Cleansing Carrot Recipe

My Ayurvedic Counselor and Chef Extraordinaire, Shanalee Gallagher has struck again with an amazingly delicious recipe!

To contact Shanalee, email her at: Click to Email

Prepare this Cleansing Carrot dish to enjoy as a main or side dish anytime for a delicious, healthy meal!

Cleansing Carrots:

1 sm onion - chopped
20 - carrots, sliced long way in half and half again
3 cloves garlic chopped fine
1 large ginger root 1/2 grated/sliced
6 cups water
1 tbsp plus 4 tbsp miso paste
1 tbsp pure maple syrup
Pepper to taste
Splash olive oil
Plain Greek yogurt

1. Sauté onions, olive oil and 1 tbsp miso paste until clear (15-20 min)

2. Add carrots, water, 4 more tblsp miso paste, and maple syrup

3. Boil until carrots are soft and use a hand masher to mash while boiling until chunky puree consistency is achieved.

4. Serve and top with 2tbsp of plain greek yogurt

(image from: istockphoto.com)

Better Botanicals

There are several beauty lines out there based on the ancient science of Ayurveda. I'm sure we can all think of the giant company that spawned eponymous salons and continues to grow.
Flying under the radar is a smaller line called Better Botanicals.
http://betterbotanicals.com

Better Botanicals is an HERBAL line and most products are manufactured under an "ayurvedic license." "Herbal" has become a beauty buzz word, but Better Botanicals actually IS. There products contain 15% - 100% herbal content for the highest efficacy possible. No smoke and mirrors here. These are all natural products that use the power of herbs to change your skin and hair.

My Better Botanical obsession right now is their Dandelion Moisturizer. Formulated for normal to dry skin, I use this as a winter moisturizer on my face, but use it all year long on my hands. It has a light, fresh dandelion scent and is rich and hydrating without being greasy. Adore!


Better Botanicals is having a Cyberweek special - BOGO 50% on body products. Shop here: http://www.betterbotanicals.com/default.asp?mn=1.275.272.331&f=bp&pcat=1

Dahl

Feeling bloated, heavy and overindulged from Thanksgiving?

Make a homemade batch of Ayurvedic Dahl to eat for the next few days.

Dahl is a lentil based stew that is extremely easy for our bodies to digest. It has all the nutritional components necessary for energy and health from simple, vegetable sources.

Eat the dahl for one to three of your meals per day for three to ten days. Chew each bite completely and drink extra water during the day.

Be sure to exercise 30 - 60 minutes per day to help flush toxins out.

The following recipe is from Ayurvedic Wellness Practitioner, Shanalee Gallagher in Chicago, IL. You can contact her for wellness and dietary services at: 312.613.1099 or Email Shanalee

Shanalee's Dahl Recipe (in her words):
**There is ritual to making this recipe. So, follow instructions and add lots of love**

4 cups split yellow mung dahl
12 cups filtered water or 6 cups veggie stock and 6 cups water.
5 organic medium carrots
1 bunch organic kale, washed and destemmed, sliced into thin pieces
1 fresh jalapeno sliced thin
1 heaping tbsp cumin - whole seeds
1 heaping tbsp corriander - whole seeds
1 heaping tbsp fennel - whole seeds
1 tsp turmeric - ground
1 level tbsp celery seed - whole seed
1 -2 bay leaves
Coconut oil
Cilantro
lime

1. Rinse the dahl in warm to cold water. Put dahl in large bowl. Add water. Stir with right hand in clockwise direction. Drain water and repeat this step three times total. Dahl will "suds." Be sure to rinse until there are no "suds."

2. Put clean dahl in large soup pot and add 12 cups of filtered water. Place over low to medium heat. Lentils will start to slowly warm while you do the next steps.

3. In a separate pan, roast all seeds (not turmeric) in 1/2 tbsp of coconut oil. Cook until brown. Keep stirring so they do not burn to a lightly roasted state.

4. Transfer seeds and turmeric to mortar and pestle or a bowl and use a wooden spoon to crush.

5. Add crushed spices and bay leaves to lentil pot. Raise to a medium heat.

6. Chop carrots, jalapenos and kale.

7. When you see lentils start to break, add carrots and jalapenos. Maintain a covered soft boil about an hour or until lentils soften and break and thicken and turn into a "bean base." Soup will be thick and smooth.

8. If soup is too watery - add more lentils ... or too thick add more water.
You can't mess it up - it will either be a "soupy" bean base or it can be a thicker bean base with less cooked broken lentils. Experiment with the consistency you like.

9. Add Kale after right consistency is achieved. Simmer covered on low for an additional 15 - 20 minutes.

10. Serve immediately or to reheat ... add a bit of water.

11. Serve the dahl with 1/4 to 1/2 cup of cooked brown rice or extra steamed greens if you wish. I like to spoon on 1/2 to 1 tsp extra virgin coconut oil or ghee, squeeze the juice of 1/4 to 1/2 fresh lime and add a dash of sea salt on top.
Garnish with chopped cilantro.





(photo from: heartandstroke.sk.ca)