Ayurvedic wellness leaves you feeling physically energized, emotionally connected, mentally focused, and spiritually aligned.

“When you see people as whole, you can help them see themselves as whole, improving their health, habits, and awareness,” said Amy Eldredge, an Ayurvedic Health Counselor with 20+ years of experience as a Family Nurse Practitioner.

The Ayurvedic tradition is one of humanity’s longest continuously-practiced systems of medicine. My practice is a bridge between this indigenous healing system and conventional Western techniques, she said.

“Conventional medicine does a lot of good. It was my desire to heal, that brought me to that work. After some time, I picked up my head and said, “I’m in a system that’s broken.”

Amy wanted more time with her patients - to delve in, and address the root of the problem - rather than simply treating the symptoms of acute and chronic illnesses.

“Pharmaceuticals can be helpful (and life-saving in certain cases). They can also derange the body further,” said Amy. “I’d prefer not to target one thing to improve a symptom but could potentially cause a cascade of other imbalances when it’s not absolutely needed.”

Beans and Vegetables

Add a dash of digestive flavor to this comforting soup, with asafoetida aka hing, in this easy-to-eat ayurvedic recipe.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup dry yellow-eyed beans
• 1 medium onion, diced
• 2-3 garlic cloves, diced
• 2 cups of fresh mushrooms
  (I used lions’ mane, white,
  and cremini)
• 1 tsp each dried oregano
  and thyme
• a handful of fresh parsley, chopped
• 2 bay leaves
• salt and black pepper to taste
• 8 celery stalks, chopped
• 5 carrots, chopped
• 1 parsnip
• 1 sweet potato
• 1 large can of whole tomatoes
• juice of 1/2 lemon
• 3 tbsp olive oil or ghee (clarified butter)

Directions:

1. *Rinse and soak dry beans overnight or in boiled water
for 4 hours.

2. +Pre-cook the beans separately and set aside.

3. Sauté onion and garlic in oil or ghee until soft
and translucent.

4. Add mushrooms, celery, carrots, oregano, thyme, parsley (save a little for garnish with serving), salt and pepper, and sauté 3-5 minutes more on low heat.

5. Add remaining ingredients and simmer on low heat for at least an hour (or until all vegetables are cooked through). The ingredients will liberate enough water to make this juicy. If not, you can add some vegetable or chicken stock. Bone broth would make it even more hearty. The starchiness of the beans thickens the liquid.

6. Add lemon juice to finish and garnish topped with parsley.

This is great served with a warm crusty sourdough.

Enjoy!

*Soaking beans with of a pinch hing aka asofetida and a small piece of seaweed called kombu makes them more digestible and their nutrients more bio-available. I remove the kombhu after soaking. A little hing in this recipe would be delicious. It has a yummy garlicy flavor.

+Cook on the stove top for about an hour (or in a pressure cooker if short on time). For convenience, sometimes I do this ahead and stick them in the fridge until I’m ready to cook the rest of the dish.