The Ayurvedic Cookbook

This book is the very first which transformed me from one who dislikes cooking into one that is eager to cook and learn more and more!!! I just simply cannot believe this is happening to me. I have never liked cooking. And it makes for the most thrilling reading too!! Because of various health problems I was always advised to try different diets but never liked what I cooked. It was always the most boring task. This book has changed my attitude in the most profound ways, where I begin to perceive food not only as a source of nourishment but also a way to understand my own body's energetical needs and how to heal it. It is the most interesting fact to learn the connection between the food and my emotions. Through these quick, simple and most delicious recipes I am learning how to create foods which calm me when I need calming, ground me when I need grounding and cool or warm me depending on the season and the balance in my energy pattern. But it's not only that, I can even effect a positive emotional and digestive change in my husband through dishes that are meant for his type! This book is slowly turning me from "cook hater" into "cook lover" and I cannot wait to try all of those recipes. The pumpkin or sweet potato halva recipe had us on our knees. It is sublime. The Indian tastes are simply like swimming in a deep ocean while the American cooking is more like swimming in a small and shallow pond. Why not jump in on the deeper side of life?

I'm not a vegetarian, but when I use the recipes in this book, I don't miss the meat. Yes, this book will teach you about the ancient art of Ayurvedia, but that would all be useless if it didn't taste good because I wouldn't use it. It emphasizes well spiced foods specific to your particular constitution, and I found that the recommendations often went along with things that I had already figured out, for example that I needed to eat well cooked foods. Most the ingredients in this book are easy to find - if I can get them in Philly, you can probably get them anywhere. If this were only a vegetarian cookbook, it would be a 5-star book (and I say that as a meat-eater). With all of the extra Ayurvedic information, this is a book you should have if you do any of your own cooking.

Amadea Morningstar not only gives you delicious, simple recipes for meals but also recipes for medicinal drinks, based on Ayurveda. She talks about the spiritual side of cooking, which has affected my personal approach to cooking everything - not just these foods. She also gives good information on dairy and how it is best digested. The one recipe I keep coming back to in here is the one for banana muffins. No one can resist them! I change the flours at times, and find that this recipe is the best vegan muffin recipe I've ever found! BTW -if you are vegan or vegetarian, this book is an excellent resource.