Pumpkin Chai Smoothie Recipe – Ayurveda
It’s a little bit indulgent and a whole lotta healthy…this recipe satisfies my cravings and keeps me out of the Starbucks drive through. (Okay, who am I kidding, I still indulge in a pumpkin spice latte a few times during October and November.)
Like a cup liquid pumpkin pie, spicy pumpkin chai smoothie is cozy, and colorful during the fall and changing seasons. Almond milk adds grounding heartiness. Cooked pumpkins are soft and comforting- perfect to warm and soften a dry, windy fall day.
De-Stress with Pumpkin Chai
In Ayurveda, Autumn is a considered the season of deficiency and change. It tends to provoke higher stress levels. (This year, 2020 has made it even more chaotic.)
Your body needs help to maneuver the changes of autumn. Nurturing, seasonal foods like pumpkin and herbal nervines like nutmeg help you feel calm and stable. Pumpkin and nutmeg are both mild sedatives, so they work beautifully together to reduce stress.
This may be one of the best recipes for combatting flu season this year. Wearing yourself ragged during fall can result in compromised immunity for flu season come November. But when you focus your attention inward during autumn, it frees up energy to help your body prepare for winter.
According to Ayurveda, keeping your nervous system nourished through fall is your #1 tool for promoting strong immunity and staying healthy.
Pumpkins are orange because of beta-carotene, a precursor to vitamin A. Beta-carotene is also in carrots and encourages healing through rejuvenation and regeneration of tissue. Orange foods with beta-carotene are generally liver tonics that clear any residue of the heat damage from the weather and intensity of the summer. They also purify the blood and soothe the eyes. The cooling and laxative properties of pumpkin soothe the digestive tract.
INGREDIENTS
1 cup Almond Milk
1/2 cup pumpkin puree*
1 scoop Vanilla Plant-based Protein Powder ( I’ve tried them all! The best taste and consistency I’ve found is from Sunwarrior.)
1/4 tsp. Cinnamon
2 pinches ground clove
2 Tbsp. Ghee
1/4 tsp. dried ginger
2 pinches ground nutmeg
2 Tbsp. Swerve Brown Sugar, (or to taste)
1 pinch Himalayan salt
Preparation:
Mix the pumpkin with the almond milk and spices and puree in a blender. ENJOY!
To make this recipe as a warm, soothing drink...omit the protein powder and blend the ingredients in a blender and then gently heat on the stove while stirring occasionally, until steaming hot.
*NOTE: Buy pureed pumpkin in a can for a shorter prep time. Canned pumpkin is also less gassy than whole pumpkins.To puree whole pumpkins:1. Bake at 350 degrees for one hour. Baking makes the skin peel easily.
You bring the “Want to”. I deliver the “How to.”
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