Joy of Balance - An Ayurvedic Guide to Cooking with Healing Ingredients: 80 Plant-Based Recipes

I know Divya from her amazing Culinary chef training and I am a proud graduate from her program ANACT. She is such a humble, generous teacher, with a great passion to make Ayurveda accessible to all.Her first book was one of the best way to start Ayurvedic nutrition, for health, longevity and delicious everyday food.This second book is even more as she introduce ingredients, their benefist, seasons, suitability and adjustments needed for your unique constituion and imbalances.If you need 2 books in your life for healthy eating, I would go with Divya’s books! And I have a cook book collection library with over 150 books.This book gave me more motivation to cook Ayurvedic meals, as the recipes are simple, ingredients are accessible and as I know from our training they are delicious and tested many times before writing them. The details for each ingredient given in this book is so unique, and authentic - that no other Ayurvedic resource brought these details together, in such delicious meals made easy to cook.Ayurveda has helped me and my family to deal some of our health problems and with this book I can share the recipes with my family - who has quiet specific taste preferences. I made the Palak Paneer recipe first, making fresh cheese myself, and the taste was divine! And first time cheese felt so good on my tummy - no lactose issue felt! I also made the Ayurvedic ketchup, kitchary, spice mixes, ghee, baked carrots, and some of the sweet recipes in this book at our course, all of which always impressed me and my family, friends.Can’t wait to cook all recipes! Congrats to Divya and the team again! You created a very high standard for healthy eating cook books!

Well worth buying

I loved Divya Alter's first book, What to Cook for How you Feel, and all of the recipes I made turned out well so I was excited to get The Joy of Balance. It is very well written and the author provides interesting information about ayurveda, relevant nutritional information about the ingredients, and a rationale for using them. So far I made the Cream of Fennel Soup as well as the Celery Root and Taro pancakes and both were delicious. Next on the list are the Pecan Chocolate Chip Cookies :)

I am honored and grateful to have taken courses with this gifted writer and teacher. Having relied on her first book, WHAT TO EAT FOR HOW YOU FEEL since it’s publication I could hardly wait for this new revelation of her bountiful care and knowledge. The recipes are clear and accessible for anyone whether we are students of Ayurveda or not. It is a beautifully produced volume. But behind these rather conventional attributes of any wonderful book lie the wisdom, generosity and skill of Divya Alter who is a blessing to all who enter a kitchen to cook or sit at a table to benefit from healthy, delicious meals.

I have had the privilege to study with this amazing chef and healer. The Joy of Balance is the perfect companion to her earlier cookbook, Cook for How You Feel and for anyone interested in learning Ayurvedic cooking methods and principals. This book is visually stunning but more importantly an incredible reference guide into the qualities from subtle to dense of each food group, helping the reader to grasp the nuances of Ayurvedic cooking. I could easily throw out my notes from her cooking course as I now have them organized in such a refined fashion in this book. Endless gratitude, Divya for making Ayurvedic cooking accessible and attainable.

Divya Alter's second book will take you on a deeper dive into the world of Ayurveda to facilitate your own personal journey of healing with food by first understanding your own digestion. Though the book is filled with Ayurvedic knowledge (prana and its components, the six tastes, the golden rule of balance, etc.), since Ayurveda is first and foremost practical, you'll find tips in this book ranging from food suitability, meal portions, kitchen setup and tools, time-saving tips for preparing fresh meals daily, the best ingredients to use, etc. We live in the modern world, and yet Divya shows how Ayurveda can seamlessly blend with our lives to make us healthy, happy, and...well, balanced! Don't miss this opportunity to bring the joy of balance into your and your loved ones' lives!

Once again, Divya Alter presents nutrition and nourishment through a beautiful set of recipes and photos set among an easy-to-understand and relatable foundation of Ayurveda. I appreciate her message in this book—food should be for nourishment (simple) rather than entertainment. The organizational approach to the recipes focuses on specific ingredients, which helps the reader build a deeper relationship with it and understand WHY and when to use it. I highly recommend both of her books for anyone interested in learning or expanding their current knowledge of taking good care of themself through food and lifestyle practices. Thank you Divya!