– V, – P, +K
Best Season to try this Recipe: Autumn, Winter
This recipe is one of my favorites that I’ve adapted from Amadea Morningstar’s book, Ayurvedic Cooking for Westerners. It’s a biscuit recipe that is light on the butter but still so so good, and uses barley flour, making it wheat-gluten free (barley has it’s own form of gluten, but most people sensitive to wheat gluten can digest it well, you will need to try it for yourself!) There is no sugar added, but the sweet potato is so satisfyingly sweet itself, I’d eat these in replace of cookies any day.
Try these with a light soup for lunch or dinner, or warm with ghee and cinnamon for breakfast. They are great for cold days when you’re feeling the need for some grounding, when you otherwise might crave starches or sugars. Avoid when you have a cold or congestion, for remember, that’s a time when you need to avoid kapha qualities.
The Recipe: Sweet Potato Biscuits
2 cups barley flour
1 tsp salt
1 Tbsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/4 c ghee (or butter)
1 medium-sized sweet potato, cooked (I like oriental, Japanese, or otherwise ‘white’ sweet potatoes, but orange ones give a nice color)
Juice of 1 lime
1/4 c. coconut, cow, soy or almond milk
Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Combine the first 4 ingredients into a large mixing bowl. Next cut in the ghee or butter, until the mixture resembles course cornmeal. Peel and mash your sweet potato in a separate bowl. Add lime juice and your choice of milk to the sweet potato and mix. Then mix these wet ingredients into the dry with very clean hands. Add a bit of extra flour if you need it, work quickly and gently. Cover the dough and let it chill for 15 minutes in the fridge.
Butter a cookie sheet or pizza stone. Roll the dough right on on the stone or cookie sheet, then cut into circles with a cookie cutter, or even just an overturned drinking glass. Be sure to use all your scraps, you’ll be glad you did! Bake for about 12 minutes, or until lightly browned.
*To cook a sweet potato, simply wash it then place it in the oven, right on the oven racks, in a 425 degree oven for about 30 minutes, or until you can pierce it easily with a knife all the way through. Let it mostly cool before you use it in this recipe, or you will burn your fingers!
Wheat flour is another great option – and even more balancing for Vata. <3