Foods for Vata

Foods for Vata

I am continuing with the requested recipes from the book party and accompanying it with information on how to balance your state of mind body and spirit with food.

Finally we are at Vata and not fast enough as Vatas are not used to being last.

These quixotic change agents get bored easily so they tend to act quickly. Their quick metabolism gives them the willowy silhouette so in fashion today but also gives them the disadvantage of lower stamina, inability to gain weight, premature aging.

Their strength is in the spiritual and conceptual. They adapt easily to change, take risks and embrace innovation. But in imbalance, they have the tendency to show signs of premature aging, to suffer from nervous disorders, to appear flaky, to seem forgetful and to be chatty.

If you are not a Vata but exhibit any of the above symptoms, you can be suffering from a Vata imbalance and can also follow the following advice to return to balance.

Things that can tip the scales to manifest these negative tendencies can be triggered by Vata Weather – cold, dry – eating Vata Foods –popcorn, ices, cabbage, dried meats, salads – or hanging out with Imbalanced Vatas – people who are overly frenetic, changeable, scattered or unstable.

The general rule is to eat nourishing and warm -- favouring flavours that are sweet, salty and sour and minimizing eating those that are spicy, bitter astringent.

The big no-nos are dry crispy (crackers, dry nuts), stimulating ( caffeine, white sugar), gassy (carbonated drinks, cabbage) and cold foods.

And the balancing foods can include red meat, dark meat of fowl, root vegetables, dairy (cheese), oils, and whole grains rice.

A sample daily menu can be;

Breakfast

1. Eggs with whole-wheat bread with a glass of milk
2. Smoothie with fruit and yogurt with herbal tea
3. Cooked whole grains with raw nuts and fresh or dried fruit
4. Melon (summer)
5. Whole grain bread with nut butters with Herbal tea with honey.

Lunch

This will be your main meal for the day

1. Salmon with vegetables and brown rice
2. Lamb with vegetables and sweet potato
3. Whole wheat pasta with meat sauce and vegetable
4. Dessert can range from crème brule to cheesecake or as per Snack suggestions

Snack

Vatas can graze. So snacking between meals is encouraged.

1. Whole grain Muffin sweetened without white sugar
2. Yogurt
3. Any pastries made with whole grains and without white sugar
4. Sweet fruits like melons, papaya, mangos
5. Soaked nuts and seeds

Dinner

Dinner is lighter but is highly nutritious. Vatas can also snack, of course choosing nutritious snacks --- or suggestions see the above snack section.

1. Vegetables with whole grain pasta without cheese or cream sauce
2. White fish with vegetables and brown rice
3. Legume and vegetable stews
4. Veggie burger with steamed vegetables or salad ( depends on season) – No fries

Vata Hors d’oeuvres ( from the book Party)

The criteria for these dishes are;
The food ingredients follow the Ayurvedic diet for Vatas
Use whole organic food ingredients
Minimal waste – edible containers
The dishes chosen can follow the “hundred Mile” whole foods diet, which is very suitable for Vatas
The ingredients in the recipes are easily substituted
I recommend modifying them to suit your taste


1. Wild Rice + Peanuts (if not Hundred Mile diet - you can add a small box of saffron
a. Steam 10 – 20 leaves of collards or any dark green leaf vegetable
i. Drain and carefully place leaves flat to cool
b. Cook 1 cup of herbs wild rice as per package instructions
i. When cooked – put aside
c. Cut up fresh herbs – choose from scallions, basil, sage, garlic greens, garlic, parsley
d. Put 3 cups of cauliflower clusters in a pot of boiling water
i. Lower temperature to simmer
ii. Put into food processor or blend to make creamy and let cool
iii. Take 2 cups of the creamed cauliflower (the left over cup is

1. saved for the fish) and add in the following;
   1. 1 table spoon tahini
   2. ¼ teaspoon sea salt
   3. handful of the cut fresh herbs
   4. if not following Hundred Mile Diet – you can add any of the following
   a. 2 tablespoons hoi sin sauce
   b. 1 tablespoon Tamari sauce
   c. Tablespoon of curry
   d. A box of saffron
   e. 1 teaspoon of turmeric
   f. 1 teaspoon of cumin
   g. ¼ teaspoon of nutmeg

e. Mix together the wild rice, 1 cup of Ontario peanuts with skin, fresh herbs and the cauliflower based sauce
f. Place the mixture on a collard leaf and fold leaves over to cover and then roll

2. Salmon trout on Belgian Endive
a. Baking the fish
i. Use the fresh herbs from the Wild Rice + Peanuts recipes
ii. Finely dice up onions, grate fresh ginger
iii. Olive oil a pan and sprinkle on the onions, sea salt and ginger
iv. Place filets of salmon trout on the pan skin on the bottom
v. Rub oil on the filets
vi. Sprinkle on the cut fresh herbs on the top side of the filets
vii. Put into oven 350 degrees for 10 minutes
b. The sauce
i. 1 cup of the creamed cauliflower
ii. 2 tablespoon of tartar sauce

• c. Mix the sauce with fish
  d. Cut up Belgian endive into leaves
  e. Place the fish mixture onto the firm part of the leaves

3. Pumpkin cheesecake

a. Go to http://www.joyofbaking.com/PumpkinCheesecake.html for the recipe
b. Replace white sugar with stevia or xylitol.
c. Replace brown sugar with Demerara sugar
d. Replace the ground ginger cookies with more graham cracker crumbs and 1 tablespoon of dry ginger
e.

Kapha Hors d’oeuvres ( from the Book Party)

Kapha Hors d’oeuvres ( from the Book Party)

The criteria for these dishes are;

1. The food ingredients follow the Ayurvedic diet for Kaphas
2. Use whole organic food ingredients
3. Minimal waste – edible containers
4. The dishes chosen are of a vegan diet is very suitable for Kaphas
5. Attempt has been made to be economical with time and number of ingredients by repeating ingredients in two or more receipes
6. The ingredients in the recipes are easily substituted
7. Fee free to modify recipes to suit your taste


Artichoke with Tofu Dip (light high protein sauce)

Artichokes (the container) ---- Clean and cook 4 artichokes
i. Cut the stems
ii. Remove the outer leaves of the i

ii. Put in steamer or simmering water for 10-15 minutes
iv. Remove the artichokes and rinse with cold water
v. Remove outer leaves from the heart
vi. And arrange the leaves on a serving platter
vii. Save the hearts and the inner leaves to snack on later

Roast Sesame Seeds
i. Heat a iron frying pan
ii. Add a pinch of salt and a teaspoon of oil
iii. Then add 500mg or raw sesame seeds
iv. Roast seeds with constant stirring for 1 minute
v. Put roasted seeds into a small bowl

Sauce ----Cook ahead - the Cauliflower as per below
i. Clean and cook half a cauliflower in 1/2 inch of boiling water (with a pinch of Himalayan salt) in a pot. Turn heat to low to simmer the cauliflower
ii. When Cauliflower is tender –
1. Mix 2 tablespoons of tapioca flour in a ½ cup of cold water . When tapioca is completely dissolved in the water; add it to pot and stir into mixture.
iii. Blend the cooked cauliflower mixture
iv. Let the mixture cool to room temperature
v. Divide mixture into 2 bowls. One for this sauce and one for the Tofu and Dark Greens Sauce
vi. Then blend in ½ raw onion
vii. Crush the saffron (a small box), then add it to the mixture
viii. Mix in the following ingredient into blender--- ½ Silken tofu, ½ avocado, 2 tablespoons tahini, ¼ teaspoon ginger, 1 tablespoon basil, ½ tablespoon rosemary, ¼ teaspoon coriander
ix. Put a teaspoon of mixture onto each artichoke leaf
x. Sprinkle with the roasted sesame


Dark Greens with Tofu in Cauliflower Avocado
i. Drain firm organic tofu and put it in a strainer to release excess moisture from the block
ii. Cook any dark green or mixture of dark greens from Rapini (Italian Broccoli) to Guylan (Chinese Broccoli) to regular broccoli, Kale or collards.
iii. Drain and let cool
iv. Take the bowl of blended Cauliflower ---
1. See cooked Cauliflower from recipe for Artichoke with Tofu Dip
v. In the bowl with cooked blended cauliflower blend in the following---
1. 1 tablespoon roasted sesame oil,
2. pinch of Black Pepper to taste,
3. 2 teaspoons Soya Sauce
vi. Blend in any of the following ingredients you prefer---
1. ½ avocado,
2. ½ Raw Onion,
3. 2-3 Scallions,
4. a Clove or two of Raw Garlic,
5. Tahini, any Spices you favour
vii. Cut the block of tofu into small cubes
viii. Cut the greens to small pieces
ix. Mix the greens with the tofu
x. Mix in the sauce until the tofu and greens are lightly coated.
xi. Put mixture aside for flavours to blend

The Shell

i. Defrost Phyllo Pastry
ii. Put a cut to size piece of Phyllo Pastry to a cupcake tin that is the size you want for the finished hors d’oeuvres
iii. Pop into oven for 5 minutes to brown and crisp up
iv. Let shells cool
v. Remove the shell from the tin
vi. Fill shells with the Tofu Greens mixture



Mini Apple Cranberry Strudel
Prepare filling ahead
i. Put the following items into separate small bowls
1. Cranberries - ¼ cup for 2 apples
2. Maple Sugar if you prefer a sweeter strudel
3. Sunflower Seeds ¼ cup per apple (you can roast them for more flavour- follow instructions for roasting sesame seeds in the recipe for Artichoke and tofu dip above
4. if you have a favourite ingredient you would like in your apple strudel – put that into another bowl
ii. Prepare Apples (granny smith or any tarte apple) for filling
1. Peel ½ an apple for each mini roll
2. Cut apple slices
3. In a bowl mix raw apple slices with 1/8 teaspoon of Cinnamon, Nutmeg, Ginger and ½ lemon Juice for each apple
The Shell
i. Defrost Phyllo Pastry
ii. Remove 1 sheet of pastry and put it on a clean surface
iii. Brush Olive Oil onto the pastry evenly
iv. Apply another sheet of pastry onto the oiled sheet
v. Again brush Olive Oil onto the pastry evenly

Start Rolling
i. On the prepare 2 layers of Phyllo Pastry apply the following items:
1. A row of Apples slices mixture across one end of the pastry
2. Sprinkle the cranberries across
3. Then a light sprinkle of the seeds
4. Lastly sprinkle --Maple sugar and or preferred item
ii. Tightly roll the strudel
iii. Put the mini roll onto a oiled cookie sheet
iv. Brush the top of the roll with butter or olive oil
v. Sprinkle seeds or maple sugar if you like
vi. Repeat the process until all your rolls are done