Two Ayurvedic Breakfast Bowls

Today I'm introducing to you, two of my favourite Ayurvedic inspired breakfasts.

Mornings are our greatest opportunity to flood our bodies with nutrients, satisfy our mind and set ourselves up for a balanced day.

Studying Ayurveda in India was a wonderful opportunity for me to learn not only what to eat for internal harmony,  but also how and when. One of the key differences I discovered was that we should be leaning towards eating our heaviest meal in the middle of the day when our agni (digestive fire) is at it's peak.

Ayurveda also teaches us that breakfast is our first opportunity to bring ourselves into balance, and the foods that we choose can be targeted to bring harmony into our body which will increase our mental and physical capacity to achieve what the day requires of us.

If you're of the pitta (fire) dosha, you're likely an ambitious person who has leadership skills. You’ll have vision and drive for what you do; whether you’re a stay at home parent, focused on your career, or an enthusiastic student. However these skills have a downfall, as pitta’s fiery nature can destabilise itself when unbalanced. An unbalanced pitta may find that fiery emotions lead them to feel “burnt out” regularly.

If you’re a kapha, you're an amazing carer, and your day will lead you towards the care and nurturing of others. You love to pour into people through mentoring, teaching, words of encouragement and affirmation, and through quality time and friendship. Kaphas can also become imbalanced with signs of extreme introversion, depression, sluggishness and depression that will block your desire to help others and limits your potential to outwork your calling.

Pittas need to begin their day with soothing, cooling, sweet foods to pacify their fiery body and mind, whilst kapha’s should limit foods that are naturally oily, heavy, or foods that slow them down. You'll love my Bircher Muesli Bowl, as it's a naturally gorgeous way to start the day for pittas and kaphas, containing apples which offer sweetness for pitta and an abundance of fibre for the potentially sluggish digestion of kapha. Oats also speed up kapha’s metabolism and even ward of depression.

My Fig, Cardamom and Quinoa bowl is also a gorgeous way to set up the day for ambitious pittas, as well as vatas who are governed by the element of air, and whose days are filled with energetic and creative pursuits. Vatas make great teachers, artists and speakers. However with an imbalance they can be full of fear and anxiety which sabotages their ability to flow in creativity.

I'd love you to try this wholesome bowl which has a base of grounding quinoa, providing just the right amount of heaviness to bring vatas down to earth in the morning and to offer focus and the ability to prioritise and set goals. Warming and soothing cardamom and the sweet heaviness of almond milk are lovely pacifying ingredients for vatas delivering them straight into harmony.

Enjoy these breakfasts as wholesome and delicious bowls that will help your unique constitution to flourish and bring you a higher capacity for your day.

Fig, cardamom and quinoa bowl

Note: Pittas should use only a small quantity of salt

To balance kapha, replace the almond milk with rice milk and the figs with 1 diced peach

Serves 2

• 100 g (3 1/2 oz/1/2 cup) quinoa, rinsed and drained
• 185 ml (6 fl oz/3/4 cup) almond milk, plus extra to serve
• 125 ml (4 fl oz/1/2 cup) filtered water
• 1/2 teaspoon alcohol-free vanilla extract
• 1/4 teaspoon Celtic sea salt
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cardamom
• 2–3 ripe figs, diced
• 20 g (3/4 oz/1/3 cup) coconut flakes, toasted

Combine the quinoa, almond milk, water, vanilla, salt and cardamom in a small, heavy-based saucepan and bring to the boil over medium heat. Reduce the heat to low and simmer, covered, for 15–20 minutes or until the quinoa has absorbed the liquid.

Remove from the heat and allow to cool slightly, them fluff with a fork. Spoon into two bowls, top with figs and coconut, and serve with extra milk if desired.

Give these recipes a whirl and let me know how you go!

Happy Cooking 🙂

Lee xo