Planning a Late Summer Dinner Party? We’ve Got Your Perfect Pitta-Balancing Menu

While summer may be slowly winding down, it certainly doesn’t feel that way. Pitta season has yet to ease, which means that supporting our bodies against excess heat is still important.

When too much heat accumulates in the body, you can develop a pitta imbalance. This can manifest as irritation and agitation, diarrhea, skin breakouts, difficulty sleeping, and feeling restless and unable to relax and cool down. In other words, it’s not pleasant!

Luckily, Ayurveda provides easy and manageable ways to soothe our pitta and cool down the body—and it starts with the food we eat. This Ayurvedic dinner menu was crafted using simple, delicious ingredients that can help balance out your body even on scorching summer nights. And since these dishes don’t sacrifice on flavor, you’ll be proud to share them with your friends and family at any late-summer dinner parties you have planned.

Cucumber Coconut Cooler

Ingredients

• 1 large cucumber or 16 oz cucumber juice
• 16 oz coconut water
• Lime
• Fresh mint

Directions

1. Wash and slice your cucumber. Juice the cucumber with a juicer and set it aside.
2. Take 2 glasses and place 8 oz of chilled coconut water in each. Pour 8 oz of cucumber juice in each glass and stir to combine.
3. Chop a few leaves of fresh mint and add it to the glasses, stirring again to combine.
4. Add a squeeze of lime to taste. Serve fresh and slightly chilled.

Serves 2 

Sweet potato and cauliflower dosas

Ingredients

Filling:

• 3 tbsp ghee or avocado oil
• ¼ onion
• 1 clove garlic
• 1 large sweet potato
• 1 tsp coriander
• ¾ tsp cumin
• 1 can organic full fat coconut milk
• ½ head cauliflower

Dosa:

• 1 cup yellow split mung beans
• ⅔ cup water
• Sprinkle of cumin
• Salt
• Pepper
• 2 tbsp avocado oil or ghee

Sauce:

• 1 3/4 cup cilantro
• ½ cucumber
• Small slice of peeled ginger
• 2 pitted dates
• ½ cup coconut yogurt
• Squeeze of lemon
• Salt
• Pepper

Directions

1. Add ghee or avocado oil to a pan at medium heat. Once warm, add onion and garlic and cook until slightly brown and the onions are tender.
2. Add sweet potato, coconut milk, coriander, cumin, and a sprinkle of salt and pepper. Bring to a light simmer and cook for about 25 minutes or until sweet potato is tender.
3. Add cauliflower and continue to cook for another 10 minutes or until tender. Set aside.
4. For the dosas, add mung beans, water, cumin and a sprinkle of salt and pepper to a high-powered blender or food processor and blend on high until the ingredients are fully combined and batter is smooth.
5. Heat a cast iron or medium pan over medium-low heat, warming up oil or ghee. Add ½ cup of batter to the pan at a time, using the back of a spoon to spread the batter thin on the pan. Cook until the batter is cooked through and both sides are golden brown.
6. For the sauce, add cilantro, cucumber, ginger, dates, coconut yogurt, lemon, salt, and pepper to a blender or food processor. Blend for around 20 seconds until all the ingredients are combined but not entirely liquified.
7. To serve, add a few scoops of filling into the dosa and top with the sauce to your taste. Roll up the dosa and serve fresh.

Serves 4

Fennel Zucchini

Ingredients

• ½ tbsp fennel seeds
• 2 tbsp of avocado oil or ghee
• Salt
• Pepper
• 1 tsp cumin
• 1 tsp coriander
• Squeeze of lemon
• 3 medium sized zucchini

Directions

1. Wash and slice zucchini lengthwise into ¼ inch slices. Set aside.
2. Warm a cast iron or large pan on medium heat. Add 1 tbsp of oil or ghee and allow it to warm slightly. Add the fennel seeds to the pan and cook until slightly brown.
3. Add the zucchini and the rest of the oil to the pan. Sprinkle the cumin and coriander on top.
4. Allow the zucchini to cook until slightly brown, then flip. Add salt and pepper to taste and a squeeze of lemon.
5. When the other side is slightly brown, remove the zucchini from the pan and serve fresh.

Serves 4

See also: 

Cool Off With 3 Refreshing (and Easy!) Ayurvedic Recipes

3 Ways to Balance Pitta and Cool Down This Summer

Celebrate Summer With This Veggie Cobb Salad