When the sun is shining it is natural to want to be outdoors. And on days when it is over 85 degrees, standing over a hot stove and cooking several meals a day doesn’t seem very appealing. Yet we do need to eat regular nourishing meals. It is particularly important to keep cool and eat cooling foods in the summertime when pitta dosha is accumulating.
Mexican menu features easy and delicious recipes and suggestions that can help to keep pitta in balance during the summer while supplying all the six ayurvedic tastes. On days you don’t feel like cooking extensively, try to at least include one cooked item that has a short cooking time such as cous cous or pasta in each meal. Planning meals ahead can save precious time and help capitalize on seasonal produce. To help keep pitta in balance, favor bitter, astringent, and sweet tastes and reduce salty, sour, and pungent foods such as corn chips with salsa, chili peppers, and vinegar dressings.
Menu for an Ayurvedic Mexican Lunch
- Pinto Bean roll ups in whole wheat tortillas (sweet, sour, salty, astringent, bitter and pungent due to spices added. Beans are astringent.)
- Avocado Dip with toasted whole wheat tortillas (sweet)
- Cucumber Salad (sweet, bitter)
- Shredded lettuce and cilantro (bitter)
- Sour Cream (sweet and sour)
- Steamed Spinach drizzled with ghee (sweet and bitter)
- Mint Lassi or Fresh Coconut juice (sweet)
- Melon Salad for dessert watermelon, honeydew melon, and cantaloupe (sweet)
Easy Steps to Assemble Lunch
1. The night before, soak the pinto beans.
2. The next morning boil the beans and let simmer until lunch time or make them in a slow cooker.
3. Assemble beans, sour cream, shredded lettuce, shredded carrot and cilantro in a wheat tortilla.
4. Steam spinach.
5. Cut up cucumbers.
6. Mash avocado up and sprinkle with lime juice and salt.
7. Roast tortillas in a toaster.
8. Blend fresh yogurt, mint leaves and sugar in blender.
9. Cut up melons for dessert but serve an hour after the meal. Melon should be eaten separate from other food.
Pinto Beans in Whole Wheat Tortillas
1 cup pinto beans
4 cups water
1 bay leaf
one pinch ground cardamom
one pinch ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon ground turmeric
1/2 teaspoon ground fresh ginger
1 teaspoon Ghee
salt to taste
Soak beans overnight. Rinse and drain the next day. Add water and bring to boil, then reduce to a medium heat. Add bay leaf, turmeric, cinnamon, and cardamom. Continue cooking until beans are soft-about 1 hour. Pour off excess water if desired. In a separate sauce pan, melt ghee. Add cumin, coriander, and ginger and saute briefly for about one minute until aroma is released. Add spices to beans. Add salt to taste. Beans can be roughly mashed if desired.
Assemble 2 tablespoons beans, 1 tablespoon sour cream, 1 tablespoon shredded
carrot, chopped cilantro leaves, and shredded lettuce inside a warmed soft
whole wheat tortilla. Roll up.
This recipe will make 8 roll-ups.
Guacamole
2 ripe avocados, pitted and mashed
2 teaspoons lime juice
salt to taste
one pinch ground coriander
1 pinch ground cumin
1 pinch black pepper
Mix all ingredients and serve with toasted whole wheat tortillas cut into 2
inch pieces.
Steamed Spinach
1 lb organic spinach
salt
1 teaspoon Ghee
1/2 teaspoon lime juice
Wash and drain spinach. Lightly steam spinach. Drizzle Ghee, lime juice and salt over spinach.
Mint Lassi
1 cup fresh homemade yogurt
2 1/2 cups water
2 tablespoons sugar
3 tablespoons whole cream
small bunch of fresh mint leaves
Puree mint with 1/2 cup water in a blender. Blend until liquid. Then add sugar, yogurt, 2 cups water and cream. Blend until smooth.
Cucumber Salad
1 cup cucumber, chopped into 1 inch pieces
1/4 cup chopped cilantro
2 tablespoons finely sliced red bell pepper
2 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil
1/4 teaspooon salt
1/2 teaspoon dry roasted cumin seeds
Peel cucumber. Dry roast cumin seeds. Assemble all ingredients, mix well and let set for 10 minutes so flavors will meld.
Other Suggestions for Summer Foods
* Coconut Chutney
* Fresh coconut juice
* Coconut rice
* Pomegranate juice and chutney
* Pitta tea with apple juice
* Tapioca
* Date Milk Shake
* Cous Cous Salad
* Baked Fennel
* Watermelon Juice
* Fenugreek
* Loki (Type of green gourd with white flesh available in Indian grocery stores)
* Lassi with Rose Water
* Warm milk with rose petal conserve
* Pasta Salad with fresh dill, cilantro
* Fresh sweet juicy fruit