Mashed potatoes. Comfort food. Seriously one of my favorite foods. There is nothing better than a side of creamy and garlic-y mashed potatoes. And as much as I love potato as a vegetable. Although potatoes have a bad rep, one of the more unfortunate parts of the potato is that it is a nightshade. Nightshades inherently are inflammatory to the body, so the more we limit the consumption of potatoes, the better overall for our bodies. 

The search was on to make a side of something creamy and delicious that elicits the same comfort food aspect of it all. 

In Ayurveda, when I think of comfort, the first thing that comes to mind is something that is nourishing and grounding. All of this leads to minimizing vata. So, naturally I reached for root vegetables like carrots and sweet potatoes. 

AND GUYS. This was the most delicious thing I have had in a long time. I want you guys to make this almost immediately. I kid you not it was so good. And the best part was that it took zero to no time to make this! Recipe below. Promise you're going to love this. 

Ingredients:

• 3 tbsp avocado oil
• 4 carrots, peeled and cut in big chunks
• 2 sweet potatoes (same prep as the carrots) 
  
• 2 cans coconut milk (see note in the recipe for exactly how to prep this guy) 
  
• 2 tsp minced garlic
• 5 tsp black pepper 
  
• Handful of chopped Italian parsley 
• Salt to taste 
  
• Water 
  

Directions:

1. In a large pot, place the oil to warm. Put in the garlic, and saute the garlic until a nice aroma comes out. 
2. Pop in the carrots and sweet potato and cover it in the oil, and cook just a little bit. 
3. Next, you're going to cover the veggies with just enough water so that it leaves about 2 inches of water above the vegetables. Close the pot. Turn the stove onto medium heat. Let the water come to a boil so that the vegetables can cook. 
4. Here is my note on the coconut milk. One can you will use fully. The second can you want to use just the cream part. The easiest way to do this is to stick the can into the fridge the night before or for a few hours so that the cream and water naturally separate. 
5. You want to make sure that you can stick a knife completely through both the carrots and sweet potatoes. Once all cooked, mash everything together. Depending on how you like it, you can leave it as chunky or creamy as you like. 
6. After all is well and mashed, add in 1 full can of coconut milk and a 2nd can of just cream. Mix well together again. I mashed it a little bit more at this point as well. 
7. Finally, I added in the parsley, black pepper, and salt for taste. One final mix, and voila! You have the most amazing mashed carrots and sweet potatoes you can imagine. 

I hope you enjoy this as much as I did! Bon apetit! 

Dates. I'm not talking about the activity you go on Saturday nights with your lover. I'm talking about the sweet, juicy, unctuous little fruits that are to die for. 

Let me keep it real, real quick. I used to not like dates. I thought they were weird and didn't taste so good. Until Ayurveda. I just realized I was eating the wrong kinds! Anyway, let's get back to the dates. 

Dates. They are revered in Ayurveda to be filled with ojas. Ojas? Well, ojas is the subtle essence of kapha. Ojas is what gives us our immunity, and keeps our bodies healthy and vibrant. It gives us suppleness, the ability to be tender and loving. It makes sure that all the moving parts in our body are a well-oiled machine.

It's important to nourish our ojas. There are different ways to do this. Food, being one of them. Dates are a great way to do this, because it has many of the same qualities as ojas--sweet, juicy, etc. Dates are also great for reducing vata and pitta. This shake is my go-to smoothie replacement. It's filling, nutritious, and I promise you a treat everyone will love. 

Ingredients:

• 1 cup whole organic milk
• 6-7 dates (Pitted. I prefer medjool dates)
• 5 figs (I prefer Calimyrna figs)
• 10 almonds, (soaked overnight and the peels taken off)
• ¼ tsp cardamom
• Pinch of saffron
• 2 tsp maple syrup
• Pinch of cinnamon

Directions:
Pour all ingredients into a blender and blend on medium speed, until all ingredients have been processed completely, and you are left with a smooth and creamy shake.

Alternatively, you can warm the milk, dates, and figs on the stove to soften them up a little for approximately 7 minutes. Then, combine all ingredients including the warm milk with dates in the blender, and blend until all the ingredients have been well incorporated. 

*Note: If possible, try to use organic, non-homogenized milk for the date shake. Also, you can switch out the dates for dried figs every now and then for some variety. Both are great ojas-promoters. You can also add in ½ -1 tbsp of Spirulina/Blue-Green Algae. The color will change to a pretty green, but you won’t be able to taste it at all.