A Special Healthy Recipe for the Holidays
Happy Holidays from Dr. Singha’s Natural Therapeutics! This time of year we are reminded of Nature's cornucopia and eating with thankfulness and grace. Being grateful when eating and chewing actually contributes to a healthy attitude and peace of mind. Holiday Season is also a time for drawing closer connections between your kitchen, garden, and the local farmer’s market to serve friends and family something extraordinary.
A Recipe for Dancing Salad
OK! Are you ready for alchemical transformation? Do you have your favorite wooden chopping boards and knives ready? Better yet, do you have friends and family standing by enthusiastically waiting to join in with your creative salad-making celebration? If so……..
Dr. Singha’s basic Ayurvedic “8 Taste Salad” recipe is food for the Soul. When made properly, with love and high quality sea salt, the nectars of this juicy feast thrill the taste buds. Dr. Singha taught that the body needs "smart salt." Sea salt, rich in minerals, is an essential ingredient and should be used in cooking in an integrated way. Made from any fresh, raw vegetables on hand, this juicy salad is way more than a "salad." The idea is to blend vegetables with non-irradiated spices and good quality sea salt or other natural salt so that alchemy takes place, drawing rich juices out of the vegetables. The result is a delicious, digestive-juice stimulating, bio-available, easily assimilable mix of enzymes and minerals in a sense-provoking raw-food feast. To help you get started, use the following organic vegetables from a local Farmer’s Market whenever possible. (Stay tuned for a future article as to why Dr. Singha fully supported the use of locally grown organic foods and not GMO foods.)
This recipe makes enough salad for approximately 4 people, but the chef is purposefully not giving you specific quantities so that you have to pay attention and develop the use of your intuition:
- Romaine lettuce (Dr. Singha always preferred because of its natural ‘tranquilizing’ effect)
- Cucumber
- Carrots
- Celery
- Onions
- Tomatoes
- Small amounts of other green veggies
- Fresh sprouts – homegrown are best
- Peppers, optional
- Beets, optional
Chop these vegetables FINELY. The cucumber and carrots can be grated. Mix in a large salad bowl. Use your hands – washed hands, of course. Always make contact with your food. You are what you eat. And you are HOW you eat!
When you have a bowl full of finely chopped or grated raw veggies, the salad is ready for a powerful and potent dressing:
Dr. Singha’s Salad Dressing/Marinade is made with the following:
- Plenty of finely chopped or grated Garlic
- Plenty of finely chopped or grated fresh Ginger Root
- 1 or 2 (or more) finely chopped hot peppers, e.g., serrano
- Ground Paprika – 1 teaspoon or more
- Ground Cumin – 1 teaspoon or more
- Curry Powder – 1 teaspoon or more
- Fresh Ground Black Peppercorns – 1/2 to 1 teaspoon or more
- A little Garam Masala (sweet Indian spice blend – usually available at Health Food Stores)
- Fresh Lemon Juice of one whole lemon OR equal amount of Apple Cider Vinegar (ACV)
- A little live yogurt or kefir (again, homemade is always best)
- A little raw sugar to taste
- Organic Oil, use only very fresh, top quality oils such as safflower, olive, grapeseed, walnut, etc. Organic oil is strongly recommended. Always keep your oils cool, refrigerated, and away from light to avoid toxic rancidity.
- Good Quality Sea Salt – enough to draw the juice out of the veggies
- Organic kidney beans, homemade or canned, optional
- A generous amount of chopped fresh cilantro
Mix these ingredients together. Use your nose to smell the taste! Your salad-making buddies can also taste for you and make suggestions. Making this salad is a dance!
