The Modern Ayurvedic Cookbook. Amrita Sondhi

      Fresh Fruit Salad with Yogurt & Flax Seeds

      This fruit salad, a delicious and fresh way to start the day, includes essential omega oils to fuel the brain.

      2 cups strawberries, sliced

      2 cups blueberries

      2 bananas, sliced

      • To reduce Kapha: substitute 2 cups sliced apricots

      2 tbsp flax seeds, ground

      • To reduce Pitta: use 2 tbsp hemp oil

      2 cups plain yogurt (may use vanilla-flavored yogurt)

      Fresh mint leaves (for garnish)

      1 strawberry (for garnish)

      In a large bowl, combine fruit, flax seeds, and yogurt. Garnish with mint leaves and strawberry.

      Makes 4 servings.

Buckwheat Pancakes

      These nourishing and delicious pancakes digest well and make you feel just as good as they taste!

       To make this recipe larger, simply multiply the amount of each ingredient by the number of desired servings.

      ½ cup buckwheat flour

      ½ tsp baking powder

      ½ a banana, mashed

      • To reduce Kapha: substitute with cup grated apple

      ½ cup soy milk (enough to mix batter)

      1 tsp ghee (or coconut oil)

      Maple syrup or apple sauce

      In a large bowl, combine flour and baking powder and stir. Add banana and soy milk, and beat until mixture has become a smooth liquid. In a frying pan on medium-high heat, melt ghee and spread evenly over surface. Pour batter into rounds, about

cup of batter for each small pancake. When batter starts to bubble, flip to cook other side until golden brown. Serve with maple syrup or applesauce.

      Makes 1 serving.

      Julia’s Weekend Blueberry Pancakes

      Julia is my little buddy and my friend Nevenka’s ten-year-old daughter. These are great whole-grain pancakes packed with food value. Serve with pure maple syrup; Nevenka says that Quebec maple syrup is her favorite.

      1 egg

      1 cup brown rice flour

      1 tsp baking powder

      

cup buttermilk

      ¾ cup fresh blueberries

      1 tsp ghee

      In a large bowl, beat egg. Add flour, baking powder, buttermilk, and blueberries and mix until well blended into a batter. In a frying pan on medium heat, melt ghee and spread evenly over surface. Pour batter into rounds, about

cup of mixture for each small pancake. As soon as they start to bubble, reduce heat, and flip to cook other side until golden brown.

      Makes 2–4 servings.

      Simply Delicious Crêpes

      Breakfast never tasted so good! This is a basic recipe for crêpes; be creative with fillings. Try applesauce, baked bananas, cooked berries, or maple syrup.

      ½ cup brown rice flour

      ¼ tsp salt

      1 egg

      

cup milk

      

cup water

      1 tsp coconut oil

      In a medium bowl, combine flour and salt. In a small bowl, beat egg. Add egg to flour mixture and stir until well mixed. Add milk and water gradually while continuing to mix until smooth. In a small frying pan on medium-high heat, melt coconut oil evenly over pan. Add ¼ cup of batter and tilt frying pan so that it spreads evenly. When crêpe bubbles and its underside is golden brown, flip and brown the other side. Remove and set aside on a plate. Repeat with remaining batter. If needed, melt additional coconut oil.

      Makes 2 servings.

       South Indian Dosas

      Dosas are rice flour crêpes that are a South Asian breakfast specialty. They are sour and should be eaten with lentils or other savory fillings like the Delectable Curried Cauliflower with Ginger and Tomatoes. To reduce Kapha or Pitta, I recommend the Strengthening Tur Dal, or the Fit for a King Eggplant Bharta to reduce Kapha even further. Serve in the traditional manner with Coconut Mint Chutney.

Making dosas takes practice, so please do not despair if they do not work the first time!

      1½ cups rice flour

      1 cup urad dal flour (see note)

      ½ tsp salt

      ¼ tsp fenugreek

      2 cups water

      6 tsp coconut oil (or other good oil, see Good Oils and Good Fats)

      In a medium bowl, combine all ingredients except the oil. You may need to add an additional ¼ cup water to make a semi-thin paste (i.e. crêpe mixture). Refrigerate for at least ½–1½ days. (The longer this mixture soaks, the more tart it becomes.)

      In a large frying pan on medium-high heat, melt ½ tsp of the oil evenly over surface. Add ¼ cup of the batter and tilt the pan so that it spreads evenly. Spread another ½ tsp oil at the edges and on top of dosa. When bottom is golden brown, flip and brown the other side. Roll dosa and place on a plate. Repeat with remaining batter.

      Makes 6 servings.

       Urad dal flour is available at Indian grocery stores and is sometimes called black mung, black lentil, or black gram flour. Urad dal are ¼ -inch-long beans with black seed husks and pale yellow kernels, and are available dried, whole, split, and hulled. They are warm and heavy, and very beneficial and nourishing for Vata in small amounts.

      Breakfast Rice

      This instant and flavorful breakfast is great for using up extra rice and almonds left over from making almond milk. Vata, Kapha, and Pitta may use Basmati rice cooked al dente.

       To make a savory version of this recipe, omit honey and ground cardamom and add salt and freshly ground pepper – my favorite.