It's springtime in the Lowcountry! Time to clean out the winter cobwebs- both around us and inside of us! Read on for Ayurvedic tips on how to stay healthy this season. As always, thanks for reading! Jennifer

With springtime, the earth is coming back to life all around us, and the sheer magic of it all never ceases to inspire. However, some of us are enjoying it less than others at the moment, thanks to the continued predominance of kapha dosha in the external world, which will stay until the hot summer pitta heat begins to take hold. The qualities of kapha dosha are heavy, gross, dense, cold, liquid, slimy, dull, slow, soft and stable. In wintertime, the cold, heavy, gross, dense, dull, slow and stable qualities predominate and as a result we (rightly) feel more inspired to curl up inside with a book and a blanket than to go out and take on the world! As winter moves into spring, however, those qualities are just beginning to transform into their opposites. In winter we were cold, and needed heartier foods to stoke our digestive fire and to create bulk for warmth. With the warming weather, our agni, or internal fire, begins to spread back out throughout our bodies and out to our extremities. In our bodies this means that our internal coldness is melting (solid becomes liquid), and mucous is created as a by-product. So, springtime is a natural time for cleansing ourselves of the mucous quality (which can lead to colds, allergies, hay fever and sinus infections) and for eliminating any "extra padding" we may have accrued that is no longer necessary for keeping us warm.

Spring foods: While winter was a time for eating heartier foods to stoke our digestive fire, springtime is the time for cleansing. All around us is light, and we want to shed our winter heaviness to absorb that light quality. We want to favor bitter, pungent and astringent flavors which have a catabolic effect on our bodies, as opposed to sweet, sour and salty flavors that have more of an anabolic effect. 

Here are a few excellent (and tasty!) recipes for the spring season:

Quinoa Breakfast Cereal (from Vishnu's Kitchen: A Practical Guide to Ayurvedic Cooking by Vishnu Dass)

1/2 cup quinoa

1 cup water

1 cup whole milk or unsweetened non-dairy milk (coconut, rice, hemp or almond)

1/2 tsp. sea or rock salt

1 Tbsp. maple syrup

1/4 cup raisins or currants (optional)

1/2 cup fresh or frozen berries

1/4 tsp. cinnamon

1/4 tsp. cardamom powder

1/4 cup chopped nuts (toasted, soaked or raw)

1 tsp. ghee (clarified butter)

Rinse the quinoa in a fine mesh strainer. Put the water, salt and milk into a saucepan and bring to a boil. Stir in quinoa, reduce to low heat, cover and simmer for about 15-20 minutes, or until the quinoa swells to create a porridge-like consistency. Lastly, stir in the ghee, cinnamon, cardamom, maple syrup, berries, raisins or currants and nuts, If you use frozen berries, put the lid back on to give time for the berries to thaw. Serve and enjoy. 

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Minestrone (from The Moosewood Cookbook, 40th Anniversary Edition by Molly Katzen)

2 Tbsp. olive oil                                         1 medium bell pepper, diced

2 cups chopped onion                                3-4 cups (or more) water

5 medium cloves garlic, minced                1 14.5oz can tomato puree 

1.5-2 tsp. salt                                              1-1.5 cups cooked pea beans,             1 stalk celery, minced                                      chickpeas or kidney beans

1 medium carrot, diced                              1.5-1 cup dry pasta (any shape)

1 small zucchini, diced and/or                   1 or 2 medium-sized ripe tomatoes, 

   1 cup diced eggplant                                     diced (optional)

1 tsp. oregano                                             1/2 cup freshly minced parsley

Fresh black pepper, to taste                        Parmesan cheese

1 tsp. basil

1) Heat the olive oil in a kettle or Dutch oven. Add onion, garlic and salt. Saute over medium heat for about 5 minutes, then add celery, carrot, eggplant (if using zucchini, add it later, with the bell pepper), oregano, black pepper and basil. Cover and cook over very low heat for about 10 more minutes, stirring occasionally. 

2) Add bell pepper, zucchini, water and tomato puree. Cover and simmmer about 15 minutes. Add beans and simmer another 5 minutes. 

3) Bring the soup to a gentle boil. Add pasta, stir and cook until the pasta is tender. Stir in the diced fresh tomatoes, and serve right away, topped with parsley and parmesan. 

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Orecchiette with Creamy Leeks and Broccoli Rabe (from Food 52 Vegan: 60 Vegetable-Driven Recipes for Any Kitchen)

Serves 4

Sauce:

1 Tbsp. olive oil                                           1/2 tsp. salt

2 large shallots, chopped                              Pinch of ground nutmeg

2 cloves garlic, minced                                 1 tsp. lemon juice

8oz silken tofu                                              1/4 cup water, or as needed

3 Tbsp. large flake nutritional yeast             Pepper

Pasta and Vegetables:

8oz orecchiette                                              1 clove garlic, minced

2 Tbsp. olive oil                                            1 Tbsp. freshly squeezed lemon

2 large leeks, chopped and                            2 Tbsp. chopped fresh chives

    thoroughly rinsed                                      

2 bunches broccoli rabe, stemmed and 

    coarsely chopped

1) To make the sauce, heat the olive oil in a medium skillet over medium heat. Add the shallots and saute until fragrant and tender, about 3 minutes. Add the garlic and saute for another minute or two.

2) Transfer the contents of the skillet to a blender or food processor. Add the tofu, nutritional yeast, salt, nutmeg and lemon juice and process until thick and creamy, drizzling in the water as needed to achieve the desired consistency. Season with pepper to taste. 

3) To prepare the pasta and vegetables, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Stir in the pasta, then adjust the heat to maintain a low boil. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the pasta is tender but slightly al dente. Drain well.

4) Meanwhile, heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the leeks and saute until lightly golden. Add the broccoli rabe and saute until just tender, 2-3 minutes. Add the garlic and lemon juice and saute until the garlic is lightly golden, about 2 minutes. 

5) Put the pasta in a large bowl. Add the leek mixture and about 1/2 cup of the sauce and stir gently to combine. The dish should be quite creamy but not drowning in sauce, so gently stir in more sauce as needed. Serve topped with the chives. 

Ayurvedic Tips for Staying Healthy Throughout the Spring Season 

• Eat a kapha-pacifying diet (i.e. minimize foods that are heavy and oily such as processed & packaged foods, fried foods, red/fatty meats and dairy, and incorporate more bitter, pungent and astringent foods such as fresh greens and legumes).
• Favor light, easily digested meals, such as soups, vegetable-based meals and mung dal.
• Use small amounts of local honey as a sweetener.
• Drink warm lemon water in the morning (pittas can use lime instead).
• Fast for one day a week, if your constitution allows (a dinner-to-dinner fast can strengthen digestion).
• Drink warming, cleansing herbal teas, such as ginger, cinnamon, cardamom and dandelion teas. 
• Go for morning walks.
• Plant a garden.
• Do yoga, meditation and pranayama (breathing exercises). Great kapha-pacifying yoga asanas for spring include: sun salutation, bridge, boat, bow, locust, camel, cobra, lion and cat poses, as well as spinal twists.
• Keep warm and dry- especially around the neck and chest.
• Enjoy steam rooms or sauna (early spring, until the weather gets hot).
• Continue nasya (use of medicated nasal drops) to keep dry or congested nasal passages lubricated (Nasya Oil can be ordered online from Banyan Botanicals).
• Dry brush before showering, followed by massage with dosha oils (Vata, Pitta and Kapha oils can be found online at Banyan Botanicals. Alternatively, sesame and almond oils are good for vatas, sunflower or coconut for pittas and mustard oil for kaphas).
• Mahanarayan oil can be rubbed on the chest if you have a tendency to get lung infections.

Note: Following a seasonal routine is good for all constitutions, and should take priority unless one has a strong doshic imbalance. 

Upcoming Class! Herbal Potions for Well-Being at Lotus Healing Centre, $15. Learn how to make teas, tinctures and elixirs for natural healing.