RAW GREEN SOUP

It's April 1st and it's snowing... it's time to admit climate change is real if you don't already. I'm bundled up in my toasty home, spending the day doing yoga, chillin with my puggle Eva and watching The Kitchen of course.

This week I've decided to incorporate more local veggies, more greens, more soups and more living things in my diet lately. Not living things like humans or animals but living vegetables, fresh, raw and ALIVE. Cate Stillman shared an amazing recipe with our group on Body Thrive (an amazing 10-week Ayurveda program I'm deep into). Spring is Kapha season but it just started snowing where I live so I'm still eating Vata-balancing foods. I made this soup just now and it is so freakin' quick and easy. The hardest part was getting out of the house to buy ingredients. I just finished eating it and I am stuffed, happy, hydrated, and warmed to the core. I'm also surprisingly full! I love myself a warm grain bowl with protein but as I head into Spring I'm looking to let go of some heaviness so this is exactly what I needed. So, if you're feeling chilly or are Vata-dominant this soup is for you. If you aren't sure what your Dosha is you can take this quiz. Take your results with a grain of salt and use them more as a guideline. To find out what your Dosha is exactly takes a lot more than an online quiz. My teacher once told me it requires 7-14 visits everyday to an Ayurvedic practitioner who reads your tongue, pulse, etc every time you come in. 

According to my quiz results, I am equally tridoshic which is a bit confusing and doesn't guide me as easily as someone who is predominantly Vata, Kapha, or Pitta. This is why I follow the seasons and listen to what my body wants. That's really what Ayuerveda is all about - listening to your body and eaing, moving, breathing in a way that is suitable for YOUR BODY. Try this recipe and let me know what you think. And if it's too raw for you, cook it up a little post-blend.

Basic Vata Green Living Soup

Serves 2
Prep & cook time: 10 minutes
Adapted from Cate Stillman's Basic Vata Green Soup Recipe

Ingredients
1 cup fennel
1/2 cup yellow peppers
1 avocado
1/4 cup fresh basil or dill chopped
1 tbsp lemon juice
1/2 tsp honey
1 veggie broth cube
a dash or two of cayenne
salt and pepper to taste

Directions:
Blend with 4 cups boiling water. Garnish with fennel greens, dill, or sprouts.

And this is what you get... doesn't that color just brighten your day?

You can find this and other living soup recipes here.

SIMPLE GREEN SMOOTHIE

Do you ever wake up and realize you indulged a little too much at dinner last night, and are not excited to stuff your face with a huge breakfast? Welp, this happened to me last night. We had a big dinner followed by a HUGE peanutbutter cup oatmeal cookie. As full as I was, I am not one to skip dessert especially if there's chocolate involved. So today I woke up drank a tall glass of warm water with lemon to flush out my system and once I got hungry decided it was most definitely a smoothie kind of day. I wasn't always a huge smoothie fan, I strayed away from the popular cold beverage since summertime because, hello! this is Boston and it's freezing out! That's when I learned that not all smoothies have to be cold. Huge lightbulb moment. If you use fresh fruit instead of frozen, or a mixture of the two, you get a pleasantly delicious drink that doesn't chill you to the core. Pro tip: make sure you take the extra few minutes to let your chia seeds soak. This makes them puff up and form a gel-like outer layer which makes them more bio-available to your body. Hydrated chia take longer to digest leaving you fuller longer, preventing blood sugar spikes and decreasing cholesterol. You can even soak them overnight - you can never soak chia for too long!

Morning Green Smoothie Recipe for Two 

Total prep time: 7 minutes

Ingredients
2 handfuls of spinach and/or kale
1/2 cup of blueberries
1 kiwi
1/2 apple (save the rest for a snack, your dog, or tomorrows smoothie)
1-2 tbsp chia seeds
1/2 cup water, coconut water, juice (I used Trader Joes Green Juice)
Top with a sprinkle of hemp seeds, granola, and/or blueberries

Directions:

1. Combine chia seeds and your choice of liquid in blender. Let chia seeds soak for 2-3 minutes while you gather the other ingredients.

2. Throw the rest of your fruits & greens in the blender and blend on high for 3-5 minutes. Kale and spinach are pretty fibrous so make sure you blend, blend, blend so you're not chewing your smoothie!