The Kitchen Virgen by satkiana

One of the students from my current Ayurveda Lifestyle and Nutrition class wrote me a very funny email, announcing herself a virgin in the kitchen.  In fact, she told me she didn't even know how to boil an egg!  I was once in her shoes too.  I avoided the kitchen like a mouse avoids a cat.  I was introduced to Ayurveda and learned how to make kicharee, a healing Ayurvedic stew.  Feeling a sense of elation at mastering one dish, that's all I would cook from that point on.  My alternative to kicharee was pancakes!

You are unique
With much prat ice, many burnt pots, unpalatable creations and some sweat and tears...I've learned how to cook.  The Ayurvedic approach to cooking is unique in that it is very intuitive.  It is based on a combination of all of the elements found in nature.  It is based on how to put this combination together so that it suits your unique requirements. 
 
What's your dosha baby?
In Ayurveda, we call your unique constitution a dosha.
People are made-up of  a combination of:
air and ether = Vata
fire and water = Pitta
water and earth = Kapha
Opposites are complimentary
Vata needs the warmth of fire and the grounding of earth to remain balanced
Pitta needs to coolness of earth and the dryness of air to balance
Kapha needs the lightness and dryness of air to balance
  Food: the balancing act
foods have doshas too
Vata foods: crackers, lettuce, chick peas
Pitta foods: ginger, raw carrots, garlic
Kapha foods: basmati rice, sweet potatoes, milk

Creating the right stew for you
no two stews are alike.  This is creative and intuitive cooking that looks at what you need to nurture and balance yourself in the here and now.
food nurtures and sustains you, spices are the medicine, the magic in the brew.
we naturally want to eat warming, grounding foods in the winter and lighter cooler ones in the summer.
eating foods that are in season, fresh and organic is how Mother Nature intended it to be.
Feed your mind sattvic foods
sattvic foods promote:
clarity of mind
mental calmness
lightness
alertness
sweetness
intuition
inner peace
self-love