Through the lens of Ayurveda, we are now in the heart of the Vata season, time to think of adding more sweet, sour and salty taste to our diet to balance and pacify the Vata imbalance brought on by the cooling temperatures and winds.
Ayurveda Wellness Healing loves this wonderful recipe that blends the sweetness of acorn squash. (although any squash is great) with nuts and quinoa. Feel free to also top with a little ghee for extra warming support.
Ingredients
• 2-4 acorn squashes, halved and seeds removed – if you’re serving 2 people get 1 squash,
• 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, divided, plus more for brushing on the squash
• sea salt and fresh ground pepper
• ½ cup dry, quinoa, rinsed –1 cups filtered water
• 1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley
• 1/2 cup feta, crumbled
• 1/2 cup raw almonds with skins, coarsely chopped
• 2 teaspoons red-wine vinegar
Instructions
Preheat oven to 425 degrees, Cut your squash in half and scoop out the seeds. Brush each squash half with a bit of olive oil, and season with some salt and pepper. Roast the squash cut-side down on a baking sheet until tender when pierced with a fork, and caramelized, about 30 minutes.
While the squash is cooking, bring the ½ cup well rinsed quinoa and 1 cups water to a boil in a small sauce pan.
Once the quinoa has come to a boil, give it a stir, cover it and reduce the heat to simmer. Cook the quinoa until all the water is absorbed, about 10-15 minutes. Let the quinoa cool just a bit and then fluff with a fork.
While the quinoa and squash are cooking, wash and chop up your parsley and toast up the almonds. Coarsely chop up the almonds.
Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Add the chopped almonds to the skillet and stir frequently until golden brown in spots, about 2-3 minutes. Transfer the nuts to a paper towel lined plate to get the grease off. Sprinkle the almonds with some fine sea salt. Set them aside.
In a large bowl, combine the quinoa, 1/2 cup chopped parsley, 1/2 cup feta, almonds, 2 teaspoons red-wine vinegar and 2 tablespoons olive oil. Season with salt and pepper.
Fill up your squash halves with the quinoa and dig in.
Got leftover quinoa? Just reheat it in a skillet with a touch of coconut oil or add almond milk and raisins for a yummy breakfast cereal the next morning.
“Blockage is disease/Flow is health” 😊
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