more breaths just like that.  Know you are loved.

Ingredients

1 cup split moong dal (the split is important for easy digestion)

1 cup short-grain rice or a mix of rice and quinoa

2 Tablespoons ghee

1 Tablespoon cumin

1 Tablespoon ground coriander

1 teaspoon of turmeric (if you love the taste like I do, add more)

1 — 2 inches of ginger (I love ginger) grated or chopped

½ teaspoon whole cumin seeds

¼ teaspoon of hing, asafoetida

1 bay leaf

2  to 3 teaspoons sea salt

Fresh cilantro

More ghee for serving on top

Fresh lemon for squeezing on top

Steps

  1. In a large bowl, add the rice and dal.  Rinse the mix.  I always like to rinse mine three times.  

Take the time to really be present and take deep, grounding breaths. 

  1. Soak the mix for 20 minutes or as long as you have time for, I always find this quickens the cooking process. (Don’t worry if you don’t have the time.)
  1. On medium heat, warm a  large pot or dutch oven, then add the ghee.  As the ghee warms and melts, add the cumin seeds.  As the aromas of earthiness fills your being, add the turmeric, ground coriander, ground cumin, and asafoetida.  Continue stirring,  so the spices do not burn.  Add the grated ginger.  Stir so everything is uniformly colored–one nameless dark color that smells like fresh earth and warm rain.
  1. Add the rice and dal along with 4 to 6 cups of water.   Add the bay leaf.I like mine on the more watery porridge side, but if you want it to be more like fluffy rice, stick with 4 cups of water.  Season generously with sea salt (Please please NOT MORTON’s.  Use real sea salt, celtic salt or himalayan salt).  
  2. Raise to medium high heat to bring the kitchari to a gentle boil, then lower to a medium low.  Cover withthe lid, but keep it a few inches open to allow some steam to escape.  Continue cooking until everything is a tiny bit “overcooked” to maximize digestive ease, usually about 20 minutes.  Stir a few times so nothing sticks to the bottom or sides.  The kichadi will look creamy.  
  3. Taste the kichadi to test the doneness and flavors.  You may need more water or salt.
  4. Squeeze plenty of fresh lemon and sprinkle with fresh cilantro.  

Say a super-specific gratitude, and enjoy healing your body and spirit.

Tumeric Elixir

Make this powdered magic Tumeric Elixir to calm inflammation and provide energy. Adjustable for immediate drinking or storage. 

Description

Sometimes we don’t have access to fresh turmeric but still NEED the magical energy of turmeric to heal our spirit or help with inflammation.  Not to worry — dry turmeric has similar properties and is just as easy to work with.  I love this elixir so much — I often keep the base ready to use, so I can make the tea even quicker.  

I have been drinking this my whole life.  The initial part I was forced! Now as an adult – I relish the tea. Now it is soothing and uplifting.   Looking back, I know that this must be one of the reasons that as children we were rarely sick.  Now I have it often, especially if I feel run down, emotionally or physically.  

When you look at the directions, many people think that the ghee part is strange.  I know it’s off-putting.  I understand.  Believe me, you won’t taste it.  It helps to magnify the properties of turmeric and basically, let’s turmeric do what it needs to do!  The concoction comes together quickly and in no time, you will be enjoying a warming and healing cup of homemade turmeric tea.

Ingredients

2 Tablespoons dry turmeric

1 Tablespoon of organic ghee

1 Tablespoon dry ginger

A couple shakes or grinds of black pepper or 9 peppercorns

4 cups of fresh water

2 Tablespoons fresh local honey

Juice of a half a lemon

Fresh mint

Steps

  1. In a small pot, add the ghee and put the flame to low heat.  As it warms, add the turmeric to let it bloom and its powers manifest.  Stir slowly and carefully.  Add the ginger and black pepper.  Stir some more.  This will all come together in a matter of minutes.
  1. Once you can smell an intense earthiness, this is the BASE.   You can let it cool, put it into a glass jar, and spoon out as needed.  Use within the  week.  You can store it outside on the counter, ready to be enjoyed.

If drinking now:

  1. Add in the water and increase the heat to medium.  Let it come to a rolling boil and then lower the heat, letting in heat for 20 minutes.   Add the fresh mint.  
  2. Take the pot off the heat.  Add fresh lemon juice.  Slowly pour a bit into a mug, add the honey and stir well.  Fill the cup –breath deeply.  Grounding yourself, take a full breath and set an intention for the rest of your day.  Will you approach the rest of your day with an assumption of the positive?  Will you remember the abundance that you already have?  WIll you KNOW in your soul that good things come to you? 

Golden Mylk

Golden Mylk is a warming tea of simple, flavorful ingredients perfect for connecting, revitalising, energizing, and grounding yourself in the present. 

Description

This.  THIS.  

In my childhood, anytime anything was WRONG, this is what my mother would make me.  But then again, when things were right, she would make this for us as well.  We grimaced.  We were not happy. If anyone had said this concoction would take over the wellness universe — well, I would not be a believer.  Never in a million years, I would exclaim.  I grew up with friends wondering why my house “smelled like that” and all sorts of other mean comments that stay with a young girl trying to find her way.  

Now, as a healer and mother myself, I love it when my MOMMY makes it for me! I make versions of this drink for myself daily.  She heals.  She uplifts.  She energizes.  She protects with a radiant energy, an all-encompassing golden light. Whether your day is just how it should be or more difficult than you had imagined, this is the warm soul hug that you need.  Since there is zero caffeine in this drink, you can have it anytime you want – it makes an ideal break in your day midday or mid-afternoon, as well as a beautifully warming drink to send you off to a good night’s sleep.  I have shared this drink with so many dear friends, new friends, and family members.  Offering this tea is a wonderful invitation to connect and share love.

I know it’s sold as tea bags and sold in bottles in the grocery store,  but making it from scratch will make the flavor profile stronger and more effective. And it’s so easy– not much more than you would 

I love this version warm – I just feel like it heals that much more, that much deeper, and that much better.  But you can drink it cold if you really must. 

Take a pause…know your worth. Stand in your power.  KNOW that you are a special someone.

Equipment

Mortar and Pestle, if you have one

Ingredients

4 inches fresh Turmeric

4 inches fresh ginger

9 black peppercorns

4 Cups of fresh water

2 Tablespoons fresh local honey

Juice of a half a lemon

Fresh mint

Steps

  1. Wash and crush the fresh turmeric and ginger in a mortar and pestle — that pounding is so CATHARTIC, isn’t it?  Or roughly chop in medium to small’ish pieces.  Sprinkle in peppercorns — take one full juicy breath to ground yourself.   Fill with the fresh water. 
  1. In a small pot, let it all come to a rolling boil and then lower to medium heat for 20 minutes.  
  1. Removing the pot off the stove, sprinkle in the mint if using.  
  1. In a mug, add lemon and honey.  Using a strainer, slowly pour in a small amount of the elixir and stir well.  Fill the mug. 
  1. Breathe deeply a few times to let the healing energy flow all the way into and around your body.  
  1. Drink and feel your vibrations RAISING!

HEALTHY HINT: Be especially careful when pouring — turmeric definitely leaves her mark on clothes, fingernails, and counters

Crispy Sauteed Mushrooms

Looking for a quick and easy side to make for dinner? Are you bored of your usual go-to healthy vegetables?  Do you want something hearty yet healthy?  Are you cooking for a vegetarian or vegan and not sure what to make? This deeply flavorful mushroom recipe is the exact thing you are looking for!

Description

This is a wonderful and flavorful side dish, and also stands well as a filling and flavorFULL main dish. I think it pairs beautifully with anything you dream up for a meal — delicious with any chicken, fish, or beef dish and lovely with pasta as well.  It’s a perfect “Meatless Monday” dish with quinoa or wild rice.

I adore mushrooms.  Almost in any form.  My favorite way is sauteed, but not just a regular saute, a nice looong saute, where the thinly sliced mushroom gets nice and crispy.  In our house, we literally can not have enough! It’s one of the things we fight over!  I love handling food and infusing it with my good energy.  Mushrooms are a perfect vehicle for that since you have to snap off the stems. Somehow, that small snap is JUST SO SATISFYING!

Speaking of meatless Mondays, I get a lot of frantic calls from clients and friends when a vegetarian friend is coming to dinner. You don’t have to make a weird tofu-and-something bake.  Or go buy some processed meat.  Or only serve pasta.  This is what I often make for dinner when I am eating vegetarian, which coincidentally this year has been most days. This is what I make most often when my kids have a vegetarian friend over and I’m not making dal (Ha! Ha!)

I think mushrooms get a bad rap and people feel like they don’t care for the texture.  I understand.  I see you.  I, too, don’t care for raw mushrooms.  If you grew up disliking mushrooms, give this one a try, with an open mind.  This one is flavorful with a dry, crispy texture.  It’s an all-around WINNER.

 Don’t forget to load up your plate — as I mentioned, this is one that we all fight for in our family — no matter how much I make, it disappears from The Healthy Family Table!  I jest, but really, there is something pacifying in mushrooms, those nights at our dinner table, I just feel like the conversations are longer, deeper, and we are even more connected. I’m not saying these mushrooms will have your kids sharing their deepest secrets and desires…but, anything and everything helps, right? It’s those nights when everyone is relaxed, eating what they love, that the magical conversations happen.  As the cook, your secret is that it was easy, it was simple, it was fast…and it was a healthy weeknight dinner. Kudos to you! 

Inhale the earthy goodness of sauteed mushrooms and butter – and send appreciation to Mother Earth for all the goodness that has and continues to come your way…  

Equipment

Cast iron skillet if you have it

Large pan, if you don’t

Ingredients

2 Tablespoons of fat — coconut oil, olive oil, ghee, or a mix

2 — 4 cloves garlic, depending on how much you love garlic

8 ounces or two large handfuls of mushrooms

Thyme, two or three stems

Parsley or  tarragon if you happen to have it around

Steps

  1. Crush the cloves of garlic or mince to small bits or slice thinly.  
  1. WIth a damp paper towel, wipe the mushrooms to clean.  Using your hands, snap the stem off the mushroom.  Feel victorious! Thinly slice the mushroom caps, slice the top of the mushroom stem, discarding the bottom third.
  2. Warm a large saute pan on low heat, after it warms, add the first Tablespoon of your cooking fat of choice.  I love a mix of ghee and olive oil.  Add garlic and the thyme to the pan.  Stir often so the garlic cooks but does not burn. Is there anything as promising as the smell of the garlic slowly caramelizing in oil? It’s HOME.  
  3. Add the mushrooms to the pan — don’t worry that the pan will be very full.  Gently toss so all the mushrooms are coated with the oil.  Now may be the time to add the second Tablespoon of oil. Rapidly, the mushrooms will shrink.  Stir every few minutes.  Turn the heat to medium.  Now, let the mushrooms sit so they get a bit crispy. After 5 minutes, stir so a new layer is on the bottom crisping up.  
  4. Sprinkle it with sea salt, black pepper to taste.  
  5. Sprinkle liberally with parsley, chives, or tarragon.

Substitutions

If you don’t have the herbs, it’s really not an issue.  The mushrooms will still taste FABULOUS!!

Storage

If you have any leftovers, they store well for up to a week in a glass container in the refrigerator.  

Lucky Leftovers

This would be delicious with your morning scramble of eggs or in an omelet.  I love adding it to my salads or mixing it in with the next night’s sauteed kale.

Magical Green Sauce

This flavor-packed, homemade signature sauce will quickly become a staple for spicing up leftovers, saucing your chicken, dressing your salads, or dipping. A few simple ingredients bring a punch of flavor with this magical green sauce. 

Description

Are you looking for a simple and flavor-packed sauce?  This herby flavorful sauce This is just the sauce to spice up a bland leftovers lunch bowl, a night when you are using a rotisserie chicken as the main meal, or any time you are eating and want a boost of happiness!  

Besides big flavor, it’s an ideal way to use up extra herbs that are about the wilt and come to a sad, slow demise. We hate to waste at The Healthy Family Table and this recipe is the superhero that will help you stop the bad habit of wasting.  Ultra-flexible, it’s the perfect way to mix and match herbs based on the flavors you love.

Is it just me…I don’t know why, but when I make a SAUCE, I just feel so EXTRA!! Extra chef-y, extra fancy, and just all-around EXTRA SPECIAL.

There is an amazing restaurant in our neighborhood in the West Village in New York City called Barbuto, by Chef Jonathon Waxman.  It’s the most exquisite — on a corner, with walls that are big almost garage doors that open up — making it indoor and outdoor all at once.  I always feel completely LUCKY that it’s always written up as the neighborhood restaurant that you WISH was on your corner.  We were that lucky family that had it on our corner.  Some of our friends and neighbors joked and called it their kitchen.  We didn’t go there as often as the Prince’s or Wilson’s, but we loved it still.  Dogs are more than welcome, and usually, they will find a new friend.  Our puppy Khushi loved walking by for a warm pet from a new friend and hopefully some tidbits of Chef Waxman’s world-famous chicken.  We went to celebrate: Birthdays.  A friend coming to town.  A friend coming from uptown! A Tuesday night. To discuss our kids and what they most needed from us. Meeting up with our other neighbors. We went there to celebrate our daughter getting into City and Country. We went there to celebrate our son getting into Packer Collegiate High School.  All to say, this restaurant, this sauce, is part of the fabric of our family.

While this is not Chef Waxman’s green sauce — his is perfection – this is perfect in its own way.  PRO TIP: I always, always ask for an extra sauce when I order his juicy flavorful chicken, but it’s my very delicious version. Truly — It’s magical! It definitely saves a dinner.  It will most certainly save a sad desk lunch. And just smelling it will LIFT your spirits.  It’s that magical.

Inhale the intoxicating earthy scent of cilantro, the aromatic scent of basil…feel grounded, thank Mother Earth, and say a very specific thing that you feel grateful for.  

You can thin it out with EVOO and use as a salad dressing.

You can thicken it up with full-fat whole milk yogurt, add some fresh chives and parsley and use it like a tangy homemade ranch.

You can stir some with Tahini and use it as a thick spread on a sandwich or as another sauce.  

The possibilities are endless….

Equipment

High-Speed blender or food processor

Ingredients

  • 1 cup of herbs — it can be a mix of parsley, cilantro, basil, mint, dill, chives, fennel fronds
  • 1 clove of garlic  
  • ½ cup of good quality extra virgin olive oil
  • Juice of half a lemon
  • 1 anchovy filet — optional
  • Salt and pepper to taste

Steps

  1. Add one clove of garlic to a mug with hot water to soften the heat and bite of the garlic.  
  1. In a blender or a Vitamix, add herbs, garlic clove, lemon juice, anchovy, and cover with the EVOO.  Blend until it’s come together as a sauce. Adjust the salt and pepper to taste.
  1. Sit in AMAZEMENT at how fancy and CHEF-Y you are!

Substitutions

If you don’t have all the herbs, not a worry.  It will have a different flavor– but it will still be absolutely delicious.

Storage

This stores well for a week or so.  I like to keep this in the fridge in a mason jar AT ALL TIMES.  

Lucky Leftovers

This is such a handy sauce and it is like a sexy chameleon – it can add flavor and depth to many things.  You can thin it out with EVOO and use as a salad dressing.  You can thicken it up with full-fat whole milk yogurt, add some fresh chives and parsley and use it like a tangy homemade ranch.  You can stir some with Tahini and use it as a thick spread on a sandwich or as another sauce.  

HEALTHY HINT: you can barely taste one anchovy and it adds so much flavor, I really encourage you to try it once.  I have a feeling you will love it so much that the next time you will CONFIDENTLY add two!

Refreshing and Energizing Indian Lemonade

Simple, refreshing lemonade perfect for cooling off on a warm day.

Description

Looking for a quick, simple REFRESHING drink to make to drink on a hot day or when you have friends over?  This lemonade is just the thing because it has only a few ingredients, it’s likely that you have them at home AND guaranteed.  It’s energizing and hydrating – perfect to sip while lounging by the pool or getting ready to have a challenging game of tennis!

Nani or NaniMa is mother’s mother in our Indian language, Gujarati.  My mom makes the most delicious and best best BEST lemonade or limbu pani.  It’s fresh, contains just the right balance of tart and sweet, with the added flavor profile of the cumin seeds.  It’s simple to make and makes that perfect summer day THAT MUCH more perfect.  Not only good for you, it tastes FANTASTIC as well. How about that – a two for one that we can all celebrate.

Even if you aren’t sitting poolside at a fancy resort enjoying a relaxed and wonderful Sunday afternoon, reading Whereabouts by Jhumpa Lahiri — this can put you there energetically. Take a moment to let your mind really go there – beautiful blue sky, the sun shining at JUST THE RIGHT amount of brightness – perhaps a slight breeze – a deep blue infinity pool.  You – under an umbrella, legs long, immersed in a book, perhaps the latest Ann Patchett, with this cold, refreshing drink in your hand.  Dreamy sigh…..You are really living life!

I always feel like a heroine when I make fresh lemonade — but truly, it really is the embodiment of the saying –” easy peasy lemon squeezy!”  It’s THE reason to have a large glass pitcher and a serving tray — how Perfect Hostess will you look when you serve friends a beautiful pitcher of this delicious lemonade?

While store-bought lemonade can be easy to have on hand and lasts a long time,  it’s loaded with bad sugar, such as high fructose corn syrup, corn syrup, food coloring, stabilizers, and other unhealthy things we don’t want in our bodies or in our children’s bodies.  I encourage you to try this recipe.  It lasts a week in the fridge – so you can keep it on hand…if you, your kids, and friends don’t drink it all in one afternoon!  

My kids still prefer when Nani makes it – so do I.  She makes it so effortlessly and her flavors are always perfectly balanced.  I make it often – but I must admit, I still have to taste test it multiple times to get the flavor exactly how we love it.  NO matter.  It’s such fun to make and even more fun to drink and EVEN that much more fun to share with your family and friends. I even love beginning with the rolling of the lemons.  Touch is so important and adds to our cooking.  Here, simply rolling the lemons connects us to the main taste in this refreshing.

I remember having it in India when visiting our extended families during the oppressively hot and humid summer.  My mom or favorite aunt, Shama Mami would always serve it as soon as we arrived.  She was such a loving person and would remember all of my favorites – snacks, drinks, and meals.  I still recall with wonder how touching that kind of love is – caring enough to really consider what another person loves to eat.  How that balance of the sour with the sweet was always able to bring up my energy from the journey and the heat.  

If you don’t want it to taste “Indian”,  simply leave out the cumin seeds and you will have fresh homemade lemonade! Do still add in the tiny pinch of salt as it subtly balances the lemon flavor.

Take a moment to close your eyes.  Grounding through your feet, take a deep, smooth inhale.  Let your mind go back to a favorite childhood memory.  Remember the childhood joys of summer and RELISH this moment.  Smile. Find a way to add PLAY and wonder to your day.  Share the story with your kids or friends.  Feel grateful for childhood happiness and memories.

Equipment

  • Lemon juicer, if you have it
  • Strainer if you don’t have juicer, to catch the seeds
  • Tall glass pitcher
  • Tall spoon to stir
  • Mason jar
  • Bowl

Ingredients

  • Juice of one lemon
  • Juice of one lime
  • 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
  • ½ teaspoon cumin powder
  • Pinch of black salt or himalayan salt
  • 1 Tablespoon of honey, or more to taste
  • 8 ounces of water
  • Ice
  • Optional: fresh mint or basil from the garden.

Steps

  1. Roll the whole lemon on the counter with the palm of your hand.  Additionally, this helps you to connect to the lemon, which I think makes the juice that much sweeter.  Juice a lemon and remove the seeds.
  2. In a mug, put in a few tablespoons of warm or hot water, add honey, stir to combine well.  You are making a small batch of very simple, simple syrup! 
  3. In a mason jar, add all the lemon juice, cumin seeds, cumin powder, himalayan salt. Mix well.  This is now your magical base.
  4. In a tall glass, add 1 tablespoon of the fresh lemon juice BASE, 1 Tablespoon of the honey simple syrup.  Fill with the desired amount of ice and water. Stir quickly three times.  

Remember the childhood joys of summer and RELISH this moment.  Find a way to add PLAY and wonder to your day.

Tip:  Roll the lemon and the lime on the counter with the palm of your hand three times to help release more juice.  Then, wash the lemon, slice in half, and watch the juice FLOW!

Substitutions

If you are out of lemons, you can certainly use limes.

Storage

This will store well in the mason jar for a week.  It will be very simple to mix up a fresh glass at your whim.  If you make a pitcher of lemonade, it will last in the fridge for 2 or 3 days.  But again – if it’s HOT – it’s unlikely to make it for very long before being consumed.  It’s that good!

Lucky Leftovers

You could add this to freshly made ice tea for the most delicious Arnold Palmer.  As well, this would taste FANTASTIC for cocktail hour with gin, tequila, or vodka.

CCF tea – AKA Your Digestion’s Bestie Tea (Cumin, Coriander, and Fennel Tea)

If you are seeking an herbal tea to adopt into your routine to aide and soothe your digestion track, Cumin Coriander Fennel Tea is the perfect elixir. Quick and simple to make with good, whole ingredients, this tea will ensure everything is running smoothly and at an optimum level.

Did you overeat? Are you feeling bloated? This is a simple, quick herbal tea infusion to make for yourself to get your digestion back on track.  When used regularly, it helps your digestion work at an optimal level. It’s the simple and powerful trick that you always wanted!

This herbal infusion is an old ayurvedic recipe to aid in digestion. I remember my mother making it for us whenever we had a stomache–usually after too much Halloween candy or too much COTTON CANDY from a carnival. 

I started incorporating it into my life again when I began my Ayurveda studies in my 40’s – having completely forgotten how powerful it is.  I won’t lie.  It was certainly not love at first sight.  The first time I thought….hmmmm.  This isn’t what I want to be drinking.. However, SHE PREVAILED, as we now know say! 

I love how it promotes healthy digestion, and helps with the discomfort of indigestion, or too much eating.  I try to live a balanced life — but I am very human and NOT PERFECT.  I have eaten too much at that delicious restaurant I have been trying to go to for months!  You know the one…that makes the delicate pasta by hand.  Or had a few too many bites of my mother in law’s flavorful chicken biryani. Or too many bites of my daughter Anisa’s homemade chocolate pudding…it is so silky and luscious. 

It’s this magical potion that saves me EVERY TIME.  This tea has so many benefits that make it worth adding to your daily habits. Or, you can also just incorporate it when you “need it the most”, for example after a too heavy to digest meal or a meal that you indulged in too much!  CCF Magical Tea to the rescue.  Even too much of a balanced and healthy meal can cause digestive distress. This Ayurveda tea is here to save the day by doing wonders for your gut health.

Confession —  It may take some getting used to the taste, it’s a very different taste than most of us are used to.  It is not going to taste like your usual mint tea!  But it really does the JOB!  Believe me – it’s a gamechanger.  An easy new habit to add into your daily practice, have this tea daily for 7 days and see how you feel.  You will feel lighter and less bloated, I promise.  

I know it sounds strange…these are spices I cook with (or don’t cook with! Ha ha!).  How can this be tea? Technically, it’s more of an infusion.  The combination of these three spices come together and create something bigger with profoundly healing properties.  It’s one of those, wow! If I had known it could be so easy, I would have done it years ago. 

Healthy Hint to make your life easier – Once I mix a jar of this, I  keep it right there with all my teas. Let them be tea Besties!  It makes it much quicker to have it when I need it and it lasts several months.

In the beginning, I advise you to try it a few times, maybe make it a few different ways as your taste buds adjust.  I drink this many afternoons, it’s especially comforting during the first chilly days of Fall.  I like to add a tiny taste of local honey and some fresh lemon, especially in the beginning as you get adjusted to this taste.  You can also add a sprig of fresh mint from your garden.

Luckily, we live in a world where many spices are available at local supermarkets.  Most likely, you will be able to find all three spices at your Whole Foods, Kroger’s, Ralph’s, Gristede’s or wherever you market. You will certainly save yourself money by visiting your closest Indian store.  These spices are versatile and long lasting, so do yourself a favor and pick up a larger bag of all three.  Or, you can always order online.  If you feel so inclined, there are smaller spice purveyors who are making sure working conditions and wages are fair that I highly recommend looking into for the future, including Diaspora Co., Curio, SOS Spices, and Zameen spices, among many others.  I love spending time at SOS Spices in the East Village of New York.  Atef Boulaabi’s shrine to  spices and cooking is tiny, crowded, and beautiful.  I wouldn’t have it any other way.  Most often there, she is welcoming and ready to talk cooking whether you are a celebrated chef, or a home cook looking to try something new.  I love sharing what I’ve been making, what I want to try, and what I am afraid to try!  Single source spices are super fresh, and she also makes blends that I love.   

Take a smooth, deep breath.  Close your eyes.  Feel the warmth inside you.  Connect to that love that you have for yourself.  Self care can look many ways.  Take good care of yourself.

Equipment

Kettle or pot to boil water

Ingredients

  • -1 tablespoon cumin seeds
  • -1 tablespoon coriander seeds
  • -1 tablespoon fennel seeds

Steps

  1. Add one tablespoon to a mug of just boiled water.  Cover.  Let steep for five minutes. 
  2. Set a timer and meditate for 5 minutes.  
  3. What a relaxed and focused afternoon you will have!
  4. Strain into a mug, using your strainer.
  5. Add local honey to taste.
  6. Breathe it in and toast your health!

Substitutions

You really can’t substitute – but, if you only have fennel, just chew on that.  A handful or two will help.  

If you only have two out of three, give it a steep – a little is better than nothing.

You can certainly ADD things – ginger, mint, chamomile, tulsi, to round out the flavors and add additional benefits.

Storage

Mix up larger quantities in a glass mason jar.  It will last for several months.

Healthy Hint:  I mix a jar of this and keep it right there with all my teas.  It makes it much quicker to have it when I need it and less to put away.

Healthy Hint: Add a small spoon of local honey and a juicy squeeze of lemon to help you adjust to the taste.  

Beef Keema

Looking for a simple, healthy Indian recipe to throw together any night of the week? Beef Keema is the perfect dinner with its flavorful spice and sauce, quick prepare-time, and versatility with ingredients, diet restrictions, and picky eaters. 

When my kids have friends staying over for dinner, this is my go-to recipe. Well, second to dal, that is. Beef keema is a gateway into what we eat at home–the fastest and surest way to invite guests to LOVE Indian food immediately–with all its subtle spices and fresh ingredients. 

As with most things I cook, this is so versatile and flexible.  Not too many spices — not a problem.  Hate peas (that’s for my little perfect child!) — skip the peas.  Add some spinach.  Not into ground beef…try ground lamb…or ground turkey…or ground chicken.  It’s really all so easy and so doable.  I usually serve it with rice and possibly some quickly chopped, crunchy cucumbers.  I love sprinkling everything with loads of cilantro — but if the littles don’t, leave it out or on the side. We usually serve it with warm rice.  If you are limiting rice for yourself, this dish is perfectly satiating without the rice.  Or, you can make cauliflower rice as well, see my recipe for a seasoned and FLAVOR-packed cauliflower rice. 

This was a go-to in my husband’s house growing up, and still a favorite of his even today.  It is saucy and rich but without the heaviness. Funny story, my sweet mother-in-law, who is an incredible cook, would sometimes call her beef keema “Italian meat sauce” to convince her kids that she could cook “American” food.  While she WOULD serve it over spaghetti noodles, she didn’t switch out the flavors!! My husband and his siblings were not amused!

Additionally, when friends ask me to teach them how to make something or want to experiment with an “easy” recipe, this is the one I share the most often.  It doesn’t have too many spices involved, many are likely to be in your larder for other cuisines, and it really isn’t labor-intensive. I am pretty sure I have a 100% success rate! With both the cooks and the eaters. Bold but true!

This one is saucy and thick, so if you are not eating rice, you honestly won’t miss it.  Give the spinach or kale you are cooking a little bit extra love and serve yourself up a heap of veggies to balance it all.  Another great thing about this beef keema is that it lends itself easily to a variety of eating preferences.  Are you serving kids with different eating styles?  Kids want nothing touching anything else? No Problem. You want a big, spicy bowl with everything tumbled together? No problem.  You are a MAGICIAN!

By now, your house should smell amazing— you likely won’t even have to call the children to the table — they will come running. Dinner is served!

Take a moment to ground yourself with one full deep breath and say a very specific in-the-moment gratitude.  I am so grateful for these friends around my table tonight, I value their support and their kindness.

Enjoy the beauty around your HEALTHY family table! 

Equipment

Medium pot or saucepan, whatever your preference

Wooden spoon to stir

Ingredients

2 tablespoons ghee, butter, grapeseed oil, coconut oil

1 pound of ground, grass-fed beef or lamb

1 cup peas

1 or 2 small shallots, chopped

2–4 garlic cloves, crushed

1 — 2 inches Ginger, grated or finely chopped

½ medium green jalapeno, chopped  (omit if you don’t have and add more red chile)

1 Tablespoon Tomato paste

1/c cup pureed tomato or freshly chopped tomatoes.

1 teaspoon turmeric

1 Tablespoon cumin

1 Tablespoon coriander

1 Tablespoon red chile powder 

Small cinnamon stick

Fresh Cilantro

Salt to taste

Steps

  1. On low, heat a large saucepan or pot, once warm, add the ghee or oil.  Once that is warm, add onions  to begin caramelize, cooking the onions low and slow for 15 minutes, stir, but not too often.  Take a deep breath — the onions will smell sweet and fragrant. MMMMMM….Add the garlic and ginger, stirring, so the garlic doesn’t burn and turn bitter. Sprinkle all the spices and the cinnamon stick.  Stir slowly but continuously to not burn the spices.  Once the spices have bloomed — about 30 seconds or so, add the tomato paste.  Sitr frequently so it doesn’t burn–adding a little water if you need to.  We aren’t cooking as much as trying to expand the flavor profile of the paste and make it taste less “tinny.” 
  2.  Now, add the pureed tomatoes.
  3. Add the ground beef, sprinkle with some sea salt and continue to stir to brown the meat.  Add more water as necessary.  You want it to be saucy but not too thin and soupy. Cover to let the flavors come together and the sauce to become integrated.
  4. After 10 minutes, check and add the frozen peas, if using. Let that cook for just a couple minutes.
  5. Meanwhile, wash and chop the cilantro.  Sprinkle liberally!

By now, your house should smell amazing— you likely won’t even have to call the children to the table — they will come running.

We usually serve it with warm rice.

Substitutions

If you are vegetarian, you can substitute garbanzo beans, kidney beans, or your favorite beans, or whatever you have on hand!  This would then be similar to chole or rajma, also a delicious and hearty meal.

You can substitute tofu as well.  It will be a saucy spicy scramble, which would be lovely served with sauteed greens or warm rice.

For a low carb option, substitute with cauli rice, broccoli rice,  or serve over a bed of sauteed spinach, steamed broccoli, and cauliflower, or our sauteed mushrooms.  If I am not having rice, I actually love eating it without rice.  It’s just as warming and so filling in all the best ways. 

I have made this countless times with other ground meats.  Lamb is traditional, ground chicken is fantastic, ground turkey absorbs the flavors well.  

Storage for Beef Keema

This dish stores really well – in fact, it’s one of those magical dishes that continues to taste better as the flavors continue to come together.  Store in an airtight glass container in the refrigerator for 3 to 5 days.

Lucky with Leftovers

Beef keema is delicious wrapped in a corn tortilla, cauliflower wrap, whole wheat tortilla, or roti. Throw on some fresh arugula and some warm veggies.  Lunch was never so good.

Recipe: Cilantro Chutney

Cilantro Chutney

The Healthy Family Table

There are certain non-negotiables in life.  For me, to have homemade chutney in the fridge is a MUST.  I love all sauces, but this is my all time favorite.  I love it with Indian food, of course, but I also love how it can LIFT up a bland bowl and make it sing. Add it on top of fresh tomatoes….mmm.  A perfectly toasted piece of bread with butter and chutney is a tiny taste of  heaven.

I keep my chutney recipe simple and often not too spicy. I find that mine lasts well in the fridge, about a week, if we don’t all use it up before!

Ingredients

  • 1 bunch fresh organic cilantro
  • 1 lemon
  • 1 teaspoon sea salt
  • 1 inch jalapeno or more depending on spice level
  • 2 to 3 Tablespoons of water

Wash the cilantro thoroughly.  There is often much dirt and debris.  Chop off the very bottom couple inches where the roots may be.  Discard.  Roughly chop the cilantro, including most of the stems. 

Add to a blender, with jalapenos, sea salt, juice of the lemon.  Start by adding as little water as possible.  Start blending.  Add more water if necessary to keep mixing.  Taste for balance of salt and spice.  It should taste spicy to suit your taste.

Mmmmm…and enjoy!

Recipe: Healing Kitchari

Image from Real + Vibrant

Kitchari / Kichadi

Healing lentil and rice vegetarian stew

The Healthy Family Table

We grew up eating kichadi  almost every Sunday night.  For years, I thought it was because we had eaten through everything fresh in the fridge and our poor mom was exhausted.  She probably was, indeed with three kids and a full time job.  In reality, my mom was helping to reset us and nourish us for the week to come.  Many of the things my mom cooked incorporated healing ayurveda tricks.  Often, we hated it, but we were so lucky.

I love to eat khichdi at least once a week for dinner to stay balanced, for lunch AND dinner after an overindulgent week. Every season, I eat kichadi for a full day or two, to help gently detox my body. I end feeling light, nourished, and that my digestion is that much stronger.  In my meditations, I can feel my body thanking me.

The beauty of kichadi is to master the ratios, and then you can add any spices and seasonings that make your taste buds happy.  Once you have the ratios down, you are living on a street called EASY and can make kichadi very quickly, whenever the need or urge strikes.

Ingredients

  • 1 cup split moong dal (the split is important for easy digestion)
  • 1 cup short grain rice or a mix of rice and quinoa
  • 2 Tablespoons  ghee
  • 1 Tablespoon cumin
  • 1 Tablespoon ground coriander
  • 1 teaspoon of turmeric (if you love the taste, like I do, add more)
  • 1 — 2 inches of ginger (I love ginger) grated or chopped
  • ½ teaspoon whole cumin seeds
  • ¼ teaspoon of hing, asafoetida
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 2  to 3 teaspoons sea salt
  • Fresh cilantro
  • More ghee for serving on top
  • Fresh lemon for squeezing on top

In a large bowl, add the rice and dal.  Rinse the mix.  I always like to rinse mine three times.  

Take the time to really be present and take deep, grounding breaths. 

Soak the mix for 20 minutes or as long as you have time for, I always find this quickens the cooking process.

On medium heat, warm a  large pot or dutch oven, then add the ghee.  As the ghee warms and melts, add the cumin seeds.  As the aromas of earthiness fills your being, add the turmeric, ground coriander, ground cumin, and asafoetida.  Continue stirring,  so the spices do not burn.  Add the grated ginger.  Stir so everything is uniformly colored–one nameless dark color that smells like fresh earth and warm rain.

Add the rice and dal along with 4 to 6 cups of water.   I like mine on the more watery porridge side, but if you want it to be more like fluffy rice, stick with 4 cups of water.  Season generously with sea salt.  Add the bay leaf.

Raise to medium high heat to bring the kitchari to a gentle boil, then lower to a medium low.  Add the lid, but keep it a few inches open to allow some steam to escape.  Continue cooking until everything is a tiny bit “overcooked” to maximize digestive ease, usually about 20 minutes.  Stir a few times so nothing sticks to the bottom or sides.  The kichadi will look creamy.  

Taste the kichadi to test the doneness and flavors.  You may need more water or salt.

Squeeze plenty of fresh lemon and sprinkle with fresh cilantro.  

Say a super  specific gratitude, and enjoy healing your body and spirit.

I know I grew up eating this, but this always feels like a hug and a supportive conversation.  

I hope you make this often and feel the LOVE!

Notes

*********

In Indian cooking, the spices need to “bloom”, what we call a “vagaar” in gujarti.  Simply, this means heating ghee or oil, adding the ground spices together to open up.  Next, this is added to the main dish.

  •  You can play with  the proportions of spices. I generally add much more turmeric when I am trying to reduce inflammation, more ginger in the winter, but much less in the summer.  Please note when using kichadi as a reset, I don’t recommend onions, garlic, or chili pepper.
  • For a fun change in flavor profile, but still easy on the digestion, I have made Meditterean Kichadi.  I include the fresh herbs of Italy, adding fresh parsley, basil, fresh pressed olive oil on top with plenty of juicy lemon. It’s delicious!
  • You can make this without all the Indian spices, if you don’t have them.  It will still help gently cleanse your digestion.  It may taste bland, so make sure you are using good quality sea salt and lots of fresh squeezed lemon.  Don’t let not having cumin and coriander stop you from experiencing the healing properties of kichadi.
  • Hing or asafoetida is a common ingredient in traditional Indian and Ayurvedic cooking.  Full warning — it’s an INTENSE smell, but fear not,  the smell disappears in the cooking.  It’s wonderful to help with digestion and you can use hing in all sorts of recipes that involve lentils and beans.  

Summer Cool

While the thrill of summer and summer vacations never goes away, the glare of the sun can be taxing.  Keep your temper low and your energy high by incorporating these tips.  Since summer is hot, bright and sharp, this is the time to balance our bodies with natural coolness.  Simply change the diet to cool and pure foods to enable our bodies to feel naturally fresh and light.
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