"Pathye sati gadartasya kimaushadhanishevanaih, pathye-asati gadartasya kimaushadhanishevanaih."

Translation:
If diet is right, medicine is of no need. If diet is wrong, medicine is of no help.
​- Ayurvedic Sloka

Establish Your Kitchen

Your adventures in Ayurvedic cooking will be more achievable if you have the basic ingredients and some simple equipment available. This is a beginner's guide to getting set up.

"How we live, how we eat, how we communicate, how we serve, and how we show up in our practice - it is all connected. With dedication and mindfulness, we come to understand these intersection and the realization of our kinship with all that is."
- Sarahjoy

Morning Chai Recipe

This recipe creates "chai powder" from which you can make your morning chai. Blend the ingredients in a spice grinder (at my house, I have a dedicated spice grinder. No one is permitted to use it to grind their coffee, even though it looks just like a coffee grinder! The coffee would taint the spice grinder, and therefore the chai.)

​I also use the spice grinder for making Sambar powder, curry powder, and Garam Masala. Clean it well when shifting from chai to more savory powders. 

"We have a duty to care for ourselves in ways that cleanse and nourish and prepare us to be of service to others and to the greater good. "
- Sarahjoy

Gingered Mung Dal & Sweet Potato Recipe

This is a recent improvisational discovery in my late Winter, early Spring kitchen. I harvested a few remaining purple sweet potatoes (Yes! from my garden in Portland, Oregon!  This tells you how hot the summer was and how mild the winter was.) I was also greeted by enthusiastic fresh Spring arugula - and a forest of celery (which did not make it into this dish). Combining the sweet potato and arugula, I looked for one more colorful entry - last summer, I roasted and canned tomatoes. Perfect! 

Into the pantry I went, looking for the ideal bean and grain combination. As it was cold and damp, I reached for the robust split mung dal and brown rice. I added ginger to keep the chill out of my bones and make sure my digestion was ready for the meal. 

I prefer to cook improvisationally. I hope I have given you a template with permission to be spontaneous! 

"Spring is the arrival of Kapha, following the winter of Vata. Seasonal transitions are times of changeability. When tended to wisely, we need not succumb to symptoms, cravings, or upheaval.
​Therefore, choose nourishing seasonal foods and supportive spices."
- Sarahjoy

Pakora Style Roasted Brussel Sprouts

Imagine my surprise when I returned home from India in early February to see last Fall's Brussel Sprouts and Kalettes with new growth on them! (I thought the summer rabbit population had decimated any hope of harvesting these power house green nuggets.). ​I also had a wonderful forest of celery and arugula (which are not featured in this recipe) and about a dozen lemons on the miniature lemon tree! (We know it was not a harsh winter in Portland when the lemon tree continues to flourish.)

"Savoring the first green of spring--
a message from the dawn which says
​we and the world are alive again today."

Methi Kadhi Curry

Methi means Fenugreek. When in Rishikesh with our group, we learned how to make Methi Paratha, stuffed bread with fresh methi leaves. The flavor of methi was delightful and unique. However, it can be hard to find fresh fenugreek in our grocery stores. We recently gathered as a post-India trip and were so fortunate that one of our group members found FRESH FENUGREEK Leaves available at the Indian Grocery Store. In place of Methi, you can use fresh spinach or argula.

​Dark green leafy vegetables are helpful in the Kapha dosha season (which is why dandelion is being offered from Mother Nature and last year's Arugula is flourishing!) While yogurt is not recommended, due to its coolness and sourness, in this dish, we use the yogurt in a heated, spiced, warm version. Here it is tangy, light, and lights up the mouth.

​SPECIAL NOTES:
I prepared this meal in a Moroccan Tagine.
You do not need a tagine (clay pot) to prepare this.

Besan flour is available in Indian Grocery stores (and online.)

I used only the amount of yogurt sauce that suited the dish as I was serving it to our India travel group. I kept the remainder aside for additional meals over the next couple of days. Usually, I don't eat leftovers. However, the sauce was offered to fresh vegetables each day, not leftovers. (Only the sauce was the "leftover".) 

I served this with Red Rice for its nutritional value as well as the added color for the meal. (White rice would have been lost in the background.)

"Savoring the first green of spring--
a message from the dawn which says
​we and the world are alive again today."

High Protein Improvisational Spring Salad

As Spring arrives more and more each day, I like to reintroduce elements of raw food with cooked foods. (Generally speaking, Ayurveda does not recommend raw foods in the Vata (winter) season due to the cold, dry qualities of both Vata Dosha and Winter. Raw foods can be harder to digest in the winter season.)

​This salad brings together the power of sprouted mung beans (super heroes of nutrients and digestion!) with wilted arugula (or other Spring greens, like dandelion, spinach, baby chard) with roasted vegetables along with cooked rice. 

Sprouted mung beans are nutrient-dense "living foods" that act as a powerhouse for digestion, immunity, and energy, with 5–7 day sprouts offering higher bioavailability of vitamins and antioxidants than mature plants. They are low-calorie, high-fiber, and high-protein, serving as a "nutrient powerhouse" that cleanses, energizes, and heals from within. ​

SPECIAL NOTES:
TAHINI: I am a fan of FRESH tahini. I live within walking distance of Barbur World Foods in SW Portland, Oregon, so it is easy to get and absolutely the best! I know this is not possible for everyone, so look for the highest quality raw tahini that you can locate.

LEFTOVERS: I rarely recommend relying on "leftovers" for meals. However, the core of this salad with the tahini dressing can be stored in the fridge and brought to room temperature to enjoy it. You'll see in the recipe that I don't recommend that you mix the wilted greens into the portion of the salad that you will store. They tend to go from "Wilted" to "Slimy"... 

"Breathe properly. Stay curious. 
And, eat your beets."
- Tom Robbins

Spring Beet Salad (with Improvisation Options)

Beets are on of the powerhouses for our digestion as they support the liver. Beets contain betaine, a compound that aids in detoxifying the liver and protecting it from oxidative stress and fatty deposit. In addition, the betalain pigments in beets have strong anti-inflammatory properties. They're also a good source of fiber, beets promote digestive health and prevent constipation. Beets also increase nitric oxide production can enhance cognitive function by improving blood flow to the brain.

At the Ayurvedic center in India, where I travel to for my brain therapies, we are served beets regularly. While the beets are cooked there, this is a salad using raw beets. I love to grate them and then let them marinate in the olive oil and sea salt to aid digestion. 

This is another salad where you can fully improvise. It is more simple than last week's salad. You can start with 2 salad ingredients if that is all you have! Or try the 3 ingredient version. Perhaps your kitchen is stocked and you've taken my suggestion to sprout some mung beans and keep pumpkin seeds on hand. In that case, you can add more nutrition to the salad as well as more complex flavor and texture. A treat for your mouth!

 "Ojas is the essential nectar of all the bodily tissues,
​the foundation of health, strength, and immunity."
​— Adapted from Classical Ayurveda

Ojas Cookie Recipe 
​(gluten free, with banana, almond, coconut, dates, and chocolate chips)

I was looking for a way to use some ripe/overripe bananas. Decades ago, I did freeze bananas and use them in smoothies or make them into "ice cream". But, Ayurveda does not recommend cold beverages, like smoothies with ice or frozen fruit in them. I also have prefer chewing my food, where the microbiome begins in our saliva. (I don't sip a smoothie through a straw.) 

That being said, I did not want to freeze these soon to be mushy bananas. My cats and dog don't want to eat them. And, I had a little hankering for improvisation in the kitchen.  This is the result: Ojas building cookies! 

​These cookies support ojas (Ayurvedic essence of immunity and energy) by providing dense, nourishing, and healthy fats that build long-term stamina and stability. Ingredients like coconut, ghee, and almond flour offer grounded energy, while dates provide natural sweetness and iron, making them an excellent snack to replenish deep energy.

For Your OJAS:

• Nourishing Fats (Ghee & Coconut Oil): These fats are deeply grounding and help nourish tissues, enhancing stability and immunity (ojas).
• Mineral-Rich Energy (Dates & Almond Flour): Almonds provide Vitamin E and healthy fats, while dates offer sustainable energy, acting as a natural sweetener that reduces the need for refined sugar.
• Dates and Coconut Sugar support Ojas (vitality and immunity) by acting as natural, nourishing sweeteners that offer sustained energy, unlike refined white sugar which drains it. Dates are considered supreme ojas-building foods, providing fiber that balances sugar absorption, while coconut sugar provides minerals, aligning with the Ayurvedic focus on building stamina through whole foods.
  
• Ojas Supporting Components: Coconut flakes add fiber and essential minerals, while dark chocolate contributes to a satisfying, anti-inflammatory treat.