Recipes

A Summer Meditation to Help You Slow Down
Summertime conjures up images of ice cream cones, neighborhood swimming pools, family vacations, and beach bonfires. The rhythm of longer, warmer days makes summer the favorite season for many. Difficult decisions like Pool or beach? Strawberry or coconut popsicle? BBQ or picnic? may be at the forefront of your mind.While the summer may be filled with all kinds of exciting...
Pitta Balancing Herbs to Include in Your Summer Rotation
Add these cooling herbs into your diet this summer to keep Pitta at bay all season long. 
Ayurvedic Herbal Remedies for Springtime
Keep your Kapha at bay this spring with these Ayurvedic herbs.
Ayurveda and the 6 Tastes of Life
Ayurveda gives us a lot of great information about healthy eating, and one of the most important is understanding the six tastes of life: sweet, sour, salty, pungent, bitter, and astringent.
Building a Six-Taste Bowl with Sahara Rose
In fact, today it’s more important than ever before to keep our immune systems in balance! This is where my Six Taste Bowl comes in, from my book Eat Feel Fresh: A Contemporary Plant-Based Ayurvedic Cookbook.When you consume a meal that contains the Ayurvedic six tastes, you are nourished from a cellular level. Each taste corresponds with different qualities, as...
5 Vata-Balancing Strategies for Fall
Ahh, fall — the beautiful autumn foliage, pumpkin picking, and drinking warm apple cider as the air cools and the wind picks up. Just as doshas govern your constitution, they also govern the seasons. Summer has transitioned into fall, which is considered to be the Vata time of the year. The Vata dosha is made of the elements air and...
Cool Summer Foods for Balancing Pitta
Learn about cooling summer meals that can help counter imbalances in your pitta dosha. Enjoy the warm weather with these cooling summer foods.
Heal Naturally with Ayurveda
Ayurveda teaches that good health depends upon our body’s ability to metabolize all aspects of life, assimilating that which nurtures us, and eliminating the rest. When we can’t completely digest our food, experiences, and emotions, toxic residue gets stored in our bodily tissue, creating imbalance and – ultimately – disease.Thousands of years ago, the ancient ayurvedic physicians developed panchakarma, an...
3 Herbal Smoothie Recipes to Nourish Your Nervous System
Using herbs to support your nervous system is a fantastic addition to managing mild stress and anxiety. Here are three herbal smoothie recipes for you to try.Are you interested in learning about a not-so-common way to enjoy a smoothie? Try adding herbs! I know what you're thinking—herbs in smoothies? Yes, that's right. And it's a fabulous way to add in...
5 Immune-Boosting Juice Recipes
Before you reach for a boring glass of orange, apple, or grape juice. Try these 5 immune booster recipes that are healthy and great tasting.
5 Foods (and Recipes) for Skin Health
What you feed your body directly affects the health of your skin. For example, you may have noticed that you look puffy after consuming too much sugar or red wine. Conversely, when you eat a diet rich in nutrient-dense whole foods, you likely wake up feeling and looking more radiant.Your skin is the largest organ in your body; its healthy...
The 2 Types of Eaters—Permitters and Restrictors
Two women were standing near a party buffet. One woman eyed the garlic-mashed potatoes and said, “Oh God, they look so good! But I promised myself I'd stay on a low-carb diet for at least three weeks, and this is only day two.” The other woman said, “I told myself I would lose weight this year, and I haven't lost...
5 Ways Beans Boost Your Heart Health
If you want an inexpensive and delicious way to improve your heart health, add more beans to your diet. Beans are a low-fat, high-fiber protein source, and they provide multiple phytochemicals that help reduce your risk of many health conditions, including heart disease.Beans belong to a family of foods known as legumes, which are plants whose seeds are contained within...
Do-it-Yourself, All-Natural SPF
The only way to be absolutely sure of what’s in your sunscreen is by making it yourself. Reduce your toxic load of chemicals with this safe sunscreen recipe.DIY Safe Sunscreen Recipe 1/2 cup olive oil 1/4 cup fractionated coconut oil 1/4 cup beeswax 2 tablespoons zinc oxide 1 teaspoon vitamin E 2 tablespoons shea butter 12 drops Helichrysum essential oil...
The Healing Benefits of Turmeric
If you’re looking for a simple and delicious way to enhance your mind-body health, the beautiful yellow spice known as turmeric is a pharmacy unto itself. A wealth of scientific studies has demonstrated the health benefits of turmeric on the digestive,cardiovascular, rheumatic, and immune systems.As recent research shows:• Turmeric has a protective effect on the liver and can help reduce...
Vata Balancing Recipes
Enjoy these simple recipes to warm and balance your system.
Easy Vegan Tortilla Pizza
One of our favorite go-to dinners is pizza. My family and I love this quick, easy, and nutritious tortilla pizza recipe with sweet potatoes, sprouts, and avocado for a simple yet delicious weeknight meal.Vegan Tortilla Personal PizzasPhoto by April DuckworthSprouts adds a welcome crunch and are a good source of fiber, which improves digestion and gut health and helps manage...
Four Tips for Hosting Outdoors and a Recipe for Vegan Crispy Potato Salad
It is officially summer! The season of extended daylight, warmth, and more time outdoors. One of my favorite things to do is gather outdoors with family and friends. I love to eat outside among nature, and it just feels like a very treasured time.Recently, my family and friends threw me a surprise birthday, outdoor picnic style, in one of my...
Pitta Balancing Beverages to Help You Feel Cool and Refreshed
Try these simple and delicious pitta balancing beverages to keep your cool all summer long.
Vegan Blueberry Cantaloupe Salad with Maple Balsamic Dressing
As we are outside more during these warmer days, taking walks and enjoying all of the blooms and vibrant colors, we also feel excited for so many fresh and seasonal produce options. Cantaloupe will always be associated with warm days to me. It is my favorite of the melons. While it is delicious just on its own, I wanted to...
Creamy Vegan Cucumber Dill Soup
As we begin to enjoy warmer, longer days in the northern hemisphere, we are also entering the season of fresh produce in abundance. One of my favorites since childhood is cucumber. As I sat down to plan a luncheon for my family, I was inspired to include cucumber in a soup. Typically, we have always included cucumber for salads, which...
Vegan Cherry Nice Cream
This sweet cherry dessert is a favorite in our home. We have been preparing this version of vegan ice cream made with frozen fruit, or “nice cream”, for several years now, and keep coming back to it. It’s especially delicious during warm weather for a cool treat.Vegan Cherry Nice CreamPhoto by April DuckworthVegan cherry nice cream really satisfies our sweet...
Vegan Coconut Pineapple Rice
This recipe has become a staple in our home. We often have rice or quinoa as a base for our meals, and this recipe blends sweet pineapple and coconut milk with a hint of spice for a simple yet flavorful meal that doesn’t disappoint!This dish is perfect as the weather warms up, while also providing several important vitamins and minerals....
Vegan Carrot and Potato Casserole
We have been feeling a suggestion of spring for a few weeks, and it finally feels as if it has arrived. We are embracing it by spending more time outside, taking time to truly smell the flowers and blooms around us, and enjoying more fresh produce. This recipe is a delightful choice for a spring gathering with friends and family....
Detoxifying Spring Recipes
Kapha balancing recipes to stay healthy and balanced this spring.
Creamy Vegan Cauliflower Soup
This is a brand new recipe in our home, and one that will certainly be added to our favorite’s list. Packed with antioxidants, fiber, and vitamin C, this soup is not only healthy, but delicious. It offered a new flavor for us, with the combination of cauliflower to cashew cream sauce. The aroma of the herbs is also a lovely...
The Power of Beets: Add This Veggie to Your Smoothie for Grounding and Nourishment
With the busy, always-on-the-go, lifestyle so many of us have become accustomed to, it’s no wonder many turn to practices such as meditation, yoga, and even art as a form of grounding or recalibration. Grounding — which is also referred to as Earthing — is a therapeutic method that involves realigning the body and mind with the Earth’s energy. Certain...
Lemon Cashew Pasta with Purple Sweet Potatoes and Asparagus
This pasta recipe was inspired by our son’s love of purple sweet potatoes. During the winter months, my husband prepared a pureed purple sweet potato soup, and our son really enjoyed it! After that, we decided to incorporate them more into our meals. Purple sweet potatoes are also, of course, incredibly nutritious and full of antioxidants. Purple sweet potatoes are...
Apple and Pear Salad with Creamy Cucumber Dressing
As we begin to approach the official start of spring, I am already thinking about salads and an abundance of fresh produce. As we officially welcome a new season this month, I find myself thinking more about warmer days with more sunlight. This salad has become a family favorite, and is excellent alongside many of our main dishes.Apple and Pear...
Valentine’s Day Vegan Chocolate Avocado Mousse
Looking for an easy and delicious dessert to celebrate love this Valentine’s Day? I am very happy to share this vegan chocolate mousse with you.My husband and I look forward to making this for special occasions, and with Valentine’s Day approaching, it is certainly on our menu. There is something soothing about it, as the scent of rich dark chocolate...
Valentine’s Day Vegan Lasagna
Set the table with the special plates you never seem to use, and fresh or dried flowers as a warm centerpiece, to accompany your Valentine’s Day celebration. Enjoy the aromatic scent of the herbs and spices coming together for this delicious lasagna.
The Best Kid-Friendly Berry Mini Muffins
As parents of a toddler, we are often working and creating recipes that are both healthy and delicious for him to enjoy. We decided to give it a try with our take on mini-muffins, vegan and gluten-free!On a cold Saturday afternoon, we prepared these muffins, and they seem to be toddler-approved! My husband and I also served them for a...
Creamy Tomato Minestrone Soup to Nourish Your Soul
Minestrone soup has always been one of my favorites. There is an abundance of vibrant vegetables in this soup, providing health and warmth as we start off this new year. Many of us set intentions or goals during this time of year.As my husband and I prepared this soup, we discussed some of our plans for 2022, while also being...
Holiday Recipes with an Ayurvedic Twist
This holiday season, we may find ourselves torn between eating nutritious foods and sharing in holiday treats. Ayurveda can help us do both at once, while including one of Ayurveda’s Four Aims of Life: enjoyment. These are some simple variations on holiday recipes that will satisfy your sweet tooth and appetite, as well as your agni.By swapping out common ingredients...
Holiday Recipes: Vegan Waffles with Cranberry Chutney for Cozy Mornings
Breakfast is quite possibly my favorite meal of the day. I enjoy the calm and peacefulness of the early morning hours. It is a time of the day in which I enjoy writing, and feel creatively inspired. I often wake before the sun rises, and like to ease into the day. While we have our usual go-to breakfasts, it’s also...
Holiday Recipes: The Best Vegan Shepherd's Pie
Over the past few years, my husband and I have become the hosts for holiday gatherings. This is a bittersweet passing of the torch so to speak. I have many warm memories of my parents hosting, but it is now very meaningful to be able to share our recipes and home with family and friends. Cooking collectively and enjoying delicious...
Holiday Recipes: Add Sweetness to Your Life With Vegan, Gluten-Free Pecan Pie
As we planned our first annual Friendsgiving gathering since relocating to Kentucky, my husband and I discussed what our contributions would be with our friends. Planning is not only an essential part of the process, but also very fun as we gather ideas, expand our culinary creativity, and anticipate the delicious food and warm conversations we will share with friends....
Holiday Recipes: A Vegan, Gluten-Free Sweet Potato Pie the Whole Family Can Enjoy
Sweet potatoes are delicious, versatile, and align very well with the fall season. They are very soothing to the digestive system, especially when cooked with ginger. We include ginger in this recipe for this reason. Sweet potatoes are high in fiber and antioxidants, providing amazing benefits to gut health. I try to have ginger in some form every day, as...
Holiday Recipes: Make This Lentil Loaf the Centerpiece of Your Next Gathering
Our lentil loaf recipe is one of our first choices as the weather cools and we usher in Autumn and Winter. We prepare this dish for gatherings with family and friends, special occasions, and to enjoy this meal together as a family. Last weekend, we had family in town for the first time in a long time. The weather was...
Holiday Recipes: Vegan, Gluten-Free Stuffing with Carrots, Fennel, and Apple
Stuffing seems to be synonymous with the holiday season. Over the years since we’ve become the hosts for holiday dinners with family, my husband and I have worked on a healthy vegan and gluten-free stuffing recipe. One that is not only vegan and gluten-free, but also oil-free. We’ve finally found one that we’re happy with, and there are many variations...
Halloween Treat: 5-Ingredient Oatmeal Raisin Cookies
October is here. Leaves are changing their hues to bright orange, red, and yellow. It’s a time that encourages coziness in the home, introspection as we move through the change of seasons, and a wonderful time to be out in nature. The temperatures are cooler, making walks and hikes incredibly lovely as we move through the vibrant forest.As a mom...
Quiet Mornings and a Warm Oatmeal Breakfast
How do you begin your day? Yoga and meditation? A jog? Quiet? Stillness? Writing or journaling? Or none of the above?An ever-evolving practice is to be present. Starting the morning with a quiet reflective time is very important. Waking up early may encourage one to write and inspire intentional energy for nurturing ideas, plans, and goals. The house is calm...
Warm Up with Sweet Potato Black Bean Soup
Cozy up with this soup as the days get a little shorter and evenings get cooler. This sweet potato and black bean soup is not only delicious, but provides healing Ayurvedic properties and boosts immunity with the combination of ginger, garlic & onion. It also includes a cashew cream sauce, which can be grounding and satisfying as we enter the...
Breakfast Rice Cereal 
You can modify this recipe for your dosha by substituting other grains for the rice. See suggestions below. 1 cup basmati rice, (or other grain) uncooked* (sweet) 2 cups water ½ teaspoon salt, if desired (salty) ½ teaspoon nutmeg (pungent, bitter) 1 teaspoon cinnamon (pungent, sweet) ½ teaspoon clove (pungent, bitter) 1 cup vanilla soy milk (can substitute regular milk...
Vegetable Barley Casserole
You can modify this recipe for your dosha by following the suggestions below.Ingredients: 3 cups bite-size vegetables, such as carrots (sweet), zucchini (sweet, astringent), yellow squash (sweet, astringent), potatoes (sweet, astringent), and leeks (pungent, sweet), kale or other dark leafy greens (bitter) 1 tablespoon ghee (sweet) 3 cups cooked barley (sweet) 1 cup fresh or frozen corn (sweet, astringent) 12...
Spinach Greens with Gorgonzola
This is a quick, delicious salad that takes only twenty minutes to prepare. The dressing suggestions and modifications to balance your dosha are below.Discover your dosha type here.Ingredients 2 pounds washed and stemmed spinach (bitter, astringent) ¼ cup sliced radishes (pungent) ½ cup crumbled Gorgonzola cheese (sweet, sour) ½ cup dried cranberries or currants (sweet, sour, astringent) 1 cup honey-glazed...
Get Grounded with Sweet Potato Chai Pancakes
In the Northern Hemisphere, we’re in the midst of Vata season, with cold, windy days that increase the Vata dosha in the body, mind, and emotions. If you accumulate too much Vata, you’re likely to feel nervous, spacy, or overstimulated. To keep your Vata in balance, start your day with a grounding breakfast routine to feel rooted, warm, and nourished.Discover...
Pumpkin Power: 4 Recipes Featuring America’s Favorite Squash
From lattes and lasagnas to soups and salads, pumpkin is suitable for endless culinary creations. It’s also a nutritional powerhouse.Pumpkin’s deep orange color means it’s packed with powerful compounds called carotenoids. Carotenoids have been linked to cancer prevention, reduced risk of heart disease, and improved vision, according to the American Society for Nutritional Sciences. This fruit also comes with beaucoup...
7 Vegan Recipes for the Fourth of July
When you think about Fourth of July it’s usually centered around burgers, hot dogs, ribs, chicken, sausages, skewers ... the list goes on. Basically, any meat you can BBQ will be found in many Fourth of July celebrations. But what if you don’t eat meat? Or perhaps you just want to have vegan recipes at your Independence Day celebration?There are...
What Should You Eat During a Pandemic?
What should you eat during a pandemic? This question seems to come up a lot these days, and rightly so. The focus on strengthening your immunity and steadying your mood is vital when thinking about what to eat during a pandemic. Implementing simple ways to build your body’s defenses to reinforce its protective powers is paramount for when (and if!)...
Celebrate National Hummus Day with These Three Recipes
Although hummus now has a significant place in the western snack and appetizer world, it has been a staple of Middle Eastern cuisine for centuries. Hummus (or hommus) means chickpea in Arabic and can be found in recipes as far back as the 13th century. As meat was often hard to come by, the hearty bean dish has many variations...
6 Foods To Heal & Improve Your Liver's Health
Show your liver some love and eat some foods that will help clean it and improve its health. The experts at Chopra have identified 6 foods that will help.
7 Clean-Eating Recipes Perfect for Winter
Winter is a time when indulgent foods are really desirable. Think about it—it’s cold outside, it gets darker earlier, and you’re always bundled up in a coat or a blanket. The last thing you want to do is drink a frozen smoothie or eat a cold salad, right? It’s easy to get in the habit of eating a little on...
5 Warming Winter Recipes That Are Nutritious & Delicious
Brrrr, winter is here, and you can feel it in the air. Fall has ended, and the mornings and nights are colder with each passing day. You can bundle up by the fire, wear an extra layer of clothing, or perhaps a beanie, but keeping yourself warm starts on the inside. Your body maintains its temperature as best it can,...
5 Vegan Desserts Perfect for a Holiday Party
Holiday parties are fun for many reasons, and the food you share is typically one of them—especially the desserts. But often the desserts can be full of butter, milk, and eggs. If you’re hosting a vegan party or have vegan guests, you need yummy vegan desserts that your guests will actually enjoy eating. These recipes are perfect for delighting in...
Healthy Thanksgiving Recipes for the Whole Family
Thanksgiving is a holiday centered around family and food. Everyone joins around a dinner table and eats together in thankfulness. While the most important part about Thanksgiving is gratitude and connection, it helps when there is a table full of delicious food. Not only that, but it can be healthy too.Most Thanksgiving recipes are loaded with fat, sugar, and calories....
Fall Smoothies: 5 Recipes to Shake It Up Using the Season's Best
Depending on where you live on this beautiful earth, fall is the season of new beginnings and the transition between summer and winter. It includes the months of September, October, and November. The weather changes and gets a little more chilly in the mornings and at night, but you can still feel that warm sunshine during the day. It brings...
5 Fall Foods Full of Flavor
Have you heard of the six flavors? Each flavor is known in Ayurveda (the traditional medicine of India) for different qualities and elements. Each of the six flavors has its own unique medicinal properties that can be honed and fine-tuned within your eating. Often known as the taste of satiation, the combination and balance of all six flavors are said...
5 Easy Vegan Recipes to Take on the Go
When you think of on-the-go foods, what comes to mind? Is it fast food, packaged snack foods like chips or crackers, or energy bars? There are so many convenience foods in grocery stores, gas stations, and liquor stores that it’s easy to consume processed foods on a daily basis. Especially when you’re on the go, it’s too easy to get...
Eating with the Season: 6 Autumn Produce Favorites + 3 Recipes
‘Tis the season to bask in the golden hue of autumn sunlight, to cozy up in a warm flannel, to snuggle up with those you love, and to celebrate the bountiful harvest with tasty seasonal food that nourishes your body, mind, and soul.Choosing seasonal produce is an effective way to attune your body to nature. Eat more whole, locally grown...
10 Energizing Foods to Add to Your Diet
Even if your day starts with coming off a good night’s sleep, engaging in a strong workout, and savoring your morning coffee, you still might be faltering come afternoon. Some food might help perk you up!Many folks are falling onto the couch at the end of the day without a drop of energy to spare. Some foods, however, are natural...
7 Plant-Based Foods That Are High in Iron
Iron, or (Fe), is known as one of the most common elements on earth, making up five percent of the earth’s crust. Iron is an essential trace mineral imperative for a healthy body—from energy production, to transporting oxygen in the blood, to cognitive function, to a more balanced mood, iron is a nutrient you want to make sure to include...
Papaya Fruit: 3 Health Benefits and 5 Recipes
Papaya is a sweet, tropical fruit that has so much flavor, but even more health benefits. It’s a unique looking fruit that’s large in size and has an inside full of small round black seeds. When it’s sliced in half lengthwise it looks like a boat! The inside is bright orange and the outside is green when it’s unripe but...
Superfood Favorites: 5 Health Benefits of Acai Berries + 5 Recipes
Acai berries are a small purple berry with a powerful punch of flavor and nutrition. Have you tried them before? You’ll commonly see them in pureed preparations like smoothies or acai bowls, but they can also be found in a powder form. Acai berries taste similar to a blackberry but a little sweeter and less tart. They’re a staple food...
6 Health Benefits of Garlic
You likely know garlic well, as it is a popular ingredient in almost every culture’s cuisine around the world. Considered a potent sulfurous vegetable (yes, it’s considered a vegetable—it’s part of the onion family), the effects of garlic can be imbibed in a variety of ways from raw to fermented and sautéed to capsuled as dietary supplements.Garlic’s nutritional qualities make...
4 Health Benefits of Kefir, Plus 5 Recipes
Kefir is a traditional food, originating in Eastern Europe and Russia in the Caucasian mountains. Derived from the Turkish word keyif, which means “feeling good,” kefir became a tonic that was enjoyed beyond Eastern Europe.What Is Kefir?Kefir is a slightly more-liquid version of yogurt. Often recommended for its impressive probiotic levels, kefir both does well as a stand-alone fermented beverage...
5 Ways to Incorporate More High-Fiber Foods in Your Diet
Fiber is something you are likely familiar with. Commercials on TV try to sell you dry fiber crackers and chalky powders to make you more regular. If you’re constipated, prune juice always seems to be recommended as the cure for what ails. But a high-fiber diet doesn’t have to be gross and unsatisfying. You can achieve healthy digestion while enjoying...
Mushroom Nutrition: Benefits & Recipes
Are you a fan of mushrooms? Or do they intimidate you? Mushrooms may seem complicated because there are so many different varieties. Some are safe to eat, some are poisonous, some are psychedelic, but did you know they are all a fungus? The world of mushrooms goes in many different directions, but there are many mushroom species that can be...
Chia Vs. Flax: Which One Is Better?
Chia seeds and flaxseeds are both excellent additions of your diet. But which should you pick for your diet? Learn more from the experts at Chopra.
3 Comfort Food Recipes That Are Actually Healthy
Comfort food—everyone craves it from time to time. Especially in the cold weather or when you’re feeling under the weather! But comfort food typically comes with a heavy, bloated feeling afterward since stereotypical comfort food is fried chicken, mashed potatoes, biscuits and gravy, chicken noodle soup—full of carbs that leave you tired. But while it all might taste good at...
A Look at 4 Popular Diet Plans: Which Is Best for You?
The word diet doesn’t necessarily mean deprivation. It’s a term that you may hear and instantly associate with drinking detox drinks and eating rice cakes to lose weight. But that’s not the case. A diet is just a specific way of eating. Your diet is the food that you consume on a daily basis.Which diet is best for you? What...
7 Vegan Breakfasts to Jump-Start Your Morning
The alarm rings. You get ready, rush out the door, head toward a drive-through to grab coffee, then crash a couple hours later once the caffeine wears off. Sound familiar? Mornings can get pretty hectic, and if you don’t make time to eat breakfast, you won’t have any fuel in your body.Or maybe you do eat breakfast, but you grab...
8 Vegan Recipes for Your Next Dinner Party
Dinner parties are always fun. But they can come with a lot of stress as well, especially if you’re catering to special diets, like veganism. It’s always good to have an array of different dishes for special diets so that your guests who have dietary restrictions feel like they have options. And yummy ones, too!Here are eight easy vegan recipes...
10 Paleo Lunch Ideas
If you follow a paleo diet, the typical brown-bag or toss-in-a-cooler-bag lunch of a sandwich, chips, cookie, and soda won’t do. The paleo diet mimics what people hunted, gathered, and ate during the Paleolithic era more than 10,000 years ago: meats, fish, vegetables, fruits, nuts, and seeds. The diet typically excludes foods created by modern farming: processed sugar, dairy, legumes,...
7 Health Food Trends You Should Know About in 2019
A new year means new beginnings. And new beginnings are the start of new trends including in the health food space. The health industry is constantly changing and evolving, which is fantastic because with each year comes new information; without change, the market remains stagnant and outdated. So what is 2019 going to bring in health food trends?Let’s first take...
3 Warming Soup Recipes to Fend Off Winter Weight Gain
Cold weather, post-holiday hustle, sweet treats, and added stress—sounds like winter! And with all those things it’s easy to put on a few (or more) pounds. In cold weather, your body uses energy to keep the body warm, which takes energy away from digestion and metabolism. Your metabolism naturally slows down so it’s easier to gain weight during winter.In Ayurveda,...
5 Dishes to Make Your Thanksgiving Vegan
Thanksgiving is a time when families and friends gather together to share a specially prepared feast, camaraderie, and each other’s company. Why not put a different spin on your Thanksgiving meal this year by incorporating the time-honored wisdom of Ayurveda and embracing ahimsa (nonviolence) by making the meal completely vegan.The following recipes incorporate the six tastes of Ayurveda—sweet, salty, sour,...
6 Benefits of Turmeric—The Queen of Spices
Turmeric! This wonder spice has been in the news as study after study touts its anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, wound-healing, pain-relieving, anti-arthritic, anti-dementia, and even anti-cancer properties. According to Dr. Michael Greger, author of How Not to Die, more than 5,000 articles have been published in medical journals about the health benefits of curcumin, the pigment that gives turmeric its bright yellow...
5 Dinner Recipes with 9 Ingredients or Less
Convenience is key when it comes to cooking. Between work, family, school, exercise, obligations—life just gets busy! Not everyone has time to spend hours slaving over the stove every night after work. Nor would anyone want to!There is nothing better than a quick and easy recipe that doesn’t have a laundry list of ingredients. And the good news is that...
What You Need to Know About 5 Popular Condiments
Sauces and condiments play a large role in many diets. Any food item you consume daily—including condiments—has the potential to affect your health. The ingredients in leading American condiments could be undoing your dietary health goals.Below you will find five of the most common condiments, with explanations for why they might not be optimal for your health, along with suggestions...
Smoothies vs. Juices: Which Is Better?
In the heat of summer, there is nothing more refreshing than a big smoothie or a glass of fresh juice. But are smoothies and juices actually healthy? When it comes to your health, which is better?The truth is, there is no right or wrong answer to that question. When it comes to smoothies vs. juices, the choice depends on what...
6 Superstar Spices of Ayurveda, Plus 3 Recipes
Ayurveda considers food to be one of the most important pillars of health. You have heard the phrase, “You are what you eat.” Ayurveda takes this one step further—you are what you eat and how you digest what you eat. Digestion is the cornerstone of health and immunity in Ayurveda. This is where the magic of spices comes in.Spices have...
6 Light and Easy Summer Dinner Recipes
While summer is a longed-for season to savor, your days may be more playful and social. Added to the expansive days and heat of summer, you may be a little tuckered out by the end of the day. Luckily, the seasonal foods of summer are generally lighter, fresher, and much quicker to prepare.Here are six simple, quick, and delicious recipes...
5 High-Fiber Recipes to Cleanse Your Digestive Tract
Most people know eating fiber is important. But what does that even mean? Why fiber? What is it and what role does it play in your health?Fiber comes in two different types: Soluble: It is just as it sounds—soluble—it can be dissolved. It absorbs water and turns into a gel-like consistency that slows down digestion. This is helpful for satiety...
5 Vegan and Gluten-Free Cooling Summer Recipes
Ayurvedic healing rests on the simple, yet profound principle that like increases like and opposites decrease each other (or, as Hippocrates wisely put it, “opposites are the cure for opposites”). So to find balance during the hot summer (Pitta) days, you may counteract the warm weather by including more of what Ayurveda considers “cooling” foods, while limiting or avoiding “heating”...
The Vedic Chef: 3 Ayurvedic Recipes that Balance All 6 Tastes
In Ayurveda, there are six tastes that you can include in every meal: sweet, sour, salty, bitter, pungent, and astringent. Meals with all six tastes are great opportunities to help balance flavors and nutrition for better health for everyone in your family (or whoever you are serving).The following three recipes are built from many small dishes and include all six...
5 Foods That Are Full of Lycopene
If you haven’t heard of lycopene before, it’s time to get familiar with lycopene foods that fight cancer, help the heart, & reduce inflammation.
5 Top Farmer’s Market Picks for Spring and Summer
Have you ever noticed that your body craves different foods during certain times of the year? During the winter our bodies crave heavier foods like soups, grains, and starchy vegetables. Springtime is when your body is ready to clear out the heavy and rich foods from the winter. It’s a time for renewal, to feel refreshed, and to feel lighter....
The Vedic Chef: 3 Vegetarian Recipes for Spring
One of the best parts of the changing seasons is that new vegetables come into season. Although the interconnectedness of the world means that most produce can be found year-round (it’s always being grown somewhere!), your palate is primed for the changes in what’s available locally at their traditional in-season times.Broccoli, ginger, and zucchini are flavorful and healing ingredients that...
3 Reasons to Include Spring Greens in Your Diet
While winter meals rely mainly on nutrient-dense, shelf-stable dietary staples, spring brings out your inner hunter-gatherer. Fresh and bright fruit and vegetable options are springing up in grocery stores. One of the first available foods, and most important dietary staples, of the springtime Ayurvedic diet is leafy green vegetables.Here are three reasons to reach for your greens this spring.1. They...
5 Sweet and Healthy Chocolate-y Treats for Valentine’s Day
Whether or not you are in a romantic relationship, Valentine’s Day is a celebration of ALL things love. This could be sharing a day of love with a romantic partner or it could mean sharing love with friends and family. Most importantly, this Valentine’s day it’s time to practice and celebrate self-love.There are two essential elements of a self-love practice:...
3 Healthy Holiday Dessert Recipes
Holidays are a time to get together with family, and inevitably, there are plenty of food temptations at events and gatherings. Being that desserts are more readily available at this time of year, it’s easy to overdo it with your sweet tooth. After eating too many rich desserts, you may be left feeling physically sluggish and emotionally stressed from feeling...
5 Quick and Healthy Go-To Breakfasts
You may find yourself struggling to fit a healthy breakfast into your life. Between getting the kids ready for school, trying to get some exercise, and getting to the office on time, there is little time left to prepare a healthy meal. In addition to rushing in the morning you may feel overwhelmed by the variety of breakfast choices and...
Cooking with Tea: 5 Recipes Using Tea as a Spice
There’s nothing quite as comforting on a brisk fall day as curling up on the couch and sipping on a mug of spiced chai tea, or enjoying a cup of green tea with a touch of honey in the morning before you jump into your busy day.But tea can be enjoyed outside the cup, too, in ways that extend far...
5 Healthy Desserts You’ll Love to Eat for Breakfast
As the most important meal of the day, breakfast is deserving of your undivided attention. It gives your body the energy it needs to kick-start the day and keep up with jobs, kids, pets, errands, yoga classes, and everything in between. Breakfast has also been shown to have a variety of health benefits beyond daily nourishment, like aiding in weight...
5 Reasons to Up Your Fiber Intake
Fiber may not be the sexiest part of your diet, but it’s one of the most important. Dietary fiber consists of the non-digestible carbohydrates, mostly from components of plants. The human body does not make the types of enzymes needed to break the bonds in these fibers, so they pass through the body relatively intact.There are two types of fiber—soluble...
Salad Guidelines: How to Add Variety and Nutrients
Do you ever get bored of eating the same salad over and over again?If your answer is “yes,” then it’s time to mix it up a bit! There are so many fantastic salad mixtures for you to try without having to be a master chef in the kitchen.As you probably already know, salads are one of the easiest meals to...
6 Cookbooks for Easy, Clean Meals
Do you ever find yourself getting tired of cooking the same recipes? It can feel overwhelming to search for new recipes online and in cookbooks, and most of them seem complicated and too long to make. But before throwing in the towel and going back to your staples, know there are easy-to-follow and delicious recipes out there.Whether you have a...
5 DIY Healthy Fruit Bar Recipes
If you remember chasing after the neighborhood ice cream truck when you were a child, you know the joy that came with tearing the plastic wrap off a Big Stick or Creamsicle and taking that first bite of a cool, refreshing, sweet delight. As an adult, you may want something a little healthier or more natural, for you and for...
Sensational Summer Smoothies: 3 Healthy Recipes
Summer is here, and it’s a great opportunity to pick up your green smoothie habit. It’s common for your taste preferences to change with the seasons, and during the winter time, you probably craved more grounding and warm meals. Now that it’s the summer, it’s time to enjoy lighter and fresher foods.If you tend to be someone who rushes in...
5 Fresh Summertime Sauces to Take Your BBQ to the Next Level
Summertime is upon us, which means laying by the pool, weekend camping trips, fresh watermelon … and barbeques! The tricky part of backyard BBQs is they are always filled with calorie-laden potato salads and unhealthy hot dogs and burgers. Think it’s impossible to host a healthy BBQ for your family and friends? Think again: These recipes are easy to make...
3 Smoothie Recipes to Spark Energy
Over the past few years, smoothies have evolved to become a popular way to consume highly beneficial nutrients through the blending of real food ingredients. The ease of creating a nutrient-packed beverage that can be taken on-the-go is quite appealing, especially in a fast-paced world. This trend has influenced the creation of some pretty unique smoothie recipes, making some people...
3 Reasons to Eat More Mushrooms, and 3 Recipes
Maybe it’s because foodies are wising up or maybe it’s because one bite of the irresistible, aromatic truffle sends you to the moon, but mushrooms have finally made their mark on the culinary world. Not so long ago, many people routinely plucked the mushrooms out of their salads at restaurants or scoffed at the family member who dared to order...
5 Skincare Recipes That Give You a Natural Glow
Spring is the season of renewal, with signs of change visible all around you. This is an opportunity to let go of the old to make way for the new. Perhaps your body and mind are ready to step outside into longer days and brighter sun, but don’t forget about giving your skin a fresh start, too. Now is the...
5 Hearty Vegan Soup Recipes for Winter
Soup is so much more than a delicious comfort food; it’s an ideal way to sneak a heaping load of nutritious veggies into your meals in one shot. Because you retain and consume the water in which it’s cooked, soup packs quite a vitamin and mineral punch. It makes your belly feel full and warms your body from the inside...
4 Nourishing Soup Recipes for Cold Days
There is something nourishing about the warmth and grounding flavors of a hot bowl of soup on a cold winter day. Traditionally, bone broths were used as the base of soups to support the immune system and digestive health, which is probably why soup sounds the most appealing to you when you’re sick—it has so many healing benefits for your...
5 Ways to Get More Greens Without Eating a Salad
If there is one thing you can do to enhance your diet, it’s adding in more green vegetables. These power foods are packed with vitamins, minerals, and fiber. Regardless of what diet you follow—vegetarian, vegan, low-carb, or paleo, adding more green vegetables can support you in improving your overall health. According to Harvard’s School of Public Health, eating vegetables can...
Thanksgiving Meal Makeover: Ingredient Swaps to Make Your Holiday Healthier
Thanksgiving is one of the most special times of the year. Bringing family and friends around the table for a meal is a powerful way to connect with one another. While this is usually a joyful time, it can also bring up feelings of guilt and discomfort when it comes to your relationship with food.With so many delicious options, it’s...
How to Make a Healing Bone Broth
Bone broths have been part of traditional diets around the world for thousands of years. You’ve probably used them for soups or other dishes for flavor, but did you know that they also have incredible healing capacities?Why Bone Broth Is Good for YouThere’s a reason your grandmother always fed you chicken soup with traditional bone broth when you were sick.Traditional...
Autumn Cooking: Fall Foods, Guidelines, and Recipes
Each year, the environment provides subtle hints that fall is on its way. The air smells different, the winds are stronger, and there’s a slight crispness to the atmosphere.Fall is a time of preparation and change for the colder days ahead. It evokes images of bundling up, sitting around fires and enjoying warm, soul-soothing meals. Fall also brings a predominance...
6 Healthy, No-Sugar-Added Desserts
Sugar has been receiving heaps of publicity lately, and not the favorable kind. Diets high in sugar are partially to blame for a host of health issues—from obesity to an increased risk of diabetes.The average American consumes about 20 teaspoons of sugar per day (more than double the recommended amount for men and more than triple the recommended amount for...
6 Vegan BBQ Recipes Everyone Will Love
Whether you’re a full-time vegan or vegetarian, or you dabble in these dietary preferences, you’ve probably found yourself at a BBQ staring down at a table full of grilled meats, wondering what you can eat. The answer is often the consolation prize—perhaps some baked beans or token baby carrots.While carrots and beans are delicious, sometimes you need something heartier—like a...
3 Healthy Pestos for Summer Soirées
With warm summer nights—the primetime season for soirées—quickly approaching, it’s exciting to think about all the upcoming barbecues, rendezvous, and outdoor gatherings for summer fun. Not to mention the endless array of simple summer foods. There’s one particular sauce that offers many culinary options; it’s mixable, spreadable, perfect for sharing purposes, and portable. It’s the almighty pesto! Full of flavor...
6 Ways to Cool Down with Cucumbers, Plus Recipes
Summer offers limitless opportunities to move and frolic in the sunshine. As joyous as all those backyard BBQs, trips to the beach, and swimming in the lake may be, sometimes all that fun in the sun can overheat your body.Fortunately, there’s a great way to cool off, both from the inside out and the outside in, using something you probably...
3 Edible Seeds with Wondrous Benefits
Want to give your meals a gluten-free nutritional boost? Try edible seeds. As little nutritional powerhouses, seeds contain micronutrients, healthy fats, plant-based protein, and easy-to-digest fiber—and you can easily add them to a variety of foods. Keep reading to explore the nutritional landscape of three seed superstars.1. QuinoaQuinoa, pronounced keen-wah, originated in the Andes Mountains, where it has been cultivated...
3 Recipes with an Ayurvedic Twist
We often think of Ayurvedic foods as healthy and flavorful, but full of hard-to-find ingredients requiring hours of preparation.Not so with these three recipes—they will not only help balance your dosha, but also dazzle the dining table and go easy on your schedule.Fresh Pesto and AlmondsAlmonds are considered one of the most sattvic or pure foods in Ayurveda, enlivening the...
The Healthy Spice Cabinet: 7 Healing Spices and 2 Recipes
A spice is a dried bark, berry, bud, fruit, root, or seed used to enhance flavor in food and drinks. Spices have also been used medicinally for thousands of years. In fact, many spices were first used as herbal remedies before ever being incorporated into foods.Throughout history, wars have been waged, trade routes have been established, and new lands have...
Health Benefits of Cooking with Cast Iron
Ever been curious about ways to prepare food that are conducive to healthy eating? Well, it turns out, you can pair your nourishing foods of pleasure with cast iron cookware to increase health benefits. With cast iron, you can not only produce fantastic one-pot wonders on the stove; you can also meet high standards for making tantalizing tarts, cobblers, and...
Heart-Healthy Foods: 3 Recipes for a Strong Ticker
It was once thought that fat and cholesterol were the biggest dietary contributors of heart disease. But with today’s modern research, scientists are finding that sugar and carbs may actually be playing a bigger role in heart disease than fat and cholesterol. For example, Mark Hyman, M.D., cites several studies in his book, The Blood Sugar Solution:The UltraHealthy Program for...
Cold-Weather Comfort Food: 4 Recipes the Healthy Way
Hearty, home-cooked comfort meals can be reminiscent of childhood and family—but unfortunately, many are laden with unhealthy fats and sugars, or are high in carbs. Looking to eat healthier these days but still want a taste of that comfort food you grew up with? Here are four old classics, revamped into healthier versions that taste every bit as good and...
Seasonal Decadence: 3 Healthy Holiday Desserts
Who said that decadent desserts can’t be good for you? Truth is, when desserts are made with ingredients that slow down the digestive process, offer nutritional benefits, and are enjoyed in moderation, they can be nutritiously enjoyable. The holidays are upon us with the delightful scents of mouth-watering goodies—such as cakes, pies, and pastries—that are beginning to fill the air....
The Vedic Chef: Sweet, Sour, and Salty Spanish Tapas
Did you know that tastes can heal you? Ayurveda cooking traditions have long acknowledged the six tastes—sweet, sour, salty, bitter, astringent, and pungent—for their balancing properties. The goal is to incorporate all tastes into each meal, which can sometimes be challenging. One fun way to make sure you include all tastes is to mix and match snacks. You can incorporate...
4 Gluten-Free, Vegan, Paleo Holiday Cookies
Your gluten-free, vegan, or paleo diet doesn’t mean you need to miss out on holiday treats this year. The four recipes below include holiday cookie favorites, minus wheat flour, animal products, and added sugar.Gingerbread CookiesCreate classic gingerbread cookies and decorate them with currents, raisins, and dried cranberries. If you’re short on time or don’t have gingerbread cookie cutters, you can...
5 Nutrition Tips for a Healthy Fall—Plus 3 Recipes
Fall brings shorter days, longer nights, cooler weather, and a new menu of seasonal foods to help keep your body balanced and well. The fall harvest is full of antioxidant- and fiber-laden fare from Brussels sprouts and pumpkin to parsnips and persimmons. Incorporate these tips and recipes into your life to boost your health during the autumn months.Reach for Root...
7 Ancient Grains for a Gluten-Free Diet
The number of people looking for wheat alternatives that are naturally gluten-free due to preference or wheat allergy is growing right alongside the rising incidence of Celiac disease and gluten intolerance.The desire and need for a gluten-free diet has skyrocketed but luckily, there are plenty of alternative gluten-free grains available to consumers. These ancient grains, which originate from countries in...
Goodbye Sodium: 7 Herbs That Taste Better Than Salt
Sodium has long been used as a primary flavor enhancer. We need sodium to support the body in maintaining its hydration levels and electrolyte balance, but we tend to rely on it more heavily than we need to. The average American sodium consumption is 3,400 mg per day while the recommended amount is 2,300 mg or less, according to the...
10 Grab-and-Go Healthy Snacks
Trying to find healthy snacks when you’re out running errands, at your kids’ sports events, or at work can be a daunting task. Vending machines and snack counters tend to be full of unhealthy snacks—not to mention the ever-enticing bowl of candy at the office.When you’re on the hunt for a healthy grab-and-go snack, aim for foods with low sugar...
The Vedic Chef: Ayurvedic Late Summer Soups and Salads
Carrot Juice and Coconut Milk Soup With Cardamom and Fresh MintPitta, VataWith accents of cardamom and mint, this soup is refreshing. The potassium in carrot juice can help reduce cholesterol and the manganese and magnesium help stabilize blood sugar levels, thus reducing risk of diabetes. Vitamin K helps in blood clotting and is essential for protein building and the healing...
The Vedic Chef: 3 Gourmet, Vegan, Ayurvedic Dinner Dishes
Whether you’re cooking for a special friend, entertaining family, or treating that special someone to a romantic meal, these dishes are guaranteed to make an impression. Hint: Serve them with fresh organic salad or start with a light soup.Amaranth Crepes With Saffron SaucePitta and Kaphasaffron-amamrnth-asparagus.jpgCrepes are thin pancakes from France. Made with amaranth, a tiny seed related to spinach, these...
5 Ways to Make Your Picnic Greener—and Healthier
Picnics were once green affairs—long before words like eco-friendly were part of the everyday vernacular. Food was packed up in crocks along with silverware, dishes and glassware, and then carted—via horse and carriage—to a nearby park or rural area. In the generations since the late 1700s, when French parks became public and picnicking became a popular pastime, picnicking has become...
3 Low-Glycemic Breakfast Recipes
About nine percent of the world’s adult population, including 30 million Americans, have diabetes, while another 86 million Americans have pre-diabetes or high blood glucose (sugar) levels. About 15 percent of diabetics and pre-diabetics actually have a normal body weight and many are unaware of their high blood sugar levels.High blood sugar can cause a host of symptoms, including excessive...
Vegan Comfort Food: 3 Ayurvedic Recipes
Who said vegans don't care about flavor? Everyone needs to know how to make a few go-to comfort food dishes. If you're following a vegan diet, get your fill of nutritious, delicious comfort food that’s both vegan and gluten-free with these three recipes. Pittas will jump for the parsnip and leek patties, while the Cornish pasties will benefit all three...
Cheap Eats and Recipes for the Health Conscious
Eating healthy on a budget sounds difficult, but the truth is eating homemade meals can be far less expensive than dining out. Plus, you know exactly what you’re putting into your body. No hidden chemicals, artificial flavoring or coloring, sodium, fats, or sugars. And, more often that not, homemade meals taste better than their mass-produced counterparts.Still, there are some tricks...
The Health-Conscious Cookbook: Salads That Pack Flavor and Nutrition
Warmer weather makes you want to turn off your stovetop and prepare produce-packed meals, instead. Not only are salads a healthy lunch or dinner option, they’re also fast and easy to make. Step out of your salad routine and try one of these three creative recipes, featuring colorful veggies, flavorful herbs, vitamin-packed fruits, filling proteins, and delicious, homemade dressings. Tip:...
Chia Seeds: Miracle Food or Just Another Fad?
You might be most familiar with chia seeds from their early incarnation as novelty “Ch-Ch-Ch-Chia” Pets in the 1970s and 80s, where sprouted chia seeds became the green “fur” on clay animals.Although the Chia Pet fad faded away, chia seeds have found the limelight again as a new superfood. So what are chia seeds and just how “super” are they...
The Health-Conscious Cookbook: Nutritious Thanksgiving Recipes
Thanksgiving is a great time to celebrate family, traditions … and food. But feasting with your family doesn’t mean you have to throw your health out the window.There are plenty of ways to swap in nutrients without compromising flavor. Using fresh ingredients, grains high in fiber, and healthy spices are ways to boost the nutrient level of your feast. Check...
What’s Cookin’? Kapha-Friendly Nutty Broccoli Soup Recipe
Nutrition and diet are great tools to help you keep your doshas in balance. Since the Kapha dosha is heavy, oily, and cold, it’s important to favor foods that are light, dry, and warm. Foods with pungent, bitter, and astringent tastes are most beneficial for pacifying Kapha. This delicious recipe is filled with ingredients, flavors, and spices that help balance...
What’s Cookin’? Pitta-Friendly Tabouli Recipe
One of the best ways to balance your dosha is with your diet. Pitta types have the propensity to get irritable and overeat if they let themselves get too hungry, so foods that provide a steady flow of energy—like vegetables, grains, and beans—are best. Try this tasty tabouli salad recipe to sustain your healthy Pitta appetite for the long run....
What’s Cookin’? Vata-Friendly Pumpkin Soup Recipe
Keeping tabs on what you eat is a great way to keep your dosha in balance. Vatas are more susceptible to digestive disorders than the other doshas so what you eat plays a big role in keeping your Vata dosha in balance.This simple pumpkin soup recipe is made for Vatas. Since Vata is drying, cooling, and light, you should favor...
The Vedic Chef: 4 Dosha-Specific Recipes
Doshas are the three energies that define a person’s makeup. Depending on your Dosha, you may be drawn to certain foods. For example, a Vata Dosha might favor sweet, heavy, and warm aromas while a Pitta Dosha responds better to spices that are cooling. Knowing how to eat for your Dosha is one way to keep your body in balance....
The Vedic Chef: 3 Vegan Meals to Balance the Doshas
According to Ayurveda, good digestion is the most significant factor in our overall health. It will not only ensure prevention of disease, but ultimately lead to feelings of lightness, energy, and bliss. Eating the right foods for your dosha, or mind-body type, is one way to keep your digestion strong. Read more about Chef Johnny Brannigan’s view on the Art...
Winning School Lunches
As a health-conscious parent, it’s easy to walk through a school cafeteria and cringe at the choices available to kids. From Lunchable, artificially-made, peanut butter and jelly sandwiches to cups of fruit floating in water, it may seem that the healthy habits you’re teaching at home cannot be brought to school. Rest assured, you can help your school-aged children keep...
The Health-Conscious Cookbook: Fast and Easy Breakfasts
You’ve heard it from mom and many others over the years because it’s true: breakfast is the most important meal of the day. To pack your day with power and punch, load up with nutrients first thing in the a.m. If you’re short on time, try these recipes that will help you start your morning on a high note. Quick...
The Health-Conscious Cookbook: Cooling Summer Recipes
Ayurvedic healing rests on the simple, yet profound principle that like increases like and opposites decrease each other. So as we look at how to find balance during the hot summer (Pitta) days, we should counteract the weather by including more juicy, cooling foods with high-water content in your diet, while limiting or avoiding heating foods.Cooling foods include: Grains like...
The Health-Conscious Cookbook: Picnic Recipes
Longer, warmer days means more time outside. Take your next meal with you to the beach, park, or playground for a picnic the whole family will love. Here are four non-traditional picnic recipes that are full of color and flavor. So ditch the silverware and grab a blanket and some sunscreen, instead. These recipes only require fingers to lick and...
Gluten-Free Blackberry and Peach Summer Crisp
Wondering what to do with all that luscious and abundant summer produce? This time of year offers an array of fruit in peak season, like nectarines, peaches, apricots, strawberries, blackberries, and melons.When it’s easy to find produce in-season, it becomes easier to incorporate more plant-based foods into your day. Summer produce makes it easy to fill your plate with the...
Vegetable Barley Soup
A healthy soup that's hearty and filling.IngredientsCook and prep time does not include chicken option. A traditional barley soup is usually made with beef. For added flavor without the additional fat, add 3/4 cups diced uncooked chicken to this soup if you wish.Per 1¼-cup serving: ½ teaspoon ghee or olive oil ½ teaspoon mustard seeds, yellow or brown pinch red...
Mediterranean Pasta
Chopra Center's Mediterranean Pasta is full of vegetables and flavor!Ingredients ½ teaspoon ghee or olive oil ½ cup chopped leeks or onions ½ tablespoon Bragg Liquid Aminos or tamari ¼ teaspoon black pepper ½ teaspoon thyme ½ teaspoon dried basil or 2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil ½ teaspoon oregano ½ cup asparagus, cut into 1-inch pieces ¼ cup artichoke ½...
Tortilla Soup with Avocado & Cilantro
Try the Chopra Center's spin on this delicious traditional Mexican dish!Ingredients ½ teaspoon plus 1 teaspoon ghee or olive oil 1 corn tortilla, cut in half, then cut into long, thin strips ½ cup chopped leeks or red onions ½ tablespoon Bragg Liquid Aminos or tamari ½ teaspoon black pepper pinch red chili flakes ½ teaspoon mild chili powder ½...
Buddha's Delight Vegetable Stir-Fry
This stir-fry is filled with vegetables and ready in just 30 minutes.IngredientsPrep and cook time is for vegetable variation only.Per 2-cup serving using olive oil, vegetables, and sauce: 1 clove garlic, pressed, or ½ teaspoon garlic powder ½ teaspoon plus 2 teaspoons sesame oil ½ teaspoon grated ginger or 1 teaspoon ground ⅛ teaspoon red chili flakes ⅛ cup Bragg...
Breakfast Burrito
This quick and easy breakfast burrito is low in calories and will keep you energized until lunch time!IngredientsBurrito Filling Suggestions: Refried pinto beans Rice Avocado Bean sprouts Black beans Sautéed onions and mushroom Scrambled eggs 2 large whole-wheat tortillas (8 inches or larger) 4 tablespoons grated jack or cheddar cheese, optional 1 cup burrito filling of your choice (see options...
Tofu, Eggplant, & Yukon Gold Stew
This hearty vegetarian stew is full of flavor and ready in under an hour!Ingredients ½ tablespoon olive oil ½ teaspoon allspice 1 teaspoon coriander ½ teaspoon dill ½ tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon Bragg Liquid Aminos or tamari 1 cup eggplant, cut into 1-inch cubes, skin on 1 ½ medium Yukon gold potatoes, cubed, skin on 1 cup fresh tofu, firm...
Roasted Winter Vegetable Stew
This hearty vegetarian stew is full of flavor, and makes for great leftovers the next day!IngredientsNavy beans need to be rinsed, and soaked overnight. ⅓ cup navy beans, rinsed, and soaked overnight in water 1⅓ to 2 cups plus ⅓ tablespoon vegetable stock ⅓ teaspoon plus 1 teaspoon olive oil ⅓ tablespoon dried sage ⅓ tablespoon dried thyme ⅓ tablespoon...
Vegetable White Bean Chili
Looking for a vegetarian chili recipe? We've got you covered! Try our hearty, flavorful option tonight.IngredientsGreat Northern beans rinsed and soaked overnight. ½ cup Great Northern beans, rinsed and soaked overnight in water 2 to 6 cups vegetable stock ½ teaspoon ghee* or olive oil ½ cup leeks or onions, chopped 1 Anaheim diced mild chili, canned or freshly roasted,...
Marinated Tofu Thai Wrap with Sauce
This vegtable-packed wrap is perfect for a meal on the go, full of flavor and great for lunch or dinner!IngredientsChicken or Fish Variation Replace tofu with 2 ounces of grilled chicken or fish, add the nutty dipping sauce, and roll up as directed.Nutty Dipping Sauce (Per 2-tablespoon serving using ghee): ¼ teaspoon ghee or sesame oil 1 clove garlic, minced...
Roasted Tofu & Yams
This hearty vegetarian meal is full of flavor - when you do your grocery shopping for the week, choose organic ingredients whenever possible. Depending on where you live and the time of year, some of the fruits and vegetables may be out of season. In this case, it is okay to use frozen or canned versions of the ingredients. IngredientsIf...
Vegetable Hummus Wrap
Spice up your usual wrap with hummus and fresh vegetables, perfect for an on-the-go lunch or dinner.Ingredients*You can use the Chopra Hummus Recipe 2 8- or 10-inch organic sprouted wheat tortillas 4 tablespoons hummus 6 tablespoons grated carrot 6 tablespoons grated zucchini ½ cup sunflower sprouts ½ cup shredded lettuce Directions Spread the hummus in the middle and up to...
Vegetable Tofu Scramble
This low calorie dish makes for a quick and savory breakfast in just 15 minutes! Ingredients 8 ounces fresh tofu, firm or extra firm, drained and crumbled ½ teaspoon ghee ¼ cup chopped leeks or onions ½ tablespoon Bragg Liquid Aminos pinch black pepper ½ teaspoon cumin ½ teaspoon curry powder ¼ teaspoon coriander ¼ teaspoon dill ⅛ teaspoon nutmeg...
Morning Bliss Shake
Need a refreshing start to your summer days? This shake is easy to make and packed with protein to keep you feeling full and energized for the day ahead. And did we mention it's also delicious?IngredientsSoak almonds overnight. 10 whole almonds, skin on, soaked overnight in ½ cup water 4 teaspoons organic raw honey or maple syrup 2 ounces soy...
Tofu & Potato Italiano
This hearty and flavorful vegetarian meal is full of vitamins and makes for a healthy breakfast, lunch, or dinner!Ingredients 8 ounces cubed, marinated firm tofu 1 cup cubed red, Yukon, or russet potatoes, skin on ½ teaspoon ghee or olive oil ¾ cup leek or onions, chopped ¼ teaspoon black pepper 1 pinch red chili flakes 1 tablespoon Italian herbs...
Traditional French Toast
Our delicious classic french toast recipe is perfect for Sunday brunch with a side of fresh fruit. Ingredients 1 egg or 4 egg whites ¼ cup low-fat milk, soymilk, or rice milk 1 teaspoon cinnamon ¼ teaspoon ginger powder ½ teaspoon vanilla extract ½ teaspoon ghee 4 slices whole grain bread Directions In a medium-size flat bowl, combine eggs, milk,...
Apple & Rice Hot Cereal
This delicious hot cereal made with cinnamon, nutmeg, and maple syrup is full of flavor and a great option for a quick and easy breakfast or snack. Ingredients 1¼ cups low-fat vanilla soymilk or rice milk ½ cup basmati rice, rinsed ½ stick cinnamon 1½ whole cardamom pods ¼ cup apple juice 1½ large apples, Granny Smith or pippin, unpeeled...
Chai Bliss Shake
Are you looking for something quick and satisfying to whip up in the morning with 26g of protein? Look no further! This shake will keep you full and focused throughout your morning. Ingredients 2 cups chai (you can use tea bags or a concentrate) 2 medium bananas, peeled and sliced One pinch nutmeg One pinch cinnamon 4 teaspoons organic raw...
Chopra Granola
This delicious granola recipe is easy to make and high in protein. If you are looking for an enjoyable snack to eat throughout the day, this is a must! Ingredients ⅓ cup organic rolled oats ⅛ cup sunflower seeds ⅛ cup pine nuts ⅛ cup flaxseed ⅛ cup sesame seeds ⅛ cup almonds or pecans, slices or pieces ⅓ tablespoon...
Mango Yogurt
This simple and delicious mango yogurt recipe is perfect for a healthful snack. This recipe gets its bold flavor from the mango purée and honey. Ingredients ½ fresh mango ⅛ cup mango purée or applesauce 1 tablespoon maple syrup or organic raw honey 1 pinch cloves ¼ teaspoon cinnamon ⅛ teaspoon cardamom ¾ cup low-fat vanilla yogurt Directions Cut the...
Rainbow Risotto
Ingredients 1 teaspoon olive oil 1 teaspoon ghee ½ cup leeks or shallots chopped 1 tablespoon Bragg Liquid Aminos ½ teaspoon black pepper ½ teaspoon dried basil ½ teaspoon rosemary ½ cup Arborio rice, rinsed and drained 2½ cups hot vegetable stock ¼ cup thinly sliced carrots ¼ cup thinly sliced celery ½ cup zucchini, cut in half lengthwise, then...
Linzertorte Cookies
These delicious cookies are a miniature version of the Linzertorte, an almond pastry tart filled with raspberry or currant jam. Linzertorte is named for the city of Linz in Austria, and has been popular for hundreds of years; in fact, there are recipes for Linzertorte dating back to 1653. Our recipe from the Chopra Center Cookbook is a more recent...
Spicy Pumpkin Soup with Leeks
Pumpkins are a winter squash with a sweet flavor that soothes the Vata dosha. This easy pumpkin soup recipe is wonderful to make for holiday meals and any time you want to feel warmed and nourished from the inside out.The pumpkin’s cheerful orange flesh is packed with beta carotene, an antioxidant that helps improve immune function and reduce the risk...
Featured Recipe: Mediterranean Pasta
Autumn has arrived in the Northern Hemisphere, and we’re entering the period known in Ayurveda as “Vata season.” Vata is the mind-body principle of air and space, and this is the time when we need to pay particular attention to staying warm and grounded, so that the imbalances in Vata don’t leave us anxious, spacy, and prone to insomnia, digestive...
10 Ways to Align with Your Purpose or Dharma
What would happen if you stopped trying to “find your purpose” and instead started vulnerably showing up as you are, ready to be of service?The spiritual Law of Dharma states that for every special talent, the world has a unique need that can only be filled by the expression of that talent. You can make the fullest use of the...