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

This "cookbook" reads like a novel, so lovely and lilting is it written. Ms. Miriam's writing style is that of an old friend giving you advice. No "tsk, tsk, don't do that!" Instead, the reader feels as if she is being let in on some wisdom passed down through the ages in a familiar, friendly, almost it's-just-between-us format. I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE her writing style.The recipes are clear and easy to follow and there is a wide range to choose from, appetizers to desserts, and she has not included JUST East Indian recipes, which is exciting for me! She has included Thai and Mexican and Russian and other recipes that "fit" well into ayurvedic tradition. It's SO interesting, I am reading it like a novel!Also, she starts out the book with a really pretty great overview of ayurvedic prakriti/dosha identification. Another WONDER~FULL thing about this book is her recognition/acknowledgement and in fact VALIDATION to the working Mom or Dad that, yes, cooking from scratch takes time, BUT it doesn't have to take A LOT of time (she gives useful tips on how Indian households use Crock-Pots and other quick ideas for busy wanna-be home cooks).Being a fan of quotations, I *ADORE* how she intersperses almost every useful item with a corresponding piece of wisdom in the form of a quotation.Another thing I love about Ms. Miriam is her "At Play in the Universe of..." sections. She gives solid recipes for each category of food, AND gives these fun tips about how to mix things up in that category or "Universe."This is just a completely fun AND respectable cookbook. I don't think one needs to necessarily following ayurvedic to like this cookbook. It would be a completely adorable and useful addition to any cookbook collector's library. But, if you ARE into ayurvedic, I THINK THIS IS A MUST-HAVE.Namaste to Ms. Miriam and THANK YOU! Thank you, too, Amazon, for having it available and on Prime! Love Amazon!postscript: Yes, the recipes are onion and garlic free, and she explains the ayurvedic reasons why in a fair amount of detail. In places where one normally would use garlic or onions, her recipes include "hing," so I suggest when you purchase the book you also purchase some (available at amazon.com), also called asafoetida, if you do not have an Indian market near where you live.

I've just received this book and first impressions are excellent! I love the format and how the recipes are laid out. The recipes I've seen are easy to make with ingredients I have on hand. I can't wait to dig into the Ayurvedic cooking experience. Highly recommend!

I love this book, and I believe it has a rational approach to Ayurveda and vegetarian cooking - 'balance'. Conceptually, I like being able to prepare healthy meals for everyone and having the ability to nurture someone individually. Although I haven't read the entire book yet, it's already been very helpful in understanding the key principles of Ayurveda and Indian cooking. It also provides many international recipes, which the author considers balanced Ayurveda. The book is very comprehensive, and it will continue to provide a valuable resource long after I sift through all of the information. It's easy to look up info by food, food type, recipe, or the many types of reference info. I'm learning and testing out different recipes with the desire to learn how the 'different tastes' are balanced I bought both the kindle and the print copy as an added convenience. I love the word search capability. Thank you for sharing your wide-ranging knowledge in this wonderful book.

At first perusal, I wasn't very impressed with this book. It seemed sort of lengthy and all the recipes seemed a little too simple, like why would you even need a recipe to make that?However, after trying some of the recipes I have become a huge fan of this book. Whether I'm looking for something Ayurvedic or just something to make quickly for dinner, I can find the absolute perfect thing in this book.The recipes may seem simple, but they are plentiful and amazing. I have tried many vegetarian cookbooks, but this one is way beyond what I could have hoped for in a singe resource. The author obviously did a huge amount of researching and testing to make the incredible variety that are available in the book.

Heaqvens Banquet is a well written, very thick book with many, many delicious sounding recipies, covering almost every vegetable you can think of, even the ones usually avoided by people who follow Ayurvedic guidelines. Although she gave us good instructions on determining how to judge the best foods for each of the three Doshas, I wish she had included a notation on each recipe as to how it affects each of the Doshas, then I would have rated it a positive five..

This book is an awesome investment. It includes history and descriptions about every category of spices, vegetables, fruit, legumes, rice, soups, beans, nuts and more. It reminds me of a teaching cookbook as the recipes are easy to follow. There is also tons of added information about all types of other food groups. It reminds me of a vegan version of the "Fanny Farmer cookbook " which may be out of print.

Easy Ayurvedic recipes from around the world - my go-to book for healthy, easy International vegetarian cooking.Just leafing through it make me want to get in the kitchen and fire up the stove!You can cook for the seasons and/or your body type, but this book is SO much more than recipes.It explains Ayurveda beautifully, and the quotes are almost good enough to buy the book even if you DON'T cook!A Wonderful gift for any foodie on your list.

It was a gift for a friend and she loves it

This is a must-have book. I have used it for 12 years. Unfortunately, the new version is printed on fragile paper. I bought this one to give as a gift. It arrived with a bent up corner on the cover and some of the first pages. Better transit packaging is essential if this paper is used. Disappointed that my gift is spoiled.

I have not fully engaged with this book yet but it seems to have an easy to follow explanation of the three doshas which I have previously found a bit of a stumbling block.Best to read the opening chapters,learn and understand before launching into recipes.I am really looking forward to using this book.

I first came across this book in my library and kept borrowing it. It's packed with delicious and strait forward recipes. If you into Ayurveda or not its a grand cookbook. One star minus five as the binding on this edition is poor and if you like pretty pictures - there aren't any.

Very comprehensive guide to Ayurvedic ideals and recipes. A great buy and already a favourite.

Bought this book after a friend made a lunch with 4 recipes from it. Wonderful combinations of flavours, and healthy too!