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!

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.


Cucumber kale quinoa breakfast bowl

Cucumber & Kale Quinoa Breakfast Bowl

This flavoursome dish is full of greeny goodness and is a nice alternative to a traditionally sweet breakfasts. It’s particularly great for Pitta’s as the greens in this bowl are very cooling and calming for hot natured Pitta’s. Plus quinoa is very alkalising and pacifies all the three doshas, winner!

ayurveda

Feeling Vata: Ensure you steam the vegetables well, and if a very dry Vata, add a teaspoon of olive oil to the finished bowl, together with a squeeze of lemon or more of the lime and a good pinch of salt.

Feeling Pitta: This is the breakfast for you! Simply enjoy!

Feeling Kapha: Leave out the cucumber and add slightly more kale.
Go easy on the lime or leave out completly.

Weekly Recipe

Cucumber & Kale Quinoa Breakfast Bowl

Yield: serves 1

Cucumber & Kale Quinoa Breakfast Bowl

cucumber kale quinoa breakfast bowl

This flavoursome dish is full of greeny goodness and is a nice alternative to a traditionally sweet breakfasts. It's particularly great for Pitta's as the greens in this bowl are very cooling and calming for hot natured Pitta's. Plus quinoa is very alkalising and pacifies all the three doshas, winner!

Ingredients

  • half a cucumber
  • small bunch of kale (or choose another leafy green of your liking, such as spinach, chard, etc.)
  • juice of half a lime
  • 1/2 cup of quinoa, best soaked overnight
  • 1 pinch of salt
  • 1 cup of water
  • optional: roasted coconut flakes for topping

Instructions

  1. Soak the quinoa overnight.
  2. Cook the quinoa in a heavy bottom pan with a bit of salt until soft and cooked (usually 15 to 20 minutes). Use 2 cups of water to 1 cup of quinoa.
  3. Chop the kale finely and steam lightly for about 10 minutes.
  4. Chop the cucumber in small pieces and steam very lightly for a few minutes. If you're really Pitta you can skip the steaming and just add the cucmber raw.
  5. Add cucumber and kale to a bowl and drizzle with the lime juice.
  6. Add and mix the cooked quinoa slowly into the kale and cucumber mix.
  7. Season to taste with salt and pepper to your liking.
  8. Optional: topp with with roasted coconut flakes and drizzle with a bit of olive oil (do this step only if you're not on a cleanse). Fresh avocado as a topping is also nice for Vata's and Pitta's. but skip for Kapha's.

Mango Chtuney

Easy Home-Made Mango Chutney

This wonderfully well-spiced mango chutney will have you gagging for more! Use less spice and chillies if you’re feeling overly Pitta, and turn it more into a sweet mango chutney without the hotness. Plus this chutney is virtually fat-free, so goes well with any detox or cleanse diet, and can be thus enjoyed without the guilt!

Weekly Recipe

Easy Home-Made Mango Chutney

Home-Made Mango Chutney

Mango Chtuney

This wonderfully well-spiced mango chutney will have you gagging for more! Use less spice and chillies if you're feeling overly Pitta, and turn it more into a sweet mango chutney without the hotness. Plus this chutney is virtually fat-free, so goes well with any detox or cleanse diet, and can be thus enjoyed without the guilt!

Ingredients

  • 1/2 cup finely chopped red onion
  • 1 x small yellow or red chilli pepper, minced
  • 3/4 cup finely chopped red bell pepper (optional)
  • 2 x tablespoons fresh minced ginger
  • 1/4 red pepper flakes (optional, omit if Pitta for less heat)
  • 1 x tablespoon curry powder
  • 3 x cups chopped ripe mango
  • 1/2 cup mango or orange juice (or use water and adjust sweetness later on)
  • 3-4 tablespoons coconut sugar (or maple syrup, or adjust to taste or omit for a less sweet mango chutney)
  • Pinch of sea salt & pepper to taste
  • 1/4 tablespoon garam masala (optional)
  • 1 x small apple,chopped

Instructions

  1. In a small saucepan over medium heat, add a bit of water t cover the bottom, then add red onion, chilli pepper, bell pepper (optional), ginger, red pepper flakes (optional), and curry powder. Cook for 3 minutes, stirring occasionally.
  2. Then add the remaining ingredients and cover. Cook on low for 20-30 minutes. The mango and apple should be soft but not entirely puréed/mushy.
  3. Enjoy warm or let cool to room temperature before use. Enjoy on salads, buddha bowls, potatoes or as a nice side for any indian curry dish.
  4. Will keep covered in the refrigerator up to 1 week or in the freezer up to 1 month.