It's getting to be the end of oven season, but of course, I've said that before.  It's actually chilly and rainy now, but for two weeks, every other day Sous Chef Brian has been planning on setting up the air conditioner in the bedroom, and then by nighttime it's no longer a priority.  The weather is iffy.  But soon oven season will be over.   So let's bake up some dinner.

It's not quite time for these veg in our part of the world, but when it is time, it's also not oven time.  I get so adamant about not buying tomatoes until they're here (oh, and they're here) but when Sous Chef Brian came home from the grocery store with eggplant and summer squash, I just accepted it and decided to bake this up.   Of course it'd be better in July.

Take veg, slice thin, coat in panko, bake, layer with sauce and cheese and bake.  There, we're done.

Ooh, two bakes in there.  Yeah, this takes a minute.

I started with an eggplant, a small yellow squash and a zucchini.  I cut them into discs with the mandoline, but a knife works too.  I feel like the mandoline is safer for thin slices, but I also gave myself a bit of an accidental manicure in the process.  The yellow squash was actually cut into longer slices, not discs.  I like having different shapes to fill a pan without the gaps left by circles.   I also thought I had way too much veg - this was four baking sheets worth, and I figured I'd be freezing some, but that was not the case.

Preheat the oven to 400.  Get some sauce going, or get ready to open a jar.  This is my go-to red sauce, when I don't have a bounty of tomatoes to work with.

Beat up a couple eggs in some milk.   I  used two eggs and just enough milk to almost cover them.  This was plenty for my eggplant and two squashes, so if you're using less, you can get away with one egg.

Set out the breadcrumbs in a flat dish - I use a pie pan.

I'm a believer in panko but other breadcrumbs are fine.   I typically either make my own or use panko, and my freezer supply of bread ends is too short to make breadcrumbs right now.  I started with about 2.5 cups of breadcrumbs, but kept adding, I think I used a total of four cups or so. Sprinkle in the types of seasonings you'd use in Italian food - I went with red pepper flakes, salt and pepper and dried oregano and basil.

Fork that together so the spices are mixed in. Dip veg in egg, shake it off, press it into the bread crumbs, flip it, press it in again, and throw it on a baking sheet.

Repeat.  Like I said, I had four baking sheets worth, which for my oven, is two rounds of baking.

Put the veg in the oven for 10 minutes and flip, then about 10 minutes more.  The aim here is crispy.  You can oil your pan, or spritz your coated veg with oil, if you want them to get pretty and golden, but I'm not in it for looks.

And these are fairly golden sans oil.

At this point, we have a dilemma.  Use a big baking dish, or eat a ton of them and use a smaller one.  Also, if you want to eat now, you can cover them with cheese, set them under the broiler to melt it and serve them on top of pasta.  Or just eat them.  But let's go on and make a casserole. Coat the bottom of a baking dish with sauce, and then layer them - sauce, parmesan, veg, repeat.

I'm missing a cheese shot here - sorry, but I imagine you know what "sprinkle with cheese" looks like. Use the various shapes to fill in holes, or if you're using all eggplant or all zucchini or something, layer it a bit to avoid gaps.

I had three veg layers. Top with cheese, tent with foil and into the oven for 30 minutes.  Take the foil off for the last 10 to let it brown a bit on top.

Yeah, like that.

This makes many servings, 12-15?  And it freezes very well.  I cut individual servings, wrap in foil, label and freeze.

The cat doesn't believe there's no meat in our dinner.

This recipe is cross-posted at Saturday’s Mouse, where I’m working on making food out of food.

Veggie Parmesan Recipe
Yield 12 servings, very scalable.

• 1 Eggplant, sliced thin


• 1 Zucchini, sliced thin


• 1 Yellow Squash, sliced thin


• 4 cups Panko breadcrumbs


• 3 cups Pasta sauce


• 1 cup Parmesan cheese, grated


• 2 Eggs


• 1/4 cup Milk


• 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes


• 1 teaspoon dried oregano


• 1 teaspoon dried basil


• 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt


• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 400.


• Beat eggs together with milk (Non-dairy milk is fine here, as long as it's unsweetened). Prepare breadcrumbs in a shallow dish.  Mix with herbs.


• Dip sliced veggies into egg, shake to remove excess and then coat in breadcrumbs.


• Lay on baking sheet lined with a silicone mat, or covered with foil or parchment.


• Bake 20 minutes at 400, flipping once midway through. Aim for crispy and somewhat golden.


• Turn oven down to 350.


• Coat the bottom of a baking dish with sauce.


• Add a layer of breaded veggies, arranging for complete coverage without gaps.


• Top with cheese and sauce, layer again.


• The top layer should be breaded veg covered in cheese.  Tent with foil.


• Bake 25 minutes at 350.


• Remove foil and bake another 10 minutes to melt cheese.

Anyone that knows me knows that i just love chick peas. I eat them all the time and I am constantly looking for new recipes on how to dress them up for the next meal. Di Bruno Bros. has a great recipe for spring time.

Recipe:

• 1 pound of chick peas


• 1 medium red onion sliced thin


• 1/2 cup kalamata olives, pitted


• 1 tbsp chopped preserved lemon


• 1 medium carrot, shredded


• 1/4 cup freshly chopped oregano


• 1/4 cup freshly chopped parsley


• 4 oz crumbled goat cheese, like Bucheron


• Salt and pepper to taste


• For the dressing


• 3 oz Imported red wine vinegar


• 6 oz extra virgin olive oil


• 3 cloves of garlic, minced


• 4 filets of anchovies

Directions:

• Make the dressing by rendering the anchovy filets in a sauté pan with a little of the olive oil. Add the garlic and cook lightly for 2-3 minutes. Cool slightly. In a mixing bowl, whisk together the anchovy mixture and vinegar, then whisk in the olive oil.


• Toss with the remaining ingredients, chill for one hour, serve. Serves 4-6.

Anyone that knows me knows that i just love chick peas. I eat them all the time and I am constantly looking for new recipes on how to dress them up for the next meal. Di Bruno Bros. has a great recipe for spring time. Recipe:

• 1 pound of chick peas
• 1 medium red onion sliced thin
• 1/2 cup kalamata olives, pitted
• 1 tbsp chopped preserved lemon
• 1 medium carrot, shredded
• 1/4 cup freshly chopped oregano
• 1/4 cup freshly chopped parsley
• 4 oz crumbled goat cheese, like Bucheron
• Salt and pepper to taste
• For the dressing
• 3 oz Imported red wine vinegar
• 6 oz extra virgin olive oil
• 3 cloves of garlic, minced
• 4 filets of anchovies

Directions:

• Make the dressing by rendering the anchovy filets in a sauté pan with a little of the olive oil. Add the garlic and cook lightly for 2-3 minutes. Cool slightly. In a mixing bowl, whisk together the anchovy mixture and vinegar, then whisk in the olive oil.
• Toss with the remaining ingredients, chill for one hour, serve. Serves 4-6.

Oyster House is one of my favorite restaurants in Philly, though I can only truly indulge in the experience once or twice a year. I distinctly remember visiting the old restaurant as a kid on a weekend trip with my dad and trying a small taste of his turtle soup. I love the vibe of the new restaurant and anyone who knows me can tell you that eating fresh seafood is one of my greatest pleasures. Being a Marylander, eating crabs in the summer has always been a must and there isn’t a plate of oysters that I’ve ever left unfinished. Through Oyster House’s consistent Facebook posts and email blasts (talk about a local business that’s good at staying on your radar) I learned about chef and cookbook author Aliza Green’s book signing of her new book: The Fishmonger’s Apprentice. The event also included a cooking demonstration and seafood discussion so signing up was a no-brainer. I have been learning to cook for the past year or so with steady progress in skills, technique, knowledge and confidence, yet I still find the hardest part of preparing any meal to be sourcing the ingredients. This is one of the reasons I am excited about a Co-op in South Philly. Having a say in what comes to your food supplier is a great start. Uncertainty in knowing where your food originates most of the time is also why I have the least amount of confidence in cooking some of my favorite foods to eat: seafood. It all boils down to knowing your ingredients, where they came from, and what to do with them. Aliza’s demonstration included pickled herring, sauteed calamari, and filleting an entire shad. Her insights were intelligent and her guests included the head of Samuels & Sons Seafood Co. and their expert fillet-man, one of the few who can actually properly fillet a shad and extract its roe. Just learning about a few new ways to prepare a fish I’ve never thought about buying was a real confidence booster and made me excited to visit Ippolito’s more often and ask “what’s fresh?” Here’s a few things I learned: go to a reputable fishmonger, ask what’s freshest and what’s in season, don’t be afraid of the smaller oily fishes, always ask for ice, keep on ice until the second you are ready to prepare your fish, try to prepare within 2 days of purchase, pickled and smoked fish can be a great way to enjoy seafood without worrying so much about its spoilage. For those of you who are obsessed with seafood and want to start preparing it more in your homes I would highly recommend checking out Ms. Green’s book: The Fishmonger’s Apprentice. It’s a great place to start understanding seafood as opposed to your traditional recipe based cook books that have the same old methods for searing tuna, grilling shrimp, baking salmon, and sautéing tilapia. Fortunately we Philadelphians live in a major port town in the Mid-Atlantic offering us a great selection of both local and international seafood. I may not be jumping into steamed cockles and broiled skate just yet, but I will be asking more questions, taking more risks and definitely buying more seafood this summer. Martin Brown is a musician and arts administrator currently venturing into the ice cream business with Little Baby's Ice Cream (www.littlebabysicecream.com). Being a Maryland transplant his favorite food is crabs, as a South Philly homeowner his favorite food is anything he grills in his backyard.

Oyster House is one of my favorite restaurants in Philly, though I can only truly indulge in the experience once or twice a year. I distinctly remember visiting the old restaurant as a kid on a weekend trip with my dad and trying a small taste of his turtle soup. I love the vibe of the new restaurant and anyone who knows me can tell you that eating fresh seafood is one of my greatest pleasures. Being a Marylander, eating crabs in the summer has always been a must and there isn’t a plate of oysters that I’ve ever left unfinished. Through Oyster House’s consistent Facebook posts and email blasts (talk about a local business that’s good at staying on your radar) I learned about chef and cookbook author Aliza Green’s book signing of her new book: The Fishmonger’s Apprentice. The event also included a cooking demonstration and seafood discussion so signing up was a no-brainer.

I have been learning to cook for the past year or so with steady progress in skills, technique, knowledge and confidence, yet I still find the hardest part of preparing any meal to be sourcing the ingredients. This is one of the reasons I am excited about a Co-op in South Philly. Having a say in what comes to your food supplier is a great start. Uncertainty in knowing where your food originates most of the time is also why I have the least amount of confidence in cooking some of my favorite foods to eat: seafood. It all boils down to knowing your ingredients, where they came from, and what to do with them.

Aliza’s demonstration included pickled herring, sauteed calamari, and filleting an entire shad. Her insights were intelligent and her guests included the head of Samuels & Sons Seafood Co. and their expert fillet-man, one of the few who can actually properly fillet a shad and extract its roe. Just learning about a few new ways to prepare a fish I’ve never thought about buying was a real confidence booster and made me excited to visit Ippolito’s more often and ask “what’s fresh?” Here’s a few things I learned: go to a reputable fishmonger, ask what’s freshest and what’s in season, don’t be afraid of the smaller oily fishes, always ask for ice, keep on ice until the second you are ready to prepare your fish, try to prepare within 2 days of purchase, pickled and smoked fish can be a great way to enjoy seafood without worrying so much about its spoilage.

For those of you who are obsessed with seafood and want to start preparing it more in your homes I would highly recommend checking out Ms. Green’s book: The Fishmonger’s Apprentice. It’s a great place to start understanding seafood as opposed to your traditional recipe based cook books that have the same old methods for searing tuna, grilling shrimp, baking salmon, and sautéing tilapia. Fortunately we Philadelphians live in a major port town in the Mid-Atlantic offering us a great selection of both local and international seafood. I may not be jumping into steamed cockles and broiled skate just yet, but I will be asking more questions, taking more risks and definitely buying more seafood this summer.

Martin Brown is a musician and arts administrator currently venturing into the ice cream business with Little Baby's Ice Cream (www.littlebabysicecream.com). Being a Maryland transplant his favorite food is crabs, as a South Philly homeowner his favorite food is anything he grills in his backyard.

In 1984 I was in kindergarten, my dad worked at a graphic design firm at 20th and Sansom, and I would always beg my mother to take me downtown on the bus to visit my dad at work. I loved to see him, but what it really was about was the inevitable lunch out. At a restaurant. At my favorite restaurant, the only restaurant I was aware of at age 5, The Frog Commissary. To this day, Steve Poses remains one of my culinary heroes. I have never met the man but I want to personally thank him for making me aware of how good food can be. Back home, one of my mother’s regular meals was the Steve Poses recipe from his Frog Commissary cookbook for Thai Peanut Flounder. Though I would often turn my nose up when my mother made fish–she was famous for over cooking the crap out of it–I knew it was “the Frog guy’s recipe” and flounder is so mild and unassuming that this dish was a favorite of mine: crunchy, nutty, and a little spicy. Over the years I’ve tweaked the recipe and find that you can use this all purpose coating and marinade technique for most lean protein (chicken too!). As an alternative to fluke/flounder, Tilapia is pretty similar in flavor and texture but without the high price tag. Or for a splurge, if you are fancy, use Halibut, which is in season right now! Serve this with steamed rice and Chinese broccoli sauteed with sesame oil and thinly sliced garlic. Thai Peanut Fluke Prep time: 25 minutes Cooking time: 10 minutes Serves 4 people

• 4 4-6 oz pieces of Fluke (or other white flaky fish)
• 3-6 tbsp canola oil

For the marinade:

• 2 tbsp soy sauce or tamari
• 3 tbsp mirin (or sherry)
• 1 tsp minced garlic
• 1 tsp minced fresh ginger
• ¼ cup canola oil
• 1 tbsp sesame oil
• 1 tbsp sriracha

For the coating:

• ¾ cup AP flour
• 2 eggs
• 1 tbsp water
• 1 tsp sriracha
• ¾ cup panko bread crumbs
• ¾ cup roasted unsalted peanuts, chopped finely
• ½ cup sweetened shredded coconut
• salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

• Mix all ingredients for marinade in a ziptop bag set inside of a large bowl, add in the tilapia and marinate for 30 minutes to an hour.
• Remove from marinade and pat the fish dry with paper towels.
• In a pie plate, mix the eggs, water, and sriracha and season with a small amount of salt and freshly ground pepper.
• Tear two 12-15 inch pieces of parchment paper and set on the counter. On the first piece place the flour and on the second piece place the panko, peanuts, and coconut. Using the parchment as an aid, mix the panko, peanuts and coconut. This step could also be done in two pie plates but why create more dishes?
• Start by coating the fish with the flour, then tap off any excess and place in the pie plate that has the egg mixture. Coat the fish in the egg mixture well. This is the glue that makes the coating stick.
• Lastly coat each piece of fish in the panko mixture, pressing it thoroughly onto each piece to make it stick well.
• In a large saute pan, heat 3 tbsp of canola oil over medium high heat for 2-3 minutes until the pan is very hot but not smoking.
• Add 2 pieces of fish and cook 3-4 minutes on one side without moving the fish, turn fish and cook an additional 3-4 minutes.
• Repeat step 8 with remaining fish.

In 1984 I was in kindergarten, my dad worked at a graphic design firm at 20th and Sansom, and I would always beg my mother to take me downtown on the bus to visit my dad at work. I loved to see him, but what it really was about was the inevitable lunch out. At a restaurant. At my favorite restaurant, the only restaurant I was aware of at age 5, The Frog Commissary. To this day, Steve Poses remains one of my culinary heroes. I have never met the man but I want to personally thank him for making me aware of how good food can be. Back home, one of my mother’s regular meals was the Steve Poses recipe from his Frog Commissary cookbook for Thai Peanut Flounder. Though I would often turn my nose up when my mother made fish–she was famous for over cooking the crap out of it–I knew it was “the Frog guy’s recipe” and flounder is so mild and unassuming that this dish was a favorite of mine: crunchy, nutty, and a little spicy. Over the years I’ve tweaked the recipe and find that you can use this all purpose coating and marinade technique for most lean protein (chicken too!). As an alternative to fluke/flounder, Tilapia is pretty similar in flavor and texture but without the high price tag. Or for a splurge, if you are fancy, use Halibut, which is in season right now! Serve this with steamed rice and Chinese broccoli sauteed with sesame oil and thinly sliced garlic. Thai Peanut Fluke Prep time: 25 minutes Cooking time: 10 minutes Serves 4 people

• 4 4-6 oz pieces of Fluke (or other white flaky fish)
• 3-6 tbsp canola oil

For the marinade:

• 2 tbsp soy sauce or tamari
• 3 tbsp mirin (or sherry)
• 1 tsp minced garlic
• 1 tsp minced fresh ginger
• ¼ cup canola oil
• 1 tbsp sesame oil
• 1 tbsp sriracha

For the coating:

• ¾ cup AP flour
• 2 eggs
• 1 tbsp water
• 1 tsp sriracha
• ¾ cup panko bread crumbs
• ¾ cup roasted unsalted peanuts, chopped finely
• ½ cup sweetened shredded coconut
• salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

• Mix all ingredients for marinade in a ziptop bag set inside of a large bowl, add in the tilapia and marinate for 30 minutes to an hour.
• Remove from marinade and pat the fish dry with paper towels.
• In a pie plate, mix the eggs, water, and sriracha and season with a small amount of salt and freshly ground pepper.
• Tear two 12-15 inch pieces of parchment paper and set on the counter. On the first piece place the flour and on the second piece place the panko, peanuts, and coconut. Using the parchment as an aid, mix the panko, peanuts and coconut. This step could also be done in two pie plates but why create more dishes?
• Start by coating the fish with the flour, then tap off any excess and place in the pie plate that has the egg mixture. Coat the fish in the egg mixture well. This is the glue that makes the coating stick.
• Lastly coat each piece of fish in the panko mixture, pressing it thoroughly onto each piece to make it stick well.
• In a large saute pan, heat 3 tbsp of canola oil over medium high heat for 2-3 minutes until the pan is very hot but not smoking.
• Add 2 pieces of fish and cook 3-4 minutes on one side without moving the fish, turn fish and cook an additional 3-4 minutes.
• Repeat step 8 with remaining fish.

Kale chips are the easiest non-recipe around. Take kale, heat to chipness. I Googled "kale chips" to see if there was someone I should credit, but I get over 2.5 million hits, so I assume a lot of people do this. I make this for parties, and a giant bowl of chips costs less than a dollar, and it's made of kale. You can't beat it. People ask for the recipe. I point to kale and the oven.

I'm not a huge kale fan, so I started doing this a few years ago and it's awesome. We usually intend to pack it up and keep it, if we make it when we don't have company, but it's hard. You start picking at the tray, and suddenly you've eaten a bunch of kale. If you're a big kale fan, all the better, but you don't have to love kale to love kale chips.


First, preheat the oven to 400.  Then start with some kale.

I thought I'd use the whole bunch, but in reality only used about half by the time I filled my trays, so the rest went to the fridge for another use.  Wash and dry your kale thoroughly.  Kale seems like one of the buggier of the greens.  Wash it hard.

Take off the stems.  This is pretty simple, just run a knife along the stems.  Or, sometimes you can hold them by the end and run your hand down them and take the leaves off (like a giant version of stripping rosemary).  Do this to all the kale you're going to use.  My stems go to the stock bag.

And tear the kale into bite-sized pieces.  This size.

Half a bunch of kale (and a bunch is 67 cents worth at the "regular" grocery store) gave me this many uncooked chips.

Which filled two baking sheets.   I tried it lined with a silicone mat and unlined today, and the results were the same.

Then spritz with olive oil.  I rely on my olive oil spritzer, but if you don't have one, toss them with olive oil in a large bowl or shake them with it in a bag.  You want barely any oil - we're not talking about coating, we're talking about just enough so they don't stick to the pan, and so that the salt and pepper do stick.   That's right, salt and pepper.  To taste.  Forgive my blur.

Then in the oven for 10 minutes or so.  The edges will just start to brown and none of it will feel soft, it will be crispy all over.   If I could add audio of someone biting into a kale chip here, that would convey the texture.  Like if you barely closed your hand over a piece, it might crumble like this:

So the finished chips look like this:

You can let them cool and then seal them tightly in bags for a day or so, but they don't keep crispy for long and besides, they're addictive fresh from the oven.
This works with chard too, and I imagine other veg but haven't tried.

This recipe is cross-posted at Saturday’s Mouse, where I’m working on making food out of food.

Kale Chips

• 1 bunch kale (or less, sokay)


• spritz of olive oil (or a teaspoon or so)


• salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 400.  Wash, dry and de-stem the kale.  Tear into bite-sized pieces.  Spritz with olive oil and season with salt and pepper (more pepper) and bake until crispy and starting to brown, about 10 minutes.

Kale chips are the easiest non-recipe around. Take kale, heat to chipness. I Googled "kale chips" to see if there was someone I should credit, but I get over 2.5 million hits, so I assume a lot of people do this. I make this for parties, and a giant bowl of chips costs less than a dollar, and it's made of kale. You can't beat it. People ask for the recipe. I point to kale and the oven. I'm not a huge kale fan, so I started doing this a few years ago and it's awesome. We usually intend to pack it up and keep it, if we make it when we don't have company, but it's hard. You start picking at the tray, and suddenly you've eaten a bunch of kale. If you're a big kale fan, all the better, but you don't have to love kale to love kale chips. First, preheat the oven to 400.  Then start with some kale. I thought I'd use the whole bunch, but in reality only used about half by the time I filled my trays, so the rest went to the fridge for another use.  Wash and dry your kale thoroughly.  Kale seems like one of the buggier of the greens.  Wash it hard. Take off the stems.  This is pretty simple, just run a knife along the stems.  Or, sometimes you can hold them by the end and run your hand down them and take the leaves off (like a giant version of stripping rosemary).  Do this to all the kale you're going to use.  My stems go to the stock bag. And tear the kale into bite-sized pieces.  This size. Half a bunch of kale (and a bunch is 67 cents worth at the "regular" grocery store) gave me this many uncooked chips. Which filled two baking sheets.   I tried it lined with a silicone mat and unlined today, and the results were the same. Then spritz with olive oil.  I rely on my olive oil spritzer, but if you don't have one, toss them with olive oil in a large bowl or shake them with it in a bag.  You want barely any oil - we're not talking about coating, we're talking about just enough so they don't stick to the pan, and so that the salt and pepper do stick.   That's right, salt and pepper.  To taste.  Forgive my blur. Then in the oven for 10 minutes or so.  The edges will just start to brown and none of it will feel soft, it will be crispy all over.   If I could add audio of someone biting into a kale chip here, that would convey the texture.  Like if you barely closed your hand over a piece, it might crumble like this: So the finished chips look like this: You can let them cool and then seal them tightly in bags for a day or so, but they don't keep crispy for long and besides, they're addictive fresh from the oven. This works with chard too, and I imagine other veg but haven't tried. This recipe is cross-posted at Saturday’s Mouse, where I’m working on making food out of food. Kale Chips

• 1 bunch kale (or less, sokay)
• spritz of olive oil (or a teaspoon or so)
• salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 400.  Wash, dry and de-stem the kale.  Tear into bite-sized pieces.  Spritz with olive oil and season with salt and pepper (more pepper) and bake until crispy and starting to brown, about 10 minutes.

A big round of thanks goes out to Shruthi Bajaj of Cardamom Kitchen for spending the evening of April 24th with five Co-op fans and helping us "demystify spices." (And trust me, for someone like me whose experience with spices is the cinnamon on my toast and the black pepper on my eggs, it was a demystifying experience.) [caption id="attachment_1094" align="alignnone" width="300" caption="Getting our ayurveda on!"][/caption] Shruthi started the evening off by having us each take a quiz (good thing I studied!) to determine our constitutional type (or dosha). Our group had a healthy mix of Vata, Pitta, and Kapha. (For the record I was a Vata with a side of Pitta, meaning that I when I am out of balance I can be a little scattered and anxious.) [caption id="attachment_1091" align="alignnone" width="300" caption="All that studying for this quiz paid off!"][/caption] Just after the quiz, Shruthi shared with us a sprouted mung salad that included one of the four spices she would go on to talk about later - cumin. The salad was fresh and delicious with an herb and spice mix that really made it pop. And, as her recipe notes, the sprouted mung beans enhances their digestibility and increases the content of vitamins C and B complex. (Considering what else I had to eat that day, it was good that I got something this healthy in my system!) I'd share the recipe but since I don't have Shruthi's permission to do so you'll just have to email her if you're interested. [caption id="attachment_1093" align="alignnone" width="300" caption="A healthy salad specially for spring"][/caption] [caption id="attachment_1092" align="alignnone" width="300" caption="I feel more balanced already!"][/caption] Shruthi then went on to talk about the types of food one should eat depending on the season of the year and how eating the wrong types at the wrong time can throw a person out of balance. A Vata person who eats light foods in the spring or fall will almost float away and should balance themselves out with foods that have heavier textures. Does this seem like too much for you to keep track of? No worries. Shruthi can do it for you. Check out her website where she offers customers a service in which she'll visit your home and give cooking classes based in Ayurvedic insights or she can cook meals for you either as one-time deal or on a continuing basis. [caption id="attachment_1095" align="alignnone" width="300" caption="The great properties of coriander"][/caption] Finally, we talked about Shruthi's four "go to" spices: coriander, cumin, turmeric, and cardamom. In fact, she was so convincing about the healing properties of turmeric when mixed with sesame oil and applied as a balm that I came home yesterday to find the bottom and sides of my bathtub stained yellow because a certain someone used this on her ailing ankle. Rather than re-hash what we talked about, I refer you to Shruthi's website where she explains what makes these four spices so special. Thanks again to Shruthi and everyone else who made it out on Sunday.