Masala Dosa my style*

I love Masala Dosa (dosha), a south Indian dish that is eaten for breakfast, lunch, dinner or a snack! Here is my recipe (*), I have worked in my own style to this;-)

DOSA:

5 cups of rice (I use brown rice, and buy a sealed pkg- I recently read about bulk brown rice going rancid easily)

3/4 cup of Urid Dal

*2tbs of Apple cider vingear

-Soak in water overnight or 8-12 hours to soften. The vinegar helps to reduce phytic acid and begins fermentation process.

-Blend until smooth ADD SALT (about 1tbsp +)and keep in ceramic or glass bowl to ferment for about 12 hours. If it is cold in the kitchen this process will take longer, you can keep it in a warm stove (turned off) overnight.

If you are making the Masala do it before cooking dosa.

-TO COOK: Place a ladle full on large non-stick pan or crepe pan. Draw a light circle beginning on the inside to the outside to make it a thin layer, being careful not to break the mix. You can put a small piece of butter or coconut oil on top for extra crispyness)

MASALA:

Potatoes (*sweet or red) (amount depends on how much you would like and size of potatoes)

Onion (1-2)

*Carrots (1) shaved

Beet root (1/2 small) shaved

*Kale (1-2 leaves)

mustard seeds (black)

Garlic (1-2)

Ginger 

green chili (1/4 slice)

Coconut oil

tumeric pwd

Coriander pwd

-Boil Potatoes until soft

-Heat coconut oil in a pan and add mustard seeds (allow to sputter), add onion, garlic, ginger and green chili. Fry, then add tumeric and coriander pwd. Add cut up/mashed(ish) potatoes, carrot and beet shavings and chopped kale. Fry until desired, add salt or braggs to taste. Put potato on top of Dosa, garnish with cilantro and voila!

Nutty Granola (I think that’s what they call me:) Wheat free, Dairy free… but definitely NOT nut free:)

Here is a recipe for a nutty granola that I experimented with and seems to go over well:) I originally saw this recipe posted by wellnessmama and added a few things;)

2 cups of Coconut shavings (larger than flakes if possible)

1.5 cups of nuts (I use cashews & Pecans)

0.5 cups of seeds (sunflower, pumpkin, chia)

2-3 tbsp coca nibs

2 tsp dried fruit (I use currents)

3-4 tbsp maple syrup

1-2 tbsp honey

1-2 tbsp coconut oil

0.5 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp vanilla

a pinch of celtic sea salt

(optional)  1-2 cardamom pod seeds (you can pound out seeds with mortar and pestle)

(optional) 2 cloves and 0.5 star anise (Powdered)

Add more or less of the ingredients you prefer

Pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees

Melt the coconut oil and honey together on low heat if not already liquid. 

Combine all contents in a bowl add more honey or maple syrup if needed and spread onto a cookie sheet lined with wax paper. 

Bake at 350 degrees for 15-20 min 

remove and cool, breaking it into pieces once at room temperature and store in airtight container. (Eat within 2 weeks)

This recipe also works without the Maple syrup, just add more honey

conscious cosmetic consumption

I made the mistake of taking a short cut through a department store the other day and got somewhat lost in the perfume and make-up department. The smell made my head pound, my eyes water and I felt anxious.

I stopped using ‘perfumes’ and most make-up a couple of years ago. It is a wonderful feeling to make your own products; essential oils are medicinal and pure if and when you get them from the proper source. Looking for a craft to do with the kids? Try making lipsticks/chap, perfumes, powders and bath soaps. There are also various ‘do-gooders’ who can do it for you, here are some Canadian products I adore;

Calia -for Shampoo and Conditioner and other hair products, they also have a good line of essential oils.

Twisted Sister products -from Lotions, lip balms, face washes and baby products. This stuff is wonderfully yummy, for the skin:)

Aroma Crystal  -Makes a great face wash and the Dream cream is a special treat; t’s a little costly but makes a great Christmas gift and can be use as a massage cream as well.

Zuii -organic make-up products from natural sources (flower petals etc…) it is an Australian company and pricy but pretty:)

Here is a little video that is rather fantastic. These chemicals are not only unhealthy for us but our entire family!

http://www.safecosmetics.org

Photo by Sarathlal

Victoria’s morning secret….

I am up pretty early this morning and following the ritual of drinking warm lemon water. In the past 15 years… wow I am 32 as of yesterday! I struggled with painful pimples, usually showing up on my face, for everyone to see. Now there was obviously a vain part of me that was upset about these blemishes because they looked horrible but the pain was even worse than my own ego. I am not sure if I technically had acne, but there was a year I visited India and with the change in diet, humidity and air quality… it was acne.

I was pretty close to trying acne medication and I even bought proactive at one point but left it in the box after hearing horror stories, I eventually ended up giving it to someone who was less afraid of it than I was;) I never did hear about the results… In any case, I tried everything and spend a lot of money on creams, lotions and cleansers. I even just tried to come to terms that I had bad skin, and that was my life…

So here is what I have found has worked for me and some of my friends who I have talked about it with:

Wake up in the morning and drink 2-3 glasses (I do a mason jar) of filtered warm water with 1 freshly squeezed lemon! (you can even add a bit of honey:)

That’s all! It barely costs a thing 😉 You must comply to this if you want to see results, which means do it every day!!! You probably won’t notice anything for about 3 months, but once you do you’ll not only see a reduction of pimples but your skin will be nourished and hydrated. I must be realistic, there is still some scaring but it is also slowly reducing.

I would love to hear other people’s experiences with this after they have tried it for at least 3 months.

I also use about 2 drops of a combination Jojoba and Avocado oil after washing with my personal favorite face wash by Aroma Crystal or sometimes a scrub from Twisted sister. That is just my preference though to wash off the make-up I sometimes like to sport.

Along with a couple of lifestyle changes, I have been following the morning lemon water routine for almost a year now, friends and family have noticed the difference. Three months in we went back to India, I barely broke out and the pain was gone! Sometimes, around menses I will still get a pimple or two but there isn’t pain and they don’t last half as long as they did before.  A grapefruit in the morning is also a nice way to Alkalize the body, after taking the water and grapefruit wait at least 15 min to eat or drink your coffee/tea. (If you are on blood pressure medication speak with your doctor about when or if you can take grapefruit)

This is free advice and it barely costs a thing to buy and squeeze lemons so it’s worth a try. Even if you don’t have bad skin drinking warm lemon water first thing in the morning stimulates and enables the digestive system to get a good clean start, helps the liver to function properly, has a high amount of Vit C boosting your immune system, increases acidity of your digestive system helping you better absorb calcium, prevents coronary heart disease, and lowers your risk for stroke, cataracts, gout, acid reflux and facilitates confidence.

It makes sense for the body as a whole and it’s really easy and I am sure you have heard about it before, so what are you waiting for? Do it 🙂

Will you eat green smoothies and hummus?

A couple inches of snow are still hanging around and it’s pretty chilly outside so Tal and I stayed in and experimented with some recipes.

I had made nut mylks before but never tried to make a green smoothie of them and my nut remains never really quite made it into something I desired to consume… So I want to share what we did with it all!

We made Almond mylk! There are various recipes for nut mylks and you can basically use almost any nut or seed for it.

Here is our process:

Soak the almonds overnight, we used about 1 cup of quality almonds this batch to 3 cups of water

Use a quality blender, you may want to reduce or add water depending on the consistency you desire. My vitamix is about 5 years old so I do half at a time.

empty contents into a Nut Mylk bag or cheese cloth surrounded by a bowl and squeeze;)

You can add cinnamon, honey, agave or any other sweetener of your choice. We did Dates (3-4), I added them in the beginning and soaked them overnight with the almonds.

This recipe should make up to about 1 litre of nut milk, store in an airtight container and keep refrigerated.

To make the Green Smoothie;

2 frozen bananas

1 cup of nut milk  (or any type of milk)

2 big handfulls of Spinach (you won’t even taste it)

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1 tbs Coconut oil

1/2 tsp of pure vanilla

Blend everything together and voila! serve cold:)

To make the Hummus:

1 1/2 cups of nut pulp (leftovers from nut milk recipe)

2 cloves of garlic (more or less, however you like it)

4 tbsp lemon juice

4 tbsp tahini or other raw nut butter

1 tsp of cumin

1/4 tsp of chili powder 

Salt and pepper to taste

2 tbsp of water 

Blend all ingredients together adding the nut pulp last 1 Tbsp at a time. Add more water slowly to reach the consistency you desire. Store in airtight container in the fridge.

ENJOY!!!

What does your poo say to you?

I realize that this may seem like an uncomfortable topic but it’s important shit!

Type 1 has spent a long time in the colon and type 7 has the least lumpy stool at the end of the scale are hard to pass and may require a lot of straining. Loose or liquid stools at end of the spectrum are often too easy to pass – the need to pass them is urgent. Types 3 and especially type 4 are the ideal stools, as they likely to glide out.

The Bristol Stool Scale or Bristol Stool Chart is a medical aid developed by Heaton and Lewis at the University of Bristol and was first published in the Scandinavian Journal of Gastroenterology in 1997. The form of the stool is dependant on the time it spends in the colon.

There is some debate on the “perfect poo” for a more information check out :

http://www.fibermenace.com/gutsense/transition.html

Immune boosting Anti-cold dressing- Plan ahead:-)

Here’s something I like to make this time of year and it really works, some don’t find this exceptionally tastey. It’s a really hot salad dressing and/or you can take a shot if you feel the onset of a cold:

1 Qt Apple Cider Vinegar
Large pc of Ginger
1-2 Hot White Onions
Whole garlic bulb
Cayenne pepper
Black pepper
Salt

Sage, Rosemary and/or Thyme

Blend ingredients. Add more or less of the herbs to taste. You can cut the recipe if you don’t want to make this much

This will last because of the vinegar so don’t worry about an expiration date.

If you would give these ingredients to your lil one you can do so, I might start around age 3 with a lil’ spoonful. Otherwise you can keep them protected at as young as 3 months with a diluted Fennel or Rasberry leaf tea in their water bottle, and breast milk is obviously wonderful! Bone Broths are also great for the whole family, proper nutrition, proper rest and exercise help to keep your immune system in Balance.

Good supplements our Naturopath recommends for the whole family include; good quality Vitamin D (I like baby D for the lil’ one), Fish oil (we do Ascenta or Carlson cod liver oil) and probiotics(Mega foods, Dr. Ohhira, Bio-K)

Wild Rose College certificate

I am a Herbalist!

In the beginning….

Here I begin a rant of my opinions… feel free to discuss, debate or share information.