Ayurvedic Cookies – Heavenly Muesli-Crunch Cookies (Sugar-free!)

August 9, 2016 by Lorien

This recipe has been blowing my mind and deeply exciting my tastebuds and senses since I first made and intuitively put together a batch of these delicious cookies a week ago!

They are super simple, require no processed sweetener (not even beloved maple!). They are a great wholesome treat to have on hand for afternoon tea, a snack at work, the kid’s lunchbox’s and or any other excuse you can make in your day to open the cookie jar and sit down with one of these amazing treats in your mouth!

…Okay, enough cookie-talk, let’s get to the cookie-cooking!

Wholesome Ayurvedic

Heavenly Muesli-Crunch Cookies!

(sugar-free, nut-free, gluten-free*, vegan friendly)

Ingredients:

2.5 cups of organic oats*
1 cup of organic sunflower seeds
1 cup of organic pumpkin seeds
4 tablespoons of organic cinnamon powder
2 tablespoons of organic cardamon powder (or seeds)
1 tsp of fennel seeds
1/2 tsp of fine organic sea salt
200ml of home-made organic melted ghee or coconut oil
20 organic dried ‘desert’ dates soaked, de-pitted and mashed into a puree or blended.
1 tsp of organic pure vanilla essence
your love!

* Note: If you are celiac, use ‘gluten-free un-contaminated oats‘.

Creation process:

**Pre-heat your oven to 175 degrees Celsius for 20 minutes while you prepare your cookie mix.

Place all dry ingredients; oats, sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, cinnamon powder, cardamon powder & sea salt into a large mixing bowl.
Prepare your dates: take the pits out of the dates and place dates in a medium bowl. Cover dates in hot water and let soften for 3-4 minutes. Once dates are soft, remove the water and mash with a fork or blend in a food processor to make a date puree. (It’s ok to leave some chunks!) Add the date puree to the dry mix of oats and seeds.
Now melt your ghee or coconut oil and stir into the dry mix with the dates.
Add vanilla essence and stir with a wooden spoon or clean hands until the wet and dry ingredients have mixed well together and your happy with the consistency.
Take some melted ghee or coconut oil and oil your baking tray or use a sheet of baking paper.
Take a small piece of cookie mix and roll into a ball in your hands then flatten with the palms of your hand to create a circular cookie shape.
Place your tray of cookies in the oven and bake for approx 30 minutes or until golden brown.
Take them out once they’re done and let them cool before stacking them in your favourite cookie jar or container!

Voila! Your cookies are now ready for your nourishing pleasure! Yum!! :)

If you loved this recipe – share the love by sharing the recipe link below with your friends via facebook!

Happy wholesome cookie munching friends!

x Lorien

Simple Ayurveda in the Kitchen E-book is here!!

March 31, 2016 by Lorien

Special Announcement & Hooray!!!

Today’s the day I have been dreaming about, since beginning to write this e-book 3 and a half years ago.

I am beyond excited to finally be able to share the beauty of Simple Ayurveda in the Kitchen with you, no matter where in the world you are.

This book is a practical guide to living in balance and in harmony with your true nature, based on the wise and practical science & art of Ayurvedic Medicine, organic whole food nutrition & my own life experience of practically applying this way of wholesome nourished living with ease.

It’s all about being empowered, confident & creative in the Kitchen!

There are 108 pages of colour, inspiration, empowerment and support to guide you and be a wholesome friend in your kitchen!

{Click to find out more!}

These staple recipes will nourish you, inspire you, and be a foundation for your cooking legacy.

…I’m so excited, and grateful for the opportunity in life to put this bundle of love and goodness together for you – it’s a dream come true!

With love,

x Lorien

An Online Ayurveda Summit! So exciting!

November 8, 2015 by Lorien

Hello beautiful ones!

Ayurveda is a sacred beautiful science that looks at health from a holistic perspective – dealing with you as a whole being acknowledging your body, mind and spirit as being important equal factors that need nurturing and attention.

This science is vast, expansive, endlessly wise and deeply nourishing… deeply!

There a many great teachers of Ayurveda in the world, however sometimes it can be hard to know where to start when you want to begin learning, growing, understanding and delving into the magic (and yumminess within) that ayurvedic medicine has to offer.

I am often asked what books or teachers I recommend to study with. I feel it is a very personal, individual journey and that finding the right teacher/mentors to suit you as an individual is vital in that learning process. Trust your intuition and see who you are drawn too.

The first book on Ayurveda I ever read (and still love to open up and read to this day) is a beautiful little book by an incredible Doctor and teacher, Dr. Vasant Lad. I have admired and devoured Dr.Lad’s writing for years now… his text books are incredible and everything of his that I’ve ever read, watched or listened to has inspired me deeply.

If you want to know where to start on your Ayurvedic journey, I highly recommend his book; “Ayurveda: The Science of Life”. It’s an easy, inspiring and beautiful read.

There are many, many other great teachers and Doctors who I have sat with, listened too, watched, marvelled at and read.

Coming up this week – starting tomorrow is a super exciting and great event happening online – globally called The Ayurveda Summit.

A bunch of the most inspiring, wise and experienced Ayurvedic practitioners and Doctors are presenting over the Summit that goes for the next week and all the talks can be streamed online for free!

I just found out about this great even happening and for the love of Ayurveda – I just had to post about it to let you know incase you would love to tap into what they have on offer.

The link to register for this amazing free event is here – click below and prepare a nice cup of warm turmeric chai (recipe on my blog!) and sit back to receive the goodness on offer. :)

{Click this link to register for this amazing online event}

Dr.Vasant Lad (one of my Ayurvedic hero’s!) is presenting a talk during the summit along with one of my current teachers in Ayurvedic Digestion & Nutrition, John Immel from Joyful Belly Ayurveda, Dr.Robert Svoboda (amazing), Dr.Cladia Welch (incredible) and many many more super Ayurveda wise men and women!

Ayurveda is so magical. I personally fall in love with the wisdom and beauty present within Ayurveda more and more each day… and I started off head over heals (over 10 years ago now!) …the love is still growing, the inspiration is still dripping from my wholesome kitchen walls and …well, only God knows where this sacred, divine, nourishing and inspiring love affair with the knowledge and science of life will grow to as the love continues to grow… :) This science is endless – infinite and goes straight to the core of why we are here, what we are doing, our purpose, our health, wealth, love, relationships, food, nutrition and connection to the divine.

Perhaps we will share in some virtual sips of chai from our cosy homes during the next week of the Summit… :) Enjoy if you get to tap in and listen.

P.S. I have some juicy exciting ‘Wholesome Loving Goodness’ news for you real soon and a free webinar coming up that I will be announcing soon where we can sip chai together and talk all things digestion, ayurvedic cooking, nutrition, self-love, health, lifestyle and soul ! Keep your eye on your inbox! :)

Much love! :)

x Lorien

Rainy Day Hot Chocolate Cravings & the Simple Solution! :)

October 28, 2015 by Lorien

It is raining today and this cold change has got me craving a warm hot chocolate ~ though not just any kind of hot chocolate from a café will do. I want something real, smooth, creamy and chocolaty!

I got the inspiration while I was out and about picking something up from the post office… I could have orderd a hot choc from the local café and I didn’t… I wanted to alcehmise my own delicious intuitive brew at home so I asked my hot choc urge to be patient until I got home and this is what I came up with – and it’s deeelicious, scrumptious, smooth, creamy, chocolatey and naturally sweet (with love!) – nothing else added!

Enjoy this cosy, warming, sugar-free, beverage to fulfil your secret (or not so secret) rainy day hot choc fantasies!

You will need:

1 cup of your choice of milk (coconut milk, almond milk, rice milk or unhomogenised dairy)
1 tbsp dark carob powder
1 tsp raw cacao powder
½ tsp Ceylon cinnamon powder
Your juicy, creative hot chocalicious love!

To Brew: Pour your milk into a pot and add carob, cacao and cinnamon. Stir with a small whisk to blend powders together nicely or use a spoon or fork. Bring to a gently bubbling boil until your chocy drink gets a little frothy (frothy is good!) then turn it off, find your favourite mug, get your blanky, a relaxing – sumptuous song to listen to (like Sade) and sit… and sip… and drink your uber smooth, creamy, wholesome and real divine home made hot choc and think of how fun it was to make your own brew! Yum!

Enjoy!

For more recipe join my mailing list on the right (look for the cardamon pods!) and stay tuned for the release of my first ever recipe ebook that will be dancing into a kitchen near you soon!

x Lorien

Feeling Tropical! Vegan Black Rice Porridge Recipe

October 10, 2015 by Lorien

H E L L O ~ D E L I C I O U S N E S S !

My aaaaalllllll time favourite food while growing up was this – (apart from its fruity counterpart: fresh papaya!)

I was first introduced to this nourishing, exotic, delectable pudding while on holidays in Indonesia with my mum. I also grew up close to an authentic Indonesian restaurant called ‘Masakan Indonesia’ on the Gold Coast ~ my love for black rice pudding was sustained between our family trips to bali and our family dinners at Masakan. :) Such happy , yummy memories! I’m smiling just contemplating those precious black rice days!

Mum and I made it at home also ~ as with anything delicious, it is fun to explore making it for yourself and this also adds to being able to appreciate the subtlety and elegance that chefs go through in order to master their recipes. I loved the ones we made at home and I loved the ones we ate either in Bali or at Masakan.

I recently discovered ORGANIC black rice for sale at my local health food shop. Excitement! :) One of the reasons I had not made my black rice pudding in a while was because I could only find black rice at specific exotic asian grocery stores – and this was not always convenient to find and I really do prefer to eat organic whole foods for optimum nutrition and care of myself and planet, so buying the non-organic heavily transported type turned me off a bit.

The second reason I stopped buying or making black rice pudding is because the bought ones in restaurants often have loads of sugar in them (as delicious as they are!). This turns me off. I have a new respect and awareness of sugar these days since reading ‘Sweet Poison’ by David Gillespie (great easy read!) and also since studying nutrition and the way food affects our immune system, mental functioning and emotions. Black rice tastes so good with sugar – these days I like to use WHOLE-FOOD sweeteners as much as possible.

My Favourite Wholefood Sweeteners:

Medjool dates
Maple Syrup
Carob
Honey (not for baking or cooking)

If I’m ever going to use sugar I will choose the most ‘whole’ form I can get such as coconut sugar, rapadura sugar or jaggery. In my ayurvedic studies I learnt that these whole forms of sugar can be good for the body and this is true – at certain times and in certain instances, some whole sugar can be medicine. On the whole though – for me personally I feel cleaner, clearer and have more energy when I keep to my natural WHOLE FOOD sweetness listed above as even though whole-sugars still have minerals intact, they can still affect the body in a similar way to regular processed sugar as if you think about it – they are still concentrated condensed crystals of energy. It is easy to be addicted to sugar these days so I choose to get myself hooked on more sober tastes and flavours when I want a sweet hit and the list mentioned above generally always does the trick! :)

Organic Sugar-free Black Rice Pudding is now well and truly back on the menu in my kitchen! :)

If you feel like having some tropical ‘Indonesian’ black-rice pudding fun at home, here is my sugar-free + vegan black rice recipe for you to have a play with! :)

Wholesome Vegan Coconut Black Rice Pudding Recipe

Ingredients:

1 cup organic black rice
3 cups of boiling water
1 tsp of cinnamon
1 tsp maple syrup (optional)
2 cups of coconut milk
shredded coconut (to toast and add as a garnish!)

Creation process:

Rinse your black rice and boil the kettle (it’s always good to give your grains a rinse prior to cooking).
Place your rice in your pot and add approx 3 cups of boiling water to steam the rice.
Bring to a boil and place the lid on. Cook until the rice is soft and the water has absorbed.
Remove from the heat once steamed and add 2 cups of coconut milk, a dash of maple syrup, 2 tsp’s of cinnamon and your love!
Serve your pudding warm in your favourite bowls and garnish with some fresh banana, papaya, toasted coconut and or a few cheeky raisins.

Voila! So easy, black rice pudding in a flash with whole food ingredients to make this sweety treaty nourishing and delicious! :)

Happy creating in the kitchen!

Love,

x Lorien

Spring Moong Bean Kitchari Recipe with fresh parsley & creamy salted avocado! Gluten Free / Vegetarian / Vegan / Wholesome!

October 9, 2015 by Lorien

The best nutritional path to take in life is the one that suits you most!

We are all unique and this means that our bodies and digestive systems are unique as well! (Yay! how beautiful is that!)

Our bodies thrive when we can listen and be intuitive about our food & lifestyle choices.

Instead of following the latest food trend or getting overwhelmed by varying food philosophies – ask your body what it wants, what it needs and then listen. You are not like anyone else. Doing what everyone else does will never be truly nourishing.

In order to really nourish yourself – you must listen to the call of your tummy, your feelings, your passions and your inspirations.

Ask yourself these questions… Which foods feel amazing in your tummy? & Which foods make your heart and mind sing? and move towards those things… experiment, play and explore!

Often creating this inner connection with self is all that is needed to soothe, calm and rebalance the intelligence of our body, heart and mind.

It’s exciting, it’s fun and it’s delicious to open up, to explore your body and to listen to what foods your body wants, loves and needs.

Master your eating and you will master your mind… this is what the Ayurvedic sages of India share with us.

“Quality of mind depends on quality of food.” ~The Vedas

Ingredients:

2 cup whole moong beans (soaked overnight)
1 cup basmati or brown rice (washed 3 x and strained)
1/4 pumpkin chopped into cubes
1 cup green beans chopped into small pieces
8 cups of boiling water
1 tbsp coconut oil or ghee
1 tbsp freshly chopped ginger
1 clove of garlic finely chopped/pressed
1/2 a red onion finely chopped
1 tsp cumin seeds, 1tsp coriander seeds, 1/3 tsp turmeric powder
1 tsp himalayan salt & a few cracks black pepper
1/2 ripe avocado & some fresh parsley or coriander
your love! :)

So easy to digest, nourishing & in Ayurvedic texts said to be a ‘complete protein’!

Creation process:

Add 1 tblsp Ghee or Coconut oil to your pot
Once melted, add 1/4 teaspoon of Cumin seeds & Coriander seeds. Allow to toast.
Add Ginger, garlic and onion to the spices & toast. (Garlic & Onion is optional).
Add 1/3 teaspoon of turmeric powder & stir.
Add 2 cups of soaked & rinsed whole moong beans.
Add 1 cup of rice.
Stir & toast in the spices for a few minutes to lighten the lentils & rice for improved digestion.
Place your chopped pumpkin and green beans in the pot.
Add 8 cups of boiling water & stir. Allow to gently boil.
Add a pinch of Himalayan salt and a few cracks of black pepper.
Continue to stir regularly – adding your juicy love! :) Cook for approx 20-30 minutes on a medium heat.
When Rice & Moong become creamy, turn off the heat and serve with an extra spoon of ghee or coconut oil on top, 1/2 an avocado sliced and salted and a fresh garnish of parsley or coriander!

Voila!

A super delicious nourishing vegetarian and vegan (minus the ghee!) complete protein dish! Yum! This is such an easy meal to make during the week when it’s hard to come up with creative ideas for the family and you want something fast, nourishing AND delicious! :)

Bon appetite! :)

x Lorien

Wholesome Spring Ayurvedic ‘Green + Gold Soup’ Recipe!

September 1, 2015 by Lorien

The chill of winter is starting to fade as the sun begins to rise a little earlier each morning; set a little later each evening and transition back to summer.

Spring is the beautiful in-between season that allows us to slowly say goodbye to winters woolly-weeks and hello to the sprouting fresh blossoms of spring.

In Ayurvedic medicine spring is a very important time of the year for paying attention to the body and practicing mindfulness towards our food and daily activities. With the start of warmer weather, our bodies know that it is time to ‘lighten-up’, cleanse, purify and clear the decks of one season to make room for the next. We go from hibernation mode to being engaged and more easily outward in the world.

In summary: having the awareness and capacity for being able to adapt to the changing environment around you is key factor in maintaining a balances, healthy strong body and mind.

Health is a state of inner-balance!

One of the best ‘foodie’ ways to specifically nourish, balance and gently cleanse your body during Spring is to eat warm, light, easy to digest foods such as Soup!

In the spirit of spring I have prepared a special soup recipe for you to get you on your soupy way!

Stay in tune with your body, spring-clean, dance in the sun and eat soup!

Ingredients:

1 tbsp ghee
spices: 1 tsp of each; cumin, coriander & ¼ tsp fennel seeds
1 tbsp fresh ginger finely chopped
1 tsp fresh turmeric finely chopped & ½ tsp of turmeric powder
1 leak chopped
1 zucchini chopped into small pieces
1 small head of broccoli chopped into pieces
1 stick of celery chopped small
1 cup of pumpkin chopped into cubes
1 cup of green beans chopped small
1 handful of chopped fresh coriander
4 cups of boiling water
1 tsp of sea salt
¼ tsp black pepper

Creating your soup:

Place a spoon of ghee into your pot on a medium heat and stir in cumin, coriander and fennel seeds.
Stir in fresh ginger, turmeric, turmeric powder and chopped leek; toasting for 2-3 minutes to coat your ingredients in the ghee and spices.
Add your vegetables: zucchini, celery, pumpkin, green beans, broccoli and stir them into the spices.
Add 4 cups of boiling water, sea salt, black pepper and fresh coriander.
Place the lid on and let simmer on medium heat for 15 minutes or until your vegies are soft and cooked.
Serve in your favourite bowl with a garnish of fresh coriander and a few extra cracks of pepper & sea salt to taste.

I hope you enjoy this delicious simple soupy recipe as much as I enjoyed shopping for these seasonal fresh organic ingredients and making it!

Wishing you and your family a beautiful spring!

Wholesome Love & Yumminess!

x Lorien

Yoga: Iyengar Inspiration

June 10, 2015 by Lorien

‘The yogi realises that his life and all its activities are part of the divine action in nature, manifesting and operating in the form of man. In the beating of his pulse and the rhythm of his respiration, he recognises the flow of the seasons and the throbbing of universal life.’

~BKS Iyengar, pg 41, Light On Yoga.

{original ‘gold om’ artwork + typography by lorien waldron.}

x Om Shanti

Byron Bay Ayurvedic Cooking Class!

May 11, 2015 by Lorien

Autumn Equinox

March 21, 2015 by Lorien

Since the first of March, according to the western calendar year, Summer was ‘officially’ over and Autumn had begun.

What!? Autumn! …It still feels like Summer!

On the first day of Autumn however, I found myself at the beach, taking respite in the cool waters of the ocean and enjoying the warm air ~ delicious fresh Papaya by the spoonful and long summer-love-story short, …it certainly STILL felt like Summer!

That is because the seasons don’t stop and start like a machine. Just like we don’t stop and start (when living in balance) like a machine. We are alive, breathing beings, organic in our true nature. Mother nature and her seasons are the same, really we are mini living manifestations of her divine creation. That is a whole other exciting ‘macrocosm’, ‘microcosm’ conversation though… Back to the seasons. Mother nature and her seasons are gradual and as such we must allow ourselves to gradually adapt during a seasonal juncture in order to rebalance to our new and changing environment as well as allow for our bodies and minds to cleanse from the previous season to create a clear fresh space that is appropriate for the current season that is beginning.

Autumn brings an increase in the air + ether elements, (Vata).

As the cooler air and wind causes the leaves to dry and then fall to the ground. There is a ‘dryer’ and less humid quality to the air as we shift from the heat and moisture of summer to the slightly cooler movement, via wind of Autumn. The earth beginning to prepare for winter!

Seasons are so beautiful, they show us that everything grows, transforms, cycles and evolves… And for harmony to be maintained, this cycle and process must continue ~ year, after year, after year!

Change is what is always constant! It is a blessing and time of ritual and ceremony in many traditional cultures, where the people honour the sacred earth elements.

At all seasonal junctions through out the year, it is important to take extra care of yourself and to listen to your bodies needs as the environment around you shifts.

To balance your Vata, you must respond and adapt your lifestyle habits and routine to suit and harmonise with the changing environment around you.

You may find yourself eating less, eating lighter foods, warmer foods, more nourishing foods and even wearing different clothes as the climate changes, even just subtly.

The official Autumn Equinox

Yesterday, the 21st of march marked the autumn equinox in the Southern Hemisphere. Equinox meaning ‘equal’ light and dark. From yesterday onwards we will move from having more light and warmth in each day to slightly less as we glide into winter. The opposite is occurring in the northern hemisphere as they move towards the warmth and longer days.

Ayurvedic medicine places great significance on seasonal change as it is important that way have the tools and knowledge to align and re-balance during the various transitions and changes in life for the health of our body, mind and spirit, our optimum wellness.

3 Simple Lifestyle Tips for Seasonal Change you can do at home:

My top #3 Ayurvedic Lifestyle tips for you to smoothly navigate and re-balanced during this seasonal juncture that we are in right now are…

#1 Make sure you give your body adequate rest, I’m talking 7-8 hours sleep each night so your body can rejuvenate and balance out during the night. (I went to bed at 9pm last night and it felt amazing!!!)

#2 Eat warm, light meals to give your digestion a little rest, think soups, kitchari, stewed fruit, steamed vegies… Warm and simple. This is also a great time to do a mini cleanse or soup/kitchari fast for 2-5 days. The best time of year for it! (I made a pot of Kitchari yesterday and have fasted on Kitchari and fresh Papaya during the day today, feels amazing and so great to have a little digestion re-set!)

#3 Drink warm water and warm herbal teas in place of cold drinks during the day, night and first thing in the morning to gently cleanse your digestive system, support your agni, (digestive fire) and ground your mind and body due to the relaxing and healing qualities of warm h20! (I carry a 1 litre thermal drink bottle with me everywhere, filled with warm water so it is easy for me to stay hydrated and drink warm water wherever I am. The best invention ever. Warm water really makes a difference!)

That’s it. Simple awareness of your body, mind, spirit and breath at all times in life ensures balance and harmony to reside within you and allows your bodies natural innate intelligence to shine, re-balance, heal and guide you on your journey inside and out.

Love your body and listen to it’s callings…

Happy Autumn Equinox beautifuls!

With love and all things yummy and wholesome,

x Lorien