While Summer is usually the season of salads, fruit, ice creams and smoothies, these kinds of raw, cold foods have the potential to wreak havoc on the digestive system. Having at least one cooked meal per day (especially in the afternoon and evening) helps the body to digest things a little easier, which means less energy is spend on digestion, and more energy can be used for maintaining full health and happiness.
The system of Ayurveda places primary importance upon digestive health, reasoning that the body is only able to work properly when digestive fire or ‘agni’ is strong. When food is consumed and unable to be digested properly, it stays in the digestive tract and creates toxins or ‘ama’, eventually leading to disease. Many Ayuvedic recipes contain food combinations and herbs that help each individual to be able to properly digest their meals according to their body type.
There are even studies which show that the human brain increased in size when we started to cook food, as the energy previously used to digest raw, hard foods could instead be used for brain activity, thus increasing its size! Cooking meals also means nutritious ingredients like leafy green and veggies can be cooked down so we’re able to eat a larger quantity of them without compromising digestive health!
Ingredients
- 2-3tsp coconut oil
- 1 onion, finely chopped
- 1 medium size punnet of closed cap mushrooms (keep whole if not too big or cut in half)
- 2 big handfuls of spinach leaves
- 1 tin chopped tomatoes
- 1 tin of chickpeas, drained
- 2-3 tbsp curry paste
- Small bunch of freshly chopped coriander.
How To:
Melt the coconut oil in a heavy based pan and stir. Cover and stir occasionally until onion is soft and just turning golden.
Add the curry paste. (I used Patak’s madras paste but you can use whatever brand you like the most. or better still – make your own!)
Stir well until onion is coated with the paste.
Add the mushrooms and chickpeas and stir well.
Take care not to burn he spices at this point.
Add the chopped tomatoes and stir again.
Put a lid on and simmer on a medium/low heat. Stir occasionally for approximately 7-10 minutes until the mushrooms are cooked and everything is heated right through.
Add the spinach last and just stir through until it is wilted.
Sprinkle freshly chopped coriander over to serve. This is great with rice/flatbread and pickle or even add a halved boiled egg to each plate.
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