The beautiful return of life after the cold stagnation of winter must be celebrated with colorful, organic, seasonal foods prepared with love and a deep sense of renewing our bodies.
And because Spring is fundamentally a Kapha dosha season, besides taking care of our own dominant constitution, it is always helpful to support our health optimization journey by considering the time of the year.
This tofu salad sandwich recipe aims at pacifying the Kapha within us that gets often aggravated by the excess of the water element in the environment now.
As Spring is cool, wet, and soggy, these sandwiches are fantastic for lunch or dinner — with a few modifications for Vata and Pitta dosha, of course 🙂
Cooking in spring
Spring is a time when the earth becomes water soaked, damp, and heavy.
Intuitively, our bodies crave lightness, dryness, and freshness. Fortunately, Pacha Mama gifts us with full-of-prana fruits and vegetables this season, like celery, artichokes, asparagus, fennel, celery, strawberries, and pineapples.
When creating this sandwich, I wanted every ingredient to make sense for this season.
Learn more about Kapha dietary guidelines or get my FREE meal plan for Kapha.
Tofu
Tofu is sweet and astringent, the latter being a taste to be favored by Kapha.
It also has a pungent post-digestive effect. Tofu can be balancing for Vata and Kapha, depending on how it is prepared. It is definitely pacifying for Pitta dosha as its energy is cool.
So, for my tofu salad sandwich, I cooked the tofu with warm spices to increase its energetic temperature.
This is another tofu recipe you’ll love
Whole grain bread
Normally, Kapha dosha should avoid bread.
Yet, when it is freshly toasted and warm, it can really be Kapha-pacifying as it is drier and can absorb the excess moisture in the body.
Red onion
I added cooked red onion as its energy is heating and its taste pungent.
Red onion is a great carminative (reduces gas, a Vata pain point). Plus, it promotes good digestion, which tends to be weak for both Vata and Kapha body types.
Eating Ayurvedically doesn’t have to be overly complicated. This is the perfect example and a recipe that can fit into a busy day.
Tofu salad sandwich — Ayurvedic Spring Recipe
Tofu Salad Sandwich
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup Super firm tofu cut into small cubes
- 2 slices Whole grain bread
- 1/2 tbsp Olive oil
- 1/4 tsp Minced garlic
- 2 tbsp Minced red onion
- 1/4 cup Celery slices
- 1 tbsp Apple cider vinegar
- 1 tsp Liquid Aminos
- ¼ cup Parsley
- ¼ cup Cilantro
- 1/4 cup Lime
- 1 tbsp Nutritional yeast
Spices
- Cumin seeds, fennel seeds, coriander seeds, pink pepper, turmeric, paprika, black pepper, Himalayan salt
Instructions
- Place the oil in a large skillet and heat on medium/high heat. Add the onion, celery, garlic, cumin, fennel, coriander, and pink pepper and sauté until fragrant.
- Add the tofu, vinegar, aminos, and the rest of the spices and sauté on medium heat until lightly browned, stirring often, for about 5–8 minutes. Remove from the heat and let it cool for 5 minutes.
- Add the fresh cilantro, parsley leaves, fresh lime juice, and nutritional yeast. Mix well.
- Toast the two slices of bread until they are nice and crunchy.
- Place the warm tofu salad evenly on a slice of freshly toasted bread. Cover with another slice.
- Eat slowly, chewing each bite well. Have this with a cup of rose and hibiscus tea.
Up next: Try my tofu and mushroom vegan eggs recipe!
