In addition to food shopping and restaurant hunting, one of my guilty pleasures are cookbooks and most recently, Ayurveda based cook books. To help you in deciding which book is right for you, I have written short summaries of the cook books that I have used myself.
East by West has a range of simple to prepare tasty recipes divided into sections like breakfast, soups, snacks, treats and more. There is a mix of cuisine inspirations from all over the globe. For example, you will find some lassi recipes, a variation of mac and cheese and pizza, currys, dhal, and soups, just to name a few.
If you are new to Ayurveda, the book also has a great introduction into the topic, its history, the doshas, commonly used ingredients, food preparation, eating and general lifestyle tips. You don’t need knowledge of Ayurveda to be able to cook the recipes. If you do have some knowledge, most recipes have tips of how you can adjust this dish to make it more suitable for different doshas.
Great for: Globally & ayurveda inspired recipes. Mostly vegetarian with meat and fish options present. Practical food preparation and eating tips.
My favourite recipes: Tempeh carrot wakame pea & quinoa pilaf, pizza pudas, quinoa minestrone
Recipes I want to try out soon: Cardamom millionaires with gram shortbread, lemon basil almond drizzle cake, golden paneer with tomato green beans and carrots, spinach & feta hand pies
Where to buy: Nederlands Versie Bol.com , English Version Bol.com & English version Amazon.nl
Ayurveda explains that the way we feel and digest food can be impacted not only by our individual characteristics (e.g. our constitution) but also environmental factors such as the season. Kate’s book describes simple nutritious recipes divided into spring, summer, autumn and winter dishes as well as recipes that are great to consume throughout the year. Handy shopping lists of commonly used ingredients are provided at the beginning of each season section as well as lifestyle suggestions per season.
The Everyday Ayurveda Cookbook also provides a super comprehensive introduction into Ayurveda, the elements, the doshas, qualities and tastes of food, imbalances, tips for how to improve digestion and how to eat and so much more. She also has a section of seasonal cleansing for different times of the year, including self care suggestions.
Great for: Slightly more in depth learning about ayurveda and its concepts (40+ pages) as well as its practical applications to food and lifestyle tips. Variety of simple, vegetarian & vegan recipes.
My favourite recipes: fig cardamon oat cup, red pumpkin dhal, sesame cookies
Recipes I want to try out soon: carrot ginger soup with roasted chickpeas, black bean and oat burger, white bean and artichoke croquettes, sun butter truffles
In this book Kate focuses on recipes created to balance the mind. A short summary of Ayurveda is provided, with more focus being put on the Ayurvedic perspective of the mind and a “sattvic diet”. There is a big focus on unprocessed, pure foods, and some basic recipes for commonly bought items such as ghee, vegetable bouillon, rice/almond milk and tahini are provided. The recipes are vegetarian and do not contain onions, eggs, garlic or white sugar. Also, you can expect to find lightly flavoured/spiced recipes as strong flavours are avoided in a sattvic diet.
Great for: Those looking to understand more about how Ayurveda views the mind and its relationship to food.
My favourite recipes: coconut chia seed pudding, cardamon tea cookies
Recipes I want to try out soon: coconut and cashew rice pulao, farmers market rice noodle bowl, coconut lime baked sweet potatoes, ginger carrot muffins
If you are the type of person who sometimes feels like you can easily get overwhelmed by too much choice, this book is the one for you- it provides a compact selection of easy to make breakfast, lunch/dinner, sweets and chutneys amongst others. The recipes are mostly inspired from indian and middle eastern cuisines. There is a very short introduction into ayurveda, digestion according to ayurveda, the 3 doshas and the tastes, great for a complete beginner.
Great for: Simple everyday home cooking & high level short and simple introduction into ayurveda
My favourite recipes: Beetroot thoran, Turkish lentil koftas, Mung bean chilas
Recipes I want to try out soon: Tajine with cabbage and pumpkin, lemon-polenta cake, semolina halva with raisins
Where to buy?: find it here on her own website
Books that I’ll be leaving comments about soon:
Eat, Feel, Fresh by Sahara Rose Ketabi
Ayurveda Cooking for Westerners by Amadea Morning Star
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