Ayurvedic Cleansing+ My Kitchari Recipe
Hi Friends! In my last post I rounded up a list of delicious vegan and gluten-free snacks to enjoy during the Super Bowl. Traditionally this Sunday is known as a day of over indulgence- do you remember a few years ago when there was a push to make the day after the Super Bowl a national holiday since so many people were calling in sick to work? Crazy! Anyway, I thought I would share one of my favorite cleansing recipes today, incase you feel like you need a little something to get back on track with tomorrow.
Often when people talk about cleansing, juice fasts and herbal teas come to mind- not a hearty bowl of rice and lentils. In Ayurveda (a traditional Indian system of preventative medicine) a main staple in cleansing is a dish called kitchari. Kitchari recipes can vary but the main components are always lentils and rice. Known to be grounding and strengthening, this dish meant to be easy on the digestive system and provide essential amino acids. Today I would like to share my take on this dish, Ilene’s Kitchari.
I’ve added my favorite power trio- garlic, ginger and onions, so this recipe is great for boosting your immune system and helping you recover from a cold. The avocado and tahini add a little extra healthy fat, which provides long lasting energy. Similar to my Brown Rice Green Bowl, this is an overall great dish for getting back into balance.
Ilene’s Kitchari
makes 2 servings
What you’ll need:
- 1/4 cup lentils
- 1/4 cup brown rice
- 1 tbs coconut oil
- 1 medium onion, diced
- 2 cloves of garlic, minced
- 1 tsp minced ginger
- 1 avocado, sliced
- 2 tbs tahini
- sea salt
Directions:
- Bring 1.5 cups of water to a boil in a pot. Add lentils and rice.
- Simmer for 40 minutes, then turn heat off and let pot sit, covered.
- Heat coconut oil at medium heat in a pan. Add onion, garlic and ginger. Saute for about 10 minutes, until slightly browned.
- Combine onions, garlic and ginger with rice and lentils. Transfer to bowls and top with avocado and tahini. Sprinkle with sea salt and enjoy!
If you’re interested in learning more about Ayurveda (and I hope you are!) Deepak Chopra’s Perfect Health is a great place to start. Also, one of my favorite cookbooks of all time is Talya Lutzker’s The Ayurvedic Vegan Kitchen.
This is a delicious recipe! I think I’ll have it today instead of Super Bowl junk! 😉
Mmmm… super healthy and it looks great, too. I love the tahini and avo. additions. I once knew a woman who wouldn’t eat any garlic or onions and said she was following an ayurvedic diet, saying that it’s unhealthy for us. I love garlic & onions, but what do you know about what she’s saying? Is it perhaps her dosha?
Thanks for the kind words! Some Ayurvedic practitioners believe that onions and garlic are bad for the mind and mediation. I haven’t ever experimented with cutting it out so I don’t have any first-hand experience but these two food are super important in keeping my immune system strong in the winter!
As a Chopra Perfect Health instructor, I am excited by your Ayurvedic dish inclusion. Kitchadi in it’s many variatiins is the cornerstone of the dosha balancing meals. Thanks for getting the word out. Your recipes are always inspiring. I love what you’re doing!
I’ve made this so many times and it’s sooo good! I was wondering, do you think it would still taste good if I subbed quinoa for the rice?
That makes me so happy! I love this simple recipe. And yes, I think quinoa would be a delicious sub! 🙂