Festive Ayurveda Lentil Loaf | For Vata, Pitta, and Kapha

Lentils are good food. According to Harvard School of Public Health "Lentils are low in sodium and saturated fat, and high in potassium, fiber, folate, and plant chemicals called polyphenols that have antioxidant activity." Balancing for Vata, Pitta, and Kapha doshas.

Explore more on the Saumya Blog, selected top Ayurveda blogs and websites to watch.

Ingredients:

• 2 cups cooked French lentils, or brown lentils, or make a mixture. Wring out the beans to they are not wet, or the lentil loaf will be mushy.

• 1 quart water

• 2 tablespoons good quality organic olive oil

• 1 1/2 medium purple onions, chopped finely

• 1 teaspoon Himalayan pink salt

• 1 tablespoon each parsley, sage, rosemary, and thyme, minced (You hear the Simon and Garfunkel song now, right?)

• 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg

• 1/3 cup sauteed cremini or other mushrooms or make a mushroom mix

• 2-4 cloves garlic, minced

• 1 1/2 – 3/4 cups soft breadcrumbs (gluten free is an option)

• 1/2 cup minced parsley or cilantro

• 4 tablespoons white miso

• Freshly ground real black pepper, to taste

Festive Ayurveda Lentil Loaf | For Vata, Pitta, and Kapha

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

2. In a medium pot, combine the lentils and water. Bring to a boil, lower heat and simmer covered for an hour, or speed up the process and pressure cook the beans.

3. Drain well, even gently wring them out so they are not wet or that makes for a mushy loaf. Set beans to the side.

4. In a medium skillet, heat the oil, sauté the onions, mushrooms, and herbs for about 2 minutes. * I cook the onions separately to caramelize them for added depth of flavor. 5. Now get out your kitchen gadget. Remember, less is more, so don’t puree, but blend into a chunky mixture. You want some texture to bite into.

6. Combine the lentils, onion mushroom mixture, breadcrumbs, parsley, and salt. The mixture should be thick but moist. If it is too thin, add more breadcrumbs or even some quick-cook oats.

7. Pour the mixture in a well-oiled loaf pan and bake until a toothpick comes out clean.

8. Cool for about ten minutes, so it sets up before plating.

Tahini Sauce:

Tahini is a ground sesame paste or butter. According to WebMD, tahini, ..."acts as an antioxidant and helps lower inflammation in the body."

• 1 cup tahini sesame seed paste

• 3/4 cup lukewarm wat (depends on the clove and how much you love garlic)

• 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice, or more to taste

• 1/4 tsp Himalayan pink salt

• 2 tsp fresh parsley minced

Instructions:

Blend it in your favorite kitchen gadget. As this is used to dress the lentil loaf, keep it thick and creamy.

Tweak Our Recipe to Match Your Dosha.

Follow these easy modifications and provide yourself with a meal that becomes medicine by balancing the doshas.

How to customize this recipe to balance Vata

For spicing for Vata, the overall spiciness is important to help aid in digestion. Don't hold back as Vata types tend to have weaker digestion and this time of year lean towards being easily chilled with the hallmark cold hands and feet.

How to customize this recipe to balance Pitta

For Pitta to optimize this recipe by adding more fresh cilantro for its cooling quality.

How to customize this recipe to balance Kapha

Kapha needs to be invigorated as it may tend to be slow, sluggish, and dull. To customize the recipe for Kapha dosha--turn up the heat. Add more garlic and some nice hot chili and in general, add more volume of spice.

Festive Ayurveda Lentil Loaf | For Vata, Pitta, and Kapha is a hearty, delicious meal everyone will enjoy.

"Turn your food into medicine by learning how to adjust any recipe to optimize its health benefits." - Veena | Saumya Ayurveda

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"At the heart of Saumya Ayurveda's effective approach to holistic health and healing is Veena's intuitive wisdom and compassionate heart. Her treatment of my various chronic conditions has been effective! Her diagnosis and prescriptions are sometimes surprising at first, but eventually become crystal clear and right on target.” --Emilio Bettaglio, Minneapolis, MN

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Veena is a Certified Ayurvedic Practitioner and meditation teacher, and monk.

She is President Emeritus and teaching faculty of the Meditation Center.

Veena fell in love with the traditional medicine used in her family’s home, learning herbal remedies at her grandmother's knee.

These childhood experiences were the seeds of a lifelong passion. For over 30 years, Veena has dedicated her life to the world’s oldest healing system: Ayurveda.

She draws on this ancient wisdom to help others find their compass to a healthy life – and support those left wanting by Western medicine.

An experienced Certified Ayurvedic Practitioner, Veena’s deep, intuitive knowledge of Ayurveda empowers her clients to reclaim their fullest, most vibrant lives –mentally, physically, and spiritually. Veena individualizes treatment plans to each person, rather than offering a one-size-fits-all approach, so it fits your life and becomes woven in your lifestyle, naturally.