Adore Yoga Blog

"Auyrveda, India's traditional system of healing, teaches that living in harmony with the seasons is key to our health and wellbeing. I've invited Amanda Fraser, nutritionist with organicfood.com.au, to tell us about the best food to eat right now."
Nikola

All fruits and vegetables are at their best at a particular time of year. It therefore makes sense that they be consumed at their peak, when their tastes, colours and textures are in full bloom. Taking advantage of nature’s goodness in this way is also an important part of sustaining a healthy lifestyle. Fresh fruits and vegetables in season are unbeatable in terms of diversity, taste and nutritional value!

Spring is a time for new beginnings, when the flowers bloom, the animals come out of hiding, and when the sun graces us with its warmth.  Our delectable fruits and vegetables grow in variety providing us with much needed taste and colour.   Citrus fruits are at their end but are still available - juicy and delicious.  We start to see the beginning of our much loved strawberries, mulberries and blueberries.  Pineapples and Paw Paws are at their peak.  Spring is a time for the unbeatable green leafy greens and also beetroot.

After spring cleaning the house and the car, spring is definitely a time for ‘body spring cleaning’.  What better way to do it than to do it with all that nature has to offer: 

Water is the best cleanser.  Start the day with lemon and hot water – a great liver nudge and a great start to a healthy day. Continue with 8 cups throughout the day.  This helps eliminate all those toxins that winter may have left behind.  It also helps our cells rejuvenate themselves and get working efficiently again. 

Dandelion has a great effect on detoxification of the liver - luckily this comes in a conveniently packaged tea – easy! 
Pineapples contain bromelain which is great for digestion and has anti-inflammatory properties. 

Avoid all processed foods such as cereals, cakes, biscuits and replace with whole foods such as wholegrains, seasonal fruits and vegetables.

Fruit and Veges contain antioxidants.  These help to combat those free radicals and are an excellent cleanser. Cosume a variety 2-4 fruits and 3-6 veges per day.

I’ve been getting boxes of fresh fruit and veg delivered to the door in an effort to:

• Save petrol/carbon on all those trips to the shops
• Save time on the above
• Eat seasonally (one of the key principles of Ayurveda)
• Get out of the rut of buying the same things every week

It’s with great excitement that the children and I open up the fruit and veggie box and explore it’s contents. My 2 year old can identify an amazing number of lettuce varieties as a result of this Wednesday afternoon ritual! It being August, we’re seeing a lot of winter produce in our boxes. We’ve been experimenting with cabbage in asian dishes, finding new ways to curry cauliflower and baking root veggies with a variety of herbs and spices.

Then there’s the nashi pears. Having grown up in the UK in the 70’s & 80’s, I’m none too familiar with this fruit. And the kids don’t think much of it. I tried offering them raw slices, but they just pulled faces. Then I sandwiched pieces of cheese in between the slices, but no luck. After 3 weeks of this, I found I had 4 nashi pears sitting in the crisper with no prospect of getting eaten. So, I set out to find a recipe that would transform them into the delicacy I’m sure they are. This is what I found – it’s warm, tasty and ever so slightly naughty (cream AND gorgonzola….!) But it’s a big hit in our house, so dig out some nashi pears and give it a go.

Gnocchi with Nashi and Walnuts

Ingredients

40 gnocchi pieces, boiled and drained (I use frozen gnocchi from Harris Farm!)

2 tsp olive oil

2 Nashi, sliced

100g walnuts
250g Brie or Gorgonzola cheese, sliced into 2cm pieces

2 tbsp cream

Method

Heat the olive oil in a large pan and fry Nashi and walnuts until golden. Add gnocchi and gently fry until browned. Add in cheese and cream, allow to warm through, then serve immediately. Garnish with fresh parsley or thyme.

Serves 4

Prep time: 15 minutes

Cooking Time: 10 minutes