Heavens Banquet or Body for Life

Heaven's Banquet: Vegetarian Cooking for Lifelong Health the Ayurveda Way

Author: Miriam Kasin Hospodar

Ayurveda, a 3,000 year old Indian science ensuring the total health of mind, body, and spirit, is one of the fastest growing alternative health models today. Publications from Vegetarian Times and Prevention Magazine to Business Week herald the growth of interest in Ayurveda-- a $2 billion market-- and the Maharishi Ayur-Veda Institute is the preeminent marketer of Ayurvedic products in the U.S. and worldwide. Research shows that Ayurvedic practices strengthen the body, enhance the immune system, and perform a wide range of preventative functions. Miriam Hospodar's twenty-year culinary journey has culminated in a major work that is as inspiring as it is comprehensive. Heaven's Banquet offers an accessible, informed, and passionate approach to transforming your cooking, and your health, with Ayurvedic principles. The recipes come from all over the world --Europe and the Mediterranean; China, Japan, Southeast Asia; the Jewish and Middle Eastern culinary traditions; and the Americas. Hospodar has guidance for the "new vegetarian" and for those cooking on "terrible schedules." She offers options for sugar-free, salt-free, dairy-free, and wheat-free diets, and provides a full complement of recipes in every category-- from appetizers and finger foods through main courses and desserts. Heaven's Banquet is a cookbook with a philosophy, a voice, and a mission. It is a landmark work that will be a standard for years, even generations, to come.

Publishers Weekly

"The Ayurvedic meal," writes Hospodar, "is designed to promote optimum digestion and maximum pleasure." Indeed, the Indian "life science" of Ayurveda has been ensuring the health of mind, body and spirit for many centuries. Applying ancient philosophical and dietary concepts to contemporary, holistic food preparation, Hospodar has spent over two decades researching and adapting recipes from three continents; the result is a wide-ranging compendium of 750 vegetarian dishes and a storehouse of practical information and advice. Twenty-six chapters, arranged by main ingredient (Grains, Tofu, etc.) and course (Appetizers through Puddings), present flavorful, healthy selections, such as Artichoke-Filo Pie, and Lentil Burgers with Herbed Ch vre Sauce. The recipes are designed to suit each of three body types--Vata, Pitta, Kapha (readers complete a questionnaire to identify their type). Introductory chapters explain the tenets of Ayurveda and offer cookware, seasoning and menu-planning suggestions. Recipes are geared to the fairly proficient cook and, though not specifically low calorie, are often wheat-, milk- and oil-free. Illustrations and an amusingly eclectic assortment of quotations enliven the text, which, although devoted to serious principles, manages to be unfailingly upbeat and enthusiastic. (Apr.)

Library Journal

Ayurveda, which means "science of life," is an ancient Indian system of medicine that Hospodar calls "an art and science of nourishment." Hospodar, who has worked as a chef and baker at Ayurvedic spas around the world, has been working on this book for 23 years. Upbeat and sprinkled with inspirational quotes, it includes a detailed explanation of the Ayurvedic diet and a questionnaire that allows the reader to determine his or her dosha, or body type. The recipes, though clearly written, emphasize Ayurvedic principles over flavor, omitting, for instance, eggs, garlic, and onions. Many of the recipes call for the spice hing, which is hard to come by for many cooks. Those looking for a vegetarian cookbook with broad appeal may prefer Deborah Madison's excellent Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone (LJ 9/15/97). Recommended only where there is an interest in holistic health.--Jane la Plante, Minot State Univ., ND

What People Are Saying

Betty Fussell
Heaven's Banquet is packed with an astonishing variety of recipes, placed in a global context of cultures, histories and literatures, knit together by the author's thoughtful commitment to the Ayurvedic dietary system that defines health as that which brings body and mind together. Any system that recommends "Eating for Bliss" is worth exploring in some detail.

- Betty Fussell, author of I Hear America Cooking and Home Bistro

Sue Bender
Hospodar's heartfelt book is robust, bursting with information and zest.

- Sue Bender, author of Plain and Simple and Everyday Sacred

Harold Bloomfield
A masterful integration of ancient wisdom and modern culinary science. Beautifully written with humor and compassion, Heaven's Banquet shows us how to make our kitchens a source for health and healing. It is a must for every kitchen.

- Harold H. Bloomfield, M.D., bestselling author of Healing Anxiety Naturally

Jennifer Hawthorne
HeavenЖs Banquet offers the kind of cooking wisdom and inspirational recipes that even I - a reluctant cook at the best of times-will turn to again and again.

- Jennifer Hawthorne, co-author of Chicken Soup for the WomanЖs Soul I and II, and Chicken Soup for the MotherЖs Soul

Deborah Kersten
Resplendent with palate-pleasing recipes, Hospodar has cooked up a fascinating feast for nourishing mind and body. This is a must-read for everyone who wants a deeper, more balanced relationship to food, and a personalized approach to perfect health. - Deborah Kesten, award-winning author of Feeding the Body, Nourishing the Soul

yamuna devi
You hold in your hands a rare cookbook-one that inspires you to read it, use it, and share it with others-presented in the context of IndiaЖs ancient health science of Ayurveda. Its effects will remain in the mind and body long after food has been enjoyed at the table. This is an ideal book to help demystify Ayurvedic cooking.

-Yamuna Devi, author of YamunaЖs Table, Lord KrishnaЖs Cuisine: The Art of Indian Vegetarian Cooking, and The Vegetarian Table, India

Table of Contents:

The Banquet Is Served	xi
Nourishing the Mind and Body: Maharishi Ayur-Veda for Perfect
Health	1
Creation 101: Let There Be Dinner	30
How to Cook Wonderful Ayurvedic Food on a Terrible
Schedule	30
Operating Instructions for Novice Cooks	31
For Experienced Cooks	32
Words of Encouragement for New Vegetarians	33
Restricted Diets	34
The Ayurvedic Kitchen: Stage for the Drama of Creation	36
Ayurvedic Cookware	37
Some Useful Tools for the Contemporary Ayurvedic
Kitchen	38
Menu Planning and Menus: Creating Ayurvedic Meals for
Health, Harmony, and Happiness	40
Vegetables	43
Grains and Cereals	144
Beans	183
Tofu, Panir, and Seitan	206
Soups	217
Pasta	251
Appetizers, Finger Foods, and Savories	276
Salads and Salad Dressings	299
Yeasted Breads and Pizza	322
Unleavened and Quick Breads, Biscuits, Muffins, and Pancakes	349
Cakes	380
Pies and Pastries	406
Cookies	429
Puddings	440
Candies and Dessert Sauces	452
Fruits	459
Frozen Desserts	471
Beverages	483
Sauces, Condiments, and Chutneys	497
Dairy Products	524
Basic Ingredients for a Heavenly Banquet	541
Appendix A: Mind-Body Type Questionnaire	577
Appendix B: Sources of Information on Maharishi Ayur-Veda	581
Bibliography	583
Index	586

Book about: The Secret Life of Cows or Homepage Usability

Body for Life: 12 Weeks to Mental and Physical Strength

Author: Bill Phillips

Step into any gym in America, mention the name Bill Phillips, and watch the faces light up with recognition and respect.

These include:

Hundreds of thousands of men and women who turn to Phillips's monthly magazine, Muscle Media, for guidance and straight-forward information about exercise, nutrition, and living with strength.

Professional and amateur athletes--among them John Elway, Karl Malone, and Mike Piazza--and celebrities such as Sylvester Stallone, who have relied on Phillips' clear-cut information to enhance their energy and performance.

People once plagued by obesity, alcoholism, and even life-threatening ailments who accepted a personal challenge from Phillips and, with his help, turned their bodies and their lives around.

Body-for-LIFE is much more than a book on physical fitness, it's also an inspiring true story of one man's journey through life and the lives he's touched--a journey that began with a dream of helping one million people rebuild their bodies and has evolved into the challenge of a lifetime, a quest to help people from all walks of life search for, and discover, the hero inside each and every one of us.

Step-by-step, in language that is vivid and down-to-earth, Phillips maps out a guaranteed recipe for success.

This is not a vague, pie-in-the-sky "motivational" book. Neither is it a dense, technical manual about anatomy and physiology. In these pages, you will learn:

• How to develop the mind-set to cross the abyss between knowledge and action
• How to create not only more time but more energy in your day
• How to lose fat and gain muscle by eating more, not less
• How to trade hours of aerobics for minutes of weight training--with dramatic results
• How thousands of ordinary people have become extraordinary role models and how you can too

The principles of the Body-for-LIFE program are profoundly simple, but remarkably powerful. So pull out your calendar, mark 12 weeks from today, and allow yourself to experience the power of the information in this book. Then get ready to take your body, and your life, to a higher point than you may have ever dreamed possible.

Change Your Mind--Change Your Body--Change Your Life

Imagine, just 12 weeks from now, having the lean healthy body you've always wanted and not having to turn your life upside-down to get it.

Imagine having the energy to be at your peak from dawn to dusk, having the confidence to do all the things you've been putting off, having the certainty to make the right decision at the right time, knowing that you really do have the power to change--not just your body but anything in this world you set your mind to.

If this sounds unlikely, or even impossible, it's time you were introduced to Bill Phillips and his Body-for-LIFE program--it's time you join the legions of people who have reaped the benefits of his expert advice.

What People Are Saying

Hank Johnson
While going through Bill Phillips' program, the physical changes I experienced were just the 'tip of the iceberg' for the changes in my mind-set. It empowered me and opened my eyes to the possibilities of change in all areas of my life.
— (Hank Johnson, Age 39 NASA Space Shuttle Engineer; Cape Canaveral, Florida)

John Elway
I admire Bill Phillips because he believes so much in what he's doing, and he's helped so many people, including me. The time I've spent with Bill over the last couple years has been tremendous for me. I feel better mentally and physically. I believe the more his message gets out, the better off everybody's going to be.
— (John Elway, Two-Time NFL World Champion)

Fred and Renee Scurti
When we discovered Bill Phillips, we realized we had been confronted with a simple decision, 'Change our lives or dig our own grave with a fork and knife.' After a few weeks on the program, our bodies were changing, but more than that, our relationship, our lives were changing.
— (Fred and Renee Scurti, ages 38 and 35, Sales Manager and Homemaker; Parker, Colorado)

Russell Simpson
After completing the 12-week program, I not only achieved my physical goals, I rediscovered passion in my life. This became the primary driving force behind my success. I've become the person I've always wanted to be.
— (Russell Simpson, M.D., age 47 Physician; Huntsville, Alabama)

Christy Hammons
When I first read about Bill's program, I felt a sense of hope I hadn't felt before. I was inspired to take the first crucial step--I decided to change. Within weeks, I felt better, I looked better, and people started to notice. After 12 weeks, I lost 30 pounds, 3 inches off my waist, 4 inches off my hips, and dropped 3 sizes. My life couldn't be better. I'm not settling for mediocrity ever again.
— (Christy Hammons, Age 24 Accountant; Lexington, Kentucky)