BASIL BUTTERNUT SQUASH OVER COCONUT QUINOA |
How to Make Basil Butternut Squash over Coconut Quinoa
SERVINGS: 4 PREP TIME: 15 MINUTES COOK TIME: 30 MINUTES
INGREDIENTS
| 1/2 c | |
| 1 c | |
| 2 c | |
| 1 tbsp | |
| 2 tsp | |
| 1 c | |
| 2 tbsp | |
| 1/4 tsp | |
| 1/4 tsp | |
PREPARATION OF THIS HEALTHY RECIPE
1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Peel and dice butternut squash and set aside. Next, dice the purple onion. Melt ghee in a small pan on the stove. In a medium sized mixing bowl, toss the butternut squash, onion, melted ghee, salt, red pepper flakes, and cup coconut milk. Place spiced butternut squash in a pyrex baking dish. Bake for 30 minutes or until tender.
2. Bring quinoa and coconut milk to a boil in a medium saucepan. Add 2 whole curry leaves. Lower heat and simmer covered for 20 minutes or until quinoa become soft. Add salt to taste.
3. Serve in bowls by layering the butternut squash over a serving of quinoa. Garnish with fresh basil and serve hot.
Note: Basil Butternut Squash over Coconut Quinoa makes a nourishing yet light summer dish when served at room temperature.
How Can This Ayurvedic Recipe Make You Feel Great?
AYURVEDIC ANALYSIS
Nourishing Basil Butternut Squash over Coconut Quinoa will soothe your body and mind. Butternut squash, soaked in coconut milk and ghee, carries a signature of comfort. Silky coconut milk and the freshness of basil form a perfect blend of satisfaction & lightness.
Simple yet vibrant ingredients with active flavors are the surprise found in this recipe, a rare combination for comfort food. Bright orange butternut is a feast for the eyes, yet satisfying. Red quinoa adds another dash of color to your plate and makes you feel strong and stable. This dish will fill you up without any sensation of tiredness after eating. Bright and AromaticIf you've ever picked fresh basil from a garden, you know how its aroma awakens the nose and brightens the senses. As you start to chop the leaves, the familiar scent of basil will fill your kitchen. Then, you'll feel your posture relax and lift all at once. That's not all - basil's aroma also stimulates enzymes in the stomach, preparing your body for optimum digestion. Spice According to YouRed pepper adds a little bit of heat that sparks agni (your digestive fire) for comfortable digestion free of gas and bloating. The light sweat that comes to your brow after a few bites is your signal that the fire has been lit!
In this recipe, you can experiment with the level of spice you like. By reducing the quantity of red pepper flake and basil, Pittas may also enjoy this recipe. Those with fiery constitutions benefit from cool ghee and soothing butternut squash. Its heavy quality softens an agitated mind. Served room temperature, this dish is quite calming in the summertime for Pitta. Slow Down, Soften and SavorThis recipe is excellent for dry, cold Vata Dosha suffering from constipation. The oily, nourishing quality of butternut squash cooked slowly in ghee and coconut milk helps to keep Vatas intestines moist for regular bowel movements. Quinoa, rich in fiber, completes this excellent recipe for constipation due to dryness. These qualities are especially helpful for Vata in late summer and fall.
Though a quite vibrant dish, this recipe may be a touch heavy for Kapha constitutions if you're not careful. You can reduce heaviness by adding extra red pepper flake and cooking the quinoa with water instead of coconut milk. Using these modifications, kaphas may also enjoy Basil Butternut Squash over Quinoa. They will feel even better if it's served hot!
WHY EAT AN AYURVEDIC DIET?
Eating Ayurvedically makes you feel nourished and energized. An Ayurvedic diet is
tailored to your individual body type and the specific imbalances you are working with
at any given time. Ayurveda shows you your specific body type’s needs and what
should be favored in your Ayurvedic menu. Watch as you eat less but feel more satisfied because what you
are eating truly nourishes you. Since Ayurveda believes all disease begins in the digestive
tract, food is your first medicine. By eating a healthy diet that’s ideal for your body, you
experience optimal health. LEARN MORE
Is Basil Butternut Squash over Coconut Quinoa Good for My Ayurvedic Diet?
Find out by taking this free, easy quiz.
You'll learn your body type, and whether Basil Butternut Squash over Coconut Quinoa is a good fit for you. Time to complete: approximately 1 minute.
AYURVEDIC MEDICINAL QUALITIES
INCREASES
Increases These Qualities (Gunas)
Functional Ayurveda helps you assess imbalances through 20 main characteristics
( gunas).
Aggravating these characteristics weakens your body and causes imbalance.
By knowing which characteristics are habitually imbalanced in your body, you will be able to identify and correct imbalances before you get sick.
Every characteristic has an opposite which balances it (i.e. hot balances cold).
You restore balance by favoring diet and lifestyle choices that increase the opposite characteristic.
Learn More
| HEAVY ![Heavy]( "Heavy") ABOUT HEAVY GUNA
Heavy is identified by sedation, sluggishness, or increased weight.
LEARN MORE ABOUT HEAVY DIFFICULT ![Difficult]( "Difficult") ABOUT DIFFICULT GUNA
Difficult refers to anything that is difficult to digest, or takes a long time to digest.
LEARN MORE ABOUT DIFFICULT MOBILE ![Mobile]( "Mobile") ABOUT MOBILE GUNA
Mobile refers to anything that stimulates the nervous system, muscles, or activity.
LEARN MORE ABOUT MOBILE COLD ![Cold]( "Cold") ABOUT COLD GUNA
Cold refers to anything that reduces body temperature, metabolism, and blood flow.
LEARN MORE ABOUT COLD | TASTES
The 6 Tastes
Taste is used to sense the most basic properties and effects of food.
Each taste has a specific medicinal effect on your body.
Cravings for food with certain tastes indicate your body is craving specific medicinal results from food.
Taste is experienced on the tongue and represents your body's reaction to foods.
Sweet taste causes physical satisfaction and attraction whereas bitter taste causes discomfort and aversion.
Kapha should use less sweet taste while Vata and Pitta would benefit from using more sweet taste.
One of the first signs of illness is that your taste and appetite for food changes.
The six tastes are sweet, sour, salty, pungent, bitter, and astringent.
Do you crave foods with any of the tastes below?
Learn More
| BITTER ![Bitter]( "Bitter") ABOUT BITTER GUNA
Bitter is disagreeable and stimulating rejection, and a strong taste often associated with black coffee, dark chocolate, and most salad greens.
LEARN MORE ABOUT BITTER PUNGENT ![Pungent]( "Pungent") ABOUT PUNGENT GUNA
Pungency is characterized by irritation, or sharp, spicy foods that irritate the mouth such as black pepper.
LEARN MORE ABOUT PUNGENT | DOSHAS
The Three Doshas / Body Types
People tend to get sick, over and over again, due to similar causes and habitual imbalances that are unique to the person.
Your body type summarizes this tendency, showing you the 'type' of conditions and imbalances that frequently challenge your health & wellness.
Using body type, you can also identify remedies likely to improve your strength and resiliency.
Your body type identifies physical and mental characteristics as well as your personal strengths and weaknesses.
The calculation of your body type is based on your medical history.
The 3 functional body types
(doshas),
are Catabolic (Vata), Metabolic (Pitta), and Anabolic (Kapha).
Catabolic individuals tend to break down body mass into energy.
Metabolic individuals tend to burn or use energy.
Anabolic individuals tend to store energy as body mass.
Catabolic people tend to be easily stimulated, hyperactive, underweight and dry.
Metabolic people tend to be rosy-cheeked, easily irritated, focused, driven, and easily inflamed.
Anabolic people are heavy, stable and grounded, but if they store too much energy, they could gain weight easily and have congestion.
Learn More
| | HAS THE FOLLOWING | EFFECT:
Alkalizing ALKALIZING
An herb or food that makes the urine more alkaline (higher pH). This herbal action can be helpful for a number of inflammatory conditions.
LEARN MORE ABOUT ALKALIZING , Ojas OJAS
Ojas is the essence of healthy tissue, immunity, stable energy and happiness. Substances that improve ojas are recommended after long-term illness, debility, emotional and physical trauma, and even sadness.
LEARN MORE ABOUT OJAS , Prana PRANA
Prana is the Sanskrit word for vital life energy, similar to Qi in Chinese Medicine. Many herbs stimulate your energy, or improve the flow of prana through your body. Generally, prana needs to be increased in spring after a sleepy winter.
LEARN MORE ABOUT PRANA
TYPE:
Vegetables
CONTAINS:
Nightshade NIGHTSHADE
A member of the plant family Solanaceae. Members of this family have a tendency to irritate the liver and arthritic conditions. Tomatoes, potatoes, eggplant, and bell peppers.
LEARN MORE ABOUT NIGHTSHADE
ELEMENT:
Water WATER
Resembles water (ap) in quality - fluid, sticky, soft, heavy, stable, cool.
LEARN MORE ABOUT WATER ,
SUBTASTE:
Aromatic AROMATIC
Herbs or spices with volatile essential oils that present strong aromas. Aromatic oils shock, refresh and numb tissue, with the end result of relaxing, opening and clearing stagnant fluids in tissues.
LEARN MORE ABOUT AROMATIC
NUTRIENT:
Fats, Carbohydrate, Beta Carotene
COLOR:
White, Orange |
MEDICINAL PROPERTIESExperiences are Personal
Experiences vary according to the person and constitution. Individual results may vary.
The list of actions below has not be approved by the FDA and should not be used to treat a medical condition.
Cleanse and Detox: Burns Toxins BURNS-TOXINS
An herb that detoxifies by helping your body metabolize toxins, as opposed to eliminating them.
LEARN MORE ABOUT BURNS-TOXINS Energy Vitality Strength: , Tonic TONIC
A tonic herb strengthens tissue, often restoring healthy function. Tonics usually target a specific organ, tissue, or system ie: brain, muscle or respiratory tonic.
LEARN MORE ABOUT TONIC , Heart & Circulation: , , Blood Tonic BLOOD-TONIC
An herb that produces more blood cells in the body or otherwise strengthens blood. Helpful for anemia and other types of deficiency.
LEARN MORE ABOUT BLOOD-TONIC Kidney & Urinary: Diuretic DIURETIC
Herbs that promote urine formation, thereby flushing the kidneys and urinary tract while eliminating any excess water retention. As diuretics reduce water retention, they are often used to reduce blood pressure.
LEARN MORE ABOUT DIURETIC , Liver & Gall Bladder: Livotonic LIVOTONIC
An herb that strengthens the liver. It is helpful for people with a history of substance abuse, chronic liver issues from hepatitis and hemolytic anemias.
LEARN MORE ABOUT LIVOTONIC Mind, Stress & Sleep: Grounding GROUNDING
Encourages feelings of stability and heaviness. Makes you feel settled, mentally relaxed. Mildly sedates the nervous system to ease stress. Can bring a spacey or anxious person back to earth.
LEARN MORE ABOUT GROUNDING Strengthening-Tonics: Muscle Tonic MUSCLE-TONIC
Herbs that strengthen and tone muscle tissue. Helpful for people recovering from long term illness and debility, or after a sprain.
LEARN MORE ABOUT MUSCLE-TONIC
Eat Well for Life With Ayurveda: Balance Your Dosha
Love our recipes? Discover how to balance your diet for only $35 with this popular short course.
GET THE ECOURSE
![About John Joseph Immel]()
About the Author
John Immel, the founder of Joyful Belly, teaches people how to have a
healthy diet and lifestyle with Ayurveda.
His approach to Ayurveda exudes a certain ease, which many find enjoyable and insightful.
His online course Balance Your Ayurvedic Diet in a Week provides tools for gracefully healing with Ayurveda to thousands.
John also directs Joyful Belly's School of Ayurveda
, which specializes in digestive tract pathology & Ayurvedic nutrition.
John and his wife Natalie recently published Explore Your Hunger: A Guide to Hunger, Appetite & Food.
John's interest in Ayurveda and digestive tract pathology was inspired by a complex digestive disorder acquired from years of international travel, including his public service work in South Asia.
John's commitment to the detailed study of digestive disorders reflects his zeal to get down to the roots of the problem. His hope and belief in the capacity of each & every client to improve their quality of life is nothing short of a personal passion.
John's creativity in the kitchen and delight in cooking for others comes from his family oriented upbringing.
In addition to his certification in Ayurveda, John holds a bachelor's degree in mathematics from Harvard University.
John enjoys sharing Ayurveda within the context of his Catholic roots,
and finds Ayurveda gives him an opportunity to participate in the healing mission of the Church.
Jesus expressed God's love by feeding and healing the sick.
That kindness is the fundamental ministry of Ayurveda as well.
Read more
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Purple onion is not listed under ingredients but the instructions tell us to add diced purple onion. How much do you recommend?
I am eager to make this. Where can I find curry leaves? Do they have another name?
- Carol , 09-12-15 ( Reply) This is a delicious recipe. I think the proportions are off, at least for my style of meal planning. first, it needs a quantity value for the onion - I used one onion, about 1/2 cup. Second: I will double or triple the amounts of squash and onion the next time I make it. The basil does add a wonder fresh accent to the smooth earthy comforting richness of the vegetables in the coconut milk.
This looks like a great dish. How much onion is neede?
- Karen Karen, Diamondhead, MS , 09-17-15 ( Reply) It is really tasty and different. I am going to make it for my grandchildren. Thanks for the receipe
You can find curry leaves at an Indian/Asian grocery store.
John,I notice there are a lot of recipes that call for Ghee. For those with dairy intolerances, what would be a good substitute for Ghee? I've tried coconut oil which has worked fine but I imagine I am forfeiting some flavor. Any suggestions?
We generally recommend coconut oil as a substitute for those who can't have ghee.
- Kimberly Kubicke, Asbury park, NJ , 11-27-17 ( Reply) |
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