There are so many reasons to love coming home after a long trip away. There’s the smell of home, something distinct and only yours. There’s looking into the eyes of the ones you love, listening to their stories and hearing their voices more clear and dear than ever. Being able to see their gestures and the habits that make them so unique, none of which can be conveyed by a phone call. There’s being able to touch the things so familiar, yet so everyday you forgot while you were gone that this is the architecture of your life, and while it may be plain, it is good, and it is where you find your belonging. And then of course there’s those simple, but oh my god I am so grateful things like being able to brush your teeth with tap water without thinking, to sleep on your own pillow, and to eat something raw…
So while I probably should be sharing a healthy meal from India’s seemingly infinite pantry, or a special culinary exotica from my travels east and west, my greatest joy today is the simple joy of Spring as it blooms in my little corner of the world right here, right now, offering these raw, fresh delights.
Creamy Curried Lemony Dill Dressing Tofu, 1/2 a block (about a cup)
Garlic, 1 clove (more if you are Kapha)
Lemon, juiced
Dill, 1/2 to 1 scant teaspoon
Curry powder, 1/4 teaspoon (more if you like spice)
Olive Oil, about 1 teaspoon
Fresh Cracked Black Pepper, to taste
Method Rinse and pat dry your greens. Add to a salad bowl. Pinch your pea pods to open them, then loosen each pea with your finger to release them into your salad bowl. Slice the cherry tomatoes in half, and the spring onion into thin rounds. Add the tomatoes and onions to your salad.
Put the tofu and garlic into a small electric bender and blend until the tofu is creamy and the garlic is completely mashed. Cut your lemon in half and squeeze in the juice. Add the dill and curry powder and mix well. Drizzle in the olive oil and just lightly pulse a few times. Crack the pepper in and just light stir with a spatula. Taste and adjust lemon, spices, and add, maybe maybe, a pinch of salt. Use the spatula to pour the dressing over the salad. The consistency will be thick, but once tossed, the greens, tomatoes, and peas will add their moisture to give it a beautiful balance between creamy and crunchy, soft and snappy, soothing and fresh.
Garnish with a generous helping of sunflower seeds, and a sprig of fresh rosemary.
Because we are Spring Cleansing, I also tossed into the salad a handful of fresh cilantro. I love treating mint, cilantro, parsley as if they are more than garnish, but leaves with their own rightful place in the salad.
Salads are usually eaten after the main meal in Ayurveda, much like in Italy and France. We’ve been enjoying it following a bowl of kichari, lentils or spring saag. I hope you enjoy it with whatever gives you the most Spring in your heart.
How are you celebrating Spring? What are your favorite foods and flavors these days? I’d love to hear, and to celebrate you with a gift of Spring from my friend Tiziana Boccaletti who makes the most delightful self-care elixirs in her AromaVedic apothecary. This Spring she has rose, calendula, chamomile… Because I love her, I love her artistry with florals, and I love you, I am offering to send one directly to you, or one of the commenters below, in time for Mother’s Day.
May you be eternally blessed by the light of the sun, and the bounty of our beautiful mother earth. Namaste!
This morning I put together this little videofor you with two simple recipes for Spring ~
1. Ginger Lemon Honey Tea – to “melt the winter freeze,” i.e. to dissolve stagnation, burn toxins, stimulate circulation, and encourage a balanced flow of Prana.
2. Ginger Lemon Black Pepper Matchsticks – to light the fire of digestion, and inspire healthy metabolism.
Both these recipes are included in my 10 day Ayurvedic Spring Cleanse, along with lots of lovely, delicious nourishing recipes, tonics and self care practices to help you align with the season, and feel your best all the time.
It’s easy. I’ll guide you through it. You can do everything I offer, or pick and choose what suits you best – because nature is abundant, and you are nature, so anything you do will reward you abundantly.
You can learn all about my 10 day seasonally bountiful Spring Cleanse here.
Or, if you are ready to register, you can do that here.
I am so grateful that so many people who have done my cleanses in the past keep returning season after season. If you are one of my wonderful “returning cleansers,” I have a generous discount to thank you for joining us again. You can find that discounted registration link on our Facebook Group page (or email me).
Please leave a comment below to let me know if you have done my cleanse and how it’s made you feel, or to let me know what you are looking for in a Spring Cleanse. I read every comment and will reply.
Thank you & Namaste!
P.S. You can purchase Triphala here if you don’t find it at your local market.
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April 22
Namaste!
I am in Delhi, filming a series on Ayurvedic Seasonal Cleanses (they are that delicious!). While there, I put together two videos for you with recipes and tips for Spring. This is my second one on the power of air to help us cleanse, with one very special formulation that encourages proper flow.
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April 25
In my first two videos on Ayurvedic Spring Cleansing, we talked about the positive power of the fire and air elements. The third element, water, is the dominant element in Spring. Too much water element in you gives Kapha, the dosha, or bio-energy of stagnation that can lead to excess weight, spring allergies, brain fog, lethargy, and chronic illnesses from there. In Spring Cleansing we seek to reduce and balance the water element – but we also use the positive power of water to hydrate, lubricate, and moisten dry tissues to liberate toxic buildup and wash the body clean. There are two key ways we do this. Ghee is one, and above I show you how to make it. If you join our Spring Cleanse we will be doing both. Love and joyful Spring blessings to you!
I am often asked how to make Ayurvedic meals appealing to the whole family. First, I am very fortunate that my family enjoys eating well, and by that I mean eating whole, healthy foods. But it is true that our Ayurvedic staple, kichari (click the link if you are not sure what that is), hasn’t always been popular with the younger ones.
Early on, I would spoon kichari into a wrap with salsa, a bit of yogurt and cilantro, and we’d call it a burrito. That worked, although I can’t say it was our most popular family fare.
Recently, in the midst of juggling a few things, I found myself wanting to prepare a special meal for a sick friend who was staying with us. We’d had kichari the evening before, and since I didn’t have time to make anything new, decided instead to spruce up what we had left.
This was the result – a Kichari burger that has now become a family favorite.
To make it, you start with your favorite kichari recipe. I have lots around this site – a basic, all purpose kichari recipe here, a more elaborate one on that same page, an autumn kichari here, a winter kichari here, a summer kichari here, and for good measure below I offer you one more – because I want to share the amazing grace that is Robyn Field, and to share her favorite kichari as it is such a classic.
Part 1
If you already have a favorite kichari recipe, skip to part 2.
Robyn Field’s Classic Kichari
Step 1
3& 1/3 c water
1/3 c split mung bean
1/3 c red lentils
1/3 c basmati rice
1 t turmeric
12 curry leaves
1 t crushed fresh ginger
Step 2 1/2 t cumin seeds
1/2 t coriander seeds
5 peppercorns
Step 3
1 carrot, chopped
1/2 medium zucchini, chopped
2 kale leaves, thinly sliced
1/4 t rock salt
Method
1. Bring water to a boil in a pot. Add mung beans, lentils, rice, turmeric, curry leaves and fresh ginger. Once it returns to a boil reduce heat and simmer.
Grind seeds in a coffee grinder or mortar and pestle. Add 1 teaspoon of the mix to the kichari.
Add carrots zucchini, kale and salt. Cook uncovered for 15 to 20 minutes until the lentils are tender and the mixture resembles a thick porridge. Stir occasionally. Add more water if needed.
Heat ghee in a skillet. Add 1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds and fry for 30 seconds. Add the rest of the ground spices then immediately add a bit of the kichari to prevent it from burning and stir well. Add the spice fry to the pot of kichari and stir.
Serve with lemon and lime juice, garnished with cilantro. Variation: Add fresh chili peppers and ginger in step 4 for a spicier version.
Part 2Kichari “Burgers” You could also call these sliders, and serve them at parties, or over salad for an elegant lunch. You pick the shape, and ultimately what to call them – because a rose may be a rose by any other name, but when it comes to feeding children (and fussy grown-ups), what’s in a name may make all the difference.
Ingredients
2 c your favorite kichari
1-2 T psyllium (husks or ground, either)
1 T nutritional yeast, optional
1 T ghee garlic powder to taste
optional: 1 egg
Method
Stir the psyllium and optionally the nutritional yeast with the kichari in a mixing bowl and mix well, ideally with your own clean hands. If you eat eggs, beat one egg and lightly stir it in. It will give your burger and better hold, and a crispier, golden edge. But strictly speaking, Ayurveda does notlike us to mix our proteins.
Melt the ghee in a saucepan on medium high. Sprinkle in the garlic powder according to your own taste, swirl the pan. Take a small handful of kichari mixture, pat it into a ball, then press to flatten. Place in your saucepan and cook until it browns. Turn it over and cover now while it browns on the second side.
Since there is no egg and the kichari is cooked, it is not essential you “cook it all the way through,” but I cover it to be sure it heats all the way through. Raita Dipping Sauce
1/2 c yogurt (make your own)
1/2 small cucumber (persian are best), chopped small
3-4 spring onions, chopped 1 bunch of chives, chopped
1 bunch dill, chopped
1 small bunch cilantro or parsley, or a bit of both, chopped
Pink salt & fresh cracked pepper, to taste
Stir everything together. Season to taste.
I served these on a slice of roasted beet and roasted sweet potato, ladled with the dipping sauce, and a side of curried mayo (1 t curry powder to 3 T vegan mayo) for vibrant color and flavor.
In the Springtime, Kichari is an essential part of a detoxifying cleanse. I invite you to join me for my upcoming 10 day Spring Cleanse with a 10 day meal plan, nourishing cleansing recipes, as well as Ayurvedic self-care and guidance, coaching, daily motivational emails, group phone-ins and group online support starting April 20th. For one of you lucky commenters, we will (randomly) pick someone to give the Cleanse for free.
So tell us, how do you use your creativity to keep your family eating well? I look forward to hearing.
Ayurveda is brilliant for its herbal wisdom, such as the benefits of turmeric – but even more so, for its genius in combining. Making dishes, tonics or formulas to create a balanced, whole, all-six-tastes intelligence that super charges healing is a unique forte in Ayurvedic medicine. It’s one of the many reasons I love it, because it is a science of relationships!
That is why this ancient and popular Ayurvedic recipe for Golden Milk is so effective – Ayurveda knows that turmeric’s potency is enhanced when its bitter taste is balanced by the sweet taste. Bitters help the body detoxify, while sweet increases the bio-availability to carry the medicinal qualities of bitters well into your deeper tissues.
Can you hear the song? Mary Poppins was right – sweet does help the medicine go down, and be optimally effective.
Only when Ayurveda speaks of the sweet taste, it means foods that are naturally sweet, sometimes almost bland – like rice, wheat, potatoes, parsnips, milk, butter, but also delicious like bananas, berries, almonds, coconut.
Because it is so healthy, I add turmeric to ghee whenever I cook, and stir it into milk whenever making a tea or smoothie. In winter, on any given day, you will find in our kitchen a teapot full of steaming hot water colored deep yellow by generous slices of turmeric and ginger. But I would never have the tea on its own. There’s always some type of milk, usually coconut, and often a spoonful of ghee. For me, turmeric is just too light and drying without the heavy, unctuous, hydrating benefits of the sweet taste.
If you look at traditional India, you see this medicinal relationship embedded in the cuisine: curries, yellow rice and golden milk are common in Indian kitchens, where golden milk was made fresh and served piping hot the minute anyone complained of a sore, an ache or an illness.
Last week I served it with goat’s milk to a friend, but I personally prefer it with homemade almond or coconut milk. What is it about Ayurveda and milk? You can read about Ayurveda’s love of dairy here, which is perhaps not what you think… Anyway, I give you both ways to make it – and hope you enjoy it, for goodness’ sake!
Golden Milk Serves 2
2 c fresh Milk
2 t Turmeric powder, or a 2-inch coin of fresh Turmeric root, peeled
A dusting of fresh cracked Pepper, or a small pinch of ground Cardamom, or both
Put the ingredients in saucepan. Whisk the milk gently while bringing to a gentle boil. Serve and drink warm.
Warning: Wear an apron. Turmeric stains!
Dairy Free Golden Milk Serves 2
2 t Turmeric powder or a 2-inch coin of fresh turmeric root, peeled
2 c fresh Almond milk* or Coconut Milk
2 t raw Honey, optional
1 t Ghee or Coconut oil, optional
Add the ingredients to a blender on high speed and mix for a few minutes to heat the drink. Enjoy it warm.
For Vata: Blend in a date and skip the honey. Add a shake of ginger and a dash of cardamom For Pitta: Replace the honey with maple syrup For Kapha: Add generous shakes of ginger, black pepper and cinnamon
*How to Make Almond Milk Makes about 2 cups
1 c raw Almonds
4 c Water
2-3 Medjool dates, chopped
1 t Vanilla Extract
1 pinch Himalayan Pink Salt
In two cups of water, soak the almonds overnight, for a minimum of 8 hours or up to 2 days. Drain and rinse. Pour your almonds in a high speed blender and cover with two cups of water. Slowly turn your blender from low to the highest speed and blend for two minutes. By the time you are done, it should be foamy and very well blended, with the almonds broken up into a fine meal. Pulse a bit longer if needed to get it completely smooth.
Place a nut bag or a generous strip of cheese cloth into a strainer and put the strainer over a large bowl, or a 1 quart Pyrex. Pour the almond mixture into the strainer. Lift the nut bag or cheese cloth and twist to squeeze all the liquid into the bowl.
Pour this liquid back into your blender and add the dates, vanilla and salt. Blend again on high speed until no bits of dates remain. Drink immediately, or store in an airtight jar up to two days in your refrigerator.
Turmeric is said to balance all doshas, be cleansing to the blood and lymph, helping to dissolve tumors and blood clots, improving circulation, promoting healthy menstruation, strengthening muscles, healing soft tissue injury, decongesting the liver, aiding in the digestion of sugar, fats, and oils, and supporting those with diabetes and hypoglycemia. (NCBI: Potential Therapeutic Effects of Curcumin)
Since turmeric is such a hard worker, I leave you with a little food for thought ~
“In every job that must be done, there is an element of fun.
Find the fun… and snap, the job’s a game!
And every task you undertake becomes a piece of cake A lark, a spree, It’s very clear to see!”
I am really excited about this. Today I’ve done something I never thought I would. I have to share it because now I know you can do it, too.
It started about a month ago at Bhakti Fest, where we always have lunch at theDosa Dosa food truck because they make the world’s best Kichari. They also make the world’s most divine Dosas, and I asked them to show you how. Thankfully, they agreed.
Wah and his father Matamandir, the creative dynamos at Dosa Dosa, were gracious to allow us to interrupt their hot and busy service of feeding hungry Yogis and Kirtan Wallahs. But since we didn’t get their top-secret recipe, I thought I’d do a little research and post some links to go with the video.
I never intended, myself, to make a Dosa. Never. In some unconscious place inside of me, surely I thought, you have to be Indian to make a Dosa. You have to be South Indian, for that matter. You even have to be a South Indian grandmother who spent her life practicing Ayurveda’s everyday ways, or her granddaughter well-trained by such a wisdom-keeper.
While editing the video, my husband commented that no one is going to do this at home – no one has that griddle or those instruments, he said – we should just direct readers to Dosa Dosa‘s 5 new food trucks in San Francisco.
Yes, but I don’t do that on this blog. I don’t set you up, elicit mouth-watering expectations, promote the promise of truth, beauty, love on a plate, only to let you down, hungering for an external, elusive, distant deliciousness, when all of that is already inside of you – you are already delicious. Within you is the power to create untold treasures of beauty and delight, and this realm of your own possibility is as close as your kitchen, as quick as you can roast a sweet potato!
At least I had to offer you a dish. Something you can make that would be enough exotic goodness for you to taste the truth that real food is love, and love’s food is bhakti.
The Potato Pea Masala that fills the Dosa, giving its full name Masala Dosa, seemed like something those of us not schooled since birth in Dosa tradition would be able to master. We could enjoy it with Naan, I reasoned. Which we could buy at the local Indian market… Or we could mix and match cultures, roll it into a tortilla, and call it a Mexican Masala!
I never intended, even as I experimented with my own version of a Masala, ever that I would make a Dosa. We’d just have to make a trip to San Francisco for that, and look forward to having Dosas again at ShaktiFest in May.
With experimentation, one thing led to another and, spurred on by the challenge of being told “no one will do it…” the next thing you know, I made a Dosa! Now I am making Dosas for breakfast, Dosas for lunch, Dosas for dinner, Dosas for anyone, any time, all the time. I love Dosas!
The photos above and below are my first and second attempts. I am learning as I go, inspired by this Dosa recipe, which looks fastidious because she takes you through step by step, but is actually very easy. You just mix together rice and lentil flour (look for besan, also called gram, at Indian or Asian markets), let it sit overnight, stir in a pinch of salt in the morning, and pour it on the skillet. In no time you will have your very own Dosa, on which you can sprinkle cinnamon for a high protein breakfast and any time snack, or fill with the Masala for a hearty, healthy meal.
I swapped sweet potato for the filling, making it healthier, and added fenugreek powder to the Dosa batter. I wanted to add fresh peas, but it is not the season so I slow cooked split peas and added that instead. It lended an earthy taste which balances beautifully with the fresh crunch of the coconut chutney.
To make this user-friendly it’s all written it out below, but certainly follow the links if you want to see more examples of how-to. Be sure that you read through before you start. You want to blend the Dosa flours the day before so they can ferment overnight, and you want your Masala and Chutney ready to fill the Dosas which cook up quick, and are best enjoyed piping hot.
If you are short on time or access to ingredients, the graciously talented Puja over at IndiaPhile has a Dosa recipe using semolina, which can be substituted with a good gf flour. Her Coconut Chutney is the inspiration for this one, and she has a couple of short, helpful videos showing you how to pour the Dosa batter for success.
SWEET POTATO MASALA Serves 4
1 sweet potato
1/4 c peas, cooked
1 T ghee 5-6 cashews
1/2 onion, diced
1/8 t mustard seeds
1/4 t cumin seeds
1 t curry powder
1/2 piece thai chile (these are very small, so not too spicy), chopped
1/4 t ginger, grated
1 pinch turmeric
1 pinch asafoetida (or hingvastak; alternative: coriander powder)
1 T cilantro leaves, roughly chopped
Preheat your oven to 475F. Puncture a few fork holes in your sweet potato and bake for 45 minutes, or until a fork inserts easily through the center. When it is done, allow it to cool, then cube into small bites.
Melt the ghee on in a medium flame. Brown the cashews and set aside. In the same pan, with the same oil, add the mustard seeds and cook about 1 minute util the pop. You have to listen closely. Stir in the cumin, curry and onions. Sauté until the onions are golden and soft. Mix in the chili, ginger, turmeric and asafoetida (or coriander). Add the sweet potato. Mash it a bit with the back of a spatula, or large wooden spoon. Stir in the peas and cashews and cook for another 2-3 minutes. Stir in the cilantro leaves, turn off the heat and cover to keep warm.
COCONUT CHUTNEY
3/4 c coconut flakes
1/4 c cilantro leaves
1 clove garlic
1/2 thai chile (with seeds for heat, without for a mild version)
1/2 t curry powder
1 t freshly squeezed lime juice
1/4 cup water Optional: dash of pink salt, or to taste
Put everything into an electric blender and mix until it becomes a creamy consistency. Add more water if needed. Taste and season accordingly.
DOSA Serves: 4-8
1 1/2 c rice flour
¾ cup dal/besan/gram flour
2 1/2 c water
1 scant t fenugreek powder pinch pink salt
2-3 T ghee
Stir the flours together in a large mixing bowl. Add the water and mix well. Be sure to smooth out any lumps. The consistency will be thick but very watery. Cover and allow to ferment at room temperature overnight for 10 hours or more. Once the batter is fermented, stir in the fenugreek powder and salt and mix well.
Melt 1 T ghee in a large skillet or iron griddle over medium heat. While the ghee heats up, whisk the batter one more time so it is well mixed and quickly ladle it up. Pour into your skillet in a circular motion. When one side of dosa is browned, gently slide your spatula around the edges of the Dosa to loosen it. Flip it and cook the other side. Spoon the Masala filling into the middle, add a spoonful of the coconut chutney and a dollop of yogurt optionally. Fold the Dosa and serve hot.
The leftover Dosa batter can be refrigerated and used within 4-5 days.
My first attempt fell apart. I learned not to swirl the pan. On the second attempt, when it started to break apart I filled the cracks with drops of batter. It worked. Another lesson. Be brave. It’s as wonderful in pieces as it is whole. Aren’t we all?
Once you try it, you’ll know why so many Bhakti lovers line up for buttery Kichari and crispy Dosas.
When Dosa Dosa founderMatamandir asked me about my blog and I told him that it’s Ayurvedically inspired with the emphasis on inspired because more than anything I hope to share the nourishing bounty of mother’s love through food, you know how he responded?
“Yes. Never be pedantic. It’s not about following rules. Just cook with love. Then your food will be nourishing and healing. Above all, cook with love. You will taste the difference.”
Above all, cook with love…
Dosa Dosa is opening 5 food trucks in San Francisco, giving us all another excuse for a road trip. You can find them and their locations here: Website, Facebook, Twitter.
I thank Morgan Willis and Miles Demars-Rote of Wellness Gangsters for filming! With immense gratitude to all – Wah, Matamandir, Miles, Anna, Morgan, Bhava, and everyone at Bhakti Fest!
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I leave you with a taste of Bhakti ~
Do you love Dosas? Do you have tips for us make them better? Please share so we can all learn and grow and continue to be delighted and healed by earth’s love and heaven’s manna.
Spring is the season of green, when Mother Earth knows it’s time to internally cleanse and so offers us an abundance of purifying greens in all textures and flavors. There are mustard greens, garlic greens, savoy greens, fenugreek, chicory, sorrel, spinach, chard, kale, water cress, purslane, every kind of brassica, and opportunities to forage for wild edibles right in your own local canyons and forests where you might find medicinals such as leeks, nettles and dandelions.
Sour, pungent, astringent and bitter, in varying degrees, are the tastes of Spring. Pungent greens increase digestion and circulation, aiding the body in warming up and “melting off” the cold freeze, or stagnation, of winter. Sour also aids digestion, elimination and circulation. Astringent dries and tones. Bitter is perhaps the least popular, but most important of Spring’s tastes. Made up of the elements of air and apace, foods with the bitter taste help the body detoxify, purify, lighten up, loosen up and open up the inner channels for optimal flow. Bitter tasting herbs help you eliminate waste, fight colds, reduce allergies and lose weight.
Traditional cultures instinctively knew the benefits of Spring’s bitter-tasting bounty, cultivating wonderful, easy, nourishing, home-cooked savory pies and tartes out of a variety of these free, foraged greens. From France, Italy, Greece, and my own back yard, here are 7 delicious ways to go green this Spring ~
6. Sign up for my annual Spring Cleanse, an easy, at-home, three-week, guided course to nourish your body to release toxins, old material, and stagnation, to restore youthful vitality, mental clarity and luminous radiance.
Photo: Traditional Medicinals
7. Drink Dandelion Tea. You can make it yourself with the roots and shoots of the plant harvested from any organic lawn or garden. To make it easy though, you could try Traditional Medicinals‘ newly launched dandelion teas which they sent to me to try, and which they will send to one of you as a free gift.
“Dandelion has become increasingly popular recently for its ability to support the body’s natural detoxification process,” says the company literature. “With the trend only growing, Traditional Medicinals herbalists formulated two new dandelion teas that will be hitting store shelves this spring – EveryDay Detox Dandelion and Dandelion Leaf & Root.
EveryDay Detox Dandelion* – inspired by a classic European herbal formula, is a blend of dandelion, licorice, fennel, and peppermint help stimulate the liver while providing support to the kidneys.
Dandelion Leaf & Root* – From roots to shoots, this enjoyably mild and sweet tea includes supports kidney function and healthy digestion.”
I love licorice, fennel and peppermint in tea, so I loved the first tea. I did not find any of the ascribed sweet in the second. “Leaf & Root” tastes pretty bitter to me. Then again, bitter is good. It’s the taste of detoxification, after all ~ and the taste that quickly cuts sugar cravings.
Rather than drink it as a tea, I brewed a strong half cup of the Dandelion Leaf & Root and added it to a sautée of spinach and kale, pictured below. With ginger, cardamom, a dash each of cinnamon and nutmeg, a sprinkle of fresh lemon juice and the dandelion infusion, these greens are a potent, and deliciously, detoxifying agent. Just home from India, it’s my daily nourishment.
Want to try some dandelion tea? Please let us know in the comment section below. There is a limited supply, so we’ll pick names (blindly and randomly, of course!) by week’s end and let you know. If you comment anonymously, it’s fine. But please know we won’t be able to contact you, and won’t have your shipping address to send you your teas.
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Meanwhile, I invite you to try Traditional Medicinals’ Plant Personality Quiz. It’s fun, remarkably accurate, and another reminder that nature is a mirror, a beautiful biosphere, and that you are an integral part of it.
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To your pure, whole being ~ May it be alive in a most vibrant (human) vehicle this Spring, with the energy, clarity, and wakefulness needed in order to know the beauty, magnificence and star-bedazzled interconnnectedness of all that is.Namaste!
Wind, Fire, Water are the Three Dynamic Elements Governing Existence
Are you air, fire or water? Is your best season Autumn, Winter, Spring or Summer? Are you more dynamic, focused, or nurturing?
Ayurveda sees our bodies as microcosms of the macrocosm – the universe within each being. This means you, me, everyone. We are all, all living beings, comprised of the five elements of the universe ~ space, air, fire, water and earth, animated by Mahat, a deep inner intelligence often called the Soul.
These elements, in their biological form, combine to create Doshas, which you can think of as an energy or force. There are three Doshas: Vata is made up of a combination of air and space ~ think of it as wind; Pitta is a combination of fire and water ~ think heat; and Kapha is water with earth, so it is the most stable.
Because we have all of the five elements of the universe in our being, we have each of the Doshas as well. But each of us is born with a unique, individual balance of these Doshas. That innate natural balance is called Prakriti, which is the unique combination of nature’s energies that determines your body type and personality.
Air can be gentle and refreshing, or strong and violent ~
Given that Prakriti is your inherent, unique, individual mind-body profile and Dosha is your energy imbalance, you can have a Vata, Pitta or Kapha Prakriti, but an entirely different Dosha at any given time. In other words, you can be Kapha, with a Vata imbalance. Or Pitta with a Kapha imbalance. It sounds confusing at first, but once you understand, a simple and elegant logic is revealed.
Since our health and well-being relies on balanced energies ~ stabilizing, strengthening and harmonizing our vital forces ~ in Ayurveda we look to the state of your Prakriti, your stable, balanced nature, and the play of Doshas, the fluctuating, dynamic energies, to determine wellness.
So how do you learn what Prakriti/Dosha you are?
Prakriti and Dosha Questionnaires and Quizzes abound, but the quickest way to determine yours is to consider your skin, sleep and digestion. Ask yourself the following ~
Fire is the principle of conversion without which there would be no life, no world, no existence
Skin
Is your skin usually dry?
Is it prone to redness, break-outs, itchiness or rashes?
Is it milky, thick, moist, with large pores?
Sleep
Are you challenged in falling asleep at night, restless, worried, even occasionally insomniac?
Do you sleep easily, get up easily but often wake in the middle of the night?
Do you “sleep like a log” and enjoy staying in bed in the mornings?
Digestive Fire
Is your your metabolism quick but digestion is sensitive with occasional constipation or gas?
Is your appetite regular and strong, making you fierce if you don’t eat?
Is your appetite sluggish, especially in the morning, with metabolism slow?
The first question in each set above represents Vata. If you answered “Yes” to two or three of the first questions, then it is likely that Vata is your nature. The second question in each set represents Pitta and the third, Kapha. If you are still not sure, or want more detail, you can take my Dosha Test here.
Water gives us cohesion, stability, nourishment and refreshment
Like Doshas, the seasons move energetically, too, which is why it is so important to eat seasonally ~ to balance the doshic impact of your environment. Spring is Kapha, when Water dominates and combines with earth to make mud, or heavy, cloudy, foggy days. Summer is Pitta when heat, or the Fire element is strongest. Late Autumn into Winter is Vata, when the colder winds clear the trees of their leaves, creating more space for new life later to come.
Nature is always changing. At the same time, nature is always compensating for that change by offering foods that balance the energetic shifts, the Doshas, as they move seasonally.
Throughout this Blog you will find Seasonal Recipes to illustrate nature’s bountiful wisdom. But many of you have asked me to write up ideas for a Whole Day of Meals Specific to Each Dosha.
This is daunting, but important, so I am going to break it down season by season, and post for the relevant season, hoping that you will enjoy getting the information you need when it’s most timely.
Since it is still gloriously Summer, I’ll start here, with A Day of Meals for Summer Season.
Beets, Carrots, Zucchini & Sprouts: Grated, Dressed and Ready to be Wrapped for Lunch
Morning Snack ~ Snacks are not essential but summer’s energy burns quick, often burning up the morning meal well before lunchtime. To keep that Pitta calm, stoke the fires with a piece of fruit or a frothy, blended juice of green veggies. You will feel that roaring heat mellow to a sweet purr in no time.
Lunch ~ Summer is the season and lunch is the time to go raw. I love a Veggie Wrap with grated carrots, zucchini, sliced cucumber, avocado, sprouts, lemon juice and a dash of of olive oil for dressing, seasoned with a sprinkling of fresh dill, mint or cilantro, and served with a side of Heidi Swanson’s Summer Corn Salad.
Afternoon Snack ~ Again, snacks aren’t essential or even ideal for most of us. We should arrive at a moment where we feel hungry between meals. But snacks can be very helpful when Pitta fires rage. Be prepared with Fresh Pea Hummus & Flaxseed Crackers, or Guacamole with a fresh Tortilla roll, a Coconut Banana Smoothie, a handful of fresh-picked vegetables plain or juiced, a handful of sprouts, Almonds or Sunflower Seeds, or even a slice of this delicious Live Coconut Pie, or this outrageous, Raw Chocolate Pudding that I wrote about last week.
Dinner ~ Grilled Vegetables with Quinoa; Cilantro Pesto Pasta with Broccolini and a Seasonal Salad; a warm, not hot, bowl of Beans & Greens; a room temperature soup of your favorite vegetables; or a simple meal of slow-cooked Kichari.
This is also a great time of year for a short Juice Fast. Try juicing for 3-5 days to deeply cleanse and throughly feed your body’s tissues. It helps reset your tastes to the singularly pure and healthy, so it is a nourishing way to turn bad habits to good.
Summer is really the easiest time of year for meals because most of your food is just hanging off the tree or vine seducing you with its vibrant color, ripe aroma, juicy flavor. Sweet and delicious, nature wants to nourish you, please you, excite you, love you, care for you.
What is your favorite Summer Meal?
Heaven’s Banquet by Miriam Kasin Hospodar
I’ve mentioned it before, but my favorite Ayurvedic cookbook is Eat Taste Heal. Another one I love for its variety is Heaven’s Banquet by Miriam Kasin Hospoda, above.
Lisa Coffey is an American Ayurvedi who has been immensely creative in her expression of the Ayurvedic science. I borrowed the title of this article from one of her books, What’s Your Dosha, Baby? She also has a lively website where you can play with quizzes on your Dosha and Doshic relationship compatibility.
It is all about Balance!
May your food, breath and thoughts bring balance so your true light can shine.
A week ago, we took our Yoga Teacher Training to Suzie’s Organic Farm. Some 20 of us descended upon their 70 acres in the Tijuana River Valley where we were like bees to honey ~ Yogis abuzz in fields of bliss, busying ourselves in the bountiful, ambrosial bloom.
We began with Surya Namaskar, saluting the Sun as the prime giver of life, from a tiny knoll amidst rows of planted varieties. Breathing with the wind, aligning with nature, grounding into the earth’s aliveness, it was like Yoga inside a Gerard Manley Hopkins poem: Glory Be to God for Dappled Things ~ For skies of couple-colour as a brinded cow… Landscape plotted and pieced – fold, fallow, and plough.
Our Farm Tour Guide was Britta Turner, who has been working at Suzie’s since it began operations little more than two years ago. Britta began weeding in the troughs, back when she was still in college. Our 7th grader nodded knowingly. “Weeding helps with studies,” he whispered to me. “Reduces the stress.” Another reason for loving school gardens, I thought, with gratitude.
Britta
Britta is a bit of a celebrity in our local, urban farm movement. Beautiful, healthy, wonderful and wise, she is an organic Yogi who knows everything about local food ~ from heirloom to harvest, markets to meals. We are lucky to have her in our Yoga Training this year as she often arrives with gifts, and a gift from Britta is a waxy, sturdy box of dirty roots and gangly shoots. Yum. To know her is to love her, for she is a true child of nature.
Romanescu Cauliflower
Our favorite visit was to the rows of Romanescu Cauliflower, otherwise known as Mandelbrot for its fractals that replicate to infinity. Breath-taking. The kids loved seeing math in nature, and suddenly Brassicas became their favorite food.
A Bouquet of Sugar Peas and Kale
But there was so much more ~ and Britta had us tasting everything! From red carrots to sweet snapping peas, spinach, collards, fennel, so many varieties of kale, all kinds of summer squash and even edible weeds, it was a banquet at nature’s fertile table.
Savoy Greens & Magenta Spreen
There were many delightful discoveries, too. Who knew, for instance, that the mangy-looking Savoy Green was as good as spinach or that the pretty weed with itchy leaves and spikes of dusty magenta is edible ~ tasty even? And everyone had to sample the Mustard Greens ~ the best example of how pungent Spring can make her greens. Hot Holy Detoxifying Mama!
Mustard Greens and Collard Streams
At home, I tossed those greens into a skillet where a bit of Garam Masala, fresh grated nutmeg, ghee and olive oil had already been warmed over a medium high flame. While that sautéed, I popped some fresh pasta into boiling water. Three minutes later I turned off the stove, poured onto the greens just enough coconut milk to coat, stirred to cover, then squeezed the juice of half a lemon all over the greens, and drained the pasta. Into the now empty but still warm pasta pot, I melted a spoonful of ghee and stirred in about a quarter cup of coconut milk, whisking in a handful of Nicolau Farm’s Herbed Goat Cheese and adding a dash of salt and pepper.
The drained pasta was returned to the pot and gently stirred in the sauce. Greens and pasta were then plated together side-by-side, so they would each have their moment of glory, and sprinkled with freshly grated nutmeg.
Suzie's Greens with Goat Cheese Pasta
Dinner was divine. No one said a word, though. We ate in silence, utterly absorbed in the tastes, the energy we could feel from food so fresh, the joy of the day summarized in the beauty on our plates, the miracle of it all.
Deep Yoga Mastery of Life 2011 Yogis at Suzie's Farm
Our day at the farm was Yoga in full bloom ~ Union with Divine Nature. Britta recommended we return for Volunteer Digs at Roots, an educational not-for-profit farm that is their partner and neighbor. We will definitely be back for that! If you are local, we invite you to join us Wednesdays and Saturdays, 2-5pm.
Thank you to Jamie LaMarche for the photographs of the Farm!
Imagine sunflowers floating on rafts on a pond. Then imagine that there are many ponds ~ sunflower rafts as far as your eye can see.
Then imagine these sunflowers are growing on rafts in ponds that surround the Chernobyl nuclear site in the Ukraine. Odd? Beautiful? Gesture of Peace?
If you attended my Spring Ayurveda Nutrition & Cooking Class, you’ll know about Mother Nature’s remarkable ability to cleanse, purify, renew and restore her own earth body ~ and our human bodies, too. My last post, “21 Day Challenge,” was dedicated to those gifts of the Earth that emerge in Springtime to naturally and very efficiently help us detoxify body and mind.
A field of blooming sunflowers in the Ukraine
But as talk these days turns to Japan’s nuclear problems and the prevailing westerlies carrying waste on the wind and radioactivity with the rain, I think even more about this self-regulating, self-restorative, self-renewing intelligence of nature, and specifically about something my brother-in-law, Daniel Goldfarb, a soil restoration expert, told us recently about sunflowers.
In Chernobyl, floating rafts of sunflowers are being used to clean up water contaminated as a result of the 1986 disaster at their Nuclear Plant. Sunflowers remove up to 95% of the radioactivity below ground by pulling contaminants out of the water and up into their root system. This technique, known as phytoremediation, got its roots, so to speak, there in Chernobyl, where the sunflowers outperformed all expectations.
Sunflower Seeds & Soil
So, as an experiment, I sprouted sunflower seeds, tossed them liberally onto our garden, watered, mulched and waited.
In the meantime, we are eating copious amounts of sunflower seeds and sprouts ourselves, because, I wondered, if they remove radioactive toxins from the body of the earth, could they do the same for our human bodies?
I began researching this, looking at the western and the Ayurvedic literature, and along the way came across this recipe for a Sunflower Seed & Cilantro Pesto that harnesses not only sunflower power, but also cilantro for its super scour muscularity in eviscerating heavy metals and toxic waste.
Surprisingly, for something so green, so clean, so good for you ~ this is outrageously delicious.
Cilantro Pesto
In making this “Pesto” myself, I wanted to increase the fire element since greens and nuts can be hard to digest. To that end, I added ginger, asafoetida and a dash of cayenne.
I also wanted to be sure that the organs of elimination were well lubricated so toxins would definitely be removed and not just swished around the body, exchanging places and causing more damage. The original recipe had plenty of flaxseed oil to help with that but, unless you are Vegan, I suggest adding a spoonful of ghee because it both enkindles the digestive fire AND is mighty efficient at loosening toxins and carrying them away.
With Roasted Pumpkin Seeds and Sunflower Sprouts
If you tried it at my house last week, you tried a batch with three times too much flaxseed oil. Ech! Try making this yourself with the correct proportions, as below. Or, come back over and I will make you a fresh batch. I want everyone to have some. It is Spring’s divine joy in every bite, so healing and so promising!
This is how I make it now ~
PLEASE NOTE: I now add 1 teaspoon chlorella to this recipe, because cilantro can mobilize more toxins then it can carry out of the body, and Chlorella is a potent intestinal toxin-absorbing agent necessary for efficient elimination.
Double Click for Print Version
The original recipe is a more scientifically named Coriander Chelation Pesto, and comes from the sweet souls at Essential Oils for Healing. This is how they describe its benefits ~
Delicious Chelation Pesto Recipe Removes Heavy Metals and Fallout Radiation from your Body
The main ingredient, Cilantro (aka: fresh coriander/Chinese parsley), is probably the most powerful natural chelating agent around. Besides being a renown culinary herb in Asian, Indian, Middle Eastern, and Mexican cuisines, Cilantro has a long 7000 year history as a medicinal herb. Both the fresh greenery & seeds are also resources of powerfully healing essential oils. Cilantro contains chemical compounds that bind to the heavy metals, loosening them from the tissues, blood and organs. Cilantro’s chemical compounds then aid transport of these harmful substances out of the body through channels of elimination.
This recipe combines cilantro with other ingredients that have a synergistic effect. They cleanse the tissues by increasing the urinary excretion of mercury, lead and aluminum.
This great recipe is not only easy-to-make, but delicious on toast, baked potatoes and pasta.
Two teaspoons of this pesto daily for three weeks is purportedly enough to substantially clear these toxic metals from the body. It is recommended to repeat this cleanse as a preventative measure at least once a year for three weeks.
I like it generously spread on raw Flaxseed Crackers, which you can make at home. Eat, Taste, Heal has a great recipe, only I find it easier to pick up a box of Savory Flackers. Let me know what you think.
This Sunday we are hosting a reunion for the graduates of our Mastery of Life and Yoga Teacher Trainings. Over the years we have seen over one hundred people complete these trainings, and it has been a joy to watch each one of them reclaim their heart and shine their magnificence into the world.
We feel so blessed to be part of the empowerment of so many good and loving people and look forward to seeing them again. Unfortunately, though, some will not be able to make it as we unwittingly scheduled our Mastery of Life Reunion on the same day as the Super Bowl!
Paul Amato, Deep Yoga Teacher and Integrative Health Coach, is one who wrote to say that he won’t be able to join us. In his case, he has a long-standing commitment to cook for his friends on Sunday. We will miss Paul and the others who can not make it. So I wanted to offer them, and all of you who are looking for a super healthy way to feed your super friends this Super Bowl Sunday, a gift from our kitchen ~ my friend Nazik’s incredible Moroccan Beans.
I fell in love with these beans the minute I first laid eyes on them many years ago. The beauty of the beans sparkling with Marrakesh spice, the Mediterranean fragrance of garlic, onion and pepper, the texture and consistency of its Tangiers taste, and the Sirocco warmth it gives the belly inspired me from the first, and has continued to charm ever since. This dish definitely comes from Morocco with love!
Peppers add bite
It is perfect for Super Bowl Sunday, because it it will complement anything, it is hearty enough to replace chili, and it can stand on its own. You can also make it the night before, or early in the morning, for less fuss on the day.
For family and friends in Chicago ~ this is especially great for winter days when blizzards keep you home. The ingredients are usually on-hand, the spices will thaw you from the inside, and, served with a chunk of whole grain bread or steamed brown rice, it is packed with protein and fiber to give you the fortitude needed to cope with epic weather conditions. Besides, with a name like Nazik’s Morrocan Beans conjuring images of balmy, blue-skied, orange-scented, exotic, distant, desert lands it is sure to warm and inspire.
Chicago’s famed blizzard of ’67
NAZIK’S MOROCCAN WHITE BEANS
2 cup White Beans, preferably Northern or Cannellini, soaked
3 tablespoon Ghee
3 tablespoons Olive Oil
6-8 Garlic Cloves, peeled and whole
1 Yellow Onion, peeled and whole
1 Red Onion, peeled and whole
1 tsp. Cayenne
1/2 tsp. Turmeric
1/2 tsp. Ginger Powder
1/2 tsp. Celery Seeds
1/2 tsp. Cumin
1/4 tsp. Clove
1/4 tsp. Fresh Ground Pepper
Salt & Pepper, to taste
Asafetida (optional)
Fresh Mint (optional)
Soaking Beans
Melt the ghee (Earth Balance or Safflower oil is fine) in a large pot over medium heat. Add the olive oil and sprinkle in the cayenne. Stir or spin the bottom of the pan to swirl the oil with the cayenne. Add the rest of the spices, except the salt and asafetida. Sauté for one minute. Add the garlic cloves and swirl. Drain the beans and add to the pot, stirring to coat the beans with the spicy oil. Add the onions and 7 cups of water. Turn the heat to high and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat, cover and simmer. Stir occasionally until beans are tender, about 1.5 to 2 hours.
Once the beans are tender, spoon out a few, let them cool and give it a taste. If it is not spicy enough, melt a tablespoon of ghee (or any oil) in a small saucepan with another dash or two of cayenne. Let this heat for about one minute, then pour onto the beans and stir. I usually do this anyway, because I like to sauté a pinch of asafetida (hing) in melted ghee, always, before pouring into any cooked bean mixture I make. It aids digestion ~ and with beans every little bit helps!
In the Pot
Whether it is for Super Sunday or any winter day, this is a simple recipe yielding a big, satisfying meal. We serve it with Naan, so the kids can scoop the beans into a “Moroccan Burrito.” I like to garnish each bowl with fresh mint to sustain the sultry Moroccan feel, but also to cool the palate between bites, because these beans are Saharahot.
Our Super Bowl of Beans
These beans are like a girl’s best friend ~ easy, reliable, sometimes spicy, always comforting. So it is not a surprise the recipe comes from an angelic friend from the north of Africa.
Nazik lives in Tangiers, where she paints, writes and, one hopes, cooks. She is an amazing artist, with a beautiful heart that could light a desert night. Her sweetness reminds me of The Little Prince.
St. Exupery’s Little Prince
Nazik has written a really cool book called Say It Again that teaches English through colorful, dynamic images. If you are interested, or could help her find a publisher, please email her at freenazouki@hotmail.com. When you do, of course please let her know how you like her beans!
Whole Food’s Website offers the basics
Whole Foods has a handy website full of cooking how-to’s. Click on the image above to find this photo heading their suggestions for the basics on beans, including soaking times, water-to-beans ratios and more recipes for these delicious, nutrition-packed legumes.
In the northern hemisphere it is winter, which means many places are wet, chilly and bare. Whether it is San Diego’s drizzling rains, Chicago’s icy nip or Boston’s landmark snowfall, the winter season is cold, windy, dry and gray.
Of the five elements, Space, Air, Fire, Water and Earth, three are the most dynamic: Air, Fire and Water. These three move together in a dance that is sometimes even and tempered, but is more often unequal and imbalanced.
In Winter, Water leads Air as partners in the dance, with Fire seemingly taking a rest. As I write, in fact, I hear a whipping wind outside my window. It is dark, rainy and cold and the trees are waving wildly.
Water and Air have one thing in common: they are both cold. Each element can be heated, of course, but only with the element of Fire. Otherwise, they can chill us to the bone. To experience this, walk to a river and notice how the temperature cools as you approach the Water. Or, on a warm day, turn on a fan and notice how Air disperses the heat to cools things down. You can even try this if you ever experience the “hot” emotion of anger – take a few deep breaths and notice how the Air element cools and disperses that heat.
Spicy tea will keep you warm and metabolism strong
To balance the effects of Water/Air this season, we need Fire.
Of course, most of us intuitively know this. We light fires at the hearth, stove, oven, furnace. We add blankets, we drink tea, we stay indoors. What may be less obvious for warding off the winter chill is the need to stoke the inner fires of digestion and metabolism.
Here are three key ways to keep the inner fires burning bright and warm this season ~
1. You can kindle the digestive fire by drinking Lemony Ginger Tonic daily. It can be taken first thing in the morning to hydrate tissues and stimulate circulation, with meals to increase your digestive power, and throughout the day to keep the fires stoked.
2. Eat warm foods: a cooked breakfast like oatmeal, cooked vegetables with a grain for lunch, or a bowl of beans, and a soup or light stew for dinner. Drink warm water , lemony ginger tonic or spicy tea with your meals.
3. Add warming spices to your food, too. Heating spices include ginger, clove, mustard seed, red cayenne and black pepper.
Remember, too, from the Autumn post, that most spices are lipophilic. This means that sautéing your spices in ghee, coconut or safflower oil before adding the other ingredients will boost their impact and help drive the spice’s natural medicine deeper into your tissues.
Winter is also a time to eat a bit lighter to counter the heaviness that the Water element brings. You could regularly skip dinner on the same day once a week, or simply reduce your portions. Look, too, for lots of color as always in your food, especially greens for their detoxifying action.
Now that it is winter, nurture yourself by keeping warm both inside and out. Even here in San Diego, where it is sunny and warm much of the year, we still need to boost our inner fires to stay balanced, healthy and well.
Every year, at some point between Christmas and New Year’s Day, there comes a morning when you wake up and the first thing you hear is, “Enough!”
It is only a voice in your head, of course, but it is powerful, insistent, and every bone in your body knows it’s right.
Enough! Enough with the excess. Enough with the crowds. Enough with the parties, the merriment, the recaps and resolutions. Enough with the sugar. Enough with the cream. Enough with the foods you said “enough” to last year. Enough with it all!
The new year is dawning. It’s time to pull it together. Time to get healthy and pure.
When this day comes, when you vow to reduce, when simple is more than enough, our Deep Detox Drink is a great way to get started. It stands on its own as a potent detoxifier, and gives a robust kick-start to any cleansing or dietary regime.
Here is how to make it:
Squeeze one half a lemon into a blender or shaker with 1/2 cup water, one heaping tablespoon of Spirulina, 1/2 cup Aloe Vera juice, three shakes of Turmeric, a dash of black pepper and a spoonful of honey, or more to taste. Give it a good shake and drink on an empty stomach.
You can drink this before breakfast, to replace a meal, or in regular intervals as a juice fast for up to three days. The efficacy of this drink comes from the power of bitter-tasting ingredients to reduce mass, purify tissues, and eliminate toxins. If you are pregnant, this is not for you. If you are weak, frail, have a chronic illness, or feel mentally ungrounded or unstable, please consult a health professional first.
Deep Detox Drink: The Remains
Ayurveda has much to say on the subject of physical and mental detoxification. One of the leaders in the field, Maharishi Ayurveda, has more suggestions for you to consider on their website.
Remember when Grandma would make a home remedy of hot lemon and honey whenever someone was sick? Some grandmothers might have added ginger, others a dash of cinnamon, some a pinch of black pepper, and the bold even added a shot of Brandy!
Grandmother’s medicine is a lot like Ayurveda. It is based on Intuitive Intelligence, and includes a lot of what I call Kitchen Wisdom, with healing ingredients you can find in almost any kitchen.
For instance, Grandma knew that in the winter, when it is chilly, often windy and dry, the very best way to prevent or treat a cold, is to keep warm and hydrated. From this simple premise came chicken soup, the hot toddy, spicy teas, and as my friend Jane from Bournemouth, England says, “A po’ o’ lemon.”
A wonderful “Grandmother Recipe” that we drink at home and that exemplifies the best of Ayurveda ~ botanical, simple, accessible, and highly effective ~ is the Lemony Ginger Tonic.
To make two servings, put one half-inch slice of fresh ginger root into a blender. Add the juice of one whole lemon, 2 cups of water, 2 heaping teaspoons of raw honey (our favorite is Honey Gardens’ “Northern Raw” ), three shakes of cinnamon, two shakes of turmeric and one shake of cayenne powder. Blend thoroughly and pour into glasses.
Lemony Ginger Tonic can be heated and served warm, but in that case do not add the honey until you have poured your Tonic into the mug and allowed it to cool to drinking temperature. Honey should not be heated past 120 degrees.
This drink can be taken first thing in the morning to kindle the inner fires and hydrate the tissues, with meals to stoke the digestive fires, throughout the day to keep metabolic fires blazing and stay warm, any time to banish the blues when the days are gray, at the onset of a cold to clear the respiratory passage, and every day to strengthen your immune system.
Cinnamon is antibacterial, antimicrobial, anti-clotting, balancing to blood sugar and energizing to the brain. Turmeric is an anti-inflammatory, anti-aging, blood and liver cleanser with a history of reducing tumors. Cayenne, or Capsicum, is a powerful antibacterial, pain-relieving, fat and mucus busting, cholesterol-lowering, blood pressure-regulating, cancer fighter. All three of these everyday spices are amongst the most highly researched herbs in the U.S. today, for their multiple use and safe potency in healing.
In Ayurveda, we seek to include all six tastes in our meals in an order that matches the process of digestion and ensures optimal breakdown, absorption, and wellness. I have seen many clients and students overcome chronic digestive discomfort simply through the wise sequencing of the six tastes.
For balance and health, our meals begin with the sweet taste, include some salt, sour, pungent, and follow with astringent and bitter. Salad greens offer some combination of the astringent and bitter taste, so following your main course with a salad is not only trés European, it is trés Ayurveda!
Which brings me to Christmas. Our Christmas Dinner will include a Winter Greens Salad with a lovely mass of color, and delightful bursts of tangy astringent and woody bitter flavors. We will pair it with Rogue Creamery’s Oregon Blue Cheese made from raw milk drawn from grass-fed cows. It’s an update on tradition and a tasty delight.
WINTER GREENS
Mesclun of fresh Farmer’s Market Greens
4-5 Spring Onions, chopped
1 cup dried Cranberries
1/2 cup Pepitas
1/2 cup Pomegranate seeds
Toss ingredients together in a bowl and serve with Walnut Oil Vinaigrette.
Whisk together vinegar, garlic, mustard, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and 1/8 teaspoon pepper in a bowl, then whisk in oils in a slow stream until emulsified. Toss greens with enough vinaigrette to lightly coat. Season with salt and pepper.
Food: A Love Story 