Food

Ep. 201 Wait for the Yum: A Convo with Food Maven, Meredith Klein

This is an image with Meredith Klein and Katie Silcox. The text reads, "Spirit Sessions: Find Your True Spiritual Home." It links to a podcast interview with Meredith Klein on the Spirit Sessions podcast.

Calling all perfectionists! Do you want to drop the self-judgment and experience more joy and freedom around food? In today’s episode, Katie is joined by Shakti School teacher, chef, and author of Food Ritual, Meredith Klein. They share how to approach your Ayurvedic lifestyle with gentleness instead of judgment, and why it’s so important to adapt traditional Ayurvedic guidelines to your specific time, place and culture.

Study Ayurvedic nutrition and so much more with Meredith and Katie in our year-long Divine Feminine Ayurveda School! Click here to learn more and register before classes start on January 15, 2025.

In this interview with Meredith Klein, you’ll hear:

~ Sign up for our free mini-course about Women’s Wisdom and Ayurveda!

~ Time is running out to secure your spot in our upcoming Ayurvedic Wellness Coach certification program!

~ Do I have to eat Indian food to be Ayurvedic?

~ Is it okay to eat leftovers?

~ How to make Ayurveda more approachable

~ Why Ayurveda is for everyone

~ The importance of bhavata when cooking

~ Meredith Klein’s food and cooking philosophy

~ Using the gunas as guides for cooking

~ Advice for those learning how to cook for themselves

~ Cultivating curiosity in the kitchen

~ A simple pre-cooking ritual to center yourself

~ Book a free call to learn more about Ayurveda School!

Other resources mentioned in this episode:

~ Connect with Meredith Klein on her website, pranaful.com, and Instagram

~ Learn more about our Ayurveda School here!

~ Cooking app by the New York Times

~ Follow us on Instagram and Facebook

Related episodes:

~ Ep. 62 Don’t Work for Free with Chef Meredith Klein

~ Ep. 163 The Deepest Meaning of Ayurveda with Sandhiya Ramaswamy

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Katie

Butternut Squash and Roasted Apple Soup

This has to be one of my all time favorite soups to make around the fall/winter season. It’s an absolutely perfect combination of flavors: savory, sweet, and a tiny bit of spice. And it’s creamy texture makes me feel like I'm being draped in a warm cozy blanket! If this sounds like too much for a soup to live up to, believe me, it’s not. You must try it!

In Ayurveda, we love talking about food flavor combinations. As many of you reading this may know already, Fall and Winter (in the Northern Hemisphere) tend to have a more drying and cooling effect on the body. This can often affect our sleeping patterns, the quality of our skin, and possibly throw our digestion off. This soup will help to target all of your autumnal needs. With the sweetness of the butternut and apple and the spiciness of the ginger and cayenne, you will feel warm and nourished in no time.

Ingredients:

1 large butternut squash
1 medium sized carrot
1 medium sized turnip
2-4 tablespoons ghee
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp turmeric
1 tsp curry powder
1 tsp cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon sea salt
1 teaspoon black pepper
2 apples (local if possible)
1 large onion, peeled and finely chopped
3 cloves garlic cloves (whole)
1 tbsp minced ginger
4 cups vegetable stock or bone broth
1 sprig fresh rosemary

Directions:

Start by cutting your butternut squash in half, scoop out the seeds and place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Chop the apples, carrot, turnip and the onion (no need to cut them too small) and add them to the baking sheet. Cover everything generously with the spices (except the fresh ginger and rosemary) and the whole garlic cloves.

Bake for 30-35 minutes at 420 degrees.

Add all the ingredients and the ginger to a food processor and blend on high until smooth.

For Serving:

Heat a small amount of ghee in a pan with pumpkin seeds, a dash of cinnamon, and rosemary until lightly toasted. Top with your soup and serve with crusty sourdough bread! 🧡🥖

Curried Quinoa and Chickpeas

What I love about this meal is that it is not only easy, but it is also so satisfying and nourishing. I usually make it in the morning while I am making breakfast in order for it to be perfectly cooked by lunchtime. It saves really well too.

Ingredients:

1/2 tsp cumin seeds
1/2 tsp fennel
1/2 tsp turmeric
1/4 tsp allspice
1/2 tsp salt & pepper
1-2 tbsp ghee
1 cup chickpeas (either canned or prepared ahead of time, *see note below)
1/2 cup quinoa
1-2 medium sized carrots (chopped)
3/4 cups broccoli florets

*Note on chickpeas: it's best not to get in the habit of using canned legumes, however there are certain brands that carefully soak and prepare their products and I prefer to seek those out. I love Westbrae Organic Garbanzo Beans

Directions:

Get ready for the easiest meal ever. First, rinse your quinoa with water by using a fine mesh strainer.

In any type of rice cooker (see note below if you do not own a rice cooker), add the quinoa and all of the remaining ingredients. Refer to the cooking instructions on whatever brand of quinoa you have chosen for the appropriate liquid amount. For the liquid, I like to use either spring water or vegetable/bone broth. Let cook on the rice setting until it's finished.

So easy, right?

For Preparing:

My favorite way to eat this dish is by topping it with avocado, fresh herbs, juice of a lemon, and a spoonful of tahini. Remember the Shakti Sauce from last month's issue? That would go marvelously on this!

*If you do not own a rice cooker, don't worry, this dish is just as easy done in a cooking pot with a lid. Follow the same instructions, except add all ingredients to a pot. Cover with your liquid and bring to a boil. Once it's boiling, reduce heat to a simmer, cover with the lid, and allow to cook for 15 minutes. Remove from the heat and let sit for an additional 5 minutes.

Chocolate Truffles

Ingredients:

1 cup cup peanut or almond butter
2 tbsp ghee
1/2 cup coconut cream (cream only)
1 cup cocoa powder
1/4 tsp vanilla
2 tbsp maple syrup
1/4 tsp sea salt
¼ tsp ashwagandha (optional)

Directions:

In a saute pan, melt the ghee, coconut cream, and nut butter over low heat. Pour into a bowl with the remaining ingredients. Transfer to the refrigerator and let cool for about an hour. After the chocolate has cooled, roll into balls and place on a plate with parchment paper. You can get creative here: roll the balls into coconut flakes, rose powder, or whatever you feel called to! 🍫

Vanilla Coconut Sweet Potato Crumble

As we move into the season of celebrations, we are excited to share this delicious, grounding, and sugar-free Vanilla, Coconut, Sweet Potato Crumble Recipe with you!

In Ayurveda, sweet potatoes are seen as a nourishing, sattvic food—one that promotes peace, balance, and clarity. They help to pacify vata and pitta doshas, making this dish ideal for the cooler months when we crave warmth and comfort.

This crumble combines the richness of sweet potatoes, creamy coconut, and ghee (or coconut oil), supporting your body’s digestion and immunity while indulging your senses. Topped with pecans and coconut flakes, it's a decadent, yet wholesome option that aligns perfectly with Ayurvedic principles—balancing sweetness with grounding fats and spices like cinnamon and cardamom to boost digestion without overloading on sugar.

Vanilla Coconut Sweet Potato Crumble

Ingredients for the Sweet Potato Filling:

3-4 medium-sized sweet potatoes, chopped (you can peel them if you’d like, but I prefer to keep the skin on for the extra fiber!)
⅓ cup full fat coconut milk
3 Tbsp ghee or coconut oil
2 Tbsp coconut butter
¼ cup pure maple syrup
1 tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp vanilla bean

Ingredients for the Pecan Topping:

2 cups pecans, chopped (or kept whole for extra decadence)
½-¾ Cup unsweetened coconut flakes
2 Tbsp ghee or coconut oil
3 Tbsp pure maple syrup
1 tsp cinnamon
¼ tsp cardamom
pinch salt

Directions:

For the sweet potato:

Place sweet potatoes in a large pot, cover with water, and bring to a boil. Allow them to boil until they are completely soft (about 15 minutes). Drain and transfer to a food processor. (You can also mash/mix by hand if you do not have a food processor). Add the remaining ingredients (for the mash) to the food processor and blend until it’s smooth or has reached your desired consistency.
Pour mash into an 8×8 baking dish. Use a spoon to smooth out the surface.

For the topping:

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. In the meantime, in a medium-sized bowl, combine all of the topping ingredients. Mix well and spread over the sweet potato mash.
Cover with foil and bake for 20 minutes at 375 degrees.
Remove foil and bake for another 20-25 minutes. Keep an eye on the pecans. If they begin to brown, cover again with the foil.

I hope this recipe nourishes both your body and soul this upcoming holiday season! 🧡

Ep. 188 Your Fall Ayurvedic Kitchari Cleanse Guide

This is a picture of Katie Silcox. The text reads, "Spirit Sessions: Find your true spiritual home with Katie Silcox."

As the seasons change so do our body and spirit! According to Ayurvedic tradition, fall is a sacred time of year when we can experience deep clarity and insight into our life purpose. Through a traditional, seasonal kitchari cleanse we can align with the lightness, mobility and clarity of the fall season in order to become wiser, improve digestion and boost our immunity as we ready for winter.

Tune in to this episode to learn why we cleanse, then join Katie LIVE for our FREE Online Fall Ayurvedic Cleanse Webinar on Thursday, September 26th at 11 am Eastern Time US. You’ll learn how to do a kitchari cleanse and take home a beautiful PDF guide that includes all the recipes and information you need to complete your own Ayurvedic kitchari cleanse. We hope to see you there!

CLICK HERE TO REGISTER!

This graphic has a picture of ginger, ginger tea, and ginger powder on a dark blue background. The text reads "Free Webinar: Ayurveda Fall Cleanse Guide. Register Now." It links to a podcast episode about why we do seasonal Ayurvedic kitchari cleanses.

In this episode, you’ll hear:

~ Why fall is considered a “sacred window” in Ayurveda

~ The spiritual gifts of fall

~ How is the Ayurvedic approach to cleansing different?

~ The intention behind an Ayurvedic cleanse

~ What’s so special about kitchari?

~ What happens in your body when on a kitchari cleanse