Six taste bowls are my recommended lunches, which contain the six tastes of Ayurveda: sweet, sour, salty, bitter, pungent and astringent. Each of these tastes has macro and micro-nutritional value and necessary for a balanced diet.
Durga is the fierce warrior goddess whose name literally means “the invincible one.” After having this bowl, you may just started channeling her. It contains protein-packed quinoa, hemp seeds, hummus and chickpea meat, which are well-balanced with cooling veggies such as spinach, cucumber and parsley. Add in the endurance-building healthy fats like avocado, cashews and tahini and you’ve got yourself ready for battle (battling disillusion, that is.)
Tastes
Sweet: quinoa, avocado
Sour: lemon
Salty: sea salt
Bitter: parsley
Pungent: garlic
Astringent: tahini, dill
Durga (Warrior Goddess) Bowl with Herbal Cashew Tzatziki
Serves 1
INGREDIENTS
- 1/2 cup cooked quinoa
- 2 cups spinach (fresh for Pitta, steamed for Vata and Kapha)
- 4 baby beets, steamed and sliced
- 1/2 cup medium cucumber, diced
- 2 tbsp finely chopped parsley
- 1 avocado, thinly sliced
- 2 tbsp hummus or chickpeas
- 1 tbsp hemp seeds, for garnish
For the tzatziki
- 1 cup cashews, soaked for 2–4 hours
- 4 tbsp lemon juice
- 2 tbsp tahini
- 5–7 tbsp water
- ¼ tsp sea salt
- black pepper, to taste
- 1 medium cucumber, peeled and diced
- 1/3 cup chopped fresh dill
METHOD
To make the tzatziki, in a food processor or blender, combine cashews, lemon juice, tahini, 5 tbsp water, salt, and pepper. Blend until smooth and creamy.
Transfer to a bowl and stir in diced cucumber, dill, parsley, and mint.
To assemble, spread quinoa in a wide bowl and top with spinach, baby beet, cucumber, parsley, avocado and the hummus or chickpeas. Sprinkle with hemp seeds and serve with ¼ of the prepared tzatziki sauce.
Note: Refrigerate leftover tzatziki sauce in an airtight container for up to 2 days.
