Purple Autumn: Black Lentil Stew with Beets & Fig Balsamic Vinegar

What a beautiful evening it is outside tonight as I write this! The air is still warm enough to be comfortable, but a cool breeze is coaxing the still-vibrant summer vines to dance tonight under the almost full moon. Katydids and crickets are busy making "a little night music" while toads, from tiny to plump, jump from sidewalk to lawn, entertaining our little dog as my husband I stroll with her on our evening walk.

Eggplant Dip with Rosemary and Roasted Tomatoes - Baba Ghanoush Recipe

You can use a food processor to make eggplant dip, but take care not to make it too smooth; this is supposed to be a rustic, slightly chunky dip. I overdid it a little-)) Also you may add tahini (sesame paste), but I didn't, I am on a diet, so mine is fat free.

Ingredients:

• 2 medium eggplants, about 2 pounds
• 3-4 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 2 1/2 Tbsp. lemon juice of one lemon 
• salt and cayenne pepper to taste
• 1 Tbsp. chopped rosemary

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375°F. Grill the eggplants over a gas grill, rotating it around until the skin is completely charred, about 10 minutes. Then bake the eggplants until they are soft inside, about 20 minutes.Cut the eggplant in half lengthwise, drain off the liquid, and scoop the pulp into a food processor. Process the eggplant until smooth and transfer to a medium bowl.Combine the eggplant, minced garlic, cumin, lemon juice, the salt,chopped rosemary, and a pinch of cayenne. Mix well. You want the mixture to be somewhat smooth but still retaining some of the eggplant's texture. Top with a lightly roasted tomatoes. Serve with celery, or cucumber slices.

Homemade and Ayurvedic tips for skin care

Beautiful skin is not the foray of the rich and famous only. One can easily develop a beautiful glowing skin without much use of harmful chemicals that are going to ruin the skin in the long run. There are quite a few natural products that will pamper your skin. You need to make sure that your skin gets the external and internal both nourishments as the glow that is exhibited by the skin is internal. You will find that homemade tips rival the expensive cosmetics that are used from the market.

However before using any home based product on your face and other parts of the body you need to do a analysis of your skin. While doing the analysis one needs to determine the kind of skin one posses. For Example a set of home based remedies will be beneficial for dry skin and another set will be beneficial for oily skin. Its crucial that you make sure which category your skin falls else you may end up harming your skin instead of doing it any good.

According to ayurveda gram flour applied on the face with a tinge of lemon juice to rid the skin off its dryness, pimples and even acne. Gram flour is easy to obtain from the market and one just needs to make a paste and add lemon juice to it so that it can be spread easily on the face smoothly. Once applied it has to be left there for an hour or two. This treatment can be had once a week and after a couple of weeks the good effects will show on your face with a glow and healthy skin. Remember ayurveda effects are slow but last long and don’t have any side effects.

Same is the case with Aloe vera. Aloe vera forms the base of most creams and conditioners available in the market. But if this is applied even in its natural form it will have a magnificent effect on the skin. Cucumber kept on the eyes while sunbathing has a soothing effect on the eyes and will surely leave the skin underlying fresh and ready to face the harsh sunrays once again. Azadirachta indica leaves dipped in water will kill all the germs and viruses present on the skin. Many of the herbal soaps use the ingredients of this tree and have a great effect on the skin of human beings.

Keeping a tab on the kind of skin you have in various phases of the weather change will surely allow you to use home based remedies that can be used to ensure the best maintenance of the skin. Skin is the outermost and the most sensitive part of the body. Taking care of it is of utmost importance and primary responsibility.

Photo "Basil" by Cooking Melangery