Hello everyone! Sorry I’ve been missing for a while! Offline, non-blog stuff took over. But I’m back now and have  an irresistible line up of vegetarian recipes for you this year!

I’m in Kerala, India right now, on an Ayurvedic retreat. Its something I do once every two years or so, and there is no better place for this all natural detox, than the beautiful state of Kerala! My daily schedule here includes yoga twice a day, meditation, chanting, two Ayurvedic massages, and cooking class.

Above is the main building of Kalari Kovilakom, the Ayurvedic center I’m staying at. A beautiful, serene place with lotus ponds, a temple, and the nicest staff. The food here is fantastic and all vegetarian. Its all personalized and cooked according to each person’s Ayurvedic dosha (constitution). And the chef Nishant is ever so willing to share his simple, healthy recipes. 

The dining room..

Whem I’m not doing yoga, meditation, getting massaged or hanging out in the Ayurvedic kitchen, I sit outside my room and catch up on reading. There is no tea or coffee here. Instead everyone gets herbal tea. This one is kapha tea, made with boiling water and powdered cinnamon, cardamom and long pepper.

I love sitting by the pond in the evenings..

..and feeding the fish!

This is the center’s Ayurvedic kitchen. They use traditional cooking vessels made of brass, wood and stone. And im telling you, it makes a huge difference in the taste!

These are the ingredients for this easy tomato soup. (All the vegetables here come from an organic farm..)

Here is is how chef Nishant makes his simple, healthy, ayurvedic tomato soup. I was blown away by the simplicity of it! And there isn’t a drop of oil in it!

Chop tomatoes, onion, garlic, ginger, carrots and cilantro root. Yes, the root. Cilantro root has a great flavor, so dont throw it away when you buy a bunch! Its perfect in this soup. And the carrot adds some sweetness to the soup, which is a nice counter point to the tangy tomatoes

Throw all the vegetables and some water into a pot with salt.

Boil till the tomatoes are soft. Then blend the soup.

Strain the soup. Return it to the pot and bring to a boil. Adjust salt if needed. Thats it!

This delicious, super easy, no-oil tomato soup is ready to serve! Needless to say, garnish with cilantro!

Here are some healthy, equally tasty variations to this soup. Keep everything the same, and just switch out the carrots and tomatoes:

Carrot soup – 3 chopped medium carrots, plus half a tomato

Spinach soup – 3 cups fresh spinach

Beet soup – 3 small beets peeled and chopped, plus 1 tomato

Quick, Healthy Tomato Soup Recipe

serves about 2

Ingredients

3-4 medium tomatoes, chopped

1/4 cup grated carrot

1/2 medium red onion, chopped

2 garlic cloves, chopped

1/2 teaspoon chopped ginger

4 cilantro roots, chopped. Substitute with leaves and stems.

Method

1. Place all ingredients in a saucepan, along with salt and enough water to cover the vegetables, about 3 cups.

2. Bring to a boil, and continue to boil till the tomatoes are soft.

3. Let it cool a little, and blend into a liquid. Pass the soup through a strainer, pushing out all the liquid, using a wooden spoon.

4. Return the soup to the saucepan. If its too thick, add some water. Bring back to a boil. As soon as it boils, turn off heat, adjust salt if needed, and serve hot, garnished with chopped cilantro.