Detox Bowls
Welcome to my Ayurveda & Yoga blog! I’m Evangeline and I’m an RMT and holistic health coach. I started my blog during covid to stay connected to my clients and share my love of cooking healthy, AYURVEDIC INSPIRED meals.
Ayurvedic cooking is a conscious approach to preparing and cooking tasty, nutritious, balanced meals using spices and herbs, and taking into consideration the external conditions- the season, time of day, and how you are feeling and the state of your health.
Edited May 3, 2024
We are well into autumn. Despite cooler temperatures, my family and I are still enjoying meals on the porch, bowl in one hand, utensil in other. Who else is with us here? Meals in bowls simply feel healthy. I hope you find some inspiration here to start building your own repertoire of balanced, healthy detox bowls.
The thought of detox may scare some people. But in reality, our body is eliminating wastes on a daily basis through the elimination channels, including the skin, the largest detox organ. In Ayurveda, there are two ideal times to put your attention to the detoxification process or the elimination of wastes, and that is in the spring and autumn. I wrote another post on detox for your reference. Keep in mind the body seeks nourishment to make all your 7 tissues layers (blood plasma, blood, muscle, fat, bone, bone marrow, and reproductive tissue) and a balance of the uptake of the fundamental elements of nature (space, air, fire, water, earth).
Elements of detox to elevate your healthy bowls to detox status include adding seasonal vegetables, for example asparagus, radish, zucchini in the spring, whole grains like barley and quinoa, adding coriander, cilantro, okra, using spices such as turmeric, ginger, black pepper, consuming easy to digest protein such as paneer or kichari, while minimizing or eliminating salt, and minimizing fat intake, or eliminating certain foods dependent on one’s digestive system, all in support of your physiology’s detox pathways.
If you got this far, it may interest you to participate in my Seasonal Workshops, held live on line over zoom, a space to connect with others through Ayurveda, vegetarian cooking, and Yoga. Read more about it here.
01. The ABCs of a healing bowl
I cook with turmeric daily for its numerous health benefits. In Ayurveda, the liver is recognized as a very important organ and turmeric is known to be “a friend to the liver”. The liver performs a number of bodily functions including cleaning the blood. Turmeric is a key ingredient in my kitchen, and along with fennel seeds and cumin this trio help digest food. I also add to this, coriander which helps flush out toxins, and all together create a masala, or spice mix I learned from my Ayurvedic teacher. He also emphasized to avoid turmeric or curcumin supplements because in the long term it can harm the liver instead of help it. Hence, best to cook with turmeric. In addition, the oil in cooking is needed for the fat soluble compounds in turmeric to be absorbed and assimilated. Curcumin is the active ingredient in turmeric giving turmeric its long list of health benefits.
Key ingredients, balanced flavours and a happy feeling while preparing all make for healthy meals and detox bowls.
[A]ll your nutritional needs are met. Your body needs the three macronutrients: protein, carbohydrates and fats. Avoid eliminating a macronutrient at every meal.
[B]e kind to yourself. Choose the ingredients that’s right for you at the time. For example, if your tummy is feeling a bit sensitive, an easy to digest meal is what your body would be asking for- for example a clear broth with leafy greens and a light protein or kitcheri, a traditional dish in India with lentils and rice. Use spices and herbs to further help digest the food you are eating, like the one mentioned above. Because digestion and the health of your gut is key to body-mind balance we must take a good look at the qualities of food, in addition to their nutritional values. Ayurveda is the platinum standard reference guide for delving into the characteristics of food and their effects on digestion, and eating for any imbalances you may be experiencing with your doshas (vata, pitta, kapha). Timing in our daily routines is also key for body-mind balance. For example, your digestive fire or agni is at its strongest at lunch time, thereby, breakfast or dinner need not be the biggest meal of the day. Eating with a happy mind, seated, chewing and looking at your food, and not doing anything else promotes good digestion and keeps your belly happy.
[C]olor and taste are key. Colors and taste of food affect our body and mind. The taste of sweet, predominantly found in fruits, grains, bread, milk, meat, fats and oils, nourishes our body and provides energy. Too much of the sweet taste in the long run, however, leads to swelling, congestion, weight gain, making one feel sluggish, lazy or tired. Colors are linked to more subtler aspects of our being and nutritionally, different coloured foods, provide specific phytonutrients and antioxidants that maintain and boost immunity and give you that extra healthy glow. The six tastes are sweet, sour, salty, bitter, pungent, astringent and having all six tastes daily is balancing for your health, and can also help curb cravings.
Lentil-Quinoa-Basmati Bowl
Steamed basmati rice and quinoa 50/50, topped with cooked french lentils in spices, lightly cooked broccoli and zucchini in ghee and an avocado slice.
02. Building a healing bowl
[A] Choose your protein and carbohydrates and cook with a good cooking oil. I use ghee, olive oil and sometimes sesame oil and coconut oil. Ghee is very nourishing to all the bodily tissues and has a higher heat tolerance than butter.
[B] Cook with ingredients, colours and spices you like and experiment from there. Happy mind, happy belly! Keep in mind, digestion is key with healing bowls. Cooked vegetables are easier to digest than raw; fish, chicken and turkey easier on the tummy than other meats; grain and lentils in a dish makes for a complete protein, as in the gentle dish kichari. Paneer, a soft cheese is easy to digest. Check out my simple paneer recipe.
[C] If you are feeding kids, make it fun by laying out all the fixings so they can build their own bowl.
[D] Don’t forget to add your favourite toppings or sauces. We tend to have coriander and fruit chutneys, plain yogurt with toasted cumin seeds, béchamel sauce (but I use ghee instead of butter) with turmeric or saffron, chunks or crumbled paneer, toasted nuts and seeds, thinly sliced ginger in ghee and spices and sometimes with a thai green chilli, basil and olive oil pesto, shredded nori sheets with toasted sesame seeds.
03. Paneer-Millet Bowl Recipe
Grain and water ratio for perfect steamed grains
Yield: Serves 4
Prep time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Check out how to make paneer in 20 minutes.
Ingredients
¾ cup millet, rinsed well, or soaked over night and rinsed, and cook with enough water to a level 1 inch above your fingertip
300-400 grams paneer
2 medium carrots peeled and cut
2 medium zucchinis cut in chunks
4 handfuls of leafy greens like spinach, chard or kale
1 Tbsp ghee or olive oil
1- 2 tsps of your favourite spices
1 thumb size ginger, peeled and cut in pieces (optional)
1 thai green chili (optional)
A few good pinches of salt
Instructions
Cook millet- let millet and water come to a rolling boil in high heat for a few minutes. Cover with a lid, turn of stove and let steam for 20 minutes.
In large skillet, toast spices on low heat, until aroma is released, about 10-15 seconds, then add ghee or olive oil. Discard if they burn and start over. Add ginger and chilli if desired and cook for another 30 seconds for the aroma to build further.
Add carrots and bit of water, turn heat up to medium, cover and cook for a few minutes, then add zucchini and cook for a few more minutes, then add leafy greens and stir all together until leafy greens turn bright green. Toss in paneer cubes and sprinkle more of your favourite spices, stir all together and cover and cook for a few minutes on low heat. Add salt to taste.
Build your healing bowl!
Enjoy!
References
Vaidya R. K. Mishra- Notes from Shaka Vansiya Ayurveda Courses, Practicum, Conferences and Lectures 2003-2015
Marianne Teitelbaum, D. C.- “Healing the Thyroid with Ayurveda”, 2019