Ayurveda Cooking Workshop With Talya Lutzker, Certified Ayurvedic Practitioner www.TalyasKitchen.com
The Basics of Ayurvedic Cooking and Nutrition
Ayurveda = Science of Life. Based in five element theory – about creating balance
• Vata = air and ether Qualities include cold, dry, light, rough, subtle, crunchy
• Pitta = fire and water Qualities include oily, hot, spreading, slippery, spicy, warming
• -Kapha = earth and water Qualities include wet, heavy, cool, dense, thick, creamy, oily
Modern Nutritional Principles for Cooking Whole Foods
Oils are best consumed when raw, fresh & cold pressed
Healthiest cooking methods: water-sautee, steam, bake, poach, boil and grill
Complete vegetarian proteins are made by combining together the following:
-nuts and/or seeds with grains (ex: hempseed with brown rice)
-dairy with nuts/seeds or dairy with grains (ex: kefir with quinoa)
The Rasas = Six Tastes
The concept of taste is what heals, shifts and balances a person’s present constitution (Vikruti)
1. Immediate taste on the tongue = RASA
2. Immediate effect on digestion = VIRYA - digests hot or cold
3. Long-term, post-digestive effect = VIPAK
Six Tastes of Ayurveda:
Sweet, Salty, Sour, Bitter, Pungent, Astringent
ASTRINGENT pulls, removes and constricts (air/earth)
Quality: Helps remove excess water from tissue, moves and reduces mucous, drying, pulling, constrictive, purifying
Example: Garbanzo beans, Pomegranates, Raw Honey, Potatoes, Berries, Beans
SOUR warms, tonifies and liquefies (fire/earth)
Quality: Hot and Tonifying, best used in small amounts. Builds appetite, creates heat and liquefication without excess heat
Example: Yogurt, Kefir, Fermented Foods, Ume Plum, Lemons, Limes
BITTER cleanses, cools and excretes (air/ether)
Quality: Cold and Active, absorptive, clearing, purifying, true detox
Example: Dark Leafy greens: Kale, Collards, Beet Greens, Dandelion, Nettles, Aloe Vera
PUNGENT heats, dries, expels (air/fire)
Quality: Stimulates appetite, maintains agni and active metabolism. Can create excess heat if overused, reduces fluid in tissues
Example: Many spices, including Cumin, Tumeric, Garlic, Black Pepper and Cinnamon
SALT moistens, lubricates and builds (fire/water)
Quality: Warm and Spreading. Electrolyte-rich, breaks up mucous, hydrating in the short-term (when you need it)
Example: Zucchini, Celery, Bok Choy, Celtic Sea Salt, Real Salt
SWEET nourishes, builds and grounds (water/earth)
Quality: Increases energy, promotes weight gain, builds tissue and fluids, cooling in the long-term
Example: Rice, Grains, Starches, Root Vegetables, Squash, Milk, Sugar, Meat, Dairy, Fats
Recipes
Super Nourishing Quinoa V-P+K=
Preparation Time: 25 minutes
Yield: 2 Servings
1/2 cup Quinoa
1 cup Vegan Bone Broth or Homemade Chicken Bone Broth
1/2 teaspoon Good Quality Salt
1/2 teaspoon Cumin Seed (optional)
1 Tablespoon Ghee
1/2 teaspoon Sumac
1/2 teaspoon Apple Cider Vinegar or Ume Plum Vinegar (optional)
Soak and/or rinse the quinoa until water poured over it runs clear. Place the quinoa and broth in a medium saucepan along with the salt and optional cumin seed. Cover, bring to a boil, and simmer for 15 minutes – or until the quinoa is plump and most or all of the broth has been absorbed.
Serve with ghee, sumac and optional apple cider vinegar. This is an amazing one pot meal for feeling deeply nourished. To make it more diverse, stir in additions like a handful of sunflower sprouts, a couple Tablespoons of hemp seeds or slivered almonds, and/or a handful of sprouted- then-dehydrated pumpkin seeds.
Warm Red Potato Salad V-P=K+
Preparation Time: 20 minutes
Yield: Serves 2
3 cups Red and/or Purple Potatoes*, cut into 1/2” cubes
1-inch piece Fresh Ginger Root, minced
2 Cloves Garlic, minced
4 Tablespoons Veganaise or canola-free mayonnaise
2 Tablespoons Olive Oil
2 teaspoons stone ground mustard
2 Tablespoons Apple Cider Vinegar
1/2 teaspoon each: dill, cumin, black pepper
About 1/2 Cup packed “Sea Crunchies” (toasted sea palm), crushed
1/2 Cup Pine Nuts or Slivered Almonds 3 Tablespoons fresh Dill or Chives, minced
Wash and chop the potatoes, then cover and steam them for about 10 minutes. While the potatoes are steaming, mix everything else together in a large mixing bowl and toss it all together when the potatoes are done.
Quick Vegetable Curry VP-K=
Preparation Time: 20 minutes
Yield: Serves 6
2 Tablespoons Coconut Oil or Ghee
1 teaspoon Whole Cumin Seeds
1/2 teaspoon Brown Mustard Seeds
1 heaping teaspoon Curry powder
1/2 teaspoon Good Quality Salt
1 medium Red Potato, chopped into 1/2-inch cubes
1 medium Carrot or Beet, chopped into 1/2-inch cubes
2 cups Broccoli Florets, roughly chopped
1/4 cup Water
1 teaspoon Coconut Nectar or Brown Rice Syrup 1/4 cup Whole Milk Yogurt
Heat the oil in a medium, heavy skillet over medium-high heat. Add the cumin seeds and mustard seeds. Once they’re hot, they’ll start to pop. Once the seeds pop, stir in the curry powder, salt and vegetables.
Cook uncovered for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the water and cover. Cook for another 5 minutes over low heat. Stir in the coconut nectar and yogurt and serve.
This is a wonderful one pot meal accompanied by a slice of sprouted grain bread and ghee, or a bowl of steamed rice.
Vegan Bone Broth VK-P=
Preparation Time: 1 hour
Yield: 8 Servings
4 Tablespoons Coconut Oil
2 cups Celery, chopped
1 cup Shiitake mushrooms, sliced
1/2-inch Fresh Turmeric root, finely chopped (optional) 1-inch Fresh Ginger root, finely chopped
2 Garlic Cloves, minced
1/4 cup Wakame
1 cup Water
2 Bay Leaves
1 cup Golden Beets, sliced thin
12 cups Water or Low/No Sodium Vegetable Broth
2 Tablespoons Coconut Aminos
2 cups Spinach, roughly chopped
2 cups Kale, roughly chopped
1/4 cup Miso Paste
1/4 cup Parsley or Arugula, roughly chopped
In a large stock pot, sauté the celery and optional mushrooms in coconut oil over medium-low heat. Add the optional turmeric, ginger and garlic. Saute for 5 minutes, or until the celery is tender. Meanwhile, soak the wakame in 1 cup of water.
Add the bay leaves and beets to the celery. Pour in the water and coconut aminos. Increase heat to medium and cover. Drain the wakame, then add it to the pot. Bring the broth to a near boil and reduce heat to low. Allow it to simmer for 45 minutes. Remove from heat and mix in the spinach, kale, miso paste and parsley. Stir until the miso paste dissolves. Strain out the vegetables if desired and use broth as a stand alone healing drink, or serve it with the light veggies as a soup. This recipe can also be made in a slow cooker.
Macrobiotic Brown Rice V-PK=
Preparation Time: About 1 Hour (plus soak time)
Yield: 4 Servings
2 Cups Organic Short Grain Brown Rice
4 Cups Purified Water (for cooking)
1/2 tsp. Celtic Sea Salt
Condiments for each serving (about 2 cups cooked rice):
1 Sheet Pressed Nori (sold in sheets) – torn into little pieces
1 Tbs. Cold Pressed, Virgin Olive Oil
1 Tbs. Gomasio (see recipe that follows)
1 tsp. Braggs Liquid Aminos (non-GMO & Gluten-Free) or Tamari
Using additional water (not listed above), soak rice for at least one hour and as long as overnight. Wash and “scrub” the brown rice by rinsing it well and using your hands to “knead” the rice for a couple of minutes.
Place rice in a medium saucepan with purified water and salt over medium heat and bring it to a slow boil.
Reduce heat to low and simmer until the rice absorbs all the water. In the last several minutes of cooking, wipe away condensation from the inside of the pot’s lid with a clean towel.
Once the rice is cooked (about 45 minutes), remove from heat and serve with condiments. You want your brown rice to feel warm, wet and salty-sweet.
Basic Chicken Bone Broth VP-K=
Preparation Time: 15 minutes, plus 18 - 24 hours cooking time
Yield: About 1 gallon
One whole organic roasted chicken, deboned
2 pounds organic chicken backs (available from the butcher at most health food stores and most farmer’s markets) 1 pound organic chicken feet (available from the butcher at most health food stores and most farmer’s markets)
22 cups water
1 to 2 strips kombu (sea vegetable)
2 Tablespoons apple cider vinegar
1 teaspoon Celtic sea salt
1 yellow onion, roughly chopped
8 garlic cloves, smashed
2-inches fresh ginger root, sliced
1 teaspoon cumin, turmeric, and/or asafoetida
4 Bay Leaves (optional)
1 bunch bok choy or celery, roughly chopped (optional)
Remove all the meat from the roasted chicken and set aside. You can eat the chicken meat throughout your week with Amazing Pesto Chutney, or shred it and throw it into a pot of Carrot-Squash-Sweet Potato Soup.
In a large stock pot (6 to 8-quarts) over medium-high heat, toss in the roasted chicken bones, chicken backs, chicken feet, water, kombu, apple cider vinegar and salt. As you bring the water to a boil, add the remaining ingredients.
Bring it to a boil, and reduce the heat to simmer. Allow it to simmer on your stove for a full 18 to 24 hours. Remove from heat. Strain and store in 1/2 gallon mason jars. Leave a few inches of space at the top of each jar. Allow the broth to cool completely before refrigerating or freezing. Refrigerated bone broth will stay good for 5 to 7 days. Enhance each 16- ounce serving with:
1 teaspoon ghee
1 teaspoon coconut oil (optional)
1/2 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
Juice of 1/2 lemon/Salt to taste
Amazing Superfood Salad V+PK-
Preparation Time: 20 minutes
Serves 4 to 6
1 bunch kale, cut lengthwise then chopped fine
1 1/2 teaspoons good quality, mineral-rich salt
2 medium-large Asian pear or tart green apple, cut into 1/2“ cubes
1 medium-large cucumber, seeded and cut into 1/2” cubes 1 cup dried superfruits like cranberries, raisins, or mulberries
1/2 cup slivered almonds or raw pumpkin seeds
1/4 cup hempseeds
1 large avocado, diced into 1/4” cubes
1/4 cup shredded coconut
1 1/2 cups sunflower sprouts
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
1/4 cup raw olive oil
1/4 cup Maple Syrup, plus more to taste
1 teaspoon whole fennel seed
1/4 cup sprouted and dried Flax and Chia seeds
Salt to taste
Cut the kale first. Put it in a large salad bowl with the salt and massage the kale for about 30 seconds, or until the leaves start to glisten and become a slightly more vibrant green. Add the remaining ingredients. Toss everything together and enjoy!
Fresh Fruit Compote VPK=
Preparation Time: 20 minutes Yield: About 4 Servings
2 apples or pears
1 cup fresh blueberries
1/2 cup other berries, chopped pears or apricots
3/4 tsp. ground cardamom
3/4 tsp. ground coriander
1 Tbs. frozen apple juice concentrate
2 cups plain Goat Milk Kefir (optional – best in fall)
4 Tbs. Raw Almond Butter (optional)
Chop the apple into small cubes. Toss the apples, blueberries, and other berries into a medium saucepan and stir constantly over medium-low heat for two minutes. Stir in the cardamom and coriander.
Lower the heat to simmer, add the apple juice concentrate, cover and let cook for 10 minutes. Remove from heat and serve immediately. This dish is delicious all by itself! Or you can serve it over 1/2 cup of plain kefir with a Tablespoon of raw almond butter.
Ayurvedic Cooking - Staples and Basics
Nutrition-Enhancing Flavors/Seasonings: apple cider vinegar, ume plum vinegar, lemon, lime, Celtic sea salt, sea vegetables, miso paste - chickpea and adzuki bean miso are my favorites, Non-GMO Lecithin Powder, nutritional yeast
Spices:
Italian spices encourage circulation: rosemary, sage, basil, thyme Indian spices enhance digestion: cumin, coriander, fennel, hing
Pungent herbs & spices that enliven soups: cinnamon, nutmeg, garlic, ginger, onion, basil, black pepper, cardamom, clove
Spices that help assimilate protein: turmeric, ginger, black pepper
Protein-Rich Toppings: Slivered almonds, hemp seeds, “Gomasio”, crumbled raw feta cheese, “Palmesan Cheese”, “Amazing Pesto Chutney”, ground macadamia nuts, cashews, sacha inchi seeds and/or macambo beans, sprouted flax and chia seeds
One Pot Meal-Loving Condiments:
Cucumber or Beet Raita
Plain Whole Milk Yogurt or Kefir
Raw Sauerkraut
Cultured Vegetables
Ghee
Coconut Cream
Out of respect for the work that’s gone into these pages, please consider them copyright Talya Lutzker and Talya’s Kitchen, 2018. www.TalyasKitchen.com