Fall Recipes (Reprint)

Fall in the Hudson Valley is upon us. This is Vata (air + space) season. Vata is cool, mobile, dry, rough and subtle. A basic tenant of Ayurveda is, “Like increases like and opposites decreases.” It is helpful to shift your diet to avoid Vata becoming imbalanced this season.

Foods to Favor:

Root vegetables, heavy grains like oats, wheat and rice, healthy fats, well-cooked foods like soups and stews, warm beverages and dairy products. If you are not vegetarian, meat pacifies Vata. Favor naturally sweet (like sweet potatoes, carrots and rice), salty (seaweed, etc.) and sour tastes.

Foods to Avoid:

Raw foods, leafy greens, cold foods, light and dry foods, carbonated and cold beverages. Avoid bitter, astringent and pungent tastes.

(You may want to read Autumn Tips for Health to more thoroughly understand Vata and how the Fall elements affect us.)

Curried Butternut Squash or Pumpkin Soup

Warm and hearty, this soup can be served as a meal with biscuits or bread. Winter squash, especially pumpkins are great at pacifying Vata and increasing downward elimination (apana vayu).

1 winter squash
1 can of coconut milk (You may need to add water if the squash is large.)
1 or more tbs of curry powder
Himalayan salt to taste
Optional: pumpkin seeds

Method One: Baking
Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Cut open the winter squash and remove the seeds. Place face down in a water bath 1/2inch deep. Bake until you can poke a fork easily through the squash. (About 45 minutes.) Check throughout so that the water level doesn’t go below ¼ inch. Remove from bath and set aside squash to cool. When cool enough to handle: scoop out squash from the shell.

Method Two: Cubing
Peel the whole winter squash. Cut it open and remove the seeds. Cut into cubes. Steam with 2 cups of water until tender. If water boils off, add more until finished. Don’t add too much as it will make the soup watery.

To continue with both methods above:
Place squash in a pot and add coconut milk. Heat on medium-low heat until coconut milk melts fully. Add 1tbs of curry powder. If there is not enough liquid slowly add some water. Blend until smooth. Taste to adjust spices. If you want a spicier soup, add more curry. Cook an additional 15 minutes on low, stirring occasionally.

Optional:
In a dry skillet, heat up pumpkin seeds on low until the pop and puff up. Add a 1 tsp of Himalayan salt and mix. Remove from skillet and serve as a garnish on top of soup.

Seed Mixture

A great way to get healthy oils and balanced omegas.

Grind 1 tbs. of each: flax, sesame, chia, hemp, pumpkin, and sunflower seeds. You can sprinkle on grains, cooked veggies, etc. You can add water and make a seed butter. Store in the refrigerator for up to three days.

Oat Cakes: Breakfast Bar

A hearty breakfast or protein bar. It works well with dairy or dairy free.

Soak overnight 2 cups of oats in 2 cups of kefir, buttermilk or plank based milk.
In am: Preheat oven to 350
Mix two eggs, 4 tbs of melted ghee or coconut oil, 1-2 tsp of maple syrup
Add wet ingredients to soaked oats
Mix dry: 1/3 cup mixed nuts or nut flour, 1 tsp baking powder, t tsp of baking soda, ½ tsp of cinnamon, ¼-1/2 tsp of cardamom, ¼ tsp of salt
Mix dry with wet.
The batter is pretty thick.  If its too thick add more milk.  If too dry add more nut flour or regular flour. It should be like a thick cake batter.
Bake around 45 minutes until golden brown

Roasted Root Vegetables

In Fall, nature is putting it’s energy into its roots. Root veggies are grounding and the opposite of Vata’s qualities. Nature gives us exactly what we need to decrease Vata in Vata season.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. I like to cook my root veggies in a dutch oven, but a baking pan that is at least 1-inch deep would work as well.
Cut into 1-inch chunks 3 pounds of assorted root veggies: carrots, beets, potatoes, sweet potatoes, parsnips, etc.
Peel the outer skin of one head of garlic. Leave the skin on the individual cloves. Mix 4-8 cloves with the roots.
Toss the veggies with ¼ cup olive oil, 1.5 tsp of Himalayan pink salt and ¼ tsp of black pepper, enough for a light coating. You could add rosemary and sage as well. Bake for 20 minutes and then stir. Continue baking for an additional 10-20 minutes until the roots are tender.

Garam Masala Curry

Garam Masala is a blend of warming spices that are perfect to heat you up from the inside-out. It is not spicy hot, but a sweet hot. This spice mix varies but often contains cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, cardamom, black pepper and more. I use coconut milk, but you can substitute cream if you like. This is a relatively quick and easy recipe.

Chop two cups each: Carrots, Sweet potatoes,Green beans
One - two cups: Red pepper. Add or substitute any veggies you like.
Add one can of coconut milk and cook veggies until tender. (About 20 minutes.) Add Garam Masala to taste and cook for 10-15 minutes. Serve over cooked white or brown basmati rice.

warm apple sauce

An ideal breakfast when you are constipated.

Peel and chop one apple and cook on low in 1-3 tbs of water. When apple is soft add 1 tsp-tbs of ghee and cinnamon to taste. Mash and eat.