Three Recipes for Digestion, Inflammation, and to Nourish Your Soul

Plus a hidden fourth recipe

Of all the things I’ve made in my life, these are the three recipes that have stuck with me throughout my journey with food and healing. Two are drinks, one’s a meal. They are healing, delicious, and simple. And, like all great things, they take a little bit of time, either to prep or to let simmer. What I’m saying is, you don’t just boil water and throw a bag in or pull it out of the freezer and microwave it. 

As simple as they are, these three recipes are nourishing and great for your digestion - the basis for all wellness and clarity of mind. 

Without further adieu, I’d like to share them with you now.

Yogi Tea

If you’ve ever been a part of a kundalini yoga community, you know that their events always serve Yogi Tea. If the event doesn’t offer Yogi Tea, it’s not a kundalini yoga event. In fact, you can’t go through a kundalini yoga teacher training without either having made this from scratch or been given the recipe. For sure, every day of training, there are pots of hot yogi tea at the ready with honey and milk options on the side. The reason for this is that kundalini yoga is not just an asana (physical yoga) practice, it’s a wellness lifestyle, and Yogi Tea offers many benefits towards your wellness. Here’s what’s in it: 

The benefits to Yogi Tea

• Black pepper is a blood purifier

• Cardamom is a digestive aid

• Cloves are great for the nervous system

• Cinnamon strengthens the bones

• Ginger root is healing for colds and flu, increases energy, and is also an excellent digestive aid

Homemade, it’s amazing. In case you’re wondering, yes, Yogi Tea is also a known brand of tea you can buy at the grocery store or online. The store-bought version is fine, but it’s not one I recommend because it contains natural flavors, and there’s an abundance of tea options out there that contain nothing but the tea leaves. Home-made Yogi Tea not only fills your home with a delightful aroma, it feels extra soothing and nourishing to drink having been made by your own loving hands. 

So how do you make it? 

For four servings: 

• 40 oz of water

• 12 whole cloves

• 16 cardamom pods

• 16 black peppercorns

• 2 cinnamon sticks

• 4 slices of fresh ginger root

Put the spices together in water and bring to a boil, then cook on medium for 20 to 40 minutes depending on how gentle or strong you want the flavor.

Notes: 

• People ask, do you have to peel the ginger? You don’t have to, but I do. What’s the rush? If you decide not to, please rinse well.

• If you want it ginger-spicier (which is my preference), cook the ginger in water for the first 20 minutes and then add the rest of the spices and cook for 20 more minutes (30 minutes for a stronger flavor). 

• As a caffeinated option, you can add a pinch or two of black tea in the end as it cools. They say black tea works as an alloy to blend the spices together nicely, so if ever you go to an event serving Yogi Tea and you’re caffeine sensitive, it would be good to ask if there’s black tea in it. 

• When serving, you can also add milk and sweetener. Honey and maple syrup are natural. If you’re keto, diabetic, or concerned about your sugar intake, you might try monk fruit sweetener. 

• Personally, I would at least quadruple the recipe amount, let it cool, then strain and store in a large glass mason jar in the fridge to enjoy over the next week.

home made yogi tea

Golden Milk

Like ginger, turmeric is one of the best things to have in your kitchen medicine cabinet. In fact, I probably should have included Ginger Tea to this list as well (it’s super simple, just add freshly grated ginger juice or thin sliced ginger root in hot water; it’s an excellent digestive and great to sip on throughout the day when you feel you’re coming down with something). I digress.

As you might already know, turmeric is an excellent anti-inflammatory. Did you know that it’s also a digestive, anti-parasitic, and anti-bacterial? Yep. It’s also rich in antioxidants and can boost your immune system. 

You can experiment in your cooking by adding turmeric paste to your recipes, i.e. stir some paste into rice or soup with a crack of black pepper to help boost its immune strengthening properties. And, of course, you can make Golden Milk out of it to soothe your nervous system and nourish the parts of you that are inflamed. 

Ingredients for Turmeric Paste

• ¼ cup turmeric

• ½ cup water

This makes about 4 ounces. You can cut this in half if you don’t want to make as much. Cook the turmeric and water together in a pan, on low (watch the heat!), until a thick paste is formed. It takes just a couple of minutes, not even. Careful not to get turmeric paste on your clothes. This paste will keep in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks. 

here’s what the paste looks like

Ingredients for a single serving of Golden Milk

• 1 cup milk (or plant milk)

• ¼ tsp turmeric paste (lean lighter than heavier on this unless you LOVE turmeric strong)

• Sweetener (honey, maple syrup, or monk fruit sweetener are good options)

• Optional add-ons: a drop of almond oil, a cinnamon stick, a pinch of cardamom or ground cinnamon, a crack of black pepper. 

Add the turmeric paste (and almond oil, if you’re using it) to hot milk. Stir in some sweetener and optional add-ons to taste. I don’t think the sweetener is necessary; that said, as much as I love it without it, it’s super good sweet! Just don’t cook the honey or maple syrup. Instead, add it when ready to serve.

Note: Sometimes, just a 1/2 cup of milk with 1/8 tsp of turmeric paste is enough for me to feel grounded and nourished.

golden milk with a pinch of ground cardamom and one crack of black peppercorn

Mixed Veggie Curry

This one is my favorite veggie recipe that I have made countless, countless times, for myself, my friends and family, and potlucks. It comes from a book called Heaven’s Banquet: The Maharishi Ayur-veda Cookbook by Miriam Hospodar. I found this gem almost 20 years ago. It includes a lot of information on doshas (mind-body constitution), optimizing your digestion, and powerful, inspirational quotes that bring everything you learn in the book home. Here’s how much I love and use this book:

This one is simple and super delicious. It does take some veggie prep work and attention as you stir the ingredients together before you cover and simmer, so this is an excellent recipe to turn into a cooking meditation practice: breathe as you wash and chop the veggies, set up your mis-en-place (explained below), and follow the simple instructions. You’ll be happy for it because it makes for an incredibly satisfying meal that is extra nourishing because you’ve put so much presence and love into it (it’s the truly natural flavor enhancer and secret to all of “grandma’s recipes”).

here’s my veggie curry. I might have overdone it with the cayenne

Here are the ingredients you’ll need (to serve 4)

• ⅓ cup ghee (or coconut oil if you’re plant based; you can also use butter if you don’t have ghee)

• ½ tsp salt

• The following spices:

  • 1 tsp cumin seeds

  • ½ tsp ground fenugreek

  • ½ tsp ground cinnamon

  • ¼ tsp ground cardamom

  • 1 to 3 whole cloves

  • ½ tsp turmeric

• 2 medium tomatoes, chopped

• 2T besan (chickpea aka garbanzo bean flour)

• 2 cups organic buttermilk (coconut milk for plant based) 

• ¾ cup of each:

  • Frozen peas

  • Finely cut cauliflower

  • Zucchini, quartered lengthwise and sliced

  • Carrots, thinly cut

  • Finely cut green beans

• Chopped fresh cilantro (optional)

Prep Instructions

• Prepare mis-en-place by measuring out & preparing all ingredients first. Place each of the measured spices in its own small bowl, and wash and chop all vegetables. Be sure to chop veggies into small pieces to aid the cooking process.

• Have your timer handy, you will need it for the following steps.

Cooking Instructions

1. Heat butter, ghee, or coconut oil in a large pot over low heat.

2. Add the salt.

3. Add the spices in the order written (which I’ve highlighted in bold) in 30 second intervals.

4. Once all spices have been added, add the tomatoes & cook for at least 4 minutes, mashing the tomatoes with a fork or potato masher while cooking.

5. Stir in the besan & cook for 1 minute, stirring constantly.

6. Slowly add the coconut milk, stirring constantly

7. Add all the veggies. Cover and simmer until veggies are tender, at least 30 minutes.

8. Once veggies are cooked, adjust the salt to taste.

9. Serve over basmati rice (the most digestible of rice) or with Indian flatbreads. If you’re keto, enjoy it with a low carb tortilla, flame-toasted and buttered (I use ghee - recipe for another time). 

10. Garnish with cilantro or add to taste. If you want a little heat, sprinkle in some cayenne. 

Bon appetit, and Happy Cooking Sadhana!

Love, Savitree