Stewed apples and pears with star anise cinnamon and syrup

Stewed Apples & Pears With Star Anise & Cinnamon

These simple stewed apples and pears are a nice alternative to a grainy breakfast that is easy to make and wipped up in minutes.

Simple but good is what this breakfast provides. It’s a nice alternative to a breakfast full of grains, and even though it’s only fruits, I feel this breakfast always fills me up nicely until mid-day. Cooking time and prep doesn’t take long, which is always a winner in the morning. I usually get up, chop my fruits and cook them on a low heat while I jump into the shower. Out the shower: voila – breakfast is ready!

Cooking your fruits slowly is important:

Stewing your fruits is best when you add a little water and or lemon juice to the bottom of the pan. Heat the fruits on low heat and cook slowly, stirring frequently if you can. This way you’re breaking down the fibre slowly and by not overheating keeping those important health benefits that you want from the fruit.

If you cook fruit too hot and too quickly. you’ll loose lots of the vitamins and minerals by destroying them in the fast and hot heat. Therefor go steady and take your time, leaving a lid on whilst your stewing your fruit slowly bit surely.

ayurveda

Feeling Vata: add some lemon juice to the pot when you start cooking the fruits. Experiment with adding some freshly chopped ginger and more warming spices such as cinnamon and cardamom.

Feeling Pitta: sweet fruits for breakfast work well for you. Enjoy!

Feeling Kapha: If you’re Kapha is very strong, I’d avoid sweet fruits for breakfast as this can make you tired and lethargic. However if you want to go for it, add at least a thumb sized knob of ginger (minced) when cooking your fruits and add more cinnamon and cardamom to boost that metabolism of yours.

Weekly Recipe

Stewed Apples and Pears with Star Anise and Cinnamon

Yield: 1 Bowl

Stewed Apples and Pears with Star Anise and Cinnamon

Stewed apples and pears with star anise cinnamon and syrup

Simple but good is what this breakfast provides. It's a nice alternative to a breakfast full of grains, and even though it's only fruits, I feel this breakfast always fills me up nicely until mid-day. Cooking time and prep doesn't take long, which is always a winner in the morning. I usually get up, chop my fruits and cook them on a low heat while I jump into the shower. Out the shower: voila - breakfast is ready!

Ingredients

  • 1-2 apples, depending on your appetite, diced
  • 1-2 pears, depending on your appetite, diced
  • 5 whole cloves
  • about 60ml water
  • 1 x star anise
  • 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
  • maple or date syrup to serve
  • optional: oat or millet porridge

Instructions

  1. Add the apples and pears to a small heavy bottom sauce-pan, together with the cloves, water and star anise, and bring slowly to a boil.
  2. Then turn heat down to a low and simmer, lid on, for about 10 minutes or until the fruits have reached their desired consistency. I like it very soft!
  3. Add the cinnamon, and take off the heat. Let cool for about 10 minutes, than serve.
  4. Optional: cook yourself some nice oat or millet porridge, than topp with your stewed fruits, drizzle with syrup and serve, voila!

Notes

Feel free to experiment and add dried fruits such as raisins, figs and dates (etc. ) to the mix (soaked overnight is always best for all three doshas when using dried fruits).


This Sri Lankan Kola Kanda Bowl herbal porridge

Sri Lankan Kola Kanda Bowl – Green Godess

What is Kola Kanda?

This Sri Lankan Kola Kanda Bowl is a traditional Sri Lankan herbal porridge hailed for its nutritious and medicinal powers.

Kola Kanda (from the leaf Gotu Kola ‘Kanda’), is a traditional Sri Lankan herbal porridge, hailed for its nutritious and medicinal powers.
Gotu Kola, also known as the ‘herb of longevity’ is a staple in Ayurvedic, Chinese and Indonesian medicine.
Gotu Kola can heal skin issues, to boost circulation (to the brain and extremities). It is thus improving brain power and concentration.
Gotu Kola also promotes liver and kidney health.

In Sri Lanka ‘Kola Kanda’ people consume this soup as a nutritious ‘drink’ for breakfast. Sri Lankan’s prepare this dish to provide healing and to prevent disease.

If you don’t have fresh gotu kola to hand, you can sub with watercress, lambs lettuce or coriander. You can also buy dried gotu kola leaves online and add a teaspoon or two to the porridge made with watercress. Gotu Kola is balancing for all three doshas, predominantly kapha and pitta.

ayurveda

Feeling Vata: This is a great breakfast for you. You do well on all kinds of rice, and the greens mentioned here are fine for you too. If feeling very Vata add a bit of coconut oil before serving and season well with salt and pepper. You’ll enjoy the maple or date syrup.

Feeling Pitta: Gotu Kola is a great cooling herb for Ptta. Traditionally Gotu Kola was used to stop bleeding from high Pitta. Enjoy the cooling greens in this recipee and feel free to add more!

Feeling Kapha: This is great breakfast for your dosha. Gotu Kola tastes bitter and astringent, which is perfect to balance out Kapha’s sweet and heavy nature. Go easy on the syrups or leave out completly.

Weekly Recipe

Green Godess – Sri Lankan Kola Kanda Bowl

Kola Kanda (from the leaf Gotu Kola ‘Kanda’), is a traditional Sri Lankan herbal porridge, hailed for its nutritious and medicinal powers.

Yield: 1 Bowl

Greeny Goodness - Sri Lankan Kola Kanda Bowl

This Sri Lankan Kola Kanda Bowl herbal porridge

Kola Kanda (from the leaf Gotu Kola 'Kanda'), is a traditional Sri Lankan herbal porridge, hailed for its nutritious and medicinal powers. Gotu Kola, also known as the 'herb of longevity' is a staple in Ayurvedic, Chinese and Indonesian medicine. Gotu Kola has been proven to heal skin issues, to boost circulation (to the brain and extremities) and thus improving brain power and concentration. It also promotes liver and kidney health. In Sri Lanka 'Kola Kanda' is consumed as a nutritious 'drink' for breakfast: a nourishing mushy soup full of gotu kola leaves, providing healing and prevention of disease. If you don't have fresh gotu kola to hand, you can sub with watercress, lambs lettuce or coriander. You can also buy dried gotu kola leaves online and add a teaspoon or two to the porridge made with watercress. Gotu Kola is balancing for all three doshas, predominantly kapha and pitta.

Ingredients

  • 50g white basmati rice
  • 150ml water for cooking rice
  • 1 x pinch of asafoetida or 1/2 clove of garlic
  • 1 cup of fresh gotu kola leaf (if you don't have access to gotu kola leaf you can substitute with 1 x cup of watercress, lambs lettuce or fresh coriander)
  • 50ml almond milk (try and find plant milk without any additional fats added such as sunflower oils - not good for your health!)
  • sea salt and fresh black pepper to taste
  • Maple or date syrup to taste (if on a cleanse skip the syrup. If you need something sweet top with raw honey - but raw is a must on a cleanse). 

Instructions

  1. First, wash and rinse the rice at least three times.
  2. Add the rice to a pot and add the water.
  3. Add the asafoetida or garlic. Turn up the heat and bring to a boil.
  4. Simmer on a medium heat until the rice is cooked and very soft, so you can cook the rice a little longer than usual (10-15 minutes). You want a nice mushy consistency.
  5. In the meantime chop the gotu kola (or lamb's lettuce, watercress etc.) and mix with some water and the plant milk. Mix until you have a consistency that you like. I usually put it in my Vitamix and blend it for a few seconds on a high speed with the milk and a little water.
  6. Once the rice is nice and mushy, take it off the heat.
  7. Now mix in the green smoothie with the rice. Give it a good stir.
  8. Then put the pot back on the stove and get it to a simmer for a few minutes.
  9. Season with salt and pepper.
  10. Add more water if you like a thinner texture, and if you like it sweet, serve with maple or date syrup.
  11. Garnish with herbs of your choice!

sweet mung daal porridge

Sweet Mung Daal Porridge

This vitalising and cleansing sweet mung daal porridge will have you longing for more! Mung beans’ astringent nature literally scrapes your bowels clean. They draw out toxins from your digestive tract, clear up excess mucus and combat dampness in your body.

This sweet little number offers a great alternative to standard breakfasts such as oat porridge and Co. and can also be a welcome change for people sensitive to grains and pseudo-grains. Mung daal is high in protein, potassium, vitamins A, C, and E, magnesium, calcium and iron.

Health benefits of mung daal:

Mung daal is rich in micro-nutrients, namely potassium, iron, magnesium iron and copper. Additionally the little beans also contain B6, folate (B9) and fibre. Super high in protein mung daal is thus also a great food for vegetarians and vegans. In comparison to other beans, mung daal doesn’t usually produce the dreaded bloat that so often goes in hand in hand with digesting other types of beans and pulses. Yellow daal produces something called ‘butyrate’: a short-chained fatty acid. Butyrate makes yellow daal much easier to digest and it also helps to maintain the health of the digestive tract and walls.

ayurveda

Feeling Vata: mung daal can aggravate a very dry and light Vata type, however this breakfast is balancing out this effect with the sweetness of raisins and maple syrup. Cook the mung daal in some coconut oil and add some salt to taste.

Feeling Pitta: mung daal are great for Pitta’s as they are very cooling in nature. This is a great breakfast for you.

Feeling Kapha: You’ll enjoy this breakfast but it can be a bit on the heavy side for you. Add plenty of ginger and cinnamon and go a bit easier on the dried fruits and maple syrup.

Weekly Recipe

Sweet Mung Daal Porridge

Sweet Mung Daal Porridge

sweet mung daal porridge

This vitalising and cleansing breakfast will have you longing for more! Mung beans astringent nature literally scrapes your bowels clean. They draw out toxins from your digestive tract, clear up excess mucus and combat dampness in your body.

This sweet little number offers a great alternative to standard breakfasts such as oat porridge and Co. and can also be a welcome change for people sensitive to grains and pseudo-grains. Mung dal is high in protein, potassium, vitamins A, C, and E, magnesium, calcium and iron.

Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Total Time 40 minutes

Ingredients

  • 100g mung daal (soaked over night in water)
  • 2 x cups of water
  • 1/2 x teaspoon turmeric (curcuma)
  • 1/2 teaspoon coriander seeds (ground in pestle and mortar)
  • 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 250ml oat-milk (or plant milk of your choice, just ensure it hasn't got any extra fats added to it. Most plant milks have added sunflower oils or other fats added and trust me this ain't good for your health. I use oatly's organic oat milk and it's free of any extra added fats.)
  • 3 x tablespoons maple syrup
  • seeds of 2-3 cardamom pods, freshly ground in pestle and mortar
  • 1 x thumb size knob of fresh ginger, minced
  • handful of raisins, soaked over night
  • optional: 1/2 teaspoon of saffron strands

Instructions

  1. Drain the soaked mung daal and add to a frying pan. Roast in the frying pan on a medium heat until the daal becomes fragrant and is lightly roasted.
  2. Add the roasted mung daal to a medium sized sauce pan and add water, turmeric, cinnamon and coriander seeds. Put a lid on and simmer for about 15 minutes and until everyrthing is nice and mushy.
  3. Now take a potato masher and mash everything in the pot until you have your preferred consistency.
  4. Add the plant milk, maple syrup, the cardamom seeds, fresh ginger and a bit of salt and pepper to taste (optional: add the saffron strands) and bring everything to the boil.
  5. Cover and simmer for about 10 - 15 minutes.
  6. Add the soaked raisins and mix through. Cook for another minute or so.
  7. Serve in bowls and garnish with chopped and roasted almonds, a sprinkle of cinnamon and drizzle with maple syrup to taste.

amaranth porrdige with pears and dried fruits

Amaranth Porridge With Pears and Dried Fruits

Amaranth porridge is a great alternative to oats or millet and can be a great substitue for those who can’t digest traditional grains or other psyeudo grains very well.

Amaranth is great for Kapha and Pitta types. Vata’s should try it out and mix with extra oil and sweet tastes to combat the very astringent and dry nature of amaranth. Amaranth ‘s astringent taste helps to dry up excess dampness and mucus in Kapha’s system. This benefits the lungs and respiratory system.

Amaranth is completly gluten free. It also has a cooling effect on hot Pitta types. Vata’s should avoid Amaranth as it’s too light for already light and airy Vata. Amaranth is very high in protein (30% more protein than rice), and contains four times as much calcium as wheat. It is also high in magnesium and manganese. Amaranth’s astringent taste is often balanced with oily, sweet, sour and salty ingredients. Vata’s can try this breakfast by adding plenty of coconut or olive oil, and adding sweet fruits, and extra salt if needed.

ayurveda

Feeling Vata: try out this breakfast by adding a dollop of coconut oil and a bit more salt to taste before you serve. Sweet pears and soaked dry fruits are all fine for you. If you’re feeling very Vata swap the amaranth with simple and plain porridge oats.

Feeling Pitta: you do well on this breakfast, just ensure that the fruits you add are sweet and avoid all sour fruits.

Feeling Kapha: amaranth is great for you, but you don’t do so well on an overload of sweet fruits. Leave out the dry fruits and simply make this breakfast with pears and raisins. You can also add more ginger and cinnamon if you feel you need that extra kick in the morning,

Weekly Recipe

Amaranth Porridge with Pears and Dried Fruits

Amaranth Porridge with Pears and Dried Fruits

amaranth porrdige with pears and dried fruits

Amaranth porrdige is a great alternative to oats or millet, and can feel less heavy for those who feel traditional porridge might be too filling or too heavy on the gut. Amaranth is great for Kapha and Pitta types. Vata's should try it out and mix with extra oil and sweet tastes to combat the very astringent and dry nature of amaranth.

Amaranth ‘s astringent taste helps to dry up excess dampness and mucus in Kapha’s system. This benefits the lungs and respiratory system. Amaranth is completly gluten free. It also has a cooling effect on hot Pitta types. Vata’s should avoid Amaranth as it’s too light for already light and airy Vata. Amaranth is very high in protein (30% more protein than rice), and contains four times as much calcium as wheat. It is also high in magnesium and manganese. Amaranth’s astringent taste is often balanced with oily, sweet, sour and salty ingredients. Vata’s can try this breakfast by adding plenty of coconut or olive oil, and adding sweet fruits, and extra salt if needed.

Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Total Time 25 minutes

Ingredients

  • 1 x cup amaranth flakes (or whole amaranth soaked over night)
  • 1 x cup oat milk (I use oatly's organic as it's the only oat-milk I know that doesn't contain any extra added oils. Most oat-milks contain added sunflower or other fats. Try and find one without, it's better for your health!)
  • 1 and a 1/2 x cups of water
  • 1/2 x teaspoon nutmeg
  • 1/2 x teaspoon turmeric (curcuma)
  • seeds of 2 x cardamom pods, ground in pestle and mortar
  • 1.5 cm of fresh ginger, minced
  • 1 and 1/2 x tablespoons maple syrup to taste
  • 1 x pinch of salt
  • freh pepper to taste
  • 2 x medium sized pears, diced
  • 1 x teaspoon vanilla extract (try finding one without alcohol)
  • 1 x teaspoon cinnamon 
  • handful or more of dried fruits of your choice, soaked over night

Instructions

  1. Add all ingredients (apart from the pears, the cinnamon, and the vanilla extract) to a medium sized sauce-pan, and simmer for 5 minutes with the lid on.
  2. Then add the chopped pears and cook slowly on a low to medium heat, whilst stirring every now and then, for about 10-15 minutes. Keep adding water if mixture gets to dry.
  3. Add the vanilla and the cinnamon and cook for another few minutes.
  4. Then add the raisins to the pot and slowly mix through.
  5. Take off the heat, then serve with maple syrup and extra cinnamon.
  6. Voila!

warm amaranth breakfast bowl with apples and raisins

Warming Amaranth Bowl With Apples & Raisins

If oats, millet and Co. are not for you, or you simply want a bit of a change to your morning breakfast routine, try out some amaranth porridge for breakfast. It’s light and dry nature makes it an ideal grain for the Kapha dosha.
Amaranth ‘s astringent taste helps to dry up excess dampness and mucus in Kapha’s system. This benefits the lungs and respiratory system. Amaranth is completly gluten free. It also has a cooling effect on hot Pitta types. Vata’s should avoid Amaranth as it’s too light for already light and airy Vata.
Amaranth is very high in protein (30% more protein than rice), and contains four times as much calcium as wheat. It is also high in magnesium and manganese. Amaranth’s astringent taste is often balanced with oily, sweet, sour and salty ingredients. Vata’s can try this breakfast by adding plenty of coconut or olive oil, and adding sweet fruits, and salt for example.

Feeling Vata: you can try if this recipee works for you by adding coconut oil or olive oil, adding more salt and adding plenty of soaked raisins, figs or dates, and more of the sweet apple. Or simply cook this recipee but use oats instead of the amaranth.

Feeling Pitta: this is a great breakfast for you as amaranth is pacifying for Pittas. Raisins and sweet apples work well for you too, so it’s a WINNER!

Feeling Kapha: amaranth’s astringent nature is a superb psydo-grain for Kapha’s as it drys up excess mucus and helps remove Kapha’s excess dampness. Apples and raisins are fine for you too.

Weekly Recipe

Warming Amaranth Bowl with Apples & Raisins

Yield: 1 Bowl

Warming Amaranth Bowl with Apples & Raisins

warm amaranth breakfast bowl with apples and raisins

If oats, millet and Co. are not for you, or you simply want a bit of a change to your morning breakfast routine, try out some amaranth porridge for breakfast. It's light and dry nature makes it an ideal grain for the Kapha dosha.
Amaranth 's astringent taste helps to dry up excess dampness and mucus in Kapha's system. This benefits the lungs and respiratory system. Amaranth is completly gluten free. It also has a cooling effect on hot Pitta types. Vata's should avoid Amaranth as it's too light for already light and airy Vata.
Amaranth is very high in protein (30% more protein than rice), and contains four times as much calcium as wheat. It is also high in magnesium and manganese. Amaranth's astringent taste is often balanced with oily, sweet, sour and salty ingredients. Vata's can try this breakfast by adding plenty of coconut or olive oil, and adding sweet fruits, and salt for example.

Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Total Time 25 minutes

Ingredients

  • 1/2 x cup amaranth, soaked in water over night
  • 1 x full apple, diced
  • 1/2 x teaspoon cardamom
  • 1/4 x cup raisins, soaked over night
  • 1/4 x teaspoon salt
  • 1 x cup of water
  • maple syrup to serve
  • fresh figs or other fruit to garnish

Instructions

  1. Chop the apple into small pieces.
  2. Heat 1-2 tablespoons of water in a medium sized sauce pan.
  3. Add the cardamom and cinnamom and mix well with the water.
  4. Then add all remaining ingredients (apart from the water) and mix well, whilst still heating on a medium heat.
  5. Then add the water and bring to the boil. Turn down heat and simmer for 15-20 minutes, until the amaranth becomes light and fluffy. Keep stirring every now and then, as amaranth can stick and burn quickly at the bottom of the pan!
  6. Serve with extra cinnamon, maple syrup, and garnish with fresh figs or other stewed or fresh fruit.


cooling green soup

Cooling Green Soup

In need of a detox? Feeling too hot? Is your skin playing up? On a cleanse? Or simply on the look-out for a nice nourishing lunch full of greeny goodness? Then you’ve come to the right place. Feel free to mix up the greens in this soup and add in more greens that you like and that you know make you feel good. Adding more greens to your diet has a myriad of health benefits such as boosting our digestive enzymes, drawing toxins from your digestive tract, cleansing your liver, balancing blood sugars, making your skin glow, supporting bone health (dark leafy greens contain plenty of calcium), relieving stress and fighting belly bloat.

ayurveda

Feeling Vata: feeling very light and in need of grounding goodness? Simply add a carrot or two, an extra potatoe, or experiment with adding half a fennel bulb, or more of the peas or the zuchini.

Feeling Pitta: This is the soup for you. If feeling overly Pitta, leave out the garlic or the onion, or only use half. You can add more mint and you can always add in more greens, as greens are for you!

Feeling Kapha: You can leave out the zuchini if you like, but only if feeling overly Kapha. Leafy greens are great for you, so go for it!!

Weekly Recipe

Cooling Green Soup

Yield: 1 Pot

Cooling Green Soup

cooling green soup

In need of a detox? Feeling too hot? Is your skin playing up? On a cleanse? Or simply on the look-out for a nice nourishing lunch full of greeny goodness? Then you've come to the right place. Feel free to mix up the greens in this soup and add in more greens that you like and that you know make you feel good. Adding more greens to your diet has a myriad of health benefits such as boosting our digestive enzymes, drawing toxins from your digestive tract, cleansing your liver, balancing blood sugars, making your skin glow, supporting bone health (dark leafy greens contain plenty of calcium), relieving stress and fighting belly bloat.

Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 25 minutes
Total Time 35 minutes

Ingredients

  • 1 x small onion
  • 350g fresh or frozen peas
  • 1 x zuchini, chopped 
  • 1 x large potato, diced
  • 500ml stock (try using stock powder without any extra fats and without added yeast)
  • 180g lambs lettuce
  • 180g spinach, chard or other similar leafy greens
  • 1 x bunch of fresh mint, chopped
  • salt & pepper to taste
  • 1 x teaspoon olive oil (leave out if doing a cleanse)

Instructions

  1. Add the olive oil (if on a cleanse just use a bit of water) to a medium size soup pot. Add the chopped onion and cook slowly on a medium heat until golden and translucent.
  2. Then add the potato, the zuchini and the peas. Cover all in the stock so that all the ingredients are covered in liquid.
  3. Bring the mix to the boil and then turn down the heat to a medium and simmer until the potatoe is soft for about 10-15 minutes.  
  4. Add the spinach, the lambs lettuce and any other leafy greens of your choice and stir well. Cook for another 2-3 minutes.
  5. Seperate the mint leaves from the stalks and finely chop the leaves. Add to the soup and cook for another minute or so.
  6. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
  7. Take off the heat and puree everything with a hand-blender until the soup has a creamy consistency.
  8. Serve!

NOTE: Experiment with adding more greens that you like, such as parsley, chard, spinach, collard greens, kale, etc. The more greens the better. Or omit others that you know don't agree with you and simply replace with others.


Mung Bean Soup

Healing Mung Bean Soup

Feeling Lethargic? Bloated? Tired? Not quite yourself? Is your digestion playing up? Do you have a thick white coating on your tongue? Then it might be time for a mung bean soup cleanse! This amazing astringent bean has been favoured in indian and asian cuisine for centuries for its medicinal properties. Mung beans have amazing colon cleansing properties: the fibres in mung beans have a scraping function that literally scrape your colon clean and the astringent taste tones and enlivens your digestive organs, spells out mucus from your GI tract and helps to cleanse toxins and parasites from your gut. This grounding and restorative soup is great for all three doshas: nourishing whilst at the same time light, cleansing and cooling. Enjoy this recipee as a once a week staple or as a re-set and do a 3 x day Mung Bean soup cleanse.

ayurveda

Feeling Vata: you’ll love this grounding soup and it loves you. Add more root vegetables if you’re feelling very Vata and play around with fresh fennel, and fennel spice.
Feeling Pitta: In this very Pitta friendly combination you should be able to handle all ingredients without aggravating your dosha, however best to use less or omit the tomatoes, garlic and onions, and skip the mustard seeds. Add greens such as kale, watercress, etc. (avoid spinach).
Feeling Kapha: play around with adding Kale and other leafy greens to the soup.

Weekly Recipe

Healing Mung Bean Soup

Yield: 1 Pot

Healing Mung Bean Soup

Mung Bean Soup

Feeling Lethargic? Bloated? Tired? Not quite yourself? Is your digestion playing up? Do you have a thick white coating on your tongue? Then it might be time for a mung bean soup cleanse! This amazing astringent bean has been favoured in indian and asian cuisine for centuries for its medicinal properties. Mung beans have amazing colon cleansing properties: the fibres in mung beans have a scraping function that literally scrape your colon clean and the astringent taste tones and enlivens your digestive organs, spells out mucus from your GI tract and helps to cleanse toxins and parasites from your gut. This grounding and restorative soup is great for all three doshas: nourishing whilst at the same time light, cleansing and cooling. Enjoy this recipee as a once a week staple or as a re-set and do a 3 x day Mung Bean soup cleanse.

Ingredients

  • 1 x teaspoon olive oil (if on a cleanse skip the oil)
  • 1 x garlic clove (chopped)
  • 1 x small onion, chopped
  • 2 -3 celery stalks, chopped
  • 1 x teaspoon ground tumeric
  • 1 and a half cups mung beans (soaked overnight)
  • Optional: 1 and a half x cup chopped tomatoes (or one tin of tomatoes)
  • 1 Liter vegetable stock
  • 2 x bay leaves (optional)
  • 3 x medium to large carrots, chopped
  • handfrul fresh coriander, parsley or both, chopped
  • 1 x tablespoon lupine sauce (or coconut aminos - optional)
  • half a teapsoon cumin seeds, grind in pestle and mortar
  • half a teaspoon coriander seeds, grind in pestle and mortar
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • half a teaspoon fennel seeds, grind in pestle and mortar
  • 3/4 teaspoon mustard seeds (optional)
  • Optional: add leafy greens of your choice such as kale, spinach, lambs lettuce, etc. 

Instructions

  1. Add the olive oil to a medium pot and warm on low to medium heat (If on a cleanse and not using oil, skip this step).
  2. Add the chopped onion and garlic and sauté for a few minutes until translucent (if on cleanse simply fry in a bit of water).
  3. Grind the cumin, coriander, fennel and mustard (optional) seeds in a pestle and mortar and add to the onion & garlic mix. Keep stirring for a while over low to medium heat until the onions and garlic are covered nicely in the spice mix. Add the turmeric and keep stirring.
  4. Add celery and carrots and sauté until just about soft.
  5. Now add the mung beans (important: ensure these have been soaked overnight). Stir well into the spice and onion mix. Keep stirring on medium heat for few minutes.
  6. Now add the water and the stock. Add in tomatoes if using (optional). Submerge bay leaves, and bring everything to a boil. Season with salt and pepper.
  7. Reduce heat and simmer covered with a lid for 45 minutes.
  8. Remove from heat and discard bay leaves. Stir in cilantro, or parsley or both and add the lupine sauce or coconut aminos (if using).
  9. Taste again and add more salt and pepper if needed.
  10. Serve! 

Yummy Breakfast Compote

This delicate bowl of stewed fruits, seeds and warming spices is very deceptive in its actual breakfast prowess. Can just stewed fruits and seeds fill you up enough for the morning? YES. THEY CAN.
An absolute great addition to your breakfast repertoire, this bowl of yummy goodness won’t disappoint. Brimming with vitamins and minerals, high in antioxidants and gut cleansing seeds, this breakfast is a must for anyone who wants to start their day healthy and clean, but not skim on the taste in any way. If you’re doing a cleanse, you can simply leave out the seeds and add more apples and bananas instead to bulk out the breakfast and not go hungry.

ayurveda

Feeling Vata: This is a great breakfast for you. Experiment with adding other sweet fruits that you like, such a mangos, or add soaked raisins and dates. You also do well by eating this breakfast as warm as possible. If you use nuts for sprinkling you do best with re-activated nuts (soaked then roasted).

Feeling Pitta: If you’re feeling very Pitta leave out the Banana (you can replace with Mango instead or simply omit). Chia can sometimes aggravate Pitta’s. If you feel that’s the case simply replace the chia seeds with more flax seeds. Topp your compote with soaked & roasted Almonds.

Feeling Kapha: Avoid the Banana and use fresh apples that have a nice astringent taste. Use more chia and less of the flax seeds. Experiment with extra warming spices such as ginger, allspice, anise. Avoid topping with nuts.

Weekly Recipe

Yummy Breakfast Compote

Yield: 1 Portion

Yummy Breakfast Compote

Yummy Breakfast Compote

This delicate bowl of stewed fruits, seeds and warming spices is very deceptive in its actual breakfast prowess. Can just stewed fruits and seeds fill you up enough for the morning? YES. THEY CAN.

An absolute great addition to your breakfast repertoire, this bowl of yummy goodness won't disappoint. Brimming with vitamins and minerals, high in antioxidants and gut cleansing seeds, this breakfast is a must for anyone who wants to start their day healthy and clean, but not skim on the taste in any way.

If you're doing a cleanse, you can simply leave out the seeds and add more apples and bananas instead to bulk out the breakfast and not go hungry.

Ingredients

  • 1 x thumb size fresh ginger root, chopped
  • juice of half a lemon
  • 1 x Banana, chopped
  • 1 x Apple or Pear (or both), chopped
  • 1-2 figs (optional), chopped
  • 1-2 handfulls of blueberries (I use wild ones from frozen)
  • 1 x teaspoon sunflower seeds (soaked over night if possible but also works without)
  • 1 x teaspoon pumpkin seeds (soaked over night if possible but also works without)
  • 2 x teaspoon flax seeds (soaked overnight if possible)
  • 2 x teaspoons chia seeds (soaked over night if possible)
  • 1 x teaspoon cinnamon powder
  • half a teaspoon cardamom powder

Instructions

  1. Add a little water to the bottom of a medium sized saucepan.
  2. Add the chopped ginger and set heat setting to medium.
  3. Add all the chopped fruits and the frozen blueberries, leave heat on a medium, cover the pot and cook for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally and until the fruits start to soften nicely.
  4. Add the lemon juice, and all the seeds (flax, chia, pupkin and sunflower), plus the cinnamon and cardamom, and stir everything in. Lower the heat slightly to a low simmer and continue to cook with the lid on for abother 8 - 10 minutes.
  5. If the mixture is bubbling too much when the lid is on, turn the heat a little bit lower. You want to stew the fruit mixture slowly and not over cook it.
  6. Cook like this until all the fruits are nicely cooked and the whole mixture has a nice and gooey consistency.
  7. Take the pot of the heat and let the mixture sit and cool down for about 8 minutes with the lid on.
  8. Pour the mixture into a bowl, sprinkle with roasted nuts of your choice, and VOILA, your yummy breakfast compote is at the ready.


NOTE: If on a cleanse, leave out all the seeds and simply stew the fruits with lemon juice, the ginger and spices. Add extra portions of fruits to make up for the lack of seeds.