Durga (warrior goddess) bowl with herbal cashew tzatziki

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.