We’re going to be doing things a bit differently going forward. The podcast itself will no longer be on this website for listening. Just about everyone listens on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify, etc., or online via Unity Online Radio. There is no need to reinvent the proverbial wheel. So what I’ll do is provide the most enticing Show Notes I can. These should actually be worth seeking out since I’ll include behind-the-scenes information and insights. And if you have further questions, please join the Main Street Vegan Podcast Listeners Facebook Group and I’ll be happy to address any issues there. Thanks so much for listening!
So, this was a somewhat strange episode. The founder of FilterOff Video Speed Dating App was on to talk about dating in the pandemic time and the special difficulties vegans face in the dating world. Well, I thought that’s what he was there to talk about. He seemed to think he was there to advertise his video dating app. As you know if you listen regularly, I always talk up guests’ projects and products, but this is a podcast, not an advertorial. When every question was answered with another “buy my product” message, I got fed up and stopped him at 15 minutes. I don’t think I have done that one time in the previous 443 episodes. Well, there’s a first time for everything.
So I gave a kitchari recipe and a review of Autobiography of a Yogi, which I just listened to on Audible, read by Ben Kingsley. If you’ve never read Autobiography of a Yogi (Paramanhamsa Yogananda), you owe yourself the experience. It may be the most extraordinary book of the 20th century. It gives me wonder and hope, and not only a deeper understanding of yogic philosophy and Eastern thought, but of Christianity and the life of Jesus. It’s quite a read. (If you recall, it was the first book that opened up spiritual seeking for two of my recent guests, and you might to check out those episodes (links are to Apple Podcasts):
And here’s the kitchari recipe. Kitchari is an ayurvedic stew that’s so digestible and healing that ayurvedic doctors, vaidyas, sometime prescribe a kitchari cleanse — stewed and spiced apples for breakfast, kitchari for lunch and dinner — for 5 days of so.
Slow Cooker Kitchari for One or Two
1/4 cup brown basmati rice
1/4 cup split mung dal or split lentils
3 cups vegetable broth or water
1 teaspoon avocado oil, optional
1/2 teaspoon grated or finely chopped ginger
1/4 teaspoon cumin seeds
1/4 teaspoon fennel seeds
1/4 teaspoon mustard seeds
1/4 teaspoon ground coriander
1/4 teaspoon turmeric
Vegetables of your choice: add chopped sweet potato, winter squash, carrot, cauliflower, or string beans at start of cooking; add greens near the end
Salt to taste, optional
Black pepper (don’t leave this out: it will help with the assimilation of the antioxidants in the turmeric)
- Rinse the rice and mung dal or lentils, and place in small slow cooker, along with any vegetables you’re using, except quick-cooking greens.
- Add broth or water.
- Gently saute the spices until the seeds start to pop, and add spice mixture to other ingredients. If you avoid oil, spices can be dry-roasted or simply added to the pot.
- Add greens, if you’re including them, in the last half hour or so, depending on which greens you’ve chosen (mature kale will need 30 minutes; baby spinach can be added at, literally, the last minute).
In my slow-cooker, this kitchari reaches perfection when cooked on high for 3 hours, or on low for 6. I start it when I do the breakfast dishes so it will be ready for the midday meal. Varying the grain, bean, and vegetables — and even trading out the spices (try asafetida, coriander, bay leaf, curry leaf, chili powder), gives kitchari sufficient variety to serve often. And if you don’t want to make your kitchari in a slow cooker, you can use the same recipe for regular stovetop preparation.
Then Dr. Barnard, thank goodness! And he’s come up with something ever so kind and good for menopausal women enduring the horrors of hot flashes. It’s his Hot Flash Diet — vegan, low fat, and with an abundance of whole, dried soy beans, either boiled or roasted. You’re hear all the details on the show. This was inspired by his latest book, Your Body in Balance, but it was actually a reader of the book who shared her experience that prompted the research showing that this diet can offer welcome relief. And you know this but I’ll share anyway: Dr. Barnard’s nonprofit is Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine, PCRM.org.
And check out our wonderful sponsor, Complement, select dietary supplements by vegans, for vegans: https://www.lovecomplement.com. Put MAINSTREET in the discount box for ongoing savings.