Be an Ayurvedic Adventurer with Seasonal February Vegetables ~ By Laura Bridge @AyurvedicAdventuress

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So, how did you do on your New Year resolutions by the way? Or were they all over at the end of the first week?  Perhaps you’re feeling guilty, sluggish and needing a reset?  It’s never a too late to start a Kitchari cleanse!

Kitchari is the cornerstone of healing and nourishing Ayurvedic Food, the equivalent of nurturing chicken soup.  It’s made with white basmati rice and split mung beans (which when combined make a perfect protein) and the addition of balancing spices with perhaps a couple of seasonal veggies.  

It’s advised to have this mono diet for 3 days to give your digestive system a break, reset your eating habits, eliminate accumulated toxins, clear your mind, and aid weight loss. 

Kitchari is not only tasty, nutritional, grounding and soothing, it’s easy to prepare in one-pot and cheap too!

I normally lose a couple of kilos after the 3 days, feel lighter in my mind as well as body.  The best thing is that I don’t get hungry, or bored since I change the veggies and the spice combinations.  Normally one coloured seasonal vegetable and one green. I’ve including my basic recipe.

I don’t know about you, but I’m not good with eating savoury food for breakfast?  I want to break my fast with something warm, nurturing, nourishing and sweet, so here’s a recipe that’s become a firm favourite of mine, carroty Kitchari.  I have this in the morning, then continue with my savoury Kitchari variants for lunch and dinner.

Please let me know how you get on and be in touch with any questions or if you’d like to work with me?

Laura@AyurvedaAdventuress.com

07973133567

@AyurvedicAdventuress

Stay Safe, Choose Happy

Laura x

Carroty Kitchari

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Serves 3  for a delicious breakfast

Ingredients

1 tsp ghee (clarified butter) 

Pinch salt

1 tsp mixed spice: ginger, ginger, clove, coriander seed, nutmeg, dill seeds

1 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp turmeric (Latte blend)

1 cardamom pod – seeds

50g split mung beans 

50g white basmati rice

15g desiccated coconut 

150g grated carrots

4 dates, stones removed & chopped or 50g raisins

700 ml water

Garnish: toasted almonds & desiccated coconut

In a saucepan, gently heat the ghee then add the salt and all the ground spices and cardamom to release their aromas – careful not to burn!

Next add the split mung beans, rice, grated carrot, coconut, dates and water.  Bring to the boil, then simmer for 45-40 minutes with a loose lid.

Allow to sit in the pot and stand for 5 minutes, then serve with toasted almonds & desiccated coconut.  If you like to sweeten the Kitchari more, then choose the best sweetener to balance your dosha: 

• Vata – Honey, Palm Jaggery, Maple syrup, Date Syrup or pomegranate molasses (sweet & Sour)
• Pitta  – Maple syrup, Date sugar or pomegranate molasses (sweet & Sour)
• Kapha – Honey, Stevia

Basic Kitchari recipe:

Ingredients

100g moong dal, split mung beans

100g Basmati rice

1 litre water

1 tbs ghee (clarified butter) or coconut oil 

1 teaspoon cumin seeds

1/2 teaspoon minced fresh ginger, or a pinch of ground ginger powder

1/4 teaspoon ground turmeric

Pinch of asafoetida

1 teaspoon mineral salt

1/4 teaspoon black pepper

Garnish:

1 small bunch chopped fresh coriander leaves

Wedges of lime or lemon

Method

Soak the Moong dal overnight, then drain and rinse with cold water until it runs clear.

Rinse the rice until the water runs clear.

Gently heat the ghee in a medium pot. Carefully add the cumin seeds and cook for about a minute until they become fragrant, then add the salt and pepper. 

Add the ginger, asafoetida and ground turmeric.

Next add the rice and dal into the pot. Stir and add the litre of water.

Increase the heat and bring the mixture to a gentle boil then reduce the heat to a gentle simmer. Simmer for 30-40 minutes, stirring occasionally until you get a porridge-like consistency. It should be soft and creamy.

Serve warm and garnish with a wedge of lemon and sprinkling of chopped coriander leaves 

Spinach, Beetroot & Carrot soup with spicy Chickpeas 

~ Seasonal February Vegetables ~

Ingredients

1 tsp Ghee /clarified butter 

Pinch of Mineral Salt

Ground Black pepper 

1 stick of Celery 

1 Bay leaf 

1 Carrot 

480g Beetroots 

1 Potato (180g)

1 tsp turmeric

2 litres Water 

5g lemon juice

120g Organic baby Spinach – washed 

1 x 400g tin chick peas, drained and dried

1 splash sunflower oil or ghee

Pinch of Mineral salt

Pinch freshly ground black pepper

1 tsp cumin

½ tsp smoked paprika

1 tsp Fresh parsley, finely chopped

Garnish: 

Wedges of fresh Lemon or lime

1 tsp Fresh dill, finely chopped

2 tbs Yoghurt (I used non-dairy oat yoghurt)

Method

• Peel and grate the washed beetroot, carrot and potato. 
• Finely chop the celery.
• Heat the ghee in a large pan and add the salt and pepper then add and sauté the celery until soft.
• Next add the bay leaf, beetroot, carrot, turmeric, lemon juice, potato and water.
• Cover and simmer for about 30 minutes. Then remove half the soup and liquidize it;  return it to the pot, mixing the two together for a thicker consistency if preferred.
• Now add the organic baby spinach and cook for a further 5 minutes.

• Meanwhile heat the oil, add the salt and pepper, then the chickpeas and fry until crispy, when they’re nearly done, sprinkle over the cumin powder and smoked paprika and turn in the pan to coat the chick peas, but ensuring the powder doesn’t burn, then stir in the chopped parsley.
• Ladle the warm soup into bowls, add a tablespoon of the chickpeas into the middle and top with a spoonful of yoghurt and chopped dill
• Serve with a wedge of Lemon

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