May Day Nourishing Recipes!

Happy May!! I hope encouragement and inspiration are blooming around you on this new moon and beginning a new month. Since new moons are a great time to nourish yourself, maybe you feel inspired to try a new recipe?

Springtime is a great time to make seasonally aligned Buddha Bowls. They usually consist of a grain, veggies, and some sort of sauce or spread added on top.

Today, in the Spring One Habit to Thrive Challenge, I am cooking three recipes to make Buddha Bowls. I am hoping to broadcast at 1pm EDT on Instagram as well as Facebook and Zoom. You can join me live if you would like, catch the replays on Instagram or Facebook, or just use these recipes on your own and see how creating your own layered bowl can be super fun and delicious. 

We will make a Buddha Bowl from the following recipes.

Here are a few insights into the ingredients contained in these recipes and why they are helpful for Spring:

Millet is a light, drying grain that is great for springtime when moisture can accumulate in the body.

Spring greens add bitter and astringent tastes which help clear out sludge and stagnant energy in the liver.  Wild greens especially do this well.

Ginger and Turmeric are helpful for supporting the digestive fire (Agni). 

Beans are astringent, so they also are a bit drying and are a good source of springtime protein.

Hummus (serves 4)
1 c. cooked garbanzo beans (or other beans of your choice)
3 T. sesame or olive oil
1 clove fresh garlic 
2 T. tahini (sesame butter)
1 T. lemon juice (use lime for pitta)
½ t. black pepper
1 t. mineral salt
½ t. ground cumin

Dash cayenne (for Kapha)
Fresh cilantro (for Pitta)
Add extra olive oil (for Vata)

• Combine all ingredients in a blender or food processor and blend until smooth.     
  

Spring greens with carrot (serves 4)
2 T. ghee
1-2 t. fresh chopped ginger
1 t. fresh turmeric
2-3 c. chopped collards and/or kale
2-3 c. chopped wild greens like chickweed or dandelion (or use more cultivated greens)
1 small carrot grated
¼ c. fresh cilantro or parsley leaves
Water
Salt to taste

•  Heat ghee on medium heat and add spices. Cook until fragrant. Add veggies and stir until they are coated with the spices. Add water to ½ of the level of the vegetables, stir and cover with a lid. Reduce heat and simmer until vegetables are lighter in color. Turn off heat. Stir in the grated carrots and cilantro and let sit 2-3 minutes, covered.

(inspired by a recipe in Simple Ayurvedic Recipes by Myra Lewin)

Simple Toasted Millet (serves 4-6)
1 cup millet
3-4 cups stock or water
1 t. chopped rosemary
½ t. salt
2 t. ghee
½ c. chopped nuts (optional)

• Rinse and strain the millet. Place it in a 2-3 quart pot on medium heat and toast the kernels for a few minutes, stirring occasionally, until the millet starts to become more golden and fragrant. Add liquid and bring to a boil. Cover and reduce the heat to medium-low. Cook until all the liquid is absorbed, about 30 minutes. While the millet is cooking, chop the herbs and add them to the pot along with the salt and ghee. If you like, add the nuts too. When finished cooking, stir and serve.

For each Buddha Bowl, put a couple of scoops of millet into the bottom of a bowl, layer the greens on top, and then add a scoop of hummus. Beautiful! Enjoy.