Embracing Ayurvedic Cooking

Many today want a cleaner  lifestyle . That can be achieved by embracing the Ayurvedic lifestyle. It's an ancient Indian way of healing through certain foods and practices. Luckily there is a guide  in the formof a cookbook to help us achieve a purer way of living.The recipes are not aid in creating a more balanced diet but they're also tasty.


Lois A. Leonhardi wrote The Essential Ayurvedic  Cookbook.(Robert Rose Press) with the intention of not only having home chefs cooking healthier but also embracing the medicinal benefits of the practice. There are chapter devoted on figuring out if one is a vatta, pitta or kapha the three categories or doshas , These will help in divining what meats, veggies and herbs belong in an individual's diet. Ms. Leonhardi even includes a questionnaire about finding out in what category you belong, Most , according to her,  are a mix of all three. There is some strictness to it , such as sticking to the recipes suited to your dosha as well as no leftovers. All meals must  be made fresh and eaten fresh.. The dishes can be varied though for all doshas as each has a suggestion box at the end of every recipe.There is also a pictorial guide as well along with a how to on turn pantries into ayurvedic ones. There's a segment on the six tastes that make up the diet. They are sweet, sour salty, pungent , bitter and astringent  and all figure prominently in creating the  dishes.

Many of the recipes reflect the Indian diet. Dal, or mashed lentils , figures prominently in a large amount of the lunch and dinner recipes. There is also ghee , the clarified melted butter as well as tamarind paste along with coconut milk Mung bean recipes dot the book ..All meals are highlighted. For breakfast try the fresh made vegan vanilla nut yogurt along with millet breakfast patties that Ms. Leonhardi recommends serving with a poached egg or scrambled egg whites. Since she is Italian, some recipes have an Italian spin  to them. She includes her uncle's mushroom frittata recipe along with an ayurvedic spin on her grandmother's tomato sauce. Cannelini and pizzettes are also adapted for all doshas, with the basic recipe given along with suggestions..It;s not all vegetarian either like the Hindu  Indian diet. There are rabbit , and salmon recipes  plus lamb, pork and chicken ones too Desserts are allowed, in both candy and tea bread. Ms. Leonhardi also includes tea and the creamy yogurt drink , lassi recipes too.

Healthier eating means healthier living.Use The Essential Ayurvedic Cookbook to achieve this. Those aches and pains along with the bad attitude will disappear , thanks to a thoughtful blend of meats veggies and spices blended in ancient ayurvedic recipes.