Derived from the words Ayur meaning life and Veda meaning science, Ayurveda is the art of living wisely. After a brief introduction from the author, Part One of Ayurveda Cooking For Beginners, An Ayurvedic Cookbook To Balance And Heal by Laura Plumb is an Ayurvedic Primer. Beginning with the Core Concepts of Ayurveda it includes information on the Importance of Paying Attention, the Three Doshas, and Correcting the Imbalances of Doshas etc.
Section 2 covers Ayurveda and Food. This also includes Food for the Dosha and Cultivating your Digestive Fire.
Part three covers the Five Steps to Ayurvedic Eating. This section includes information on How to Plan your Meals and even includes a Seven-day Meal Plan for every season. It is here you’ll find the information on what to shop for and how to set up your kitchen.
Part Two of the book covers Recipes to Balance and Heal. The recipes are organized by meal type and in seasonal order within their chapters. Many of the recipes have few ingredients, most five or less (not counting ghee, spices, or seasoning).
Recipe icons and labels are included throughout. These will identify Year-Round Recipes, Seasonal, One Pot, 30-minutes or Less, and Kitchen Remedies with powerful healing benefits.
Recipe chapters include:
- Staples & Spices
- Teas & Tonic‘s
- Breakfast
- Hearty & Satisfying Lunches
- Light & Simple Dinners
- Ayurvedic Spins on Favorites
- Soothing Savories & Sweets
- Condiments, Spreads, & Sauces
Each recipe includes a brief description, and easy to follow directions. They also include makes (servings or quantity) Prep time and cook time. Where And ingredient is something you can make it, like ghee, the page number is conveniently referenced.
Some recipes also include a tip for preparation, ingredients, or serving, as well as the appropriate seasonal use, and the corresponding dosha. Many recipes offer variations to make the recipe comply for different doshas.
Disappointingly there are a few photos throughout the book, but as this is more of A lifestyle book than a cookbook this may be understandable.
There are several appendices at the end of the book:
- An In-Depth Look at Doshic States
- Seasonal and Dosha Bouncing Food Lists
- The substances ever universe
The Dirty Dozen and Clean 15 List is included, followed by a Resources List including articles, books, blogs, and clinics.
The first recipe index is the Seasonal And Dosha Recipe Index. Following is a Recipe Index sorted alphabetically by recipe name, and then an index sorted by the main ingredient. Given the cross-referencing indexes, you should have no problem finding the appropriate recipe for you.
A Good Beginner Reference
This is not a recipe book that I would recommend for everyone. This is more of a lifestyle instruction manual than a cookbook. However, if you are interested in pursuing the Ayurvedic method/lifestyle, then I believe this is an excellent beginner reference.
For the included recipe I have chosen the Basil Pesto as it is very versatile and uses only four ingredients.
Basil Pesto
Ingredients
- 1 cup basil leaves fresh
- 1 tablespoon pine nuts
- 1 clove garlic
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
Instructions
- Pulse the basil, pinenuts, and garlic in a blender. Scrape the sides of the blender, and pulse again until you achieve a fine job. Transfer to a small bowl and stir in the olive oil.
Notes
For a lighter, less expensive pesto, replace pine nuts with the pumpkin seeds. For cleansing pesto in spring, add a handful of fresh parsley. Omit the garlic for Pitta. Season: Spring, Summer Dosha: All About the Reviewer: Chris Sadler is WebAdmin and Reviewer for RecipesNow.com
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