Indian flavors accent salad

Avocado, tomato and plum salad

When faced with her husband having Type 2 diabetes and her own struggles with weight, Deepa Thomas discovered that by cutting back on rice and bread and other carbohydrates, she was able to help her husband and herself lose weight and feel great. She reinvented her take on classic Indian cooking by avoiding carbs but keeping the vivid flavors alive. Best of all, her new book, “Deepa’s Secrets: Slow Carb New Indian Cuisine” ($24.99, Skyhorse Publishing), offers new insight to Indian cooking.

The cookbook includes health tips, basic recipes like ginger garlic paste and an in-depth introduction on her journey to good health. The “Kitchen Essential” chapter includes spices, sauces and pickles, and you’ll find menu plans, kitchen wisdom and scientific commentary. I particularly like the step-bystep instructions, ingredient substitutions and shortcuts that she offers among the more than 70 recipes.

The following salad recipe screams summer. I particularly love the addition of sliced plums to a classic tomato avocado salad.

The dressing includes toasted cumin (you can just use ground cumin) along with sweet honey, spicy jalapeno chile, astringent lime juice and some ground garlic. These flavors combine to brighten this simple yet colorful salad. Prep: 30 minutes Makes: 4 servings Look for chaat masala at spice stores or Indian markets. Dressing: teaspoon ginger garlic paste, see recipe yellow onion, minced tablespoon fresh lime juice teaspoon wild honey jalapeno, minced tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil teaspoon cumin seeds, toasted, ground teaspoon salt teaspoon fresh ground black pepper Salad: avocados, sliced large tomato, sliced plum, sliced tablespoons cilantro, stemmed, finely chopped mint leaves, roughly torn teaspoon chaat masala Toasted crumbled walnuts, optional Thinly sliced red onion, optional Whisk dressing ingredients together in a bowl. Check seasoning. On a platter, mix avocado, tomato and plum slices gently. Drizzle the dressing on top. Sprinkle cilantro, mint, chaat masala, walnuts and red onion over salad.

218 calories, 19 g fat, 3 g saturated fat, 0 mg cholesterol, 14 g carbohydrates, 4 g sugar, 3 g protein, 656 mg sodium, 8 g fiber

Smash 15 garlic cloves with the side of a knife blade; peel. Peel and roughly chop a 3-inch piece of fresh ginger. Grind garlic and ginger to a paste in a food processor. Use a gob of the paste as a flavor base for any cooked veggie, meat or grain dish. Store in an airtight glass jar in the fridge for up to one week.

SHERRY HECK PHOTO