PITTA BALANCING VEGGIE BOWL WITH COCONUT RICE

Have you ever heard that to give your body plenty of energy, nutrients, nourishment, and antioxidants, it is advised to eat the rainbow? When you “eat the rainbow”, this act ensures that you are consuming a large variety of fresh fruits and vegetables throughout your day. We are of course huge proponents of eating the rainbow, not only because of the essential nutrients that fruits and veggies provide, but also due to the fresh prana (life force energy) that they contain which, when consumed, actively replenishes and enhances vitality.

Even more, Ayurveda considers the foods that we eat to be medicine for the body; hence, eating fresh, plant-based foods daily can have a tremendous amount of healing effects. For instance, in Ayurvedic medicine, some fruits and veggies, like strawberries and leafy greens, may even reduce excess heat (inflammation) associated with an unhealthy increase in pitta dosha.     

Speaking of pitta dosha, in the Northern hemisphere, we are experiencing summertime which in Ayurveda is known as pitta season. During this season of the year, pitta is predominant in the natural world, hence it is easier and more likely that pitta dosha can go out of balance. Some symptoms of a pitta imbalance include inflammation, hyperacidity, loose stools, a short temper, sensitive skin, acne in the T-zone areas of the face, and/or feeling overall burnt out.

To help assuage symptoms of pitta, Ayurveda recommends reaching for foods that can help soothe and cool the fiery nature of pitta dosha. Thus, we thought it would be an opportune time to share with you our latest recipe- Pitta Balancing Veggie Bowl with Coconut Rice. This bowl will help keep your belly comfortably full by providing an ample serving of prana-rich veggies and grains to sustain you and keep you feeling cool, calm, and collected through these long summer days. 

As you artfully prepare your Veggie Bowls, you may notice that the color of the rainbow most represented in this dish is GREEN. This is because when working to balance excess pitta dosha or by simply opting to eat with the current season, Ayurveda recommends incorporating plenty of greens because of their cooling and cleansing properties. You will find that this recipe even includes the ultimate summer green for balancing pitta- dandelion greens! 

Dandelion greens are extremely pitta (heat) reducing and are one of the healthiest foods on the planet. In fact, in the book Eating on the Wild Side, writer Jo Robinson says that compared to spinach, dandelion greens have “eight times more antioxidants, two times more calcium, three times more Vitamin A, and five times more vitamin K and vitamin E.”  Pretty amazing right?! There is a catch though- dandelion greens are extremely bitter tasting; however, it is important to keep in mind that the bitter taste has tremendous medicinal value.

For example, the bitter taste cools, purifies, and cleanses, and is particularly beneficial at detoxifying the liver and GI tract. If you have not tried dandelion greens before and if they are available at your local grocery store, farmer’s market, co-op, or even in your backyard, we encourage you to give them a whirl. 

To make this Veggie Bowl perfectly balanced for pitta dosha, in addition to the light, bitter greens, we also included nourishing vegetables, fats, and a grain. For example, you will find sweet potato and avocado, healthy fats like Ahara Rasa Ghee (or coconut oil), and Jasmine (or Basmati) rice.

All of these ingredients can help replenish bodily tissues, restore moisture to the mucous membranes and calm the mind. Further, the recipe opts for Coconut aminos instead of soy sauce due to the sweeter taste of Coconut aminos being more balancing to pitta dosha versus the salty, pitta increasing energetics associated with soy sauce. Finally, there are also pitta balancing spices like cumin, coriander, turmeric, cardamom, and fennel included in the recipe thanks to the inclusion of our Pitta Spice Blend. 

If you have never made homemade Coconut rice, we are so excited to share with you our simple recipe that will make you feel like a culinary pro! The trick to having perfectly fluffy Coconut rice is to follow each step outlined in our directions, especially the part about rinsing the rice. Rinsing the rice will help remove the excess starch and help it not become gooey and mushy once the Coconut milk is added.