Delectable Punjabi-style roasted eggplant bharta

On the hunt for an aromatic, delicious & exotic dish to make your tastebuds smile ?  Not only is Delectable Punjabi-style eggplant bharta so surprisingly easy to make, the flavour you get from the roasted eggplant coupled with the other ingredients are sure to be individual & crowd pleasers.  Out of the many curried dishes we like, it has to be one of our fave’s.

Ingredients :

1 head of garlic ( or about 5-6 cloves )

1 chunk of ginger ( about the size of your baby finger )

1 chunk of fresh turmeric ( about the size of your baby finger.  Fresh turmeric can be found in the fresh produce section of your grocery store right where you find your ginger and it makes a noticeable delicious difference in your recipes.  We highly suggest you try it! )

1 whole medium – large white onion

2 medium sized eggplant

5 medium tomatoes

1 whole bunch of cilantro ( we love cilantro )

4 red chili peppers ( more or less to liking )

1 heaping tbsp cumin seeds

1 heaping tbsp garam masala

1 heaping tbsp coriander

1 tsp salt

1/2 cup veggie broth or water

Suggested Base: Brown basmati rice, wild rice or whatever kind of rice you like ( make as much as you will need for as many servings as you like.  The eggplant bharta makes enough for about 2-3 servings ).  Or serve with roti.

Protip option : If you want to be a bit more adventurous with the spice levels, make a little extra rice or roti on the side to give you some insurance to balance the spices with.   That way, you can vary the levels of spices with each bite, and adjust to taste.

 

Step 1 :

Get your rice started because by the time it’s done your curry will be done!

Step 2 : Pre-heat your oven to 400 degrees and put your eggplants on a bake sheet.  Bake at for 25-30 minutes or until the skin looks shrivelled and eggplant is collapsed.

Step 3 :

Add your cumin seeds to your frying pan with a few table spoons of water or veggie broth.  Let them simmer for a few mins.

Step 3:

Chop your whole onion and add to the frying pan.  Add a few more table spoons of water and let the onion cook until see through & soft.

Step 4:

Chop your garlic, ginger, red chilis & turmeric and place in the frying pan.  Add about a quarter cup of veggie broth and cook on medium heat for at least 10 minutes.

Step 5 :

Chop all of your tomatoes finely and add them to the frying pan.  Stir them in the mixture on medium heat and let them simmer for at least 20- 25 minutes.  Next, add your garam masala and coriander.  The mixture of all of these ingredients needs to become like a paste so the liquid of the tomatoes will slowly cook off and they will disappear into the mix.  This is how you know its done, this procedure cannot be rushed.  It’s truly labour of love – it will be worth it!

Step 6 :

Take your eggplant out of the oven, remove the skins and chop it very finely so there are no chunks whatsoever.  Then add the eggplant to the frying pan.

Step 7 :

Let the eggplant really mix into the rest of the paste so that the flavours all blend together beautifully.

Step 8 : Chop your entire bunch of cilantro ( leave a little for the garnish on top ) and add the rest into the frying pan.  Stir in for a few minutes and serve on or with rice or with roti and voila!

Eggplants are known to improve digestion and aid in weight management so no need to hold back with portion sizes on this dish.  They also help with sleeping better so eat better, feel better, sleep better.  Like all whole food, plant based, oil free recipes you are healing your body with every bite – so splurge & enjoy.

 

A special thank you to Simer for the making of this recipe.

Namaste,  my muse and I.

 

 

natural cholesterol lowering …with over night oats.

Over night oats are one of our favourite quick breakfasts and we are excited to share our quick and easy recipe with you!  All you need is 5 ingredients plus whatever fruit you like and you’ll be set.  They are a delicious and healthy breakfast that will keep you full for a long time as oats & chia seeds are a great source of soluble fibre.

Ingredients :

1 cup organic oats

1 cup nut milk ( we like almond )

3 teaspoons organic chia seeds

2 tablespoons of honey, agave or maple syrup

1/2 teaspoon cardamom

Add all of the ingredients in a bowl or any container and mix together.  Seal your container and put in the fridge to “cook” overnight.  In the morning add a little more nut milk & sweetner to your taste, chop of your fruit of choice and enjoy!  The flavour of the cardamom really makes this breakfast an aromatic and satisfying delight.

Enjoy!

Beyond the tastiness of this recipe, Oats serve a more practical purpose – as a tasty natural way to lower your cholesterol.  Amongst many other benefits, they are full of soluble fibre which likes to mop up and whisk away the “bad” LDL cholesterol.

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Namaste.  My muse and I.

  

 

 

putting natural deodorants to the test!

I have always equated the thought of natural deodorants with the lingering scent of stinky BO.  Doing Yoga, and as a generally active person, I sweat a lot and I’ve always thought I needed something more powerful and the only kinds out there that were powerful enough were the “Secrets” and “Doves” of the world.  Well, I’ve recently learned that this is not true…and I’m so happy about it!  I never liked the idea of what the mass deodorants and anti perspirants really do – in a nutshell – they try to stop the sweat by clogging your pores full of chemicals . So the fact that I’ve found a few things that actually work.

Here’s what they are :

First step is to get rid of any smell.  Freshening in the AM is important.  The simple way to do this is to take a cotton pad or the edge of your wash cloth and saturate with white vinegar.  Yup, simple, white vinegar.  Yes it’s smelly but vinegar is an anti bacterial substance and instantly gets rid of any smell you may have under your pits!  The scent goes away within minutes and you literally will feel fresher, for real.

Next is to put on your natual deoderant.  The 2 brands I have been trying are :  Saje, the peacful warrior  &  Mamalani, olu olu that we picked during a recent trip to Hawaii .

The Saje one is in a spray form and I do about 5 sprays per side, let it dry and I’m good to go!  I really do find the tea tree oil in this one helps you smell fresh throughout the day I’ve been loving it.  I sometimes take it with me if I know I’m going to have an extra long day and do a refresher spray half way through the day and it really works.

Ingredients : potassium alum, essential oils of palmarosa, rosewood, sandalwood, lavender, lime, patchouli, fennel and vetiver.

The Mamalani is in a powder form and I take about a pea to dime size in my palm and place it over my entire under arm and kind of pat it so that it stays in place.  There is a little that falls but it just brushes away easily.  This one has rosemary, sage & peppermint and again I really feel like these combat the smells throughout the day as they really smell fresh!

Ingredients : baking soda, pia ( arrowroot ), kaolin clay, olena ( Hawaiian turmeric ), organic essential oils of rosemary, sage and peppermint.

I have been a hard core “sweater” since a young age and I don’t even want to think about how many shirts I’ve ruined from using the “other” deodorants.  They leave this film that is eventually impossible to get off and therefore, shirts are ruined.  They also leave these horrible yellow stains that unless you’re wearing a yellow shirt…are literally impossible to get out.  Now with these natural deodorants I sometimes still get a little yellow under there but I can easily get them out with a natural stain remover and I find the yellow is less – if that makes sense.  In the past, after one wear, bam. Yellow, stinky and slimy!  Like gross.  But not anymore…

So for someone who really puts these natural deodorants to the test, I find that these work and I feel like I’m detoxing my armpits.  They feel so free and like they can breathe….If armpits could speak, I’m sure this is what they would say.  In fact, I think they whispered that to me in my last Yoga class.

I’ve only named the few of positive impacts for me but I know that there are also a lot of other health and environmental benefits to going au natural.  I’ve heard of so many of the mass deoderants being linked to bad things so I just feel a lot better about letting my pits breathe at last.  Hope you’ll give it a shot and let us know what you think!

Namaste.  My muse and I.

  

inaugural post of the conscious taste.

 

“One who regards with equanimity the happiness and distress of all others as if it were their own is considered the best of yogis” – Bhagavad Gita 6, 32

Welcome to the inaugural post of the conscious taste.

So how and what does it mean to be conscious?

There are many ways to be conscious. To be conscious is to be present – aware of cause and effect in your life. Not being perfect, but stopping to think that “If I do this, what impact will it have? on the planet; on other beings ? – be they of the human or animal variety; and on my immediate environment and beyond. When we are in a state of heightened consciousness we are kinder to ourselves, each other, the planet & all of our fellow souls.

What do we mean when we say taste?

Taste can mean so many things. Taste in food. Taste in fashion. Taste in beauty products. Taste in makeup looks. How our tastes can evolve over time. Taste is all of these things, and yet so much more – it’s a means by which we experience and perceive the world. Our journey will explore many nuances of taste, the conscious, and ultimately the conscious taste.

My muse and I invite you along on our journey at the conscious taste – we hope to provoke thought and have some fashionable fun doing it.

Namaste.