Conscious Eating Part 33

Heating Vegetable Masala

Balances V and K, unbalances P All Seasons 5 cups green bell peppers, sliced 4 cups red peppers, sliced 1 cup garlic cloves Put entire amount of vegetables and garlic into dehydrator and dry for 5-10 hours. After drying, put small batches into a food processor or coffee mill and grind to desired consistency. Store in jar with tight-fitting lid.

Mexican Masala

Neutral for V and K, unbalances P All Seasons-Warming 5 cups tomatoes, sliced 2 cups celery, sliced 2 cups red bell pepper, sliced 1 cup lemon with rind, sliced tsp cayenne Put all ingredients into dehydrator and dry for 5-10 hours. After drying, put small batches into a food processor or coffee mill and grind to desired consistency. Store in jar with tight-fitting lid.

Remarks: Tomatoes unbalance P, and in excess, may unbalance V and K. Vs do best with tomatoes if the peel and seeds are removed and if it's a sauce, paste, or juice, so this masala form is acceptable for V.

For an instant tomato-celery juice, add 2 Tbs Mexican Masala to one cup of water. Blend or stir for one minute. Let stand for a minute, then add fresh lemon if desired.

To make a hot tomato dressing, add 2 Tbs raw apple cider vinegar to 4 Tbs Mexican Masala. Add 1 cup water, tsp cayenne or more to taste, and blend or stir until evenly dispersed.

To make a zingy tomato dip, add 6 Tbs Mexican Masala to the juice of one lemon and add water to achieve desired thickness. The lemon makes the dip more balancing for V. Let sit in a cool place or refrigerator for a little while. Serve with dehydrated crackers or slices of cuc.u.mber, carrot, or jicama.

Nala Masala

Balances K and V, and P in small amounts All Seasons 1 tsp cloves 1 tsp cinnamon 1 tsp nutmeg 1 tsp black peppercorns 1 tsp cardamom Blend in a spice mill.

Remarks: This is nice to add to the soak water for dried fruits to create an overnight spice effect.

Pizza Masala

Balances V and K, slightly unbalances P All Seasons, best Winter 2 Tbs dried bell pepper 1 Tbs black pepper 1 Tbs black peppercorn 1 Tbs oregano 2 tsp basil 1 tsp fennel 1 tsp thyme 1 tsp parsley 1 tsp marjoram 1 tsp dried chile tsp hing Put all ingredients into dehydrator and dry for 5-10 hours. After drying, put small batches into a food processor or coffee mill and grind to desired consistency. Store in jar with tight-fitting lid.

Vegetable Cooling Masala

Balances V, P, and K Late Spring and Summer 5 cups cuc.u.mbers, sliced 3 cups yellow squash, sliced 2 cups green beans, sliced Put entire amount of vegetables into dehydrator 5-10 hours. After drying, put small batches into a food processor or coffee mill and grind to desired consistency. Store in jar with tight-fitting lid.

Remarks: Normally, cuc.u.mber unbalances K; however, dehydrating the cuc.u.mber eliminates that effect. This is a good masala for late spring and summer and good for P anytime.

Winter Heat Masala

Balances V and K, unbalances P Winter 1 tsp black peppercorns tsp cayenne tsp ginger powder tsp cardamom Blend in a spice mill.

Remarks: If one has gas difficulties or likes the smell and taste of onions without eating them, add tsp of asafoetida (hing). Hing is balancing to V, especially in terms of lower bowel gas. This is a cold-weather masala which can turn almost any salad dressing or vegetable preparation into a warmer and gastric fire stimulator.

NUT AND SEED RECIPES.

Nuts and seeds are essential in a live-food diet because they carry a high concentration of protein and healthy fats. They are excellent for fast oxidizers and parasympathetics because they supply both protein and oil, but should be eaten in moderation by slow oxidizers and sympathetics.

The soaking of nuts and seeds renders them excellent biogenic foods for several reasons. The soaking activates the enzymes and metabolism in the germinal seed or nut as well as washes away inhibitory enzymes, which may obstruct digestion and a.s.similation. The fats, carbohydrates, and protein in the nuts and seeds are pre-digested when soaked. The primary effect of soaking is that the nuts and seeds become significantly easier to a.s.similate. In addition, in the soaked form, nuts and seeds can be combined with fruit. Most seeds need to be soaked 6-8 hours and can be soaked longer if necessary. Nuts require 12 hours of soaking. In general, it is easiest to simply soak both nuts and seeds overnight. (See Soaking and Sprouting section.) Soaking the nuts and seeds also influences their effect upon the doshas. The more fat a nut has, the more likely it will aggravate pitta and kapha. Some nuts that do this are Brazil, macadamia, walnuts, and pistachios. Other seeds are warming, such as chia and sesame seeds, and may aggravate pitta if eaten in excess. Chia seeds are particularly heating and will usually aggravate pitta. Soaked seeds and nuts, however, are less concentrated, less heavy, less oily, less sweet, and less dry. Because of this, the whole range of soaked nuts and seeds generally is less aggravating to the three doshas if not eaten in excess.

Blending the soaked nuts and seeds further enhances their digestibility and minimizes their vata-aggravating effect. When blended they should be eaten as soon as possible to minimize oxidation, which may alter the quality of fats as well as the enzyme content. For some seeds, such as flaxseed, it is difficult to get the full nutrition of the seed without breaking it down by blending. For this reason flaxseeds should be soaked and blended, or ground in a nut grinder.

Dehydrating nuts and seeds tends to make them slightly aggravating for vata if eaten in excess, but more balancing for kapha.

Nuts and seeds that are heating will become more heating when dehydrated, and are therefore aggravating for pitta if eaten in excess.

The primary nuts and seeds recommended for a live-food diet are sesame, pumpkin, sunflower, flax, chia, and almonds. Nuts such as walnuts, Brazil nuts, macadamia, and pistachios can be soaked but will not sprout.

The following recipes contain a variety of ways to incorporate soaked nuts and seeds into a complete live-food diet. These include seed sauces for breakfast, seed pates, seed milks, and a variety of recipes that include flaxseeds. Nut and seed recipes can be found in several sections other than the Nut and Seed Recipes section. These include Fermented Foods; Sauces, Spreads, and Dips; Salad Dressings; and Dehydrated Foods.

PATeS.

Pates are created by blending soaked nuts and seeds with a variety of different herbs, spices, and vegetables. They are particularly good in the live-food diet for fast oxidizers and parasympathetics. For best results we recommend using a food processor with the S-shape blade or the Champion Juicer with the blank plate. Pates may be served with soups, salads, and vegetable entrees, as well as with nori sheets, vegetable slices, and sprouted grain or flax crackers. They are also used in a number of other recipes as fillings. We hope you enjoy our serving suggestions and feel free to experiment with your own creations.

Veggie Pate

Balances V, P, K All Seasons 1 cup sunflower seeds, soaked 1 cup carrots, chopped cup broccoli, chopped cup cilantro 1 clove garlic 1 Tbs lemon juice 1 Tbs mellow miso Blend all ingredients except the miso. Mix in miso by hand and serve. Use half the miso for K. Serves 2-4.

Carrot-Almond Pate

Balances V, neutral for K, slightly unbalances P All Seasons 9 large carrots 1 cup almonds, soaked and blanched cup parsley cup cilantro 2 tsp olive oil tsp hing Celtic salt to taste Blend ingredients well.

c.u.min-Veggie Pate

Balances V and K, slightly aggravates P All Seasons 1 cups almonds, soaked and blanched cup squash cup carrots cup zucchini 1 tomato 1 Tbs cilantro 1 Tbs basil 1 Tbs c.u.min seeds Celtic salt to taste Blend all ingredients, except the c.u.min seeds. Add c.u.min seeds to mixture and serve.

Sunny Red Pepper Pate

Balances V, neutral for K, unbalances P All Seasons 1 large red pepper 1 cups sunflower seeds, sprouted cup almonds, soaked and blanched cup dill cup cilantro tsp hing 1 clove garlic, pressed Juice of 1 lemon Celtic salt to taste Blend.

Avocado Sun Pate

Balances V, neutral for P and K All Seasons 2 large avocados 1 cups sunflower seeds, soaked cup parsley cup lemon juice tsp cayenne 1 handful sunflower sprouts Blend all ingredients, saving the sunflower sprouts for a garnish. Serves 2-4.

Beet Pate

Balances V and K, neutral for P All Seasons 1 cups beets, grated 1 cups sunflower seeds, sprouted 1 Tbs raw tahini tsp dill tsp coriander tsp cayenne lemon (juice and pulp) Blend, adding up to 1/4 cup water until reaching desired consistency.

Remarks: Beets sweeten, warm, and moisten. They balance V and K, and aggravate P. They are, however, very useful in liver conditions in P people. The coriander and dill help balance P in this recipe.

Olive Pate