Choices

April 26, 2010


It's Monday morning and I'm moving slowly today.  I don't feel very rested and I can track it back to some of the things I did last night that go against my ayurvedic " best practices".  

Charlie and I attended a dinner to help support "Health and Human Services Week" here in Santa Fe and I didn't eat as well as I should have.  Then I read an intense book before going to bed.  Predictably, I had a hard time getting to sleep and today I'm paying the price for it.  

Following an ayurvedic lifestyle makes a huge difference in the way you feel but often "life gets in the way".  The great thing however, is that we're only one choice away from getting back on track.  It's all about the choices we make and since it's our choice which path we take in any given situation we can always decide to make a different choice the next time.  A really important part of this choice-making is not to beat ourselves up because we make a poor choice.  There are many factors that play into the choices we make and we often make poor choices unconsciously based on past conditioning.  So be kind to yourself, acknowledge the choices you make and then have the intention to make more conscious choices next time.

Today I will eat foods that are easy to digest like kitchari or dal and if I want to read before bed tonight I'll pick something more calming.  Below is very easy to digest kitchari that is very balancing for this time of year.  

KitchariServes 2

½ cup basmati rice
¼ cup yellow split mung dal*
1½ Tbsp ghee*
½ tsp mustard seeds
½ tsp cumin seeds*
pinch of hing (asafoetida*)
¼ tsp turmeric
¼ tsp salt
2 cups water
1 cup vegetables of your choice or pacifying for your dosha: carrots, zucchini, yellow squash, chard, spinach, sweet potato, winter squash, etc.
*Look for these ingredients in an Asian or natural food grocery store.

Wash the rice and mung dal well.  If your have time, let the mung dal soak for a few hours before cooking, as it helps with digestibility.  If you have a particularly difficult time digesting beans, you may want to precook the beans for 20-30 minutes using the 2 cups of water.
In a sauce pan over medium heat, heat the ghee and add the mustard seeds, cumin seeds and hing.  Stir a moment until the seeds pop.
Add the rice, mung dal, turmeric and salt and stir until well blended with the spices.
Add the water and vegetables and bring to a boil.  Boil for 5 minutes, uncovered, stirring occasionally.
Turn down the heat to low and cover, leaving the lid slightly ajar.  Cook until tender, about 20-25 minutes.

Can be served with a warm whole wheat tortilla.


Safe travels,
Karen