Sautéed Summer Squash with Radicchio and Mint
Jun 2, 2021 | Written by Leticia Padmasri
In Ayurveda, summer is the season of the pitta dosha – the fire and water dosha. It is when the qualities of this dosha - hot, light, sharp, penetrating, and oily – are predominant in the environment. Since we are part of nature these qualities will have a tendency to increase inside of us as well.
Even though the fire element is predominant, our digestive fire (agni) is actually weaker in the summer. Thus, our ability to digest rich, heavy, and fatty foods is not so keen. If you pay attention, our appetite is low during this season as a way to help us to adjust to the environment around us, so we stuff ourselves on bread, barbecue and milkshakes! But Mother Nature also helps us! It is harvesting an abundance of naturally cooling and blood cleansing veggies and fruits. And more! These foods are pre-cooked by the sun for us.
Following the wisdom of Ayurveda then, it is important then to favor meals that will be easy for our bodies to break down and assimilate so a whole range of Pitta symptoms (inflamed temper, diarrhea, itchy eyes, heartburn, skin irritations, etc.) don’t flare up as we enter the summer months…
The veggies and fruits of this season are the way to go. Put them at the center of your meals, aiming to get on your plate 50% veggies, 25% starch, and 25% protein. Favor the sweet, bitter, and astringent tastes and avoid hot, spicy, and salty tastes like in chili peppers and chips. Red meat, fried foods, alcohol, and coffee are also too heating for the summer.
To inspire you to eat more veggies and cook them (just a bit) with Ayurvedic wisdom, here is my Sautéed Summer Squash with Radicchio and Mint recipe.
This dish has primarily the sweet (summer squash) and bitter (radicchio) tastes that are so cooling and fresh in summer, with just enough of the sour (cheese), salty, and pungent (mint and coriander) tastes to optimize digestibility. Mint is pungent, but unlike spices like cayenne and cinnamon that are heating, aromatic spices like mint are slightly cooling, generally balancing all three doshas. Coriander is sweet, pungent, and exceptionally cooling, making it a great ally to counter Pitta Dosha.
Sautéed Summer Squash with Radicchio and Mint
Serves 2-4
INGREDIENTS:
1 pound mixed summer squash
1 cup radicchio
1 tablespoon extra-virgin coconut oil
2 teaspoons coriander seeds
A handful of mint leaves
1 ounce of crumbled nut cheese (optional)
⅛ tsp mineral salt
PREPARATION:
Dry roast the coriander seeds until they get browner and you smell their aroma. Set aside.
Slice the summer squash. Aim for ½ -inch slices or wedges.
Chop the radicchio in ¼-inch slices.
Warm the oil in a wide skillet over medium heat.
Add the coriander seeds and stir to mix well with the oil.
Add the summer squash and saute until tender and beginning to brown in parts.
Add the radicchio and cook for another 2 minutes until the radicchio gets soft.
Remove from the heat and top with the mint leaves and nut cheese.
Bom apetite!
Veggies dishes are best served fresh. Because they do not require much advanced planning and, in the summertime, they have been already cooking on the vine for us, it is easy to follow that! So, gorge yourself on delicious juicy summer veggies = )