Emma Newlyn Yoga

If a busy schedule, work deadlines or a general sense of underlying anxiety are leaving you feeling less-than-relaxed, this blend of mood-boosting, deeply calming, hormone-balancing ingredients could lend a helping hand. Even better news is that it all comes in the form of cookies!

Chamomile tea is traditionally sipped at bedtime or when you’re in the mood for something soothing, but used in cooking it can provide benefits to the digestive system as well as calming the nervous system. Chamomile is a bitter herb (not that the taste of these cookies is bitter at all), and bitterness is one of the tastes most beneficial to the body at this time of year. Spring is a time of Kapha energy according to Ayurveda, which means we may experience more heaviness, congestion, Spring colds, phlegm, and issues with slow digestion. Bitter herbs and extra fibre – both found in this recipe – can help rid the body of heaviness and get things moving along nicely.

The calming benefits from this recipe really come down to the oats (wonderful for balancing mood levels and are actually commonly advised to prevent post-natal depression), chamomile (known for its soothing and calming benefits to the nervous system), poppy seeds (having a large amount of these can be quite sedating), and psyllium husk (anything good for the gut is going to have great benefits for the mind!)

The best time to eat these would probably be when you’re thinking of winding down for the evening as a way to mark the end of your working day, or as dessert with a warm cup of tea. Either way, gather these ingredients and have a go! If you wouldn’t usually purchase psyllium husk or chamomile, I’ll have a few more recipes with these ingredients coming son so they won’t go to waste!

INGREDIENTS

• 2 cups psyllium husk (available at most health food shops, asian grocers, or online)
• 2 cups oats (ground into a flour in the blender)
• 1/4 to 1/2 cup depending on preference of organic dried chamomile flowers (purchase online)
• The zest of 1 lemon
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1/2 cup flax
• 1/8 cup stevia or maple syrup – feel free to add a couple of spoons more for extra sweetness
• 1 tbsp poppy seeds
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• Warm water or milk (roughly 1/4 cup)

METHOD

1. Make your psyllium husk ‘egg’ first, which will help bind everything together and provide nice chewy cookies. Do this by mixing the psyllium husk with enough water to cover it. Mix or whisk well and repeat – the psyllium will soak up the water. Leave this to set for about 10 minutes before you start.
2. Add all ingredients other than the warm water or milk to a large mixing bowl and mix until combined
3. Add enough milk to create a dough-like consistency that you can work with your hands
4. If things get a little too sticky or wet, add more oats or a small amount of whatever flour you have in the house
5. Roll the mixture up into a ball and place in the fridge for about half an hour to cool
6. Pre-heat the oven to 180C
7. When cool, use a rolling pin to roll out the dough to about 1/4 cm thick and cut into desired shapes
8. Bake on the middle rack of the oven for about 15-20 minutes or until stable with a tiny bit of softness to them (they’ll harden-up when cool)
9. Remove from the oven and leave to cool on the side
10. Enjoy!