Quick n’ Easy Ayurveda Recipes: Healthy Fun for the Whole Family

In today’s hectic lifestyle, balancing career and family prompts a common issue, finding time to prepare healthy foods and snacks for the family. How can you ensure your kids have healthy diets? Ayurvedic meals make eating healthy a reality for adults and children.

Ayurvedic meals are fun to prepare, they are healthy, delectable, and enhance meditation and inner peace. They can also be quick to prepare. Below are a few simple recipes to get you started on your path to scrumptious, healthy, Ayurvedic meals.

10-minute meal

Here is a simple, healthy recipe that is good for all family members’ doshas (constitutions). It provides all the basic food groups for a complete protein and a balanced meal. The ghee and spices enhance the flavor, making this a favorite for the children as well. It can be served for lunch or dinner.

Kicharee (kitch-a-ree)

4 people

8 oz basmati rice
8 oz mung beans (split if available)
chopped squash (4 handfuls)
chopped celery (4 handfuls)
½ tsp. coriander
½ tsp. cardamom
½ tsp. turmeric
rock salt/sea salt to taste
black pepper to taste
4 tsp. ghee
3 mustard seeds

If you have split mung beans (split yellow mungdal) this dish cooks in a regular pot in 10-15 minutes. If you use whole green mung beans, soak them overnight, prepare in a pressure cooker.

Feel free to substitute any vegetables your family likes that balance their doshas.

If you use a regular pot, double the amount of water to the rice and beans; you can always add more water if needed. For pressure cooking, use 1.5 cups water.

Place the rice, beans and vegetables in the pot or cooker and bring to a boil. Reduce the flame to low and cook for 10-15 minutes. If pressed for time, you add the spices and ghee with the rice and beans. If you can take a few more minutes, try an Ayurveda stir-fry (chonk) with the spices and ghee.

Ayurveda’s Spice of Life

One of the most unique aspects to Ayurvedic healthy recipes is the way the spices are cooked. We want healthy, enjoyable lifestyles for our family, and Ayurveda’s unique spice preparation actually adds to a more interesting lifestyle because it is so interesting and fun to concoct.

Ayurveda Stir-Fry (Chonk)

Chonk mixes spices with heated ghee (clarified butter) or Canola oil. After the food is cooked, ghee is heated in a frying pan (1 tsp. ghee per person). Three mustard seeds are added to the ghee. When the oil is ready to use, the 3 seeds pop (stand back or put a strainer over the pan to prevent getting burned by flying mustard seeds). Lower the flame and add the spices to the ghee and stir until the heat frees the aromas from the spices.

The blended scent of the released spice paints an aromatic picture in your senses that lets you know it is ready to add the food to the spiced oil. Pour in your rice or vegetables and stir thoroughly for about a minute. The process adds negative ions to your food, imbibing your food with additional healthful properties. Chonking is a real treat and a delight for the kids to experience.

Dessert

Here is a simple recipe that can also be served as a healthy breakfast. Depending on one’s dosha, you can substitute basmati rice or oats (Vayu/Pitta) or rye (Kapha) or barley (Pitta/Kapha). You may also adjust the amount of whole cane sugar according to your taste. In keeping with your healthy lifestyle, this healthy recipe can also be served as a snack throughout the day.

5-minute Wheat Sweet

4 people

12 oz whole wheat flakes per person
4-5 cups water
pinch of salt
4 tsp. whole cane sugar
4 cardamom pods
½ tsp. turmeric powder
25 raisins

This is a very simple dessert to make; it is basically wheat cereal, a little sweeter than normal.

Mix all the ingredients into a pot and bring to a boil.
Lower flame to medium-low and cook for 5 minutes
Stir as needed
Add water if needed

Conclusion

Ayurvedic healthy recipes are so quick to make, it takes less time than going out to eat or unfreezing store-bought foods. Moreover, nothing compares to home-cooked, healthy, savory, cheap, spiritual, family entertainment.