Carrot Apple Soup

1 cup sliced shallots
1 bay leaf
1/2 tsp ground ginger or 2 tsp fresh grated
1 tsp curry powder
1 tsp dried thyme or 1 Tbsp fresh chopped
1/4 cup olive oil (I prefer 1/8 ghee + 1/8 olive oil)
1 cup chopped potato or squash
1 1/2 lb carrots, peeled and chopped (about 6 large carrots)
2 cups salt-free vegetable broth
1 cup apple cider
1 1/2 cups water
salt and pepper to taste
1/4 cup sliced almonds, toasted
lemon

Cook shallots, bay leaf, ginger, curry powder, and thyme in oil in a heavy saucepan over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until shallots are softened lightly browned, 6 to 8 minutes.

Add carrots and potato or squash to the pot, then add broth, cider, water, salt, and pepper and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer, covered, until carrots are tender, around 30 minutes. Discard bay leaf. Puree soup in 2 batches in a blender, or using a wand-style blender, until silky smooth. Add more water or apple cider if you'd like to achieve a thinner soup. Serve with a squeeze of lemon and sprinkled with almonds. Serves 3 to 4.

NOTE: This is a very smooth soup, but if you like more texture, reserve some of the chopped carrots before blending the soup, and fry some extra shallots or onion in olive oil, and stir into the blended soup or dollop overtop (as seen in the photo above). To make it a larger meal, serve with bread, tomatoes and avocadoes, or a slice of frittata.

VATAS choose squash or sweet potato
PITTAS use fresh ginger; replace thyme with basil or parsley
KAPHAS reduce oil to 1 Tbsp; choose potato; replace almonds with toasted seeds (sunflower or pumpkin)

Carrot Coriander Soup

3 Tbsp (freshly) ground coriander
2 Tbsp olive oil*
1 large onion, chopped
6 cloves garlic, crushed*
2 Tbsp marjoram
3 large carrots, chopped
1 small sweet potato, chopped*
8 cups vegetable stock
1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro
sea salt and cayenne pepper to taste*

Heat the oil in a large soup pot and add the coriander, toasting for a minute until lightly browned and fragrant. Add the onions and cook 5 minutes. Add the garlic and marjoram and cook a minute longer, then add the carrots and sweet potato. Saute for a minute then pour in the vegetable stock (I used 1 vegetable bouillon cube), bringing to a boil. Let simmer until the carrots and sweet potato are soft, about 20 minutes.

Add the chopped fresh cilantro, sea salt and optional cayenne pepper to taste, and puree until silky smooth, either by using a hand blender in the pot or transfering to a blender. Serve garnished with a sprig of cilantro. Serves 4.

KAPHAS reduce oil to 2 tsp, omit sweet potato and add another large carrot
PITTAS reduce garlic to 1 clove and omit cayenne
VATAS add 1 Tbsp fresh grated ginger

2 large or 3 small perfectly ripe avocados
2/3 cup yogurt
3 or more cups broth
1 tbsp fresh coriander
1 tsp salt
1 tbsp fesh lime juice
Pepper or a few drops of Tabasco

GARNISH
Chopped green onions
Fresh chopped coriander
Fresh tomato, peeled, seeded and cubed
Tortilla chips

Cut the avocados in half, remove pits and scoop out the flesh with a tablespoon. Place in a blender, add yogurt, half the broth, coriander, salt and lime juice. Puree until smooth and creamy. Transfer to a pot and blend in remaining stock, or as much as you like for your desired consistency. If serving hot, reheat over very low heat, making sure the soup does not boil. If serving chilled, refrigerate at least 1 hour before serving.

Serve sprinkled with a little garnish in each bowl and place tortilla chips on the table or around each serving bowl. Serves 4.

The soup will keep for 1 day in the refrigerator, but must be covered with plastic wrap that touches the surface of the purée. It can be frozen for up to 3 month. Whisk well once thawed to restore its texture.

It is good for Vata, Avoid pepper, onion and tomatoes for Pitha, For Kapha it is not good

Food Plan to Balance Kapha Dosha

Taste preferences - pungent, bitter, and astringent . Reduce use of sweet, sour, and salty tastes. Sweets must be avoided. Also try to restricting the consumption of excessive pungent foods in summer, instead prefer foods with a sour taste.
Among dairy products, cottage and other types of cheese are the best options for you. Butter should be avoided and only toned milk be used. All frozen desserts are to be avoided.
For your Kapha prakriti, very little of fats and oils are required. Treat your body occasionally, with a warm oil therapy of mustard oil with a little amount of Apple vinegar.
To balance Kapha you need Warm, light and dry food, cooked without much water, minimum of butter, oil and sugar Kapha need to restrict the consumption of too much sweet foods or fatty foods. Keep an eye on the salt consumption also, which tend to result in fluid retention
Light meals are to be favored such as light breakfast and dinner. Avoid deep fried foods. Eat lightly cooked foods or raw fruits and vegetables. Eat spicy, bitter and astringent foods. Watch out for eating too much food, a typical kapha tendency. Select hot food over cold food whenever feasible. Dry cooking methods (baking, broiling, grilling, sautéing) are prefered than moist cooking such as steaming, boiling or poaching. As an appetizer eat bitter or pungent foods instead of salty or sour. Foods such as romaine lettuce, endive, or tonic water are good to stimulate your appetite. Take ginger tea or a pinch or ginger to stimulate appetite. Other preferred spices are cumin, fenugreek, sesame seed and turmeric. Any food that is spicy is good for kapha such as very hot Mexican or Indian food, especially in winter.
Foods that are good for kapha breakfast are hot spiced cider, buckwheat pancakes with apple butter, corn muffins, and bitter cocoa made with skim milk and a touch of honey. Avoid cold cereals, cold juice or milk, and sugary pastries. Bacon and sausage aggravates kapha due to their salt and oil. For kapha types, breakfast is optional. (You may skip it if you like).
To pep you up in the morning, take honey, hot water, lemon juice and ginger. Try hot ginger tea. Try skipping a meal or two and take a spoonful of honey in hot water to keep you going. You have a sweet tooth. So, cutting down on sugar is difficult but it is recommended. Take honey instead. Avoid taking more than a spoonful of honey a day.
Don't overindulge on dairy foods. Butter, ice cream, and cheese are among the worst foods you can take as it aggravates the kapha. Take warm low fat milk. Avoid hamburgers and milk shakes. Eat raw fruits, vegetables and salads. Watch out the restaurant foods, especially oily, salty, sweet or deep fried foods - these are all kapha aggravating. Eat salad with minimum salad dressing. Take a glass of hot water instead of ice water. Eat salad instead of soup especially in hot weather.
Kapha dosha is aggravated and increased in the spring of the year. During this season, eat less and choose more dry, fibrous foods. During wet, cold seasons,
If your basic constitution is mixed, include smaller portions for the second dosha

Food Plan to Balance Pitta Dosha

Taste preferences - sweet, bitter and astringent Pungent foods should be to the bare minimum. Ayurveda suggests the intake of bitter and astringent foods during both summer and winter to promote Vata in summer and Kapha in winter. You could feast on sweets all year round.
You should avoid oily foods. Ayurveda recommends a reduced intake of oils and fats, as these promote the fire in your prakriti. Clarified butter is a better option. Among dairy products, yogurt is good for you. Milk, cheese, and cottage cheese can be used moderately. Indulge in all kinds of frozen desserts.
Considering the fire element domination in the Pitta , Ayurveda advises you to cultivate a handful of simple habits.Favor Cool or warm but not steaming hot foods. As far as practical use less butter and added fat. Consume food with moderately heavy textures.Since Pitta promotes strong efficient digestion, you can generally eat just about everything. Take cool, refreshing food in summer. Reduce the consumption of salt, oil, and spices, all of which are "heating" to the body. Salads are good, so is milk and ice cream.
Avoid pickles, sour yogurt, sour cream, and cheese. Avoid vinegar in salad dressing; use lemon juice instead. Alcoholic and fermented foods should be avoided. Their sour Rasa aggravates Pitta. Coffee is also pitta aggravating due to the acid in coffee. Herb tea is good. Prefer mint, licorice root or other pitta pacifying tea.
Breakfast: Cold cereals, cinnamon toast, and apple tea is a good breakfast for Pitta. Avoid coffee, orange juice and doughnuts - they aggravate pitta. The vegetarian foods are the best for pitta. Consuming red meat tend to heat the body from the fat. Consume abundant amounts of milk, grains and vegetables.
Avoid oily, hot, salty, and heavy foods such as fried food. Instead consume starchy foods such as vegetables, grains and beans. Avoid the tendency to overeat under stress.
Avoid processed and fast foods as they tend to be heavy on salt and sour tastes. Japanese and Chinese food are good choices. Avoid highly spicy food such as is found in Mexican restaurants.
To bring down aggravated Pitta, take two teaspoons of ghee (clarified butter) in a glass of warm milk. (Avoid taking the ghee if you have problem with high cholesterol).
Spices: black pepper, coriander, and cardamom.
If your basic constitution is mixed (pitta-vata or pitta-kapha), to maintain balance, include smaller portions for the second dosha.
Pitta dosha is aggravated and increased during summer. During hot, dry seasons, all mind-body types can choose some of the above foods and decrease others. Mental and emotional peace and constructive lifestyle routines are important to restoring and maintaining balance.