Cacao and Blueberry Salad

A quick and nutrient-packed summertime snack that’s great for all doshas. Cacao beans are full of nutrients and antioxidants, and support the circulatory system and lower cholesterol.  The bean is also known to enhance your mood, improve your focus and suppress a cough!  Cacao is stimulating (can increase Vata), heating (increasing Pitta) and can be fattening (increasing Kapha) if taken in excess, but delicious in moderation.

Ingredients:

½ cup organic or local blueberries (tridoshic)

2 tbsp raw cacao nibs

1 tbsp hemp seeds (omit for Kapha)

Directions:

Throw together in a bowl and enjoy with a spoon.

Digestive Green Pesto

This elegant pesto is both light and satisfying, making great use of kale and any herbs you may have left in the kitchen. Ideal for Pittas and Kaphas. We’ve omitted garlic and onion from the recipe to support your meditation.

Makes: 2 ½ cups

Ingredients:

3 cups         chopped kale

4 stalks         chopped celery

1 handful chopped fresh herbs (basil, coriander, nettles)

2 tbsp         walnuts or sunflower seeds, toasted to enhance flavor

½  tsp         nutritional yeast

1         lemon or lime (juice & skin)

4 tbsp         olive oil (to taste, or more, depending on the consistency

2 tsp maple syrup (optional)

        salt to taste

Directions:

Blanch kale and celery on a stove for 3-5 minutes, then combine all ingredients in a food processor for about 2 minutes. Taste and see if it needs more of something, like salt or nutritional yeast. Serve while still warm over basmati rice or the grain of your choice, including quinoa (Vata- and Kapha-reducing), barley (Pitta- and Kapha-reducing) or millet (Kapha-reducing).  Also lovely on salad or cooked veggies!

Variations: 

You can vary the greens to suit your taste. Vatas can choose almonds, pecans, pine nuts or walnuts. Sunflower seeds are tridoshic. Lemon is best for Vata and Kapha (heating) and lime is best for Pitta. Sun dried tomatoes are also a lovely addition. 

Enjoy!

Mint and coconut Chutney ( Pudina Chutney)

Mint Chutney is the spicy and tasty dip made with tasty mint leaves, coriander leaves and spices. It is one of the most flavorful condiment chutney dish, which can be prepared in just few minutes. This chutney is perfect to serve with sandwiches, pakoda’s etc. Not only this you can carry this chutney in your picnics or on even on long drives.

 A great accompaniment just for you in easy steps. Lovely chutney for all doshas.

Rice Idiyappam (Rice Noodles)

Idiyappam (Rice Noodles) is a traditional, easy to digest dish prepared mostly for breakfast. As it is steam cooked, it is healthy and suits well for children. This rice noodles are very popular in south Indian states.

Cinnamon, more than an apple dust.

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Indigenous to Sri Lanka and Southern India, cinnamon is a pungent, sweet, and astringent spice. Now known all over the world, cinnamon promises to be taken seriously in medical research labs.

Ayurveda has know this spice to be excellent for vatta and kapha doshas. Cinnamon is use in a variety of remedies, oils and dishes to achieve balance. Since is heating pitta constitutions should moderate the intake of this spice.

Cinnamon works in the plasma, blood, muscle, marrow/nerve tissues. It makes an impact in the circulatory, digestive, respiratory and urinary system.

Tulsi: the Holy Herb.

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There are some herbs and spices that attract the attention of herbologist, yogies and ayurveda doctors. Tulsi or Holy Basil, is one of this unpretentious herbs that take care of us in many different levels. In Hindi this herb is call Kala Tulasi, you can see this herb growing in Hindu houses throughout India as well as near temples that worship Vishnu or Krishna.

You can use tulsi as the best companion in many health conditions as well as daily supplement. We can use Tulsi in the presence of coughs, colds, fevers, headaches, lung problems, abdominal distension, poor absorption, arthritis, excess air in the colon, poor memory, nasal congestion, heart tonic, and nerve tissue strengthening.

Tulsi Tea for Pitta Dosha (An exotic blend of Chai spices)

Viveda Teas, spices and herbs are your best allies in the kitchen and to your health. Our teas are a combination of organic flowers, leaves and barks. They are blended to please the needs of your constitution and to aid balance and well being. Herbal teas are best steeped with boiling water, for at least 5 minutes. There are a few exceptions, such as Chamomile, which you should only steep for 3 minutes or it will turn bitter. Generally speaking, you should cover your cup when steeping herbal teas so that those which have beneficial essential oils, such as peppermint, are not lost. Herbal teas generally make great iced teas, as you can create a concentrate and dilute it with ice and water.

How to make your cup of tea.

This tea only takes 3-4 minutes to infuse and to release a deep red color that is cooling, astringent and exotic enough to please the digestion of Pitta dosha.

Navara Coconut Milk Payasam (Desert)

Navara Rice- is one of the many types of rice found in India, and is a unique grain plant in the Oryza group,Navara was used in the ayurveda system of medicine for treatment of neurological disorders, arthritis and emaciation of limbs.

Ingredients 

Navara Rice 250gm ( Found in India stores or in some health food stores)

Jaggery 750 gm ( sugar cane preparation, available in Indian stores)
Ghee 1 table spoon ( Click here to learn how to make ghee)
Cardamom Powder 1 tsp
Coconut flakes 100 gm

Incompatible Food Combinations

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When my children were small I introduce to them the concept of "who is friend of who in your plate". It was a way not only to teach them food combination but also to keep them away from  illness, lethargy and mood swings. This list is based in ayurveda principles, get familiar with the list and make the proper changes, one by one in your cooking approach.

Milk Is Incompatible With:

·       Bananas

·       cherries

·       Fish

·       Meat

·       Melons

·       Curd

·       Sour Fruits

·       Kitchari

·       Bread containing yeast

·       Cherries

Samyoga: The Art of Food Combination

The order in which we eat different classes of foods, how we combine them, and the amounts we consume will determine how well we digest and assimilate our vital nutrients. The better we digest and assimilate our foods, the less likely we are to form toxic substances, accumulate excess fat, and crave unhealthy food articles.

According to Ayurveda, every food has its own taste (rasa), a heating or cooling energy (virya) and post-digestive effect (vipaka). When two or three different food substances of different taste, energy and post-digestive effect are combined together agni can become overloaded inhibiting the enzyme system and resulting in production of toxins in the system. While it is true that an individual's agni largely determines how well or poorly food is digested, food combinations are also of great importance.