My background has always been cooking, I use it as an expression of love. I’ve cooked professionally for many famous clients and became a celebrity chef in Moscow, cooking for the oligarchs over the past 30+ years. Although I then knew how to create beautiful, tasty food, I had no idea how to nourish myself and slowly but surely completely lost my vitality. The long working hours exasperated the situation and I ended up quitting in search of answers. The journey took me from the Amazon jungle in Peru to a plantation in Sri Lanka and from Ayahuasca to Ayurveda. I aim to inspire and motivate you to try out my recipes, learn more about Ayurveda wisdom and ultimately learn more about yourself and support you on your own journey. Please follow me on Instagram @AyurvedaAdventuress
This month’s recipe from Laura Bridge, a professional chef of 30 years, qualified Ayurvedic Chef and full-time Ayurveda Adventuress is Popeye Pesto.
Ayurveda teaches us that it’s the manner in which we digest our food that’s so crucial to our well-being. Depending on your body type, you can tweak your diet to regulate imbalances in the body. Raw spinach is astringent, slightly pungent, sweet and cooling with a detoxifying laxative effect and can be heavy to digest.
Although available all year round in the UK, it’s seasonally best between March and June.
Spinach provides a great boost of protein and energy and is packed with calcium, antioxidants, vitamins and minerals. It’s rich in fibre and water, which both prevent constipation and contribute to a healthy digestion.
Eaten raw it contains oxalic acid (baby spinach has less), which contributes to gallstones and kidney stones, so suffers should either avoid it or cook it to remove the oxalic acid.
The Vata qualities of lightness, bitterness and astringency are also found in the leaves, so listen to your body and notice if you get gas or bloating? If you find it difficult to digest, try eating spinach at lunch time when your digestion is strongest.
Ingredients
- 320g baby spinach leaves
- 15g parsley leaves
- cloves garlic, peeled
- 30g fresh basil leaves
- Pinch mineral salt
- Pinch Freshly ground black pepper
- 1 tsp maple syrup
- 100g extra-virgin olive oil
- 90g grated Parmesan cheese *
- 80g toasted pine nuts
- 30g lemon juice
- Zest of half a lemon
Instructions
- Put the baby spinach, parsley, garlic, basil, salt, pepper, maple syrup and the oil into a food blender and process until smooth.
- Add remaining ingredients and process again.
- This is best eaten fresh, with pasta or gnocchi
- It can be stored in a glass jar in the fridge and consumed within a couple of days, although the lemon juice may dull the fabulous green vibrancy.
*Omit the parmesan cheese if having as a sauce on eggs, fish, meat or turned into a bean salad. According to Ayurveda, hard cheese with these combinations is really taxing on the digestive system.
Follow me for more simple and practical Ayurveda recipes and tips to self-empower and live happier and healthier.
Be curious, explore Ayurveda!
Instagram @AyurvedicAdventuress
Love Laura x
Laura@AyurvedaAdventuress .com
07973 133567