I've been exploring various facets of "aging" with a dear friend of mine through a series of workshops we're hosting at Asheville Yoga Center. One of the biggest tools I truly believe that we have is the food that we eat. There is nothing more powerful than feeding our body the things that actually support our vitality and well-being. 

Did you know that from an Ayurvedic perspective, certain types of food impact certain areas of the body? I love how Ayurveda is always making things simple and easy to understand. 

For this recipe, I wanted to focus in on supporting the brain and all its functionings. One of the things that we can struggle with as we get older (especially for women if they've entered menopause), is that the brain fog, forgetfulness, and lack of clarity can start to set in. Supporting our brains from the beginning is one of the greatest tools we have to support our bodies to live to our full potential all the way to 100! 

I hope you love this easy "dump and go" bar recipe that is full of all the things that support our nervous system and the brain! 

Ingredients: 

• 1.5 cups almond flour
• 1 cup chopped walnuts 
  
• 1 cup oats 
  
• 1/2 cup chia seeds 
  
• 3 tbsp hemp seeds 
  
• 12 dried figs (soak them for a little, and then chop them up) 
  
• 2 tbsp tahini 
• 1/2 cup coconut oil 
  
• 1/2 cup maple syrup 
  
• 2 tbsp goji powder 
  
• 1 tbsp freeze dried raspberries 
  
• 1.5 tsp ginger powder 
  
• 4-5 tsp shankhapushpi powder 
  
• For topping: melted chocolate, flaky salt, rose petals (all optional!)
  

Recipe: 

1. Before starting anything, soak your dried figs in water so they can soften to chop towards the end. 
2. Take a large mixing bowl, and start with all of your dry ingredients: almond flour, walnuts, oats, chia seeds, and hemp seeds. Give everything a good mix. 
   
3. Then add in your herbs and spices: goji powder, ginger powder, and shankhapushpi powder. All 3 of these have a tendency to clump, so make sure that everything is smoothed out properly. 
   
4. Your figs should be soaked well enough where you can chop them up into small pieces and then fold them in to the mixing bowl now. If they still feel a little tough, you can fold them in in between any of the wet ingredients. 
5. Next, you'll want to add in the wet ingredients individually. 
   
   1. Start with the coconut oil. (I didn't melt my coconut oil, but I did use my hands to make sure it was well-incorporated). 
   2. Then maple syrup. 
   3. Then tahini last. (This one can be the trickiest as you don't want it to clump)
6. Finally, fold in the freeze-dried raspberries. These just add a nice tang/sweetness to it. 
7. Take a baking tray and line it with parchment paper. 
8. Toss everything into the baking tray and even everything out. I used a back of a spatula to smooth it all out. 
9. Place in freezer/refrigerator overnight to let everything set. 
10. The next day you can coat on top your melted chocolate and sprinkle on the salt and rose petals. 

And that's it! Shouldn't take you more than 15 or so minutes to prepare. I hope you enjoy as much as we do! 

I truly do not know why I haven't posted a recipe of Kitchari up until now. I recently hosted a class at Asheville's Love. Shine. Play festival, and talked all about it. Of course folks would want the recipe, so here we are! 

Why do we love kitchari in Ayurveda? Well, truly the reasons are a million, but here are a few of the most important ones:

• Easy to digest. Traditionally kitchari is made with yellow mung daal and basmati rice, and a few spices to support healthy digestion. Both the mung and the rice are really easy to digest. From an Ayurvedic perspective, digesting food takes a lot of energy from the body, diverting its attention from other processes such as detoxing. Thus, the simpler the meal, the easier to digest. 
• Sattvic in nature. I plan on doing a whole post on what is sattva, but again to keep it simple here, just know that it is whole and pure. This in turn supports a healthy mind, body, and spirit. 
• Easy to make and a million different varieties to go with it! 

Enjoy this simple recipe that is wholesome and nourishing to your whole being. I've also included various riffs off of this basic recipe! 

​Ingredients:

• Basmati Rice: 1 Cup 
• Yellow Mung Daal: 1 Cup 
• Mustard Seed: 1 tsp 
• Cumin Seed: 1 tsp 
• Asafoetida Powder: pinch 
• Freshly Grated Ginger: 1-2 tsp
• Turmeric: 2 tsp 
• Salt: To Taste

Recipe:

• Soak rice and daal overnight or at least 2-3 hours. Scoop the foam off of the top.
• Warm oil in a big pot. Once it is warm, place mustard, cumin, asafoetida, and ginger in the oil. Allow the spices to temper.
  • Additionally, if you feel so inclined, any additional spice can be thrown in at this time as well. You want the spices to start to pop, and a soft aroma comes off of the pot.
• Pour the rice and daal into the pot and give it a good mix.
• Next pour about 2-2.5 cups of water over the top. You want the water to sit about 1 inch above rice/daal combination.
• Mix in the turmeric and salt.
• Finally, let the rice and daal cook until nice and soft. Stir every few minutes. You will let it come to a rolling boil and then simmer. You can add in a little water if you want it to be slightly softer.
• Garnish with some cilantro and enjoy!

Notes:

• Feel free to add in your favorite veggies during the tempering process: sweet potato, greens, cabbage, squash, and peas are some things I throw in to add in some fiber. Added gold star if you choose seasonal veggies! 
• Additional spices to think through: I love using whole clove, whole black peppercorn, and whole cinnamon sticks for just enough added warmth without the crazy spice. But I always encourage folks to experiment and do what feels good to them! 
• Different lentils: Try switching out split moong, whole green moong, or red lentils or add in a little for extra taste. 
• Add in some quinoa; a little extra protein and macros never hurt! 
• Cookware: 
  • I typically make my kitchari in an instant pot. Start tempering in saute mode, and then finish cooking on manual mode. For the above recipe, set the manual mode to about 23-25 minutes. 
  • You can also do this on the stovetop, slow cooker, or normal pressure cooker. You may need to adjust the quantity of water OR keep adding water to ensure that everything is being cooked properly. You want the final consistency to be that of porridge. 

Try it out for yourself, and let me know what you think!