Smita’s Ayurvedic Balancing Bowl

In Ayurvedic philosophy, health starts in the digestive system. The function of the whole system is dependent on the proper digestion, assimilation and elimination of our food. If these things aren’t happening properly, we become vulnerable to disease. The metabolic energy of digestion, called agni in sanskrit, literally means fire. This fire must be strong for us to properly digest and assimilate our food and so its strength is a direct indicator of the health of our entire system. All these elements come together in Smita’s Ayurvedic Balancing Bowl.

This Ayurvedic Balancing Bowl is healthy, delicious, nourishing and easy to digest! It balances the three constitutions – Vata, Pitta and Kapha!

The principles of Ayurvedic cooking are aligned with the Plant-Based and Plant-Forward eating trends that are so popular and important today.

Smita’s Ayurvedic Balancing Bowl – Serves 4

Cardamom Rice You’ll need: 1 cup white basmati rice 2 cups water 2 tsp. ghee ¼ tsp. salt 4 cardamom pods	Here’s how: Add all ingredients into a rice cooker and press start. If you are using a pot, bring all ingredients to a boil and turn to very low for 15 minutes. Allow the rice to rest for five minutes before serving. You can remove the pods, or chew the seeds inside for a lovely cooling experience.
Spiced Cushaw Squash You’ll need: 2 cups chopped squash (or any other squash) 1 tbsp. ghee ½ tsp. cumin seed 1 tsp. fresh grated ginger ¼ tsp. cinnamon ¼ tsp. mineral salt	Here’s how: Warm the ghee in a sauce pan. Add the spices and cook until the aroma comes up. Next add salt and carrots and stir to coat well. Then add water to ¼ of the height of the carrots. Cover and cook until a knife pierces them easily (about 5 to 7 minutes, depending on your cook-top and pan).
Beets Curry You’ll need: 2 tablespoons ghee ¼ teaspoon anise seeds 1 bay leaf ¼ teaspoon fennel seeds 6 small beets, chopped in small cubes ¼ dried thyme 4 small carrots, chopped in small cubes 1 1/2 cups water ⅓ cup yogurt Salt Freshly-ground black pepper	Here’s how: In a large pot, warm the ghee and sauté seeds for 30 seconds. Add vegetables, thyme, bay leaf and water. Bring to a boil, cover, and simmer for 45 minutes on low-medium heat, stirring occasionally. Remove bay leaf, season with salt and pepper and stir in yogurt.
Garbanzo beans You’ll need: 1 can garbanzo beans, organic chickpeas, drained, rinsed 2 tbsp. olive oil ½ tsp. cumin seeds¼ tsp. turmeric1 tsp curry powder 2 tsp. fennel powder3 medium tomatoes, coarsely chopped¼ cup freshly chopped fenugreek leaves ⅛ tsp. black pepper ½ tsp. salt 1 tsp. chopped kombu sea weed (optional) 2 tsp. fresh squeezed lime juice	Here’s how: In saucepan, heat oil over medium heat. Temper the cumin seeds. Add spices in oil stirring frequently for 30 seconds. Then add the chopped tomatoes (and seaweed, if using) salt and pepper and simmer for 10 minutes, or until tomatoes are softened. Add chick peas and fenugreek and cook for additional 8 minutes. Garnish with cooling cilantro.
Cooling beet greens You’ll need: 2 cups chopped beet greens 1 ½ tbsp. coconut oil 2 tsp. dried mint (or ½ Tbsp. fresh) 2 tsp. freshly grated turmeric or ½ tsp. powder ¼ tsp. mineral salt	Here’s how: Warm the coconut oil in a shallow pan. Add the mint and turmeric and cook until the aroma comes up (about 1 minute). Then add the salt and kale and stir well. Add water to ¼ the height of the greens. Cover and cook until kale is bright green and tender (about 5 minutes).

Serve all components together to create your balanced bowl.

Tips:

Say a Mantra or prayer of your choice as mentioned below

Eat in a quiet, settled, comfortable environment. Eating is a celebration. Eating food in a distracting environment diminishes your body’s ability to digest what you have eaten.
Chew your food thoroughly and learn to recognize the six tastes.
Eat only when you feel hungry.
Don’t eat when you are upset.
Always sit down to eat. Eating while you are driving in your car doesn’t count! The basic idea of this principle is to have your attention on the act of eating, not divided between other activities.
Practice gratitude. Take a moment to be grateful for all of the human beings and elements of nature that have contributed to the meal on your plate.
Avoid ice-cold foods and beverages.
Include all six tastes at every meal. Prepare meals that contain the sweet, salty, sour, bitter, pungent, and astringent tastes
Wait until one meal is fully digested before eating the next. It takes approximately four hours for food to be digested.
Don’t overeat. STOP at the first burp. Leave 1/3 of your stomach empty to aid digestion. The Burp is a practical exercise to rediscover your individual digestive capacity.
Sit quietly for a few minutes after finishing your meal. Focus your attention on the sensations in your body, and then take a short walk. 100-1000 steps.

Prayer offering

O Lord, may I remember the truth: the food being offered is Brahman (consciousness), the individual offering the food is Brahman, and the process of offering itself is also Brahman.

Therefore, I perform this offering with full awareness of Brahman alone.

May the entire act of cooking, serving and eating be transformed into sadhana — a spiritual practice—leading us all toward Brahman, the highest goal of life.

Through this offering may the universal consciousness that pervades and permeates the individual consciousness be worshiped and satisfied.

Come, Lord,

be our guest,

May this food to us

be blessed!

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