Salads are soooo sexy this time of year, or at least that's how they feel for me. There are a few foods that I tend to eat only at specific times of year, so when their "season" comes around, I am really excited. Salads and summertime go together like rice & mung beans. Like lemon and water. Like cilantro and coconut. You get the idea. Our bodies and minds are looking to balance the heat all around us by craving more cooling foods like salad. The Summer Salad Dressing recipe you'll find below is special, and that's because it's a more summer-friendly oil and vinegar recipe. Most vinegars (along with junk or heavily processed food) promote an acidic environment in the body, while Raw Apple Cider Vinegar can actually help restore acid alkaline balance. This means that it's not as aggravating to Pitta, the summertime dosha, as other vinegars- hurray! It's also pretty tasty. Apple Cider Vinegar is very popular in more western nutrition circles as a tonic for acne, a common Pitta symptom. The small amount of sour taste (similar to what you find in limes) can aid the body in processing excess Pitta dosha when it gets backlogged.
The Seed Sprinkle is a slight variation on a recipe from one of my favorite cookbooks, Eat-Taste-Heal. I've been sprinkling this on absolutely everything: soup, cooked kale, salads, kitchari, rice, oatmeal, you name it. I love love love it. Especially because it's full of protein and oils to soothe my Vata, which while it's not Vata season, a Vata girl always has to take precautions; you Vata ladies know what I'm talkin' about ;)
SUMMER SALAD DRESSING
Makes dressing for a medium salad for 2 people.
1 T extra virgin olive oil
1/2 T Bragg's Apple Cider Vinegar
1/4 t ground coriander
1 t maple syrup
1/8 t salt
fresh ground pepper
In a small jar with a lid, combine all ingredients, seal then shake vigorously. All done!
- Vata Dosha: Good. Add 1/4 t ground cumin and a pinch of ajwain seeds. Salad is not recommended for Vata types generally, so be sure to chew your salad very well.
- Pitta Dosha: Fermented foods, including vinegars, are generally not recommended for Pitta though this is a better choice than most. Unless had in large amounts, I don't expect this to provoke Pitta.
- Kapha Dosha: Good with changes: Use honey instead of maple syrup. Add a hearty grind of fresh ground black pepper to each bowl.
SEED SPRINKLE
Makes about 1 cup.
Variation on recipe from Eat, Taste, Heal by Yarema, Rhodha and Brannigan
1/2 c shelled raw sunflower seeds
1/4 c hemp seeds, crushed
1/4 c sesame seeds
1/4 t salt
1/4 t coconut sugar (or raw cane sugar)
Toast sunflower seeds gently in a pan over medium-low heat until a light golden color. Then in a small food processor, pulse until coarsely chopped. Combine sunflower seeds and all other ingredients in a medium size jar (be sure there's some room at the top). Seal then shake to mix well. Store at room temperature and shake before each use.
- Vata Dosha: EXCELLENT!! Can add 1/4 t ground fennel as well.
- Pitta Dosha: Very good with changes: Reduce sesame seeds by half. Reduce salt by half. Add 1/4 t ground coriander or cardamom.
- Kapha Dosha: Good. Substitute black pepper for coconut sugar. Optional to add 1/8- 1/4 t cayenne pepper.
If you want to learn more about easy and delicious ayurvedic salad variations and you love yoga and the outdoors, I'd love you to join us on the Ayurvedic Cooking & Yoga Hike on August 25th. You can read all about it here, and let me know you want to join us by sending me an email. I haven't led a mini-retreat like this in a few years, and they're always so much fun; I can't wait.
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