This is a simple Indian lunch that is eaten daily in most homes in India. It consists of rice as the main carbohydrate (some regions add wheat bread too), a lentil dish made with regional variations, and locally obtained vegetables that vary with different seasons. The preparations are the same- onions, garlic, ginger, tomatoes and spices for the lentils and the vegetables sauteed with optional onions, garlic and green chillies.
Here, I have taken equal quantities of red and yellow split mung bean  lentil and cooked it with onions, garlic, ginger, tomatoes and spices.
The green dish is spinach with onions, garlic, green chillies and sauteed with mustard and cumin and coconut flakes added at the end before taking it off the heat. The next dish is a mix of carrot and purple cabbage with onions, garlic, green chillies and sauteed with mustard and cumin.

This can be made FODMAP friendly by using pigeon pea (chana dal) lentils, small quantities of red and green lentils, or urad dal (white lentil)

One recipe that I love to make often is with the vegetables that I usually have on hand with a few that comes seasonal

I start with sauteing chopped garlic, onions sliced, and ten, carrots and any other vegetable I have at hand. I remember to throw in sliced tofu for protein. If I don't have that, I add frozen edamame. Add salt and pepper and let it cook till almost dry. Adding salt releases water from the vegetables so I let it saute for a few minutes. Then I add the leafy vegetables I have, like kale, arugula or lettuce and take it off the heat.

I warm up a tortilla and wrap the mix in it and enjoy!

Papaya Salad

Continuing on the low FodMap theme, I decided to try some salads...

My first one is PAPAYA SALAD

Cut a whole ripe papaya.
Blended 1 tsp chopped ginger with 1 tsp olive oil, 1 tsp apple cider vinegar, salt and pepper to taste.
Added 2 tbsp of finely chopped red onion
Added 2 whole scallions, chopped fine
Added 1 avocado, sliced into small pieces with a spoon

Tossed everything delicately together.

About 9-23% of people have IBS. For more, check the link http://www.aboutibs.org/

The low FODMAP is a diet sheet created by Stanford Hospitals and Clinics and can be viewed here, which shows a list of foods that need to be eliminated from the diet for IBS sufferers and it seems to decrease the symptoms considerably. It looks like a very hard diet to follow as it contains almost nothing that is common food in a person's diet, be it Continental, Italian, Mexican, Asian, Mediterranean ... and the list goes on.

The main ingredient to avoid is wheat and that is almost impossible. I have been trying this for a few days now and shall follow up with recipes. Rice is a staple and thankfully, now, the grocery stores carry a range of wheat free flour.



The list above shows the foods that one can eat in moderation. I shall post recipes and pictures on what I did with items on this list that are not so obvious. By that, I mean, not just cooking rice pasta or cooking quinoa and eating with a piece of meat!

My vegan dishes...

Open faced Naan sandwich

Heated a naan in the toaster. Meanwhile, mashed an avocado and spread it on to the naan. saute garlic, onions, spinach, tofu cubes, tomato and mushroom. Add Sriracha sauce, salt and pepper. Saute for a couple of minutes and lad the naan and serve!


Carrot cilantro pancake (adapted from http://www.bonappetit.com/recipe/carrot-pancakes-with-salted-yogurt)

My version: Grated carrot, added chopped cilantro leaves and one chopped green chili. Sprinkled chickpea flour and corn meal. Meanwhile, added 1/4 cup of water to 2 tbsp of golden flax powder and let it set. Added the flax mix to the carrot mixture. Added salt and pepper and mixed well and made pancakes. (Omitted the egg and added cornmeal for added crispiness and chili for spice)
Added coriander chutney to the yoghurt and arugula leaves were served with balsamic vinaigrette.

Home cooked meals....

Broccoli scallion egg rice

Had some left over cooked rice and came up with this tasty dish!
Saute garlic, spring onions and broccoli. Add salt and pepper and stir till broccoli is cooked, yet has a bite to it. Add the cooked rice, mix well and add a chopped boiled egg and serve.

Minimalistic is the key word!

What gets news? Child actress Shirley Temple who passed away at a ripe old age or Bruce Jenner? Why can't we decrease the junk clogging the media or the web? Why? Just feel that if things were that way then we could concentrate on things that need our attention now.

So, lesser the better, right? Once I had my mind set on that notion and 'mantra' to follow for my life ahead for the next phase of my life as I will be turning 50 this year, I started looking around myself! I sure have a lot of things. Got to start purging is what I immediately considered doing.

Now, throwing away what you don't need is the fastest way to get everyone around you to see you following what you preach. But, doesn't that defeat the purpose? Throwing reasonably good things into landfills is certainly not my way of being minimal. I would rather see my clutter slowly disappear with thoughtful purging than to just chuck it, be it even something that has lost it's value or meaning too.

Craiglslist for some small change or ebay for the larger ones are the obvious choices or even a trip to the thrift stores or donation bins around town isn't a bad idea either. Then there is freecycle.org. WOW!! What a great idea! I find this better than just dropping it in donation boxes for some company to take a profit from the lower income strata of this country or I have heard that it's sent to Africa and sold there.We all talk of Africa being the third world but some opportunist has even thought of turning their desperation into a profit by relying on the vulnerability of the affluent here to get their donation sent to Africa for profit. Oh well!

It's actually great to feel minimalistic. I even take it to my cooking style these days. Like what I had for dinner today- Basic sauteed chicken, hash brown patty from Trader Joes and arugula salad with avocado. Nothing elaborate, got it done and kitchen cleaned and closed in less than 2 hours. Lesser stress, lesser weight over my shoulders or on me too ;-) Now what else can I ask for?