Apples are one of my favorite fruits, especially for the summer and in autumn when they are in full season! As you may have seen me mention, all our foods can either be a medicine or a toxin for our body depending on when, how, and why we eat something. Every food has different qualities about them that help us determine how beneficial that food is for us at any given time. Apples are astringent so they can help break down excess mucus in the lymphatic system and the digestive system, which is perfect for spring. They are also for the most part very cooling so during late summer and fall when your digestive system starts to overheat, eating apples in various forms will remove that excess heat and inflammation from your gut. Apples can be sweet and they can be sour; the sweet taste in Ayurveda has a cooling quality and the sour taste in Ayurveda has a heating quality. Eating sweeter varieties of apples such as Honeycrisp is best for pitta and kapha doshas as neither dosha does very well with an excess of the sour taste. More tart apples such as Pink Lady are great for vata doshas as the sour taste has a moistening quality that helps combat the dryness of vata.
Stewed apples are an easy and yummy go-to snack, or as I usually recommend a good breakfast. In the spring time, we don’t necessarily have excess heat to remove but we do have excess mucus so by heating the apples and adding spices we are aiding the astringent quality by removing that extra winter kapha stored up. For autumn when it is still hot during the day but starts to cool down at night and in the mornings, this recipe with sweet apples is great for removing excess heat while still keeping us feeling cozy. In the winter time, this recipe is great all around with extra spices and ghee as long as it feels enough to satisfy your hunger. In the summer you may very well switch to raw apples or a raw fruit bowl for a more cooling breakfast, but for most vata’s I recommend still using some form of this recipe so they don’t add too much dryness to their gut. All that to say, eating stewed apples is a great tridoshic food recipe that is great for most people if you are cooking for your family!
Ingredients:
1-2 Apples of choice -- remember to use sweet and sour apples according to your or others constitution
1 tsp. of ghee or coconut oil
Pinches of ground spices of choice -- cinnamon, a pumpkin spice blend, or clove are all my favorites
⅛ cup of filtered water
Optional: adding some dried fruits such as raisins, dates, figs, or cranberries (consider the season)
Directions:
Chop up the amount of apple chosen into bite size pieces
Heat up a small saucepan or pot over low-medium heat, when heated add the ghee/oil
Once ghee/oil is melted or heated up, add the apples and dried fruit if using and saute for 1-2 minutes or as long as you want (the longer the more caramelized)
Carefully add the water and powdered spices and cook for 1-2 minutes. This step is what creates the “stew” so that when you are finished you have a nice little sweet and thicker “sauce” that helps bring some grounding to your digestive system. If you prefer more sauce add more ghee and water
Turn off heat and serve! Adding a pinch of chia seeds or hemp seeds on top can also be a great addition if you need a little protein. In the winter time, adding a small amount (like 2-5 pieces) of chopped up nuts can also be a more substantial addition.