Category: Recipes

Posted on by

Simple Nourishment: Egg Drop Soup

I love to cook. I have daydreams about being a grandma and having nothing to do all day but cook for myself and my grand kids… right out of that garden I will finally have time to weed…

It can be difficult to find simple, staple recipes, that can be made pretty quickly, follow Ayurvedic ‘rules’ and are also yummy.  I can cook almost anything – and when I say that, I mean, yes, I have learned to follow a recipe, but what I mean is that I take pride making a meal out of whatever I have around the kitchen.

EGGDROP

It pays to have staples that you love to use and that you know are balancing for you and the season – this is something that just takes time, and of course, knowhow – otherwise have to get complicated to cook for yourself daily.

This recipe was created in mid-January, during a harsh winter, for someone with sensitive digestion, but in need of protein. If you’re going to choose animal protein, choose organic and local.  Even if you’re living in a city, it’s common to find out that your neighbor now has a hen house! (And yes, bonus, this recipe is gluten-free and milk-free!)

Simple Nourishment: Egg Drop Soup

Balances Vata (For a more Pitta balancing soup, remove the egg yolk and just use egg white, and go light or emit the black pepper and miso.)

INGREDIENTS
1 T ghee
2 local eggs
2 cups of water or broth of your choice
black pepper to taste
pinch turmeric (I can’t help myself)
1/2 zucchini chopped (happened to have on hand – any other greens, including scallion would be nice, and more traditional)
1 tsp miso paste
pinch salt

DIRECTIONS

Heat ghee over medium heat in a heavy bottomed pot.  Add zucchini or other greens and saute to coat with oil (if zucchini, cook for 2-3 minutes to soften.)  Add black pepper and turmeric and stir.  Add water or broth, and bring to a boil.  Meanwhile, whisk the eggs in a glass measuring cup until smooth.  Remove the pot from the heat, and then slowly whisk in the eggs.  Keep whisking, as this will give you ribbons of egg as opposed to chunks, which are less ‘nice’ to savor.

Serve immediately, with a tsp of miso per bowl. Add a pinch of salt if you need it.  Two small servings, or one larger.

Posted on by

Mid-Winter Immune Boost

In Ayurveda, and The Healing Diet, we talk a lot about the components that make up our immunity.

We have, of course, many ways of describing this ‘reality’ and the strengths and weaknesses. I believe it’s beneficial to be able to look at something from many angles.

Two words which are important to Ayurveda’s view of immunity are agni and ojas.

Agni is our digestive capacity – our metabolic strength – our ability to ‘burn up’ toxins, and to digest and assimilate nutrients from our food, and experiences in life. It can be translated to literally mean fire. Think burning up, fighting off, cleaning out, eating, transforming, digesting.  (This is a hugely important concept for healing in Ayurveda, and so in The Healing Diet, I dedicate a whole week to talking about agni, learning our metabolic type, how to balance it, etc…)

Ojas is our innate strength and resilience. We are born with some, and then we maintain this through balanced agni/good digestion. Ojas is more connected with the water and earth elements – it is a substance, and and essence that gives us our oomph. Our strength and ability to heal and deal with life. Like, when we’re hit hard by and illness or stress, it’s our ojas that gives us strength to bounce back. It’s heavier, it’s juicier, it’s and end product of our takin’ care of agni.

This warm milk recipe is working on the ojas part of our immunity. This is one reason that milk is considered such an important and healing food in Ayurveda. Of course, you can substitute almond milk or hemp milk etc – the qualities are similar, but different. And usually, those items are more processed. (If you make them yourself, though, even better!)

I am blessed to have raw milk available relatively easily and locally. I am also blessed with a husband who keeps bees, so we have a plentiful supply of raw honey. I make my own ghee, from raw milk butter from another local farm, so this is truly a cuppa gold.

Then, optionally, I add turmeric for an even deeper golden color and it’s own special healing properties, and a little ginger powder for agni, and just because!

 

Mid-Winter Golden Milk for Immunity

1 c raw milk

1/2 c water

1/4 tsp turmeric powder

1/4 tsp ginger powder

1 tsp honey

1 tsp ghee

 

Warm first four ingredients until milk just starts to foam.  Pour into a mug and stir in honey and ghee. *Do not cook the honey, just let it melt in your cup. **The equal amounts of honey/ghee poison thing goes by weight – I don’t sweat it and just add equal amounts by eye/measurement.

Great before bed, or as a snack when you get home from work/school.

 

Love,

SIGN2 copy

 

 

 

IMG_0674 IMG_0669 IMG_0668(1)

 

 

 

Posted on by

Hot Spiced Cider

My favorite Fall morning beverage…

GUNAS/QUALITIES: Warm, liquid, soft

TASTES: Sweet, Astringent, Pungent

Apples are beneficial for removing excess Pitta built up from the heat of Summer.  The added warmth, and the little bit of cinnamon and ginger powder take care of Vata, as Fall is truly Vata season.

 

Enjoy alone, about 30 minutes before breakfast – fruit, even juices, are best digested alone.

 

Hot Spiced CiderIMG_0134

 

2 cups Apple Cider

1/2 tsp Cinnamon powder

1/2 tsp Ginger powder

 

Heat until just under boiling, and serve. Optional to add a bit of pure vanilla extract.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

…

Posted on by — 1 Comment

RECIPE: Homemade Almond Milk

Photo by Vivianna_love

Gluten-free, Dairy-free
Balances Pitta and Vata
8 g per serving of protein

3 small handfuls of raw, organic almonds (soaked overnight is even better)

4 cups of pure water

1 teaspoon vanilla and pinch of cardamom (optional)

2 teaspoons maple syrup (optional)

Cheese cloth, folded over 4 times, or very thin dish cloth

Put almonds and water in your blender, and blend on high until you do not hear the nuts being further broken up. It also can become quite frothy.

Put your cloth in a big bowl, spread out. Slowly begin to pour the mixture from the blender onto the cloth, and begin to pick up the four corners. Lift them up so it starts to drain. You will started squeezing the cloth, so the almond milk begins to strain into the bowl. Almond meal will be left over in the cloth, which I recommend you save for baked goods. You can squeeze it pretty hard, twisting the top of the cloth. You may need to do this two or three times to get through all of the blender. Drinking fresh is best! Or you can definitely save it up to a week in the refrigerator, no problem.