Healthy salads

Here are a few recipes using raw vegetables which can be made in a jiffy.

IN THE Isha Yoga Ashram near Coimbatore, Sadhguru Jaggi Vasudev makes a powerful case for vegetarianism. Known for his mystic teachings, he also happens to be the son of a doctor, brought up on European philosophy. He points out that he is not making a spiritual or moral case against non-vegetarianism. It's just that non-veggie food is not suited to our system. Just as carnivorous animals have sharp teeth (incisors) to cut into the meat they also have short alimentary canals, so that the meat can pass through quickly, since it putrefies quickly too. On the other hand, herbivores have no such teeth, have an enzyme which acts on the carbohydrates in the mouth (that's why raw rice begins to taste sweet when in the mouth itself) and have long alimentary canals. Moreover, fruits pass through the system in an hour-and-a-half, raw veggies may take a little longer but non-veg food stays in the system for almost two days. Also, (quite obviously) cooked food lacks the goodness, vitamins, minerals and enzymes that raw vegetables have. Now, it's up to you whether you choose to follow a strict vegetarian diet or not. What you can certainly do is add to your diet some of the scrumptious raw-vegetable recipes from the Isha Yoga Ashram. Do remember what Sadhguru Jaggi Vasudev says, "It's not essential to get fanatical and avoid food groups, remember to eat alive food, chew well and eat with joy".

Beetroot Salad

Ingredients: Grated beetroot, soaked groundnuts, finely chopped capsicum, grated ginger, coconut and lime juice.

Method:

Mix all ingredients well and season with salt, pepper, coriander and curry leaves.

Carrot Salad

Ingredients: Grated carrot, sprouted green gram, finely chopped capsicum, grated ginger, coconut and lime juice.

Method: Mix all ingredients well and season with salt, pepper, coriander and curry leaves.

Cucumber salad

Ingredients: finely chopped cucumber, capsicum, grated ginger, coconut and lime juice.

Method: Mix all ingredients well, season with coriander, salt, pepper and curry leaves.

Snake gourd salad

Ingredients: Snake gourd (peel the skin and chop), chopped capsicum, grated ginger and coconut, chopped tomato, lime juice.

Method: Mix all ingredients well and season with salt, pepper, coriander and curry leaves.

Sweet beaten rice

Ingredients: Thin beaten rice, grated coconut, concentrated jaggery syrup, cardamom.

Method: Mix all ingredients well.

Curd Ashgourd

Grated Ashgourd, ginger, curd and seasoned with salt, pepper, coriander and curry leaves.

Vegetable juice

Save the juice from the above grated vegetables. Mix together, add lime juice and sugar to taste. Serve immediately (Do not keep juice standing)

Extremely simple to make, these recipes are excitingly different and well-tailored to the Indian palate, the touch of curry patta and coriander adds that zing which you will get addicted to.