Foods Over Meds (2026)

09/02/2022

Sunday morning banana muffins with chocolate chips and pecans! Thank you for all the fancy new treats! What a success on your first time baking! 🙌🏼

Another great recipe from

09/01/2022

Chakkara Pongal is an incredible sweet that is made during the festival of Pongal, coming up in a week! The first time my husband made it was after our marriage in India. It was a cold day in January and we had been enjoying the wide array of sweets and savory snacks we had brought back to Seattle. We had both been slowly gaining a few pounds as we relaxed after a whirlwind of wedding events, relaxing during the cold Seattle winter days, perfect for calorie-dense ghee-filled desserts.

Ghee… One of the few ingredients that has been hard to give up on this vegan journey. It still remains a challenge. And Chakkara Pongal is no exception. Ghee is one of the key ingredients. We'll try to experiment to make this a vegan recipe but for now it remains vegetarian.

Recipe by

Recipe:
½ cup Rice (I use Ponni rice, but any will work)
½ cup Moong Dal
1.5 cup Jaggery
¾ cup grated Coconut (fresh or frozen)
4 to 5 Cardamom pods (or ½ tsp cardamom powder)
3 tbsp Ghee
2 tbsp Cashews
1 tbsp Raisins
1 tsp Granulated Sugar (if using cardamom pods instead of powder)

1. Roast Moong Dal on medium heat till it turns slightly brown. Stop when it gives a fragrant aroma.
2. Combine the Moong Dal, Rice with 2.5 cups of water and pressure cook. The mixture should be mushy when cooked.
3. In a pan, add Jaggery and ¾ cup water and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium and simmer until it reduces and a thick syrup forms.
4. Turn off heat and allow it to cool. Once cooled, strain the jaggery syrup for any impurities
5. With 1 spoon of ghee, roast cashews till they are golden brown. Add raisins and toast them for a minute.
6. Use ½ teaspoon of cardamom powder. However, fresh cardamom is recommended for a fantastic aroma.
7. In a big pan over medium heat add all of the prepared ingredients with the remaining ghee, ⅓ cup of water. Ensure they are mixed well together and cook the mixture for 5 minutes or till the water evaporates and the pongal is mushy. Your kitchen should smell great just about now.
8. Turn off heat. Add roasted cashews and raisins. Mix well.

Serve hot and enjoy!

16/03/2020

Day 7: White Bean Olive Garden Salad
Seven Days of Salads
We made it to Day 7! Today's salad is a remake of one of my favorite restaurant salads. I used to love to go Olive Garden and have their “Soup Salad and Breadsticks” combos. Now there's no Olive Garden nearby but today's salad took me back in time. For some more heartiness we added roasted broccoli and white beans. Yum!

Vegan Olive Garden Dressing (by )

Ingredients:
-¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
-2 tbsp white wine vinegar
-3 tbsp vegan mayonnaise (I used Green Garden Mayonnaise by )
-1 tbsp lemon juice
-2 tbsp vegan grated Parmesan cheese (I skipped this since I didn't have any)
-1/4 tsp garlic salt
-Fresh ground black pepper, to taste
-½ tsp dried Italian seasoning
-2 tbsp water
*A pinch of sugar optional

Steps:
1. Add all ingredients to blender and mix for 30 seconds, or until combined.

Salad:
- Mixed greens, slightly chopped (2 cups)
- Spinach, slightly chopped (1 cup)
- Cherry tomatoes, or 1 tomato, chopped in large chunks
- purple cabbage, thinly sliced (1 cup)
- Carrot, grated (2 medium)
- Black olives, whole or sliced (½ cup)
- Red onion slices
- Pepperoncini, handful or per taste
- 1 small head of broccoli, chopped into florets
- salt
- ground black pepper
- olive oil
- garlic salt
- 1 can white kidney beans, drained and rinsed ( cannellini beans)
- Croutons, handful

Steps:
1. Spread broccoli in tray, drizzle olive oil and sprinkle salt, black pepper, and garlic powder. Toss to make sure they are evenly coated.
2. Roast broccoli in the oven at 375 degrees for 10 minutes.
3. Let the broccoli cool.
4. Toss all salad ingredients together
5. Add a portion of the dressing and toss. Add more as needed.
6. Top with croutons when serving

Enjoy!

Keep the remaining dressing in the fridge

http://www.thecomfortingvegan.com/2013/04/vegan-olive-garden-salad-dressing.html

@ Issaquah, Washington

15/03/2020

Day 6: Black Bean Burger Salad

Seven Days of Salads
Today's salad was delicious! I have always been a fan of black bean burgers so when suggested this one I was thrilled! And it was a home run! A little on the spicier side due to the but it was the addictive kind of spicy. 😋🌶 It was a little heavier than earlier salads we've had this week but nice for our sixth night of salads! 🙌🏼
Black Bean Quinoa Patties by :
1 (15 ounce) can black beans, rinsed and drained
¼ cup quinoa
½ cup water
½ cup bread crumbs
¼ cup minced yellow bell pepper
2 tbsp minced onion
1 large clove garlic, minced
1 ½ tsp ground cumin
½ tsp salt
1 tsp hot pepper sauce (We used Tapatio )
3 tbsp olive oil
Cornstarch (used as a binder, replacement for egg in the original recipe)
Steps:
1. Cook the quinoa as usual
2. Roughly mash the black beans
3. Mix the quinoa, bread crumbs, bell pepper, onion, garlic, cumin, salt, hot pepper sauce, and cornstarch into the black beans using your hands
4. Form the black bean mixture into patties.(makes around 5)
5. Heat the olive oil in a large skillet.
6. Cook the patties in the hot oil until heated through, 2 to 3 minutes per side.
Salad (any mix of veggies will work!):
- Mixed greens, slightly chopped
- Spinach, chopped
- Cherry tomatoes, sliced
- Yellow pepper, chopped
- Avocado slices
- Green Garden Mayonnaise (by ):
1. Toss the greens, spinach, tomatoes and yellow pepper.
2. Serve salad in plate and top with the burger patties and Green Garden Mayonnaise
3. Top with avocado slices and more hot sauce if desired

Enjoy!

https://www.allrecipes.com/recipe/220661/quinoa-black-bean-burgers/

@ Issaquah, Washington

14/03/2020

Day 5: Crunchy Thai Peanut and Quinoa Salad
Seven Days of Salads
Today's salad was our favorite so far! It is the Crunchy Thai Peanut and Quinoa Salad by . The peanut dressing is absolutely amazing! And it all comes together so well. I could have eaten the entire bowl myself!

Peanut sauce:
¼ cup smooth peanut butter
3 tbsp soy sauce
1 tbsp maple syrup
1 tbsp rice vinegar
1 tsp sesame oil
1 tsp grated fresh ginger
1 ½ tbsp lime juice
Pinch of red pepper flakes

Whisk together the peanut butter and soy sauce then add in the remaining ingredients and stir. Taste it! 😋

Salad ingredients:
¾ cup uncooked quinoa
1 ½ cups water
2 cups shredded purple cabbage
1 cup grated carrot (2 medium carrots)
1 cup snow peas, chopped
½ cup chopped cilantro
¼ cup thinly sliced green onion
¼ cup chopped roasted peanuts

Steps:
1. Cook quinoa in 1 ½ cups water.
2. I used the Presto Salad Shooter for the cabbage and carrots. I used the slicer attachment for the cabbage, and the shredding attachment for the carrots. So fast!
3. Toss all of the fresh ingredients with the quinoa.
4. Add the dressing and toss (start with a little and add more as needed)
5. Top with crushed peanuts

Enjoy!

Note: As an alternative to the quinoa, pan fried tofu would be great too!

https://cookieandkate.com/thai-peanut-quinoa-salad-recipe/

@ Issaquah, Washington

13/03/2020

Day 4: Green Garden Mayonnaise Salad
Seven Days of Salads
Today's salad started with the dressing, and became an experiment of flavor combinations. The dressing is Green Garden Mayonnaise from The China Study Cookbook. It tasted similar to a ranch dressing. The star of the salad was the toasted candied pecans. The Pepperoncini added the kick I needed. And the Kalamata olives were delicious! A last minute addition of the orange chunks was the perfect sweet and citrus flavor to top it off!
Green Garden Dressing (by cookbook ):
6 ounces firm silken tofu
1/4 cup raw cashews
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 teaspoon rice vinegar
2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
1 teaspoon agave
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard
Blend all ingredients together until smooth.
Ingredients:
- 3 cups mixed greens, slightly chopped
- 1 chopped tomato
- ½ cup Roasted pecans, candied with maple syrup
- 1 Avocado, chunks
- Kalamata olives, chopped
- Pepperoncini, chopped or whole (your preference)
- 2 cups cooked pasta (penne or rotini)
- Orange chunks

Mix all ingredients with dressing. Enjoy!

@ Issaquah, Washington

12/03/2020

Day 3: Breaded Tofu, Avocado and Spinach Salad

Seven Days of Salads
I was super excited about today's salad because of the tofu breaded with nutritional yeast. It reminded me of the Samurai Bowl at one of our favorite spots in Portland, The that introduced me to years ago. 🤗 So yummy and nutritional yeast has many health benefits too!
This recipe is inspired by Marinated Tofu, Avocado and Spinach Salad by
Ingredients:
- 1 block extra firm tofu, pressed and cubed
- ¼ cup Nutritional yeast (add more if needed)
- ½ tsp Garlic powder
- 1 tbsp Sesame oil
- 2-3 tsp Sesame seeds
- Cayenne pepper to taste

Steps:
1. In a Ziploc bag mix all ingredients together and shake well.
2. Bake at 425 degrees for 20 mins.
Salad ingredients:
- 2 cups baby spinach
- ½ chopped red pepper
- 1 shredded carrot
- handful cherry tomatoes, halved
- 1 Avocado, cut in chunks
- ½ cup cooked quinoa
- Sambal oelek (or other hot sauce per preference)
Steps:
1. Mix together spinach, red pepper, cherry tomatoes, carrot, quinoa, tofu, avocado and Sambal oelek
Enjoy! Add more hot sauce as needed! 🌶

@ Issaquah, Washington

11/03/2020

Time to take the leap! Happy Leap Day everyone!
It has been a big decision to start the journey to going vegan/plant-based. I grew up vegetarian so it doesn't seem like it should be a huge change… but it is! Giving up milk, yogurt and cheese is no joke. I decided to make the switch a few months ago. I had read about the benefits long ago but it hit me hard this time.

My biggest reason for making the change is to stay healthy for my son and my family. I became a mom later in life, and I want to do what I can to stay healthy as my son grows up. When you know better, you do better (right?). I will use this account to document my journey of transitioning to vegan/plant-based. I will be posting recipes particularly Indian/Gujarati/Tamil, research & resources that impacted my decision, and my experiences with vegan/plant-based options when I travel.

I have a long way to go, as I address my challenges. And honestly, I may not ever truly be at 100% but I am loving the process of doing something that is better for my health, for my family, for the animals & environment and for the future of our planet. The more I learn, the more and more benefits I see, and the more I realize how much of an impact a single person can have.

16/01/2020

Happy Pongal! Pongal is a harvest festival in South India, particularly in Tamil Nadu. Pongal is also a dish prepared with rice and moong dal. The savory version is known as Ven Pongal. It will surely be served during the Pongal festival, but is a hearty meal to be enjoyed anytime. Especially on a cold winter day!

Being Gujarati and married into a Tamil family it has been fun bringing together our different cuisines. Pongal is very similar to khichdi, one of my favorite comfort foods.

Here is a quick Instant Pot version of Ven Pongal:

Ingredients:
2 tbsp oil (I use avocado oil). Reduce to 1 tbsp if you are omitting cashews.
1.5 tsp cumin seeds (jeera)
1 tsp whole black peppercorn
1 sprig curry leaves
1.5 inch ginger chopped very small
¼ cup broken cashew pieces (optional)
¾ cup rice (I use Ponni rice from the Indian store)
¾ cup yellow split moong dal
¼ cup shredded coconut (optional)
Salt to taste (approx 1.5 tsp)
3.5 cups water

Steps:
1. Rinse rice and moong dal and set aside
2. Make sure all ingredients are ready
3. Turn on IP to Saute mode. Always make sure the pot is completely dry before adding oil.
4. Add oil
5. Add cumin seeds. When they start to crackle add the black peppercorn. Be sure not to burn the tempering.
6. Add the cashews and keep stirring till they become golden brown
7. Add ginger and curry leaves and stir.
8. Add the water
9. Add rice and moong dal
10. Add salt and coconut
11. Taste the water and make sure it is slightly salty
12. Close the Instant Pot on Sealed and set to Rice mode.
13. After NR (natural release) open the IP and stir.
14. The consistency of the Pongal should be mushy.

Serve with coconut chutney, pickle, sambar or veggies. I made a side of green beans.

There is also a sweet version of Pongal called Chakkara Pongal which I'll share another time!

@ Issaquah, Washington

11/01/2020

Chow chow kootu is an incredible South Indian dish that I learned from Amma (my mother-in-law) a couple years ago. Amma introduced me to so many amazing South Indian dishes.

Growing up in a traditional Gujarati home we ate Indian food most nights, including the occasional idli, dosa, sambar, chutney. But I didn't realize what incredible variety of dishes I was missing out on!

Chow chow kootu has become one of my favorites! We generally have it with rice and sambar (and there are so many types of sambar too! Who knew!)

Chow chow is also known as Chayote squash and can be found in most grocery stores, although Indian grocery stores generally will have the best quality.

Chow chow kootu recipe:

Ingredients:
3 chow chow (chayote squash)
I tbsp chana dal
1 tsp salt (or to taste)
¼ tsp turmeric
¾ cup frozen shredded coconut
2 round dry red peppers
1 ½ tsp cumin seeds
1 ½ tsp rice flour
Tempering:
2 tsp oil (I use coconut oil but any vegetable oil will work)
1 tsp mustard seeds
1 sprig curry leaves
⅛ tsp hing (asafoetida)

Steps:
1. Wash and soak chana dal.
2. Peel, core and dice the chow chow. Tip: apply coconut oil on hands otherwise they will get very sticky. Be careful with the peeler and knife!
3. In pressure cooker add Chow Chow, chana dal, salt, turmeric and ½ cup water. Cook for 4 whistles.
5. In blender/grinder add coconut, dry red chilis, cumin seeds, rice flour and a little water (2 tbsp)
Coarse grind.
6. Add more water as needed to make medium-thick consistency. About ¼ to ½ cup water.
7. Add the coconut mixture to the chow chow and let boil once. Keep on low flame.
8. Tempering: 2 tsp oil, mustard seeds, curry leaves, ⅛ tsp hing
Add to chow chow

Enjoy with rice and sambar!

@ Algonquin, Illinois

Foods Over Meds

09/02/2022

09/01/2022

16/03/2020

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14/03/2020

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