Menu Planning

Six helps for menu planning:

THE 1-2-3-4-5 MENU PLAN - (taken from the "Vegetarian Times")
Ideally, daily menus should include:

• 1 serving of nuts and seeds
• 2 servings beans, legumes, dahls,
• 3 servings milk or milk products
• 4 servings of fruits and vegetables
• 5 servings of breads and cereals

"It is rare for dahl not to be present in one form or another in Vedic meals. At least two servings - chickpea, dahls, and so on- are essential, especially for children, pregnant and nursing mothers. It can be served in a variety of ways for breakfast and lunch along with three serving of milk or milk products."

THE VEGETARIAN BASIC FOUR FOOD GROUPS
At least one serving from each food group creates a balanced meal:

• 1. Breads and Cereals
• 2. Milk and Milk Products
• 3. Nuts and Legumes (beans, chickpeas, lentils, dahls...)
• 4. Fruits and Vegetables

THE SIX TASTES according to the Ayurveda
Good health, according to Ayurveda is based on balancing the body with six tastes (having to do with body chemistry, etc). A complete meal should try to include all six. An Internet search will reveal the prominent tastes of various foods and condiments to choose from (often there is more than one. For example, cinnamon is both sweet and pungent) as well as more information. It is a great science!
The six tastes are:

• Hot or pungent taste - e.g. chilies, mustard seeds, black pepper, hing...
• Sweet taste- e.g. breads, cereals, rice, sugar, sweet spices...
• Astringent taste (produces a dryness on the tongue) - e.g. spinach, butter, apple, lettuce, pomegranate, plantain...
• Sour taste - e.g. citrus fruit, yogurt, sour cream...
• Salty taste- e.g. salty tasting vegetables, sea vegetable, as well as salt itself
• Bitter taste- e.g. bittermelon (karela), turmeric, neem, fenugreek, Italian seasoning, dandelion, kale...

The quickest way to add a sour taste is to serve a slice of lemon on the plate. A quick way to add heat is to serve minced fresh ginger or fresh chili (preferable sauteed in a little ghee). Various chutneys are ideal to serve in a meal because they combine many tastes in one serving. For example, green apple chutney can be a combination of sour, sweet, astringent and pungent tastes.

Generally, a person is advised to choose foods, spices, herbs and lifestyle according to his constitution- predominantly vata, pitta or kapha or a combination of these. Other times, when one has developed some sort of ailment, one should choose according to what needs to be brought back into balance. For example, if you have a vata type headache, you'd want to bring vata back into balance via hot soups and herbal teas and honey, hot bath and rest, etc,"Within the broad principle of including all six tastes, you can customize your food choices to the doshas you are trying to balance at a given time. If you are trying to keep Pitta dosha in balance, for instance, you would choose more foods that are sweet, bitter and astringent and fewer foods that are salty, pungent or sour. To keep Vata balanced, choose more from salty, sour or sweet foods and fewer bitter, pungent or astringent foods. To keep Kapha in balance, eat more bitter, pungent or astringent foods and fewer salty, sour or sweet foods." (see http://www.ayurbalance.com/explore_articlesixtastes.htm).

The test of a good doctor, by the way, is that he'll advise what foods to avoid, and which foods are helpful to regain balance in the system. And this knowledge of the six tastes in useful in home nursing. It can get a little tricky though. For example, refined sugar is said to heat the blood whereas sugar in a cruder state called mishri or rock sugar is cooling.  Also Ayurveda takes the post digestive effect of a substance, as well as the climate and season into consideration and so on and so on. Speaking of digestion, that's probably one of the most important aspects for good health and immunity, according to Ayurveda, rather than the nutrition aspects of a food only.

Gradually you'll become familiar with all the foods, herbs and spices you use and understand their rasa, vipaka, virya and prabhava as well as other properties.

PRABHUPADA'S PROGRAM
Prabhupada taught his disciples to eat rice, dahl, chapatis and a subji (or two) in their main meal. Using this basic formula, there are many variations for each category. For example, instead of chapati have puri or paratha the next day. Instead of plain rice have spicy rice, lemon rice, rice with sweet spices or rice with vegetables added. Extras to round out this basic meal plan would be beverages, raitas and salads, savories, chutneys, sauces and sweets.

A MENU SUGGESTION CHECKLIST
What to make for lunch today? For quick menu planning of any meal, it's very helpful to make a list of favorite preparations to refer to when uninspired. The preps may be grouped as Rice Dishes, Breads and Pancakes, etc. or Breakfast Ideas, Lunch Suggestions, etc. or "What to do With...? (pumpkin, zucchni, apples.. whatever you have on hand).  Another favorite place to go for inspiration is Pinterest.

PRESENTATION:
Presentation of food is important; what it looks like can affect its reception. In that respect, variety is an necessary for creating appetizing menus. Here's some considerations:

Varying colors. For example, an Ekadasi plate of mashed potatoes, subji in a white sauce and tapioca pudding would look pretty boring without garnishes and other variety of food colors.

Varying texture. Not all wet, not all dry subjis, not all deep fried nor just soft or mushy foods (unless you're a baby or something).

Varying tastes.. Ever eaten a meal that had nothing but hot, hot chili taste in every prep with no relief? Yogurt, rice and sweet foods are essential "fire extinguishers" when served with peppery hot dishes.

Also see Creating Garnishes.