The vata season can make digestion irregular, gassy and uncomfortable. But the holidays should be celebrating family with ease and joy. This plant based nut loaf celebrates the season with soothing herbs and grounding root vegetables to keep our vata energy grounded and sated.
The meal provides a hearty and grounding take for the vata autumn season. Nuts and legumes are soaked and prepared to be more digestible and showcases our vata chuna to further help soothe vata digestion. This meal is less ideal for kapha constitutions, however, the addition of more stimulating herbs and spices and Kapha churna can help make this a special indulgent meal.
INGREDIENTS:
3 large carrots
2 large parsnips
1 medium/ large sweet potato or yam
2 leeks
2 garlic cloves
1 medium onion
3 stalks celery
3 tablespoons ghee or coconut oil
1 cup raw almonds
1 cup raw walnuts
2 tablespoons liquid braggs aminos (optional)
1 tablespoon ground flaxseed
1 cup vegetable broth
2 tablespoons vata churna
1 thumb (approximately 1 inch) fresh grated ginger
1 teaspoon salt to taste
3 tablespoons equal parts fresh chopped herbs: parsley, sage, thyme and more for garnishing
1 lemon
1 cup cooked basmati rice
1 ½ cups cooked lentils or mung beans
INSTRUCTIONS:
Soak, and rinse rice and beans before cooking and set aside.
Soak nuts (except for flax) overnight. Rinse and combine liquid braggs to a bowl with nuts and spread mixture on baking sheet and bake at 315 degrees fahrenheit for 10 minutes.
Set aside to cool. Once cooled, add to a food processor and pulse until a course texture. Set aside.
Chop carrots, parsnips and sweet potato into equal-sized slices and bake on a baking sheet or pan with 1-2 tablespoons of ghee or coconut oil at 375 degrees Fahrenheit for 50 minutes to 1 hour until soft and tender. Check the vegetables while in the oven, stirring if necessary to prevent burning. Set aside.
Prep and slice leeks, garlic, onion and celery. In a large pan on medium heat, melt 2 tablespoons of ghee or coconut oil and add to hot pan. Monitor and stir often until softened and translucent and caramelized. Set aside.
Grate fresh ginger and finely chop fresh herbs.
Add 1 tablespoon flaxseed to 1 cup of vegetable broth and allow to sit and gel for about 10-20 minutes.
Add roasted root vegetables to the food processor along with the nuts and pulse until well combined. Add the flaxseed and vegetable broth mixture. The vegetables should be mostly pureed with some smaller chunks for texture.
Now add in rice, lentils, onion mixture, fresh herbs, vata churna and salt, and lemon juice, adjusting seasoning to taste as needed and mix by hand until well combined and equally distributed.
Reduce oven heat to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
Line a bread loaf tin with parchment paper or grease with ghee or coconut oil.
Add mixture and tightly pack until filled.
Bake for 50 minutes to 1 hour. Allow to rest before removing from tin.
Serve with gravy and stuffing.
Follow this recipe, step by step, over on our Youtube Channel
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