Here's an easy recipe for making your own ghee. Save a few bucks by doing it yourself. It's really good to add more ghee to your diet during the fall...

Oven-made Ghee
Makes about 2 cups
It is critical to use organic, unsalted butter to make ghee!
1 pound organic, unsalted butter
Preheat the oven to 215 degrees F. Put the butter in a 1½ to 2 quart casserole or oven-proof pot. Place the butter in the oven without a lid and allow it to clarify, undisturbed, for 2 hours. As it boils and foams the water content vaporizes and if you open the oven you'll hear tiny, sharp crackling noises.
The ghee is ready when it:
• Changes from a cloudy yellow to clear golden color
• Develops a popcorn-like aroma
• Stops foaming and making crackling noises
• Milk solids form on the bottom of the pot
Pour the ghee through a fine sieve or through several layers of cheesecloth into a clean, dry glass storage jar, so that you straining out the milk solids, which you will then discard. When the ghee is completely cool, cover tightly and store in a dry place away from direct sun light. It doesn't require refrigeration. Always use a clean spoon to dip into it.

Easy cleanse for September

I've decided that I've procrastinated long enough on my cleanse, so am officially jumping into the detox routine today! I'm doing an easier cleanse than I usually do (I tend to go to extremes) with a lot more "allowed" foods. Items that are a no-no include alcohol, black tea and coffee, red meat, wheat, dairy, potatoes, bread, pasta, etc. (Oh, and sugar...) In other words, I'll be eating lots of veggies. It's actually not that different than I normally eat, so it won't be too hard. I get tempted by the sugary treats and bread, so it will be good to eliminate those. If anyone is interested in trying this cleanse, let me know and I will share the details with you! Happy Labor Day :)

Kitcheree recipe

I thought I had posted this recipe a long time ago, but it looks like I haven't! The Ayurvedic dish "Kitcheree" consists of mung beans and rice primarily, with spices that assist with digestion and overall cleansing. Now that I am on a simple cleanse for the month, I will be making lots of this, and thought I'd share it as well. Enjoy! (post any questions that you may have)

KICHADI RECIPE

Great for balancing all three doshas!

• 1/3 C white basmati rice
• ½ C split mung beans (available at the Natural Foods Coop in San Luis Obispo)
• 5 C water, or use a veggie stock
• 1 tsp to 2 T fresh grated ginger root, less with high Pitta
• ¼ tsp. cumin seeds or ½ tsp. ground cumin
• ¼ tsp. mustard seeds (can omit if high pitta)
• ½-1 tsp coriander seeds or 1 tsp ground coriander
• ¼ tsp. fennel seeds
• 1 tsp. dried oregano leaves
• 1 clove garlic (omit if Pitta)

Heat up spices on the bottom of the pot, stirring constantly for about 1 or 2 minutes, until aromatic. Add the remaining ingredients and bring to a boil for about 5 minutes, and then reduce heat to medium-low. As rice and beans are cooking, chop and add vegetables such as:
Carrots
Zucchini
Broccoli

After bringing water to a boil, simmer for approximately 30 minutes – until most of the liquid is absorbed, but the consistency is smooth, not mushy and sticky.

When done, take the pot off the heat and add ghee or salt/braggs liquid amino acids to taste!

It is better for your digestion to use split mung beans (and even better if you soak them overnight. However, you can use whole mung beans; however you will need to adjust the cooking time to about 45 minutes