The perfect food for Autumn. Take control of your health and well being through Ayurveda. In preparation for our Ayurvedic Seasonal cleanse on Saturday 23rd Oct, we’ll share with you some recipes to help balance the doshas throughout Autumn.
You can read more about our Ayurvedic Seasonal cleanse HERE
Autumn is Vata season (you can read more about the doshas HERE). At the heart of Ayurvedic therapy is understanding the foods and lifestyle that support our Ayurvedic type – dosha. Vata (air and space) is: dry, mobile, rought, light and cold.
Opposing qualities in our diet and lifestyle will help maintain balance and good health for Vata throughout Autumn. Think: routine, warmth, moisture, stability and groundedness.
Of course we also have to look after Pitta and Kapha, so we’ve compiled some autumn recipes for all the Doshas.
You can book for the Ayurvedic Seasonal Cleanse via the website or Bsport app.
Breakfast for the Doshas
Vata
Slow cook breakfast rice (pudding)
Yes you are allowed to have rice pudding for breakfast. It possesses all the qualities to balance Vata: Sweet, moist, grounding, warm and nurturing.
There are several ways you can cook this. My preferred option is to put everything in a slow cooker and leave it to cook overnight on the lowest setting. If you’re using this method make enough for a few days so that the quantities are greater and it doesn’t dry out.
Alternative, leave all he ingredient in a pan to soak overnight to slow cook in the morning. It won’t take long as its been soaked.
Ingredients:
- 1 portion dry rice is around 30g
- 5 times as much liquid: I usually use 1/2 water 1/2 milk. Dairy or non dairy of your choice.
- Sweet spices: cinnamon, cardamon, ginger.
- 1/2 tbs ghee
Serve with a little ginger infused honey (see Kapha recipe).
For the Pitta pacifying option, use coconut milk and maybe add some desiccated coconut.
How to cook your oat?
Oats are generally not recommended for Vata types as they are very drying. They absorb lots of water, so if the digestive system is already on the dry side (Vata) it may cause imbalance.
The Perfect Pitta breakfast
Substitute rice for oats. Use coconut milk, desiccated coconut and the sweet spices. Leave to soak overnight and cook in the morning.
Kappa – Grapefruit, honey and ginger.
Grate a 10cm piece of ginger and squeeze out the juice through a piece of muslin. Mix the juice with some runny honey. Serve the infused honey over grapefruit slices. You can also add dry cinnamon.
All these ingredient are light and heating, so perfect to boost the Kapha metabolism, and to add to warm water (not boiling) for a chesty cough remedy.
Lunch and Dinner
Something for everyone.
Smoky black bean soup.
You can use dry beans which have been soaked overnight or tinned beans. If you use dry beans, cook them until soft before adding to the other ingredients.
- 150g dry black beans or 1 tin.
- 2 onions roughly chopped
- 3-4 carrots roughly chopped
- 3-4 garlic cloves. I used smoked garlic, because I had some.
- Stalks of coriander – chopped
- 1tsp cumin seeds
- 2tsp coriander seeds
- 1tsp sweet, smoke paprika
- Pinch asafoetida
- 1 dry smoky ancho chilli (optional, but add a warm, smoky sweetness)
- Olive oil (or ghee) for drying
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 750mls Vegetable stock
Warm the oil and add the whole spices and fry for a few minutes. Add the dry spices. Use a food processor or roughly chop onions, carrots, garlic and add to the spices. Fry for around 10 mins.
Add half of the cooked beans, chilli, coriander stalks and stock. Simmer for 10 mins. Blend rot desired consistency then add the remaining beans. Simmer for 30 – 45 mins.
Serve with fresh coriander.
Squash and Ginger soup (Vata)
Warming, sweet and grounding. Also, not too taxing on the digestive system.ngredients:
I used an onion squash because it was what I had, but use whatever you fancy. If like me you get a veggie box containing squash throughout Autumn and winter, this is a great recip
Ingredients:
- 2 onions roughly chopped
- 2 carrots roughly chopped
- 1 pumpkin or squash
- 2 garlic cloves.
- 1 thumb size piece of ginger grated.
- 1tsp cumin seeds
- 2tsp coriander seeds
- Pinch asafoetida
- Pinch turmeric
- Olive oil (or ghee) for drying
- Salt and black pepper to taste
- 750mls Vegetable stock
You can roast the squash in the oven if it’s tough to peel. I brushed on some warm ghee with salt and pepper. Fry the whole spices in ghee. Add dry spices and vegetables. Cool until veg is soft, ass the stock and simmer for another 15 mins. Blend if you like it smooth or serve it as it is if you like it chunky.
I sprinkled a little dry dulse on top to give a salty umami flavour.
Leek and Potato Soup – Pitta
Who doesn’t like leek and potato soup? It’s so simple and tasty. My kids just love it. A lot of the time, less is definitely more.
- 2-4 leeks depending on the size
- Floury potatoes – essential to thicken the soup.
- 2 cloves garlic
- 1/2tsp fenugreek powder
- Salt and pepper
- 750mls vegetable stock.
I can’t believe that’s it, but it is. You could add some other bitter greens which are perfect for balancing Pitta: kale, spring beans or spinach.
Coconut curry – pumpkin soup – Vata and Pitta
Both Vata and Pitta are specified by sweet taste, so this soup is prefect for both. I say curry, but it’s not very spicy, just a warming heat from ginger, long pepper (pippali) and lemongras
Crush 2 – 3 long pepper corn. A tsp of black pepper corns would be a substitute.
- Bash and roughly chop 2 lemongrass stalks
- 1 thumb size piece of ginger
- 2 garlic cloves
- 1 tsp coriander seeds – crushed
- 1 onion chopped
- 1/2 tsp fenugreek powder.
Blend all the above ingredients with a little water to make a paste. Fry the paste in 1 tbs coconut oil.
- 1 red onions chopped
- Pumpkin or squash of any kind. Skin and chop.
- Runner beans – chopped
- 750mls vegetable stock
- 1/2 tin coconut milk.
- Salt to tast
- Add to the paste mix and simmer until soft.
- For a more substantial meal for Pitta you can also add a tin of chickpeas. They tend to be a little dry for Vata. This could be served with rice or as a soup.
Light, carrot and ginger soup – Kappa
A thin, warming and nourishing soup is perfect for Kapha. Lots of fresh ginger and black pepper (or pippali) will help expel excess Kapha which can accumulate in the chest and stomach.
- 2 onions chopped
- 3-4 carrots chopped
- Bitter green: kale, spring greens, spinach
- 2-3 cloves garlic
- 1thumb size piece of ginger
- 1tsp crushed black peppercorns or 2-3 long peppers.
- 3-4 curry leaves
- Pinch turmeric
- Cooked chickpeas: optional.
- 750mls Vegetable stock
- A little oil for frying.
- Salt to taste
Heat oil ad add dry spices and curry leaves. Add grated garlic and ginger. Add veg and fry for 10 mins. Add stock and chickpeas. Simmer until cooked.
This will definitely warm you up on an autumn day and get the digestive fire during. We’ll continue with more Autumn recipes in our next blog. Quick rice-based dishes for the Doshas.