While I do not know what Kamala Harris is eating now, I guess her ancestry steers her appetite towards a plant-based way of eating. She grew up as a daughter of a South Indian mother from Chennai, who was a biomedical scientist at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, and a Jamaican father, a Jamaican-American economist and professor emeritus at Stanford University.

In the past, she shared her love of cooking with her friend, Mindy Kaling, who you may recall was at the Democratic National Convention endorsing Kamala Harris. Here is the video to meet them cooking four years ago when Kamala was a Senator.

From Kamala’s mother in Tamil Nadu, India there would be specialties. Indian food bursts with fragrance and spicy flavors. Many of the recipes from India are plant-based naturally. Below is a recipe from page 215 in one of my favorite sources, The Prevent and Reverse Heart Disease Cookbook by Ann Crile Esselstyn and Jane Esselstyn.

SINGAPORE DAL SERVES 2 TO 4
We first had this dal in Singapore. I stood right beside the chef so I wouldn’t miss any of her secrets. The colors and the spices and the smells are embedded in my head. Putting the chiles in whole gives just the right amount of heat. This is delicious and thick over brown rice or potatoes. Serve it with a huge green salad or add Corn Tortilla Taco Shells and Tostados (page 32) instead of rice – or along with the rice! Fresh mango adds that last just-right touch.
INGREDIENTS:
1 onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, chopped
2 tablespoons chopped, peeled fresh ginger
1 teaspoon ground cumin, 1 teaspoon ground coriander
1 teaspoon garam masala
3 medium tomatoes, cored and chopped
1 (15-ounce) can no-salt-added black-eyed peas, drained and rinsed
1 (15-ounce) can no-salt-added chickpeas or any white bean, drained and rinsed
2 cups vegetable stock or water
3 small skinny green chiles (also called finger chiles; serrano chiles will work, too)
Chopped fresh cilantro, and 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice for serving
1 mango, chopped, for serving
INSTRUCTIONS:
In a saucepan, cook the onions over medium heat until they begin to soften; then add the
garlic and ginger and continue to cook, stirring, for a few more minutes. Add drops of water as necessary if the pan gets dry. Add the coriander, cumin, and garam masala, and cook for 2 minutes more for flavors to mingle. Again, add a few drops of water if the pan gets dry. Add the tomatoes, black-eyed peas, chickpeas, vegetable stock, and whole green chiles! Bring the mixture to a boil, reduce the heat to maintain a simmer, and cook until the dal has thickened to a gravy-like consistency, about 30 minutes. Add the lemon juice and lots of cilantro. Before serving, remove the chiles, or if you want more heat, break up the chiles and add them to the dish to suit your taste. Serve with chopped fresh mango in every bite. Perfection!

Next week I plan to make this recipe, thinking of Kamala during the preparation. She already has my VOTE ! Is there anyone you would like to share this with? DO IT !

Until my next personal sketch, PEACE and HEALTH, Heather