Ah… it feels good to turn the corner on summer and find welcome moments to settle into these quiet, waning days. As I take time to be with today’s present and consider tomorrow’s possibility, I thought I’d share with you a bit of what’s stirring.
- My Autumn Ayurvedic Cleanse. Time for a reset? The Autumn Equinox is a perfect time to align with nature and restore for balance, wellness and peace. Learn more and register here.
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Our upcoming Yoga Therapy Training. This is perhaps my favorite of our Deep Yoga Trainings, because it is so intimate, connected, and empowering. The best part of all is cooking a healing lunch together on our final day.
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Bhakti Fest: Music, Yoga, Ayurvedis – it’s a bliss fest. I love visiting friends at Organic India + Bhakti Chai + Imlak’esh + The OM Collection + Ancient Organics whose Rose Lassi impressed me so much last year I blogged about it here. We just got back, and I have a great post for you for next week.
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Dr. Suhas’ new book The Hot Belly Diet: A 30-Day Ayurvedic Plan to Reset Your Metabolism, Lose Weight and Restore your Body’s Natural Balance to Heal Itself. I have a copy for one of my readers. Will it be you? I hope so. Suhas is an original! Details below.
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Nadya Andreeva’s book, Happy Belly: A Woman’s Guide to Feeling Vibrant, Light and Balanced: Nadya is a blossoming Ayurvedi, whose book Happy Belly is a resource for women to improve digestive health, prevent bloating and eliminate discomfort.
Nadya has generously offered us the recipe for her Happy Belly Kale Salad, as well as a free copy of her book for one lucky winner. Keep reading: details are also below.
On her blog, Nadya celebrates the power of kale with a post, “What you don’t know about kale but should!” Writes Nadya, “I used to consider kale hard to digest for my belly but once I learned how to make it properly it is one of my favorite things. It’s a fantastic source of vitamins and minerals and tastes great in various dishes!”
This is a delicious salad, and for those of you who like me, found this summer to be especially hot, you might find this helps your interior self cool down and flow with ease into balance.
Nadya’s Happy Belly Kale Salad
by Nadya Andreeva, author of The Happy Belly
Serves 2
Ingredients
- 4 handfuls of kale
- 1 avocado
- 1/4 cup pine nuts or sunflower seeds
- 1 diced and sauteed onion
- 1 large grated carrot
- 1 cup cooked quinoa
- a handful of goji berries (optional)
Dressing
- 2 tablespoons tahini
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- juice of 1 lime
- 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
- 1 tablespoon tamari (optional)
- 1/2 teaspoon chipotle powder
- 1-2 tablespoons water, or until the desired consistency is reached
Method
Add all the ingredients for the dressing except the water to a small bowl and season with salt and pepper. Stir until combined before adding a tablespoon of water at a time until you get the right consistency. Remember you still want it to maintain a fairly thick consistency to keep the salad nice and creamy. I recommend adding roughly 2 tablespoons. Add the kale to a mixing bowl removing any large stalks and pour the dressing over. Then using your hands (by far the best way to break down the kale) rub the dressing into it, squeezing it so it breaks down and becomes easier to eat. Massaging kale helps to break it down and make it easier to digest.
Chop the avocado into bite size pieces and add to the salad along with sauteed onions, cooked quinoa, goji berries, pine nuts or sunflower seeds, and grated carrot. Toss the whole thing and enjoy!
My note: This is more delicious than you can imagine, and only took ten minutes to pull together. I did pour hot water on the gojis and let them soak 5 minutes before draining and tossing in. As for quantity – I’d say it serves closer to 3-4.
What makes your belly hot or happy? Let us know below, and we will put your name in the hat to win a signed copy of Dr. Suhas’s Hot Belly or Nadya’s Happy Belly. Let me know which you prefer.
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Thank you Nadya. Thank you Suhas. Thank you dear friends. Namaste!
Put simply, you do Laura Plumb!
Cultured veggies & bone broth 🙂
sounds so healing. thanks, kelli.
brilliant
Kitcheree makes my belly happy.
Me too! Thanks, Bridget.
Had this for lunch after returning from a work trip… totally divine, nourishing and sumptuous!
so happy you got to try it!
My belly is happy with eating small meals, and only 1 or 2 times a day. Being in happy relaxed spirit when eating helps. I am so curious what Nadya learned about preparing Kale that made the difference for her. She mentioned preparation helpful while she hadn’t known how originally. THANKS!
great wisdom, mindy. what nadya learned is in the recipe. try it and let us know if it works for you. thanks.
Hi Mindy, I just learned that it is easier digested when massaged not just chopped. This way fibers are broken down and it becomes a lot softer. There is also more about specific dosha recommendations for kale on my website
Winning this book would make my belly happy!!!
Wonderfully said!
Seasonal cleanse with you! Hot belly looks interesting to me.
What wonderful book resources, neither of which I knew about! I will certainly be reading these one way or the other. And I love this kale salad. We unfortunately have kale showing up at the markets only for a few short weeks in the fall, so I’m saving this for when I (hopefully) see kale here soon! A nice balanced amount of good fats from avocado, coconut oil, and ghee make my belly happy along with some fermented goodies like kimchi and miso!
Sounds like this salad will for you, a happy belly be. Thank you Katie!
Love fermented veggies! They make my belly happy, too!
Making music cheers my belly!
Me too. Hopefully, we will hear you one day.
Too much spice gives me a hot belly too little spice gives me a sluggish belly. All about balance for me
You are perfect balance, Jacky. Thank you.
Learning how to incorporate more whole foods. Hot Belly looks interesting. The Kale salad looks delicious and something I will try.
This is a great salad to take to work, too, with ingredients really hold up. Hope you enjoy it, Jennifer. Thank you.
A well massaged kale salad makes my belly very happy in the summer time. A seasonal kitchari makes my belly happy always! Too much coffee makes my tummy hot & bothered, & I am looking forward to the autumn cleanse to reset & clean up my diet which has been compromised by stress & too busy of a schedule. I love Nadya’s blog and this kale salad looks delightful! Perhaps I will make this for our graduation potluck? It’s supposed to be a hot weekend!!
Thank you Melissa. You are so wise. Yes, perfect for our Yoga Teacher Training Graduation celebration, which I am spelling out because “Melissa can teach!”
Love you!!!
Melissa, thank you for the kind words! I am with you on seasonal kitchari! Hope everyone at the potluck enjoys the salad!
Detox Pesto on anything!!
That gives me a happy laugh! Thank you.
Oh, man. That salad has me drooling over here! My belly is happy with steamed kale and sweet potatoes. I seriously can’t get enough kale!
I am with you – only I can’t get enough sweet potato! Enjoy, Amber. Thanks.
recipe sounds fabulous. Thank you for sharing.
Thanks, Linda. Hope you like it!
A big spoon of ghee first thing in the morning makes my belly happy! I’m interested in Hot Belly.
Oh yes, Melissa. Me too! Thanks.
Nadya’s Happy Belly should I be so fortunate!
Happy Belly for a woman who makes everyone happy. Thanks!
My belly really loves a nice, thick, full miso soup. I use soy miso, although garbanzo is great too when I can get it. To make it thick and extra tasty, I blend in my Vitamix some cooked white beans, a little onion and some reconstituted shitake mushrooms with the juice (from the soaking), and of course the miso paste and water. When I cook that, I like to add bok choy, leeks, shitake mushrooms, and maybe cauliflower. Then, after it’s off the flame, I add some soaked wakame which I rinse to make it less salty, and some chopped scallion. Voila and yum!
Susan, That sounds so nourishing, and healing. Thank you for sharing the recipe.
delicious roasted seasonal vegetables, a truly wholesome comfort food. Nice to start following you here, Laura. The recipe you’ve shared looks wonderful! (book choice would be Hot Belly) Namaste, Erika
Thank you Erika. I agree – roasted vegetables are a favorite. Hot Belly is a wonderful book, too.
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Congratulations, Kelli and Bridget, who will receive one of the books each. Thanks all!