As we steer away from raw salads during Vata season, we turn to warmed, roasted vegetables and salads. This roasted cabbage salad came to me when I was craving salad after returning from India and wanting to use up the beautiful Swiss Chard that was thriving in the cooler temperatures in my garden. A citrus vinaigrette brightens up the whole thing and the sweetness of the pears keeps you coming back for more. The fennel is addictive and aids in digestion. I’ve found that smaller bulbs are wonderfully tender and flavorful and prefer them. Be sure to massage the vinaigrette into the chard leaves to aid in breaking them down, making them easier to digest.
I’ve also been returning to greeting my mornings with spiced stewed fruit. It’s one of the easiest recipes and takes all of 7 minutes to make, plus, as it’s apple and pear season, they are abundant in the last of the farmers markets.
Ingredients:
Method:
Heat the ghee in a medium sized saucepan over medium heat.
While the ghee is heating, chop your fruit into bite size pieces.
When the ghee is warm, add the spices and stir for about 30 seconds to a minute and enjoy the scent as the mixture bubbles.
Add the fruit and muesli (optional) along with a dash of salt; stirring to coat all the food with the ghee/spice mixture.
Pour in enough water to cover the bottom of your pan; cover and simmer for a few minutes, until the fruit is soft.
For a cookalong with me making stewed apples with my Vata Pacifying Muesli, head to my Membership Channel. Memberships are as little as $8.88/month and there’s a 7 day free trial, so there’s nothing to lose. Members receive weekly recipes, occasional videos, free seasonal cleanse/reset packets and guidance and so much more. I’d love to see you there!
Another easy, warming breakfast is breakfast rice, but be sure to use the Vata spice blend, instead of Kapha.
I know I promised some more squash recipes, and here’s one that my family has been adoring, using the acorn squash from our garden. I’m also going to be doing this one with butternut for a breakfast for dinner type thing this week; my mouth is watering just thinking about it.
This month, you may notice your sweet tooth feeling more like sweet teeth. Dates are a wonderful remedy. When I remove the pit, I put a walnut or pecan in its place and it is doubly delicious and even a little filling!
As in October, we will focus on the sweet, sour and salty tastes in November. As always, every meal should have all six tastes: sweet, sour, salty, bitter, pungent and astringent, but the first three below should be the stars of your plate this month:
Sweet foods: berries, bananas, dates, figs, mangos, melons, beets, sweet potatoes, cucumbers, rice, wheat, tofu, red lentils, almonds, pumpkin seeds, cashews, coconut, aloe, avocado, lime, cilantro, mint, vanilla, cardamom, cinnamon, fennel. Composed of earth and water elements, these foods are grounding and strengthening.
Salty foods: composed of fire and water, salt helps aid the body in digestion, and increases saliva and absorption of nutrients. In the Autumn in particular it helps with hydration during dry Vata season. Celery, seaweed, tuna, Himalayan mineral salt, and soy sauce and good examples of salty foods.
Sour foods: citrus juice, raisins, tamarind, fermented foods, sour cream, yogurt, pickles, tomatoes. Composed of earth and fire, sour foods increase appetite, saliva, metabolism and digestive enzymes and promote healthy liver function by moving bile. In the Autumn, sour particularly helps with promoting juiciness.
As I always mention, in Ayurveda there are some foods NOT to combine. Here’s a quick list.
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