RECIPE ~ Warming Kichadi

Several Ayurvedic cookbooks give an assortment of recipes for kichadi (or kitcharee). Depending on the ingredients, it's healing for one ailment or another, but the basis is always mung beans, rice, and digestive spices slow cooked into a soft stew. This one is good for stimulating digestion and circulation, and is particularly soothing on a chilly night.

1/2 cup basmati rice, washed
1/4 cup split mung beans, washed
6 cups water
1 Tbsp ghee*
1 tsp cumin seeds

2 Tbsp ghee
1 tsp each ground turmeric, coriander, cardamom, black pepper, cinnamon and sea salt
1/2 tsp each cumin and ground cloves
2 bay leaves
1 Tbsp fresh grated ginger
1/2 onion, chopped small
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 cups fresh chopped vegetables (carrots, zucchini, celery, green beans...)
2 cups fresh chopped greens (spinach, kale, chard...)

chopped fresh cilantro or parsley, drizzle of tahini or Bragg to garnish (optional)

In a large saucepan, heat 1 Tbsp ghee and add cumin seeds. Brown lightly, then add the rice and mung beans, stirring to coat. Add water, bring to a boil, cover and simmer for 45 minutes.

In a small skillet, heat 2 Tbsp ghee and add all dry spices plus bay leaves. Saute a few minutes, then stir in onion, garlic and ginger. Allow to combine a few minutes, then add to rice and mung along with the greens. Cover and cook 20 minutes longer. For a creamier stew, puree half the kichadi in a blender or with a hand-held. Serve garnished with herbs and/or a drizzle of tahini and/or a splash of Bragg or tamari, maybe even a squirt of lemon. Serves 3-4.

*NOTE: ghee is an ayurvedic dairy fat that is supposed to be healing and soothing for digestion and good for all doshas. For vegan diets, replace with olive or sunflower oil.

FOR INDIVIDUAL DOSHAS
VATAS choose from carrots, asparagus, zucchini, green beans, peas, spinach and squash
PITTAS choose from asparagus, celery, green beans, zucchini, any leafy greens and peas; omit cloves, reduce garlic and bay leaf to 1 each
KAPHAS choose any vegetables except squash and zucchini; garnish with herbs only

RECIPE ~ Coconut Mung Bean Soup

Although this soup takes an hour to prepare, it has a soothing quality that is so easy on the digestion, with wonderfully refreshing flavours from the coconut milk, fresh herbs and tangy yogurt.

1 cup mung beans (whole or split)
pinch of salt
1/2 tsp turmeric
1 tsp fennel seeds, crushed
6 cups water
2 tbsp ghee or sunflower oil
1 small onion, chopped fine
1 small carrot, peeled and diced
1 clove garlic, finely chopped
1-inch piece ginger, finely chopped
1 tsp garam masala
1/2 tsp red chili pepper flakes
1 tbsp tomato paste
1 cup light coconut milk
1 tbsp finely chopped fresh dill, mint, basil or cilantro
1 tbsp lemon or lime juice

GARNISH
Raita or plain yogurt

Wash mung beans thoroughly (if you have time, soak whole mung beans for an hour before cooking). Place drained beans in a large pot with 3 cups water, plus salt, turmeric and fennel seeds. Bring to a boil, then simmer covered til done (around half an hour for split mung beans, 45 minutes for whole). Skim off any foam that accumulates on the surface.

Meanwhile, prepare vegetables. Heat ghee in a medium pot or large pan and add onions, carrots, garlic and ginger. Saute over medium-low heat, stirring in chili pepper flakes and garam masala. Cook slowly til vegetables are soft. Season lightly with a pinch of salt and set aside til mung beans are done.

To the pot of cooked mung beans, stir in 3 more cups water, the cooked vegetables plus tomato paste. Simmer together for 10 minutes, letting the soup thicken and the flavours blend. Then take a wand-style hand blender and puree just part of the soup, leaving most of it chunky. Stir in coconut milk, cooking just a few more minutes.

Stir in the herbs and lemon juice, and ladle soup into bowls with a dollop of raita or yogurt, and toasted pita triangles on the side if you like. Serves 4.

FOR INDIVIDUAL DOSHAS
VATAS a great Vata recipe
PITTAS replace carrots with celery; avoid basil and red pepper flakes; use garlic and ginger minimally
KAPHAS mung beans should be avoided by Kaphas but are okay once in a while (if you like, replace with red lentils); replace coconut milk with plain soy milk; minimize or omit salt

RECIPE ~ Dahl Soup with Squash

Inspired by Nigel Slater's "Dal and Pumpkin Soup", it's the perfectly soothing, aromatic lunch for a chilly day. Pictured here half-pureed, with some spinach leaves and a dollop of yogurt.

2 Tbsp olive oil or ghee
1/2 red onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
1-inch piece ginger, peeled and minced
1/2 tsp each: turmeric, ground cumin, ground coriander, garam masala
1 bay leaf
1 1/2 cups red lentils, washed
1/2 butternut squash, peeled, seeded and chopped
(or substitute with canned pureed pumpkin, unsweetened)
5 cups stock or broth
(if using plain water instead, season the soup with 1 tsp sea salt)
garnishes (see below)

In a large pot, heat the oil or ghee and stir in onion, garlic and ginger. Let cook over medium-high til softened and just light browned. Add spices and bay leaf, stirring in. Add lentils, squash and stock and stir over high heat til boiling. Spoon off any froth that rises to the surface. Lower heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer for 25 minutes.

When squash is soft and lentils are fully cooked (about 20-25 minutes), remove bay leaf and puree the soup til silky smooth, or leave as-is (I pureed just a bit). Serve into soup bowls. Top with a dollop of plain yogurt, some sliced onions fried with garlic, fresh chopped cilantro, or stir in fresh baby spinach leaves -- or just keep it simple! Serves 4.

FOR INDIVIDUAL DOSHAS
VATAS a perfect Vata recipe
PITTAS replace red lentils with split peas or chana dal; reduce garlic, onion and ginger to half
KAPHAS replace squash with carrots or white potatoes

RECIPE ~ Detox Soup

And the new year's efforts continue! This salt-free, naturally flavourful soup was inspired by Gillian McKeith's recipe for Green Goddess Soup, tailor made for winter detox, though I think it's lovely at any time of year. My version turns out more orange than green, but the more greens (kale and spinach) you add, the better the detox.

1 large onion, chopped small
1 clove garlic, minced
2 turnips or 1 sweet potato, peeled and chopped small
4 cups vegetable stock (from 1 vegetable stock cube)
1" piece of ginger, minced
2 large zucchinis, chopped small
2 cups minced curly kale
a large handful of spinach, coarsely chopped
juice of 1 lemon
fresh chopped parsley, flax oil and fresh black pepper for garnish

Saute the onion and garlic in a sauce pan with a little water for a few minutes. Add the turnip or sweet potato and saute until they just begin to soften. Stir in the stock and ginger and simmer for 10 minutes. 

Add zucchini and kale and cook over medium-low heat for half an hour, covered. At the end, stir in spinach and lemon juice, letting the spinach wilt. Puree half the soup in a blender or using a hand blender and serve with a drizzle of flax oil and generous scatter of parsley and fresh pepper. Serves 3.

FOR INDIVIDUAL DOSHAS
VATAS choose sweet potato; replace kale with other leafy greens
PITTAS choose sweet potato; replace spinach with other leafy greens; reduce ginger to 1/2" piece; omit pepper
KAPHAS choose turnips; replace 1 or both zucchinis with 1 or 2 cups chopped cabbage

RECIPE ~ Cleansing Tea for Weight Loss & Rejuvenation

Happy New Year! A perfect time to share another gem from Food As Medicine by Dharma Singh Khalsa, where he shares this recipe which "has been used for centuries to dissolve fatty tissue... improves the beauty and youthfulness of the skin, cleanses the mucous membrane of the colon, and is an excellent source of vitamin C... is a diuretic and
helps reduce water retention, balances the appetite, and minimizes food cravings. Drink 2 or 3 glasses a day for weight loss purposes."

1/3 cup fresh or 1/4 cup dried mint leaves
2 cups cumin seeds
1 Tbsp fresh or concentrated tamarind
1/2 tsp black salt
4 lemons, sliced
1/2 Tbsp black pepper
3 litres filtered water

Combine all the ingredients in a pot and bring to a boil. (I also added a tablespoon of fennel seeds for flavour.) Lower heat and continue to boil, covered, on low heat for 2 hours. You may have to add up to 2 cups more water. Strain. Serve hot or cold. Store for up to 1 week refrigerated. The ingredients may be reused once to make more tea.

Makes 2 1/2 to 3 litres.

FOR INDIVIDUAL DOSHAS
This healing beverage is tri-doshic, though best suited for Pitta and Kapha types who have excess fluids or toxins stored in their bodies.

A Note About Spices and Pregnancy
Many of my friends are pregnant at the moment so it's on my mind what should be avoided in the diet during pregnancy. Weight loss during pregnancy is never a good idea, but after is safe if it's done gently and naturally (especially to keep breastmilk healthy and flowing). This recipe above contains a large amount of cumin, and although most household spices and herbs can be used as light seasonings during pregnancy, some could cause premature labor or miscarriage, especially if used in large quantities. These include anise, aniseed oil, basil oil, caraway, celery seed or oil, chili, cinnamon, cumin, fennel, lavender, marjoram, nutmeg, nutmeg oil, oregano, parsley, peppermint oil, raspberry leaf, rhubarb, rosemary, rosemary oil, saffron, sage, sage oil and thyme oil. Here is a page with a comprehensive list of herbs and spices to avoid during pregnancy, and another one with unsafe vs. beneficial herbs.

RECIPE ~ Yoga Mung Beans & Rice

My friend Sarah recommended a fascinating book called Food As Medicine by Dharma Singh Khalsa, in which he recommends mung beans and rice as an easily digestible, healing staple you can "fall back on when you need to regain balance in your life." He suggests eating it at least once a week for general good health and especially after fasting. I feature it now as a good cleansing recipe in honour of the Autumn Equinox this coming weekend!

1/2 cup mung beans
1/2 cup basmati rice
1 bay leaf
1-inch piece kombu seaweed
5 cups water
2-3 cups chopped assorted vegetables (carrots, celery, zucchini, broccoli...)
1 Tbsp ghee
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 onion*, chopped
1/2 tsp pepper
1/4 cup ginger root, minced
2 cloves garlic*, minced
1 tsp turmeric
1 tsp garam masala
1/2 tsp crushed red chilis* (or to taste)
1 Tbsp dried basil
Seeds of 3 cardamom pods
Sea salt or Bragg to taste

Soak beans overnight. Wash and rince 3 times. Bring water to a boil, add beans, bay leaves and kombu; let boil over medium-high flame. When the beans have been boiled and are soft, about 40-50 minutes, add rice, lower heat to simmer, and let cook for another 20 minutes. (If using brown basmati, add after 20 minutes of cooking beans, to allow 40 minutes to cook rice.)

Wash and chop vegetables (I used 1 cup each zucchini, carrot, peas and cabbage). Add to simmering rice and beans along with the ghee and continue to cook for 15 more minutes. Meanwhile, heat oil in a large frying pan and add onions, ginger and garlic. Saute for until brown and then add turmeric, pepper, garam masala and red chilies*. Stir this mixture into the pot of beans and rice. Add sweet basil, cardamom seeds, and sea salt or Braggs. Continue simmering another 10-15 minutes, stirring often. If needed, add more boiling water until rice and vegetables are completely cooked. The consistency should be rich, thick and soupy.

Serve with a dollop of yogurt if you like, a drizzle of flax oil, or a sprinkling of pine nuts. For some zingy fresh greens, Vatas and Kaphas can top with a spoonful of my green salsa or just fresh chopped parsley/cilantro. Makes 4 servings.

*Omit onions, garlic and chilis if following a sattvic way of eating or if following a fast or illness.

I call this "Yoga" Mung Beans & Rice because in his book, Dr. Khalsa refers to this kind of eating "Yoga Nutritional Therapy", which is simply a modern term for Ayurvedic nutrition. According to YNT, three major health foods are almonds (nuts and oil), beets (vegetables and greens), and basmati rice. Ghee is also noted as a healing ingredient. This particular type of dish -- a healing soupy stew of rice and mung beans -- is also called a kichadi. NOTE: If serving to the sick, elderly, or children, make it less spicy.

FOR INDIVIDUAL DOSHAS
A healing stew for all doshas.
VATAS stir in ghee to your individual bowl if you like
PITTAS reduce garlic, ginger and chilis to half
KAPHAS use brown basmati

RECIPE ~ Vegetable Tea

I've just learned that the levels of acidity in our body affect our health greatly -- too much acid in our systems leads to illnesses, aging, and gives cancer cells the perfect environment to grow. According to my naturopath at Wellness Guru, most of our everyday foods are too high in acid, so not only should we avoid those foods, we should increase our alkaline intake. This recipe is an alkaline broth that I've been making almost daily and sipping on throughout the day. Give it a try! Your health will benefit enormously.

4 cups filtered water
1 celery stick
1 small or 1/2 a large zucchini
1 cup fresh parsley
1 cup string beans
1" piece of fresh ginger
lemon

Bring the water to a boil in a medium-sized pot. Meanwhile, chop all the vegetables and slice the ginger; add to the pot. You can also add a few slices of lemon, or squeeze in the juice of a lemon wedge at the end. Simmer on a low boil for half an hour. Store hot in a thermos and consume throughout the day. Makes about 4 cups.

NOTE: I call this a vegetable "tea" instead of a broth because it's almost flavourless, except for the lemony ginger and only a slight hint of vegetable taste. Have plain, or experiment trying with a bit of honey, or alternatively a dash of salt and pepper, up to you.

FOR INDIVIDUAL DOSHAS
Great for all the doshas!
VATAS benefit from sipping hot or warm water, tea or broth throughout the day everyday
PITTAS will do better cooling this tea down and sipping throughout the day everyday
KAPHAS benefit from not too much liquid throughout the day, so consume this tea (hot or warm) in place of juice, tea, etc.