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1. Heat 4 cups of water on high. Meanwhile, peel and chop potatoes into approximately 1 inch cubes. Add to the water and bring to a boil. Meanwhile, slice and chop the leeks into small bite size pieces.
2. Strain the potatoes after boiling for ten minutes. Save the water. Add 2c cool water to the potatoes (to cool them for the blender) and blend the potatoes along with the leeks. Pour back into the hot liquid and return to a boil. Add the remaining ingredients and simmer on low heat for twenty minutes.
3. Serve hot and garnish with cracked pepper and a pinch of red pepper flakes.
How Can This Ayurvedic Recipe Make You Feel Great?
AYURVEDIC ANALYSIS
If "fresh bright green" had a taste, it would be Potato Leek Soup with Fennel Seeds. Smooth, rich and refined, this creamy soup is only made more enticing by the spicy sizzle of red pepper flakes.
Dairy-Free Creamy Soup
Cream based soups are a decadent dish that frequently leave upset tummies- not so in this case. Blended potatoes with just the right amount of sunflower oil create a base that is just as smooth and nourishing as those filled with heavy cream. This lighter style soup will have you feeling calm, nourished, and (here's the kicker...) gas free!
Easy to Digest for All
Potatoes, un-remedied by spices and cooking, cause gas and weight gain. They are naturally astringent, a unique quality among starches. Potatoes are also soothing and demulcent, making them useful for cooling inflammation in the GI tract. Potatoes alone can provoke Vata because of their astringency. Making a creamy soup (Vata's most beloved preparation) and adding warm spices like fennel helps Vata feel calm and symptom free.
Sweet and stimulating, fennel possesses a unique combination of warming and cooling qualities that stimulate the appetite before meals and facilitate digestion afterward. Ate a little too much and feel bloated? Was the food a tad too spicy? Fennel relieves gas and bloating; it also functions to reduce burping, acid reflux, and alleviate nausea and indigestion. Fennel improves the digestive fire (agni) by stimulating blood flow to the stomach.
Improved Circulation
Feel warm and relaxed thanks to Potato Leek Soups spice mixture. Pungent red and black peppers stimulate the heart to improve circulation via vasodilation. They destroy mucous in the digestive tract and sinuses. Black pepper is a carminative (expels gas) and warms cold Vata digestion. Red pepper flakes take the heat to a whole new level- they are very hot and pungent! Alone, they are too intense for most Vata and Pitta people. However, combined with cool potatoes and fennel, red pepper adds welcome heat and excitement! If you find red pepper flakes to cause you to sweat profusely or feel jittery, use black pepper and ginger instead.
Relaxed Muscles
The very nature of soup is to give soothing relaxation to your mind, muscles, and digestion. The addition of fennel intensifies this effect. Like many aromatic herbs, fennel is effective in relaxing smooth muscle spasms. It specifically relieves bronchial spasms in the lungs, colic in the GI tract and uterine cramping, thereby helping with diverse conditions from asthma to menstrual cramps. Simply adding it to your food can bring sweet relief, making Potato Leek Soup a diverse remedy.
Discovered by Chef Mark Reinfled of Blossoming Lotus, HI (https://www.blossominglotus.com)
Reported by Alana Greenberg, an Ayurvedic Student from Santa Fe, NM.
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.
Is Potato Leek Soup with Fennel Seeds & Red Pepper Flakes Good for My Ayurvedic Diet?
Find out by taking this free, easy quiz.
You'll learn your body type, and whether Potato Leek Soup with Fennel Seeds & Red Pepper Flakes is a good fit for you. Time to complete: approximately 1 minute.
Functional Ayurveda helps you assess imbalances through 20 main biocharacteristics
(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.
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?
According to the biocharacteristic theory of medicine,
people tend to get sick, over and over again, due to habitual causes and 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.
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.
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.
Rajasic foods stimulate desire or nervous energy. Red meat, high protein food, garlic and onions stimulate desire. Rajasic foods include chili peppers, coffee, and anything that stimulates movement.
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.
Experiences vary according to the person and constitution. Individual results may vary.
The list of herbal-actions below has not be approved by the FDA and should not be used to treat a medical condition.
Here are the herbal actions of Potato Leek Soup with Fennel Seeds & Red Pepper Flakes:
An herb that increases appetite or settles a nauseas or nervous stomach. These generally increase the digestive fire, therefore relieving symptoms of sluggish or difficult digestion.
A vasodilator is an herb that widens the blood vessels by the relaxation of smooth muscle cells within the vessel walls, thereby increasing circulation systemically or to a local area.
Sedative herbs create a sense of calm in the mind and body by specifically calming or quieting the nervous system. Excellent for anxiety, stress and chronic pain.
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.
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.
Comments & Impressions of 'Potato Leek Soup With Fennel Seeds & Red Pepper Flakes'
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I was hesitant to try this, because of the fennel, but I am so glad I did! The only thing I did different was use a little less water, so I could finish the soup off with a little half and half. It is wonderful, I add to stop myself from eating the whole pot!
Very good cold-weather meal. I don't usually eat potatoes, so this is a nice addition to my diet. I didn't have sunflower oil, so I used mustard oil (kahpha friendly) instead. I was worried it would be a little bland, but it came out perfect. Didn't change a thing.
Hi Molly, often Yukon Gold / Golden Wonders are recommended for soups like this. The potato is what thickens the soup so if you rather a thinner batch then small potatoes would be best. If you like it more substantial, then medium would work. Enjoy your soup!
* These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration.
The information and products on this website are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any
disease.
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