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Taziki Sauce

9/8/2018

Mediterranean food has to be (one) my favorite cuisines, hands down. I love the simplicity and freshness that you taste in all of the foods as you are eating. I'm not sure if I have mentioned this before, so I'll do it now. My intention with food is to never mask the flavor of the actual vegetable or grain or whatever it is that you are making. In all reality, that's my least favorite foods--ones in which all you can taste is the spice and not the fragrance of what it is that you are actually eating. I appreciate Mediterranean food for this matter.

Taziki sauce is very similar to a traditional Indian raitu, with it's own twist. It's super easy to make, and it pairs well with basically everything. Use it as a dipping sauce for veggies, a flavor enhancer in sandwiches, or a topping on your falafel dish.

The base of any Taziki sauce is going to be Greek Yogurt. We know that yogurt is a GREAT source of probiotics and protein to help aid your gut and intestines. Having a healthy gut biome is essential in healthy digestion and proper functioning of the entire tract. From an Ayurvedic perspective, yogurt is cooling to the system. So, this sauce is great to enjoy in the summer time.

Of course, the best part of this side dish is that it takes an all of 4 minutes to make. Just dump all ingredients in and stir. Voila!

Ingredients:

3 cups Greek Yogurt (it's best to get full fat yogurt. Any "skim"/"low-fat" undergoes some level of processing, and of course our goal is to attempt to eliminate all processed foods from our diets)
3/4 cup cucumber--peeled & shredded
1/2 cup dill leaves--minced
1 tsp garlic powder OR 3/4 tsp finely minced fresh garlic.
Salt & Pepper to taste
Water as needed

Directions:

In a large mixing bowl, measure our your Greek yogurt. Add water and mix until it reaches the consistency you would like. (Note: I use maybe 1/4 cup water just to eliminate clumps from the yogurt. Thin it out as you like, just remember that the cucumber will release water so you it will naturally become thin. It's all preference!) Mix until you get a really nice, smooth consistency.
Add in the rest of the ingredients, and mix. Salt and pepper is to your liking.
Literally, that's it!

Enjoy!

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Chunky Pecan Cookies

6/25/2018

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Y'all! I think I may have created the yummiest and healthiest cookie possible. This past Saturday, I was able to finally make it to the local farmer's market before it gets too hot in Lubbock. It was SO fun! Our local farmer's market has grown so much, and I really just wanted to buy everything.

But, what really caught my eye were these little packs of pecans. The sweetest gentleman was selling them, so I thought I would buy some. Now, everyone in my family (myself included) is on a low/no-sugar diet. Pecan pie was out of the question. What to do. What to do. Cookies. That's what we're going to do.

This cookie is chock-full of healthy fats and good fiber. Not to mention maple syrup as the sweetener which is great for the summer time!

Guys, when I tell you RUN to make these, RUN to make these! One batch at my house finished in 1.5 days. I had to make another batch right after dinner tonight.

Enjoy!

Ingredients:

2 sticks butter (room temperature)
3/4 cup sucanat (most natural form of sugar)
1/4 cup pure maple syrup
1 tsp vanilla
2 tsp coconut extract
1 tsp baking powder
1 cup almond meal
2 cups quick oats
1/2 cup all-purpose, unbleached flour
1 cup coconut flakes/shredded coconut (I always use unsweetened)
2 tbsp flax meal + 6 tbsp water (mix these together and keep separate)
3 handfuls pecans, crushed (I just crushed them in my hands coarsely and just popped in)
Powdered sugar

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and grease 2 cookie sheets.
In a standing mixer, cream together butter, sucanat, and maple syrup until it is nice and smooth.
Add in your flax mixture, vanilla, and coconut extracts.
Next, add in the baking powder.
In a separate bowl, mix together the oats, almond meal, flour, and coconut flakes. You will gradually mix this in on low speed into the wet ingredients.
Finally, you will fold in the pecans at the very end.
Using a melon baller, scoop the batter and place on the cookie sheet.
Bake for 8-10 minutes on the top rack.
Once you pull them out of the oven, immediately dust with powdered sugar.
Let them cook and set and then literally gobble them up because they're SO good. And guilt-free!

Enjoy guys! Comment below and tell me how you like them!

Bon Apetit!

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Coconut Mashed Carrots

5/28/2018

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Mashed potatoes. Comfort food. Seriously one of my favorite foods. There is nothing better than a side of creamy and garlic-y mashed potatoes. And as much as I love potato as a vegetable. Although potatoes have a bad rep, one of the more unfortunate parts of the potato is that it is a nightshade. Nightshades inherently are inflammatory to the body, so the more we limit the consumption of potatoes, the better overall for our bodies.

The search was on to make a side of something creamy and delicious that elicits the same comfort food aspect of it all.

In Ayurveda, when I think of comfort, the first thing that comes to mind is something that is nourishing and grounding. All of this leads to minimizing vata. So, naturally I reached for root vegetables like carrots and sweet potatoes.

AND GUYS. This was the most delicious thing I have had in a long time. I want you guys to make this almost immediately. I kid you not it was so good. And the best part was that it took zero to no time to make this! Recipe below. Promise you're going to love this.

Ingredients:

3 tbsp avocado oil
4 carrots, peeled and cut in big chunks
2 sweet potatoes (same prep as the carrots)
2 cans coconut milk (see note in the recipe for exactly how to prep this guy)
2 tsp minced garlic
5 tsp black pepper
Handful of chopped Italian parsley
Salt to taste
Water

Directions:

In a large pot, place the oil to warm. Put in the garlic, and saute the garlic until a nice aroma comes out.
Pop in the carrots and sweet potato and cover it in the oil, and cook just a little bit.
Next, you're going to cover the veggies with just enough water so that it leaves about 2 inches of water above the vegetables. Close the pot. Turn the stove onto medium heat. Let the water come to a boil so that the vegetables can cook.
Here is my note on the coconut milk. One can you will use fully. The second can you want to use just the cream part. The easiest way to do this is to stick the can into the fridge the night before or for a few hours so that the cream and water naturally separate.
You want to make sure that you can stick a knife completely through both the carrots and sweet potatoes. Once all cooked, mash everything together. Depending on how you like it, you can leave it as chunky or creamy as you like.
After all is well and mashed, add in 1 full can of coconut milk and a 2nd can of just cream. Mix well together again. I mashed it a little bit more at this point as well.
Finally, I added in the parsley, black pepper, and salt for taste. One final mix, and voila! You have the most amazing mashed carrots and sweet potatoes you can imagine.

I hope you enjoy this as much as I did! Bon apetit!

I topped it with some rice and lentils for some heartiness.

Paired with some walnuts and arugula--you can't go wrong!

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