All posts by Sumana Rao

Don't worry about the people in your past; There's a reason they didn't make it to your future.
Cashew Cabbage Salad

Cashew Cabbage Salad

Salad: Serving – 4 people

INGREDIENTS

  • 1 purple cabbage, cleaned cored and chopped
  • 1 tablespoon salt
  • 1/3 cup white vinegar
  • 1/4 cup olive oil
  • 2 tablespoons maple syrup
  • 1 garlic clove, minced fine
  • 1/4 onion, minced fine
  • 2-3 tablespoons caraway seeds
  • 1 -2 large carrots, grated
  • 3/4 cup shelled soybeans
  • 1/2 – 3/4 cup raw cashews
  • 1 avocado, peeled seeded and cubed

INSTRUCTIONS:

Chop cabbage into bite size pieces, add to large colander and toss with salt. Cover and set aside to drain.  Meanwhile, in large bowl, whisk together vinegar, olive oil, maple syrup,  garlic, onion, and caraway seeds to make a dressing. Set aside to marinate. Toss cabbage in colander to remove excess water, add to dressing mixture in bowl. Add carrot, soybeans, cashews and avocado, toss together to combine and coat completely.

Author: Sumana Rao | Posted on: May 13, 2016
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Mango Bean

Mango Black Bean Salad

Salad: Serving – 4 people

INGREDIENTS

  • 1-15 oz. can black beans, thoroughly rinsed
  • 1 mango, diced
  • 1 jalapeno pepper, minced
  • 1 medium zucchini, quartered lengthwise & thinly sliced
  • 1/4 c. coarsely chopped cilantro
  • 1 tbsp. olive oil
  • juice from 1 lime
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • Make 30 Minute Potato Breakfast Bowls

INSTRUCTIONS:

Stir together all ingredients in a large bowl.

Author: Sumana Rao | Posted on:
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Lentil Kale Salad

Butternut Squash, Lentil & Kale Salad

INGREDIENTS

  • 1 small butternut squash, peeled, seeded, and cut into 1-inch cubes
  • 3 tbsp. olive oil, divided
  • salt + pepper to taste
  • 1 small bunch kale, tough stems removed and leaves torn into bite-sized pieces
  • 1/3 cup tahini
  • 1/3 cup water
  • 2 tbsp. fresh lemon juice
  • 1 cup cooked lentils
  • 1 cup. pita chips

INSTRUCTIONS:

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.  In a large bowl, toss butternut squash with 1 tablespoon of olive oil, salt and pepper. Transfer to baking sheet and roast about 30 minutes, stirring halfway through cooking time. While squash is baking, place kale in large bowl. Drizzle with one tablespoon of olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Using hands, massage kale leaves until it softens and wilts, about 3-5 minutes. (Kale will taste mild when it’s done.) Set aside. Whisk together tahini, water, lemon juice, and remaining tablespoon of olive oil. Add salt and pepper to taste. Divide kale, butternut squash, lentils, and pita chips into servings bowls or plates and serve with tahini dressing.

Author: Sumana Rao | Posted on:
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Feta and Kalamata Olive Torellini Pasta Salad

Feta and Kalamata Olive Torellini Pasta Salad

Salad: Serves 6 people 

INGREDIENTS

  • 20 oz (1 lb 14 oz) dual or tri-color tortellini
  • 1/4 cup olive oil
  • 1 Tbsp red wine vinegar
  • salt & pepper
  • 3/4 cup feta cheese, crumbled
  • 1/2 cup sun-dried tomates, sliced thin
  • 1 pint grape tomatoes, rinsed and dried
  • 1/2 cup Kalamata olives
  • 1 tsp crushed red pepper
  • 5-6 basil leaves, chopped

INSTRUCTIONS:

Heat a pot of salted water and bring to a boil. Cook the pasta according to instructions on the package. Drain and remove from pasta pot. Allow the pasta to cool. In a medium bowl, whisk together olive oil and red wine vinegar. Add salt and pepper to taste. In a large bowl, combine cooled pasta, feta cheese, sun-dried tomatoes, grape tomatoes, olives and red pepper. Add olive oil and vinegar mixture and thoroughly combine. Add crushed red pepper and basil leaves. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve after refrigerating the salad for 1 to 2 hours.

Author: Sumana Rao | Posted on:
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Potato-Pea Salad

Potato-Pea Salad

Salad: Serving for 4 people

INGREDIENTS

  • Lettuce
  • 1 cup of fresh peas
  • 1 bunch of carrots (about 7)
  • 1 pound of fingerling potatoes
  • 2 shallots
  • 1 cup or can of chickpeas
  • 1 curry powder
  • 1 tsp teaspoon cumin
  • 1 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1 tsp pepper flakes
  • salt and pepper generously

Ingredients for the Dressing: 

  • 1 bunch of cilantro
  • 3 garlic cloves
  • 2 oregano cuttings
  • 2 mint leaves
  • 3 Tbs olive oil
  • Juice of a whole lemon
  • 1 sp curry powder
  • Few cumin seeds
  • Salt and pepper

INSTRUCTIONS :

Start by rinsing and drying the chickpeas.  Toss with oil and spices and roast in oven at 400 for 15 to 20 minutes until crispy. Toss the carrots and potatoes in a little bit of oil and a dash of curry powder, salt and pepper and roast along with the chickpeas for 15 to 20 minutes. Add dressing mix and combine salad ingredients, roasted ingredients well & serve!

Author: Sumana Rao | Posted on:
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Chickpea Salad

Chickpea Salad

Salad : Serving – 6 people

INGREDIENTS

  • 3 cups cooked chickpeas or 2 cans (425 g each), rinsed and drained
  • 1 large potato, cooked and diced (peeled if not organic)
  • 1 large cucumber, diced (peeled if waxed)
  • ½ small onion, minced (optional)
  • 1 cup unsweetened soy yogurt (curd)
  • Juice of ½ lime
  • 1 ½ to 2 ½ teaspoons kala namak
  • 1 ½ teaspoons ground cumin
  • 1 teaspoon garlic powder or 1 clove garlic, minced
  • ½ to 1 ½ teaspoons cayenne or other spicy chili powder
  • ½ teaspoon coriander
  • Chopped cilantro, for serving

INSTRUCTIONS:

In a large bowl, combine the beans, potato, cucumber, and onion. Add rest of the ingredients and combine all the ingredients in a bowl. Taste and adjust the seasonings as needed. Mix well and serve topped with cilantro.

Author: Sumana Rao | Posted on:
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Corn Salad

Corn Salad

Salad: Serving – 4 people

INGREDIENTS

  • Corn kernels – 1 cup
  • Red bell peppers – 1 tbsp
  • Onions and spring onions chopped – 1 tbsp each
  • Chopped mint- ¾ tbsp
  • Celery stalk, diced – 1 tbsp
  • Cherry tomatoes – 5
  • Pineapple diced – 1 tbsp
  • Parsley – 1 tsp
  • Cilantro leaves – 1 tsp
  • Basil – 3 leaves
  • Avocado, diced – ½ each
  • Olive oil – 1 tbsp
  • Lemon juice – 2 tsp
  • Black salt – to taste
  • Tacos – 34shells

INSTRUCTIONS: Blanch corn with salt. Drain and set aside. Cut the other ingredients and mix. Add the lemon juice and olive oil. Toss it well and serve it in the shells for crunchiness.

Author: Sumana Rao | Posted on:
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World's first Ayurvedic surgery performed in India !

World’s first Ayurvedic surgery performed in India !

Incredible India !  Recently an 83-year-old person who is allergic to allopathic (english) medicines underwent a surgery through Ayurvedic procedures.  Mr. Ojaswi Sharma who hails from Meerut, India, went through prostatic surgery where doctors removed a massive 240 gm of prostate, without using antibiotics and all thanks to Ayurveda.

One of the most interesting kind of surgery without help of antibiotics and world’s first kind of surgery was held in Meerut recently.  Ojaswi Sharma from Meerut just became patient zero for first Ayurvedic surgery and this surgery could change the course of medicine completely.

This surgery was conducted at Anand Hospital, Meerut on March 1, 2016. The only allopathic help that Ayurvedic doctors used was involvement of anesthesia but no antibiotics at all. Doctors who operated on Mr. Sharma used, ayurvedic herbs, such as amla (Indian gooseberry), turmeric, shigru (drumstick) and guggul (gum resin). In a normal and regular surgery, antibiotics are essential (or required) to reduce the possibility of infection on the site.  However, Mr. Sharma who is highly allergic to allopathic medicines made it difficult to for him to undergo surgery using antibiotics.

Dr. Subash Yadav, an urologist consulted India’s top Ayurvedic experts for a solution bringing to their notice Mr. Sharma’s high allergic reactions. Professor Hemant Khushawa, National Institute of Ayurveds, Jaipur who is an expert in Ayurvedic medicines said that “special medicines comprising extracts of giloy, shigru, amla, turmeric and guggul were used in calculated proportions to be administered to Sharma. Shigru is for mild infections and is also a natural painkiller. Amla increases immunity while giloy is helpful in detoxifying the liver. The medicines were started 10 days before the operation.”

The whole procedure has taken aback the medical fraternity considering the decline in effectiveness of antibiotics in surgery.

Conducting surgery with ayurvedic support is the beginning of a new era -Says Dr. Manoj Kumar who is director of the orthopedics department at Delhi’s Maulana Azad Medical College . According to Manoj Kumar   “The development is indeed a rare feat achieved by the doctors. Surgery is highly dependent on allopathy as of now. Conducting surgery with ayurvedic support is the beginning of a new era. It is high time a well-equipped research body was established in the country to conduct research and trials, particularly at a time when the human body is increasingly becoming antibiotic resistant.”

Sharma was kept under observation for a month and has fully recovered now.  

Since it is just one case and doctors including Manoj Kumar believe that better and well-equipped research needs to be done and more trials need to be conducted.

India is known for its incredible talents in many fields – Doctors, scientists, engineers and it is land of ancient civilization. If we recall, Sushruta, one of the earliest surgeons of the recorded history (600 B.C.) is believed to be the first individual to describe plastic surgery. Sushruta who lived nearly 150 years before Hippocrates (2500 years ago) vividly described the basic principles of plastic surgery in his famous ancient treatise ‘Sushruta Samhita’. Could Ayurveda in surgery be the new ray of hope in the declining and darkening world of antibiotics? Yes, it is quite possible.

Reference:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/
http://www.ibtimes.co.in/

Image credit: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Surgeons_at_Work.jpg

Attribution: SSgt. Derrick C. Goode, U.S. Air Force / Public domain

Author: Sumana Rao | Posted on: May 11, 2016
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