coconut kitchari

According to Ayurvedic medicine, Kitchari means mixture. It combines grains, spices, and vegetables that have medicinal cleansing affects on the body and is used in many detox cleanses. I found different recipes that use other beans like split yellow mung beans or lentils and a variety of different spices including mustard seeds, coriander, and asafoetida. This version reflects the usual contents of my kitchen, and my love for coconut milk.

coconut kitchari

• 1 cup mung beans (soaked, drained, and rinsed)
• 1 can coconut milk
• 2 carrots
• 2 celery stalks
• 2 cloves garlic
• 1 medium white or yellow onion
• 1" turmeric
• 1" ginger
• 2 tsp cumin
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp pepper
• 2 cups water
• lots of fresh cilantro
• fresh lime juice
• brown basmati rice 

Soak the mung beans for 4-8 hours, I usually get them soaking the morning I am going to make them.

Chop the carrots, celery, onion, and garlic into small cubes.  In a high speed blender, whiz together the coconut milk, turmeric and ginger roots, cumin, and salt and pepper. Add this and the chopped veggies to a large soup pot. Drain and rinse the mung beans and add them to the pot along with two cups of water. Place a lid on the pot and bring to a simmer on medium heat. Depending on how long you soaked your mung beans for, they should be cooked in 20-30 minutes. Remove the lid to cook off any remaining liquid. Kitchari is similar to dahl in consistency and served over brown basmati rice with fresh cilantro. I like a squeeze of fresh lime.

This recipe is adapted from The Ayurvedic Institute. I've made it easy for you; just throw everything in a pot at the same time! We ate this for dinner the first night I made it and then had enough leftovers for lunch for the next three days! Now that's my kind of meal planning 😂

single serve overnight oats

I honestly don't know why I haven't posted this super quick recipe before! I know that overnight oats are no new concept, there are about a million different recipes out there. But I have been making this for years. It's perfect for those mornings that you have to be up and out of the house before the sun and before you can, or want, to think clearly. I just started working at a gym and once a week I have to start at 4:45 am! This is the first time I've ever had to start that early, it's actually kind of fun and novelty (we'll see how long that lasts) because there is no one on the road, or awake for that matter, and I get done with my full shift of work midday!

Regardless of what "early" is for you, mornings can be stressful for several reasons. Making this quick recipe the night before takes the guesswork out of choosing a healthy breaky so you can tackle your day feeling fueled and fierce.

single serve overnight oats

• 1/2 cup frozen (or fresh) blueberries
• 3/4 cup rolled oats
• 1 Tbsp chia seeds
• 1/2 - 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1 cup almond milk (or milk of choice)

 

Measure out all the ingredients into a mason jar or plastic container. I like jars because I can just give it a quick shake to mix everything together. In a container you may need to stir them with a spoon to evenly incorporate everything. Then leave it in the fridge overnight.

Here I've made two servings, each jar contains the amount in the recipe above.

I like to transfer my overnight oats into a bowl in the morning and top them off with fresh banana slices but you can just as easily take the whole jar to go.. don't forget a spoon!

Like this recipe? Give my vanilla + turmeric overnight oats a try. Experiment with different fruits, dried fruits, nuts, and different spices (cacao, turmeric), because there are no rules and there are definitely no limits to the flavor combinations of overnight oats!