A Vata-nourishing Ayurvedic Pumpkin Pie for you this season!

Nourish your Vata with this Ayurvedic Pumpkin Pie

It’s Fall and the Vata season too! Anxiety, insomnia, and a disturbed mind are the first thing you should start getting rid of before the holidays hit you to the core. 

We want to rejuvenate our overall health to enjoy the holiday season with our friends and family. 

That’s why we’re here for you for some more Ayurvedic tips!

Ayurveda teaches the importance of food in our life, as it affects us in every aspect holistically. Although it does not distinguish food to be either good or bad. It does, however, emphasize different influential factors that make the food a good option for us or not for a specific time of the year and our physical condition. That being said, it is crucial for us to consider its biological properties, origin, environmental factors, seasons, preparation, freshness, and our own understanding of balancing our diet on the kind of food we eat according to our dosha and physical needs.

Because it’s Vata season now, plus Halloween, we want something to be orangey adding a little bit of glow to your table today! What could be a better choice than a Vata nourishing pumpkin pie that will also aesthically match our social media feed and blog this season.

Here’s an Ayurvedic pumpkin pie recipe just for you!

We need:

• water
• 3 cups chopped pumpkin
• 1 tsp. cinnamon powder
• 2 tbsp. ghee
• ½ tsp. mineral salt
• ½ tsp. nutmeg powder
• ½ tsp. ginger powder
• ¼ cup chopped pecans
• 2 whole cloves or ½ tsp. clove powder

Now, let’s begin! Follow these easy steps and you’ll be just fine!

1. Heat the ghee on medium level.
2. Add spices for its aroma, wait until you smell it increase the essence.
3. Then add the sliced pumpkin pieces.
4. Gently stir to coat the pieces with the ghee along with the spices to absorb and make it more tasty!
5. Add water, and make sure it reaches just ⅓  level of the pumpkin. 
6. Stir it again, and cover for about 15 minutes on a reduced heat to low.
7. Wait until you get the desired softness and texture.
8. Let is sit for a few more minutes, and voila! You can now blend or mash it to your heart’s content!

Then, let’s get on the pie crust and achieve your desired crunchy goodness!

Here’s what we need this time:

• Water
• 3/4 cups whole wheat flour
• 1/2 cup brown rice flour
• 1/4 cup flax meal
• ½ tsp. mineral salt
• 2 Tbsp. ghee
• 1 Tbsp. maple syrup

It’s baking time!

1. First, mix the flour, flax and add on some salt.
2. Stir in some ghee and maple syrup.
3. Add water to moisten the dough.
4. Cover it and let is cool in 5 more minutes.
5. Press into a baking dish.
6. Bake the crust from 7-10 minutes at 300 degrees to make it warm and its top a little bit firm.
7. Take it out and add the crust to your pumpkin goody. 
8. You can sprinkle chopped pecans on top, or whatever herbs or Ayurvedic ingredients you want to achieve the herbal and vegan vibe!

WHAT AYURVEDA SAYS ABOUT PUMPKIN:

Pumpkin is best shared among friends and family, as it gives the cheerful vibe celebration and a calming feeling. Its soft yet hearty texture adds goodness that satisfies the stomach on a chilly autumn day. Its lightly sweet taste also soothes our taste buds making it undoubtedly comforting and almost everyone’s favorite.

Pumpkin is rich in vital minerals such as manganese, copper, and potassium. In Ayurveda, this versatile vegetable balances all three doshas, especially the fiery Pitta. It is also good for restoring balance to your Kapha. Its high fiber load is boon to speed up your metabolism caused by your excess Kapha accumulated over the week leaving you to be sluggish.

On the other hand, it also soothes the Vata dosha. Ever wonder why this vegetable mostly grows during the seasons of autumn and winter? According to Ayurveda, nature produces what we need most in a certain time of the year, and yes! Because pumpkin serves us most in the season of Vata and Kapha - the same qualities the pumpkin has: wet and heavy for Kapha, but also with rough texture and light fiber similar to the attributes of Vata.

Pumpkin’s cheerful orange skin is also packed with powerful minerals and vitamins such as beta-carotene - a natural antioxidant that’s beneficial to our skin as it can get dry in cold months. It also supports our immune system; holistically helps us combat the risk of cancer and heart disease if we incorporate mindful lifestyle throughout the year.

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