Is it possible to live in the modern world while maintaining a spiritual focus? Of course. Cultivate consciousness through regular spiritual practice and bring that into everything, everyday.
Cooking can be a spiritual act with that intention. That means turning off the cooking shows, putting away cookbooks with complicated recipes, and moving into your heart, where you have all the information you need to create simple, healing food. Allow your spirit to lead the process and you will be satisfied every time.
If you are intimidated by cooking, look at it as an opportunity to release fear. If you are used to cooking, engage all of your senses as you do it -- feel your hand on the knife, see the brightness of the vegetables, listen to the sound of the spoon stirring in the pan and enjoy the scent of the spices simmering in the ghee. Then, of course, savor the taste of the food itself at mealtime. That is true nourishment for body, mind and spirit.
Step into your spiritual cooking practice with our delicious Creamy Asparagus Soup. It is a simple dish to put together -- just 15 minutes from start to finish -- which makes it a good reminder that your spiritual practices don’t need to last for hours to be meaningful. Spend these minutes in the kitchen being fully present in the process, expressing gratitude at each step for the people who contributed to bringing this food to you.
If you are a new cook (or better, if you are seasoned in the kitchen) and mess up, forgive yourself easily. In life, sometimes things flow, other times, they do not. View your mistakes as an opportunity to learn and grow. There is often an easy way to recover, and a good laugh at yourself brings ease and an open mind.
Creamy Asparagus Soup recipe
Serves 4
Preparation time: 15 minutes
Augmenting and extractive
You’ll need
4 cups chopped asparagus (keep the tips separate)
3 Tbsp. ghee
3 one-inch pieces of lemongrass
½ tsp. mustard seeds
¼ tsp. mineral salt
⅛ tsp. black pepper
1 cup warm water
1½ cups raw goat’s milk great for kapha season); rice milk can also work well
¼ cup chopped parsley (optional)
Here’s how
Warm the ghee in a stock pot over medium heat. Add the lemongrass, mustard seeds, salt and pepper. Simmer until the seeds pop and the aroma is lovely. Saving the tips, stir in the asparagus. Add the water and bring to a simmer. Bring the heat to medium-low, cover and gently cook for 3 to 5 minutes until the asparagus is tender, but not mushy (look for a slight resistance when you cut it with a knife). Add the goat milk and bring back to a simmer just for a moment. Remove the pot from the heat and retrieve the lemongrass pieces. Blend until smooth. Return the soup to the cooking pot and toss the asparagus tips in. Cover for a few minutes with no additional heat to cook the tips (it won’t take long). Serve topped with chopped parsley.
Learn to cook with intention.
Visit our Ayurveda Lifestyle page for kitchen essentials