Serves 4

Ingredients:

Wholemeal Brown Chapatti bread:

- 500g (2 cups) Wholemeal Flour

- 1 tsp salt

- 5 tsp olive oil

- 45 ml water

Chunky Spinach paste:

-          225 g baby spinach

-          45 g Coriander leaves

-          6 large garlic cloves

-          1 bulb of ginger

-          6 Tbsp roasted nuts of your choice

-          3 Tbsp lemon  juice to taste

-          1 Tbsp olive oil

-          2-3 green chillies

-          Salt and pepper to taste

Bengali style aubergines and mushrooms:

-          400 g Aubergines thinly sliced

-          Pinch Turmeric

-          ½ tsp red chilli powder

-          2 Tbsp olive oil

-          Salt to taste

-          120g thinly sliced mushrooms

Red Pepper Humus:

-          1 can Chickpeas rinsed

-          1 Can Char grilled peppers or two fresh peppers grilled and skins peeled off

-          1 tsp Paprika

-          1 tsp lime juice

-          150g low fat cream cheese

-          2 tsp crushed garlic

Method:

1)      Place the sliced aubergines, mushrooms, turmeric, red chilli powder, olive oil and salt in a bowl, and gently mix well

2)      Place on a lightly greased/sprayed baking pan and grill at 180 ‘ c for 5 min on each side or till crispy and golden brown

3)      In the meanwhile, to make the paste, add the spinach, coriander, garlic, lemon juice, and chillies into a blender, and blend for a few seconds giving a chunky texture

4)      Place olive oil, spinach and nuts into a pan and fry on a moderate to high heat for 2-3 min, and add salt and pepper to taste

5)      For the Humus, add chickpeas, peppers, cream cheese and rest of ingredients into a blender and blend well for a smooth texture

6)      To make the bread, sieve the flour and salt into a bowl, make a well in the middle and add the water and olive oil gradually and mix till a soft dough forms

7)      Roll out the dough into four  pizza like portions until the dough is 2-3mm thin

8)      Place a portion onto a lightly oiled pan and fry for 30 seconds on each side or until golden brown

9)      To assemble the wrap, portion the aubergines, mushrooms and spinach paste into four, and place in the middle of each wrap, roll the wrap tightly folding each open side

10)   Slice the wrap in half diagonally and serve on a plate with Asian greens and some of the red pepper humus

Recipe Courtesy of Flair Executive Mobile Bar Services

Food by Brad Ellis
Photographs by Dixon & Libera photography

Website: www.flairbar.co.za
Enquiries: info@flairbar.co.za
Dixon & Libera photography : Richard: 0829016161

Ingredients:
3 cups water
3 cups milk
3 blades of lemongrass or mint
1/2 teaspoon grated fresh ginger
1 tsp Indian Tea masala
sugar as needed
Use Rooibos teabags or Ceylon tea or mixed loose tea

Method:
Place the water, lemon grass, ginger, masala and tea in a stainless steel pot and bring to boil. Add mild and sugar and allow to simmer for a few minutes. Don’t allow to boil over. Strain and serve. Serves 6 cups of tea

Tip: Really nice at any time, but especially on a cold day

Sent in by Pramilla Kooverjee

Summer Yoga Salad
A light, nutritious and protein- rich summer salad, this flavour-filled dish is a guest-impressing crunchy delight!

Ingredients

• 400g asian lettuce leaves
• 4 medium tomatoes
• 1 medium english cucumber
• 4 green chillies
• 2 medium onions
• 1 cup coriander leaves
• 80 g blanched salted peanuts
• 100g desiccated coconut
• 2 tsp grated ginger
• salt to taste

Method

• Finley dice onions and tomatoes into squares
• Julienne the cucumbers lengthwise into long sticks ( 8cm-10cm )
• Add your onions into a pan with a little olive oil
• Add the grated ginger, chilli , and coriander leaves with the onions and lightly fry for two mins on a medium heat, leaving the onions with crunch
• Place your asian greens and lettuce into a bowl, add your onions and tomato and mix well
• Place the mixture onto a plate or platter of your choice
• Add the cucumber, and then sprinkle the salad with the peanuts and  desiccated coconut
• Serve with the yoghurt mayonnaise and add salt to taste

Goan-Style Yoghurt Mayonnaise

Ingredients

• 15ml english mustard
• 20 ml extra virgin olive oil
• 200ml natural yoghurt
• 15ml lemon juice
• 2ml salt
• 1ml freshly ground white pepper
• 1 tbsp mixed herbs
• ½ teaspoon mustard seeds
• 2-3 curry leaves

Method

• Fry the mustard seeds, curry leaves with a little olive oil for 1 min
• Take the spices out of the pan and add to the yoghurt
• Place the rest of the ingredients with the yoguhrt mixture and blend until the mayonnaise is smooth and silky
• Can be served on or with the salad

Recipe Courtesy of Flair Executive Mobile Bar Services

Food by Brad Ellis
Photographs by Dixon & Libera photography

Website: www.flairbar.co.za
Enquiries: info@flairbar.co.za
Dixon & Libera photography : Richard: 0829016161

After Yoga Pick-Me-Up

Grapes and oranges are a great source of selenium, a mineral that helps to relieve fatigue and re-energise the body after a good work out or yoga session. You can also add a heap of Garden of Life’s potent “green powder” which further increases energy levels and assists in eliminating free radicals.

Ingredients:
1 cup freshly squeezed orange juice
¾ cup organic red grapes
½ cup mixed frozen berries
¼ banana
1 scoop Garden of Life Perfect Food Green Powder

Method: Add all the ingredients to a blender or smoothie machine and blend until smooth.

Vegan Breakfast Menu
Try these yummy ideas to kick-start your morning every day of the week!

Monday: Banana Boats
You can make this with one or two bananas, depending on how hungry you are. Split each banana length-wise and spread each half generously with
peanut butter. Top with raisins, drizzle on some honey and dust with cinnamon.

Tuesday: Scrambled Tofu
No, it tastes nothing like eggs, but yes, it is delicious. For added flavour and an energy boost, top it off with some tachina, sesame and sunflower seeds.

Wednesday: Berry and Granola Delight
Warm up some homemade berry compote, top with a few handfuls of granola, and pour in a little soy or almond milk for creaminess. Then, stir away for a delicious
morning treat!

Thursday: Fruit and Nut Porridge
Mix together steel-cut oats with almond milk on the stovetop. Add in a drizzle of flax or coconut oil at the end of cooking for richness, and lots of chopped dates and apricots for sweetness.

Friday: Cherry Smoothie
This one is especially great for spring time. Combine 1 cup frozen cherries, 1 cup water, 1/2 tablespoon coconut butter, 1 tablespoon cocoa powder, 2 tablespoons unsalted almonds, and a few dates in a blender and whizz away. Fresh, frothy, and fabulous!

Saturday: Sweet Potatoes
Baked for an hour in the oven tastes best, but 6 or 7 minutes in the microwave does the trick, too. Mash in lots of almond butter for protein, as well as a dash of cinnamon.

Sunday: Vegan Pancakes
Doctor up your favourite traditional pancake recipe like this: Replace each egg with 1 tablespoon ground flaxseeds and 2 tablespoons water, and substitute soymilk with a little bit of cider vinegar for the buttermilk. You may also wish to replace half the white flour with whole wheat, and add in some blueberries or sliced banana.

Select your choicest grouses, scrutinise thoroughly, pepper with scorn, beat well and discard.
Then, take a receptacle, such as a heart, brimful of gratitude.

Add:
* A good chunk of optimism
* And a large piece of backbone
* Sprinkle well with good cheer
* Season with humour
* Flavour with empathy
* Add a modicum of grit (to aid digestion)
* Spread on love

Render all to a sparkling consistency
Simmer in a warm heart for 24 hours
Finally, add a happy smile and turn outward
It is suggested a fresh supply is made daily to avoid staleness.
Best made first thing in the morning.

Orange, Fig and Pecan Muffins

(Makes Eight)

1 orange

½ cup orange juice

120g dried figs

1 egg

½ butter, melted

180g rice flour

1tsp bicarbonate of soda

1tsp baking powder

½ tsp salt

150g organic sugar orfructose

½ cup pecan nuts, chopped

Preheat oven to 180˚C. Roughly chop the orange. Remove the seeds but do not remove the skin. Place the orange and the orange juice in food processor and pulse until the orange is finely chopped. Add figs, eggs and butter and pulse to combine. Sift the flour, bicarb, baking powder and salt into the food processor. Add sugar and pulse to just moisten. Stir in pecan nuts. Grease the cup of a deep-muffin pan, and fill to ¾ full. Bake for 20 minutes or until skewer comes out clean. Leave to cool and remove from pan or cans.

Recipe Courtesy of Gingko Restaurant, 61 Dundalk Avenue, Cnr. Roscommon Rd, Parkview. Call (011) 486 3361, email ginko@iafrica.com or visit www.ginko.co.za

Millet and fruit porridge

What you’ll need:

• 1 cup millet
• 2 cups of water
• 1 small apple or pear
• 5ml almond oil
• 2tsp raisins
• 2tsp dates
• 2 pinches salt
• Pinch of cinnamon
• Almond flakes
• Sesame seeds

Method:

• Rinse millet well and add to pot
• Peel apple or pear, cut into small pieces and add to pot, with raisins, dates, salt and cinnamon.
• Add water to pot and bring to a rapid boil, once boiling reduce to a low heat and allow to simmer.
• Cook until all the water has been evaporated.
• Leave the porridge in the pot and make it smooth and creamy with a stick blender.
• Sprinkle with toasted almond flakes and/or toasted sesame seeds.
• Try a squeeze of fresh lemon for an extra bust of freshness and a sweet and sour contrast.
• Delicious hot or cold!

Chef’s Tip:
You can choose how sweet you would like it by adding more or less raisins or dates. Oil also softens the taste, so add some good oil to this porridge – if you don’t have almond oil, a good olive oil is great too.

Courtesy of Free Food Caterers

Onions
Onions’ primary effect is on the blood – stimulating blood production as well as purifying the blood. Onions disinfect and take care of foreign bacteria in the body and, due to this powerful effect, are considered to be a cancer-preventative food. They are cleansing to the liver and help maintain a good blood sugar level, thereby being beneficial to both hypoglycemics and diabetics. They create heat and energy in the body and help to digest food and eliminate mucus. Raw onions aid in mental clarity.

Those who happen to be travelling to India and fear the inevitable bout of dysentery, are advised to eat half a raw onion everyday for two weeks before travelling.

Onions are best raw, but are also good cooked, used abundantly in your vegetarian dishes. Therapeutically, onions find applications in treating ear aches (cottonwool dipped in onion juice and placed inside the ear duct), colds, fevers, dizziness and laryngitis and, because they stimulate blood production, they also stimulate the production of semen. It’s said that 80 bites of food create one drop of blood; and that 80 drops of blood create one drop of semen!

Garlic
Garlic’s fame is based on its strength as a natural antibiotic. Contrary to synthetic antibiotics that kill bacteria life at random – destroying not only the “baddies” but the “goodies” too – garlic works by preventing harmful bacteria from entering the body.

Garlic’s effect is rather long-term and gentle. Fresh garlic, garlic juice and garlic extracts have been used for gastro-intestinal disorders, septic poisoning and bacterial infections. Garlic should not be cooked for a long time and rather should just be added at the end of cooking.

Garlic is known to have an effect on the sexual system too – it produces healthy semen. If we look at the function of semen, namely to create new life, we can see that it should be as healthy as it can possibly be. Garlic affects a man’s potency, “potency” however not limited to the context of sex. In the language of yoga, a man’s potency means his power of projection; how he penetrates and grasps a situation; his staying power; his positivity and radiance…

Likewise, it is a yogic art and privilege to transform one’s energy. Energy is energy; it can be used for higher or lower, or perhaps, we’d say, mundane purposes.

The lower three chakras, also called The Lower Triangle, are the centres where our “gut” energy and strength collects. While we, in terms of energy, rarely live up to our potential, there is no point in minimising it. Yoga says we should maximise our energy – and then transform it. It means that a celibate person, too can eat onions and garlic!

Ginger
Finally, ginger nourishes the nervous system, allowing it to carry more energy. It is both soothing and strengthening while providing lots of energy and, should therefore be taken when studying or working hard. It is essential though that the actual root be used, as the dried powder is practically devoid of any healing power. Ginger root is a simple remedy for period pains, healing after giving birth, lower back pain, blocked sinuses, low blood pressure and fatigue. It’s definitely a woman’s remedy.

The best ways to use ginger are:

• in cooking curries
• boiled or simply brewed for tea (enjoyed with or without milk and honey)
• and, raw. Put ginger root through a juice extractor and mix in small amounts of apple or carrot juice. If you plan to juice, use young, fresh root and peel it, otherwise your juicer will become overworked. Rather, juice quite a bit and freeze it in an ice tray, to be used when needed.

In combination, Trinity roots complement and enhance each other, working simultaneously on three elements of the circulatory system. Onions purify the blood and stimulate semen production, while garlic works on creating healthy semen. Ginger helps to reabsorb the seminal fluid into the spine to nourish the brain and the nervous system. This is a very miraculous process and semen is now called ojas. Ojas, meaning “vigor” in Sanskrit, occurs in men and women alike, although the process is different. Ojas can only mature when the sexual energy is contained and transformed to a degree. You are then able to fight off disease; you become creatively very effective, and you can look forward to a long and healthy life.

It is said that it is easier for a woman to be in higher consciousness than a man. If a woman feels secure within herself and knows her relationship with the Creator, she is automatically in higher consciousness. A man has to do yoga and meditation to lift himself out of his basic animal nature. That doesn’t mean to say women don’t need to exercise and meditate – just for slightly different reasons!