Every bite you take can be a building block for health – especially when your meals include foods that increase ojas.
Ojas is an energy and a substance in your body that is responsible for vitality and immunity. Just like a bank account, you spend ojas through stress, lack of sleep or not eating properly. But replenishing ojas is as simple as adding foods that increase it to your meals (including high-quality fats – like ghee – almonds, and dates). Along with balancing agni and getting adequate rest, foods that increase ojas will help you feel and look as healthy as you are meant to be.
When you’re in need of more ojas, add this simple dish of zucchini with almonds to your next meal. Zucchini is a lightly augmenting vegetable with a sweet, delicious taste. Mixed with the beneficial fats in almonds and ghee, this dish will give you a full serving of vitality.
As you eat, remember that the digestive process begins in your mouth. Chewing thoroughly until each bite is liquid allows your body to do the job of simply extracting the prana and nutrients from each bite and depositing more ojas into your account.
Ojas-boosting zucchini with almonds
You’ll need:
2 cups cubed zucchini (you can also cut them into medallions or sticks)
1/2 cup chopped, peeled almonds*
2 Tbsp. ghee
1/4 tsp. mustard seeds
Pinch of black pepper
1/8 tsp. mineral salt
1/4 tsp. chopped fresh basil
Here’s how:
Heat the ghee in a pan and simmer the mustard seeds, black pepper and salt until the aroma comes up. Add the almonds and stir to coat with the ghee and spices. Add a small amount of water to the pan (just enough to cover the almonds). Cover and simmer on low heat for 2 to 3 minutes. Add the zucchini then stir, cover and simmer for another 4 to 5 minutes. When the zucchini is bright green, but still firm, remove the pan from the heat and add the basil. Let the dish sit 3 to 5 minutes with the lid on to allow the tastes to become friends.
*Almond peels are indigestible, but removing them is easy. Just bring a little water to a boil, turn off the heat and add the almonds. Let them sit for 1 to 2 minutes. Strain and squeeze at the end until the peels pop off. It only takes a few minutes of extra work for a significant difference in how you will feel.
Visit our Ayurveda Lifestyle page for kitchen essentials