I like to call this a very Creamy and Dreamy Drink! The finely ground pumpkin and chia seeds make this drink a surprisingly rich and creamy one. Both pumpkin seeds and chia seeds are rich in amino acid tryptophan and let us not forget that it is super-delicious to taste as well.
Milk in Sanskrit is called as ksheera. Making your own raw seed milk at home is super easy and honestly tastes a million times better than the store-bought. No additives, thickeners, just pure goodness of whole organic foods.
Per Ayurveda, milk is very helpful in balancing the heat of Pitta. I must tell you, in my teen years, I was a high pitta dominant person with breakouts all over my face, and yes, extremely short tempered. The “milk” was my saviour and if I missed having even one day, my body would react badly, now if I look back I think I was heavily addicted to milk.
It was only couple of years back, thanks to Kimberly Snyder’s book on Beauty Detox, that helped me move away from my addiction to dairy milk. Religiously having green smoothies everyday brought a miraculous transformation in my body. My dairy cravings gradually and naturally started disappearing and cannot believe myself when I say this today – “I don’t crave dairy milk”. My Pitta is much more balanced now with all the super-nutrients from the greens.
So, if anyone out there, is not doing well with dairy, I would strongly recommend giving green smoothies a try. It really worked for me!
Now, coming back to my creamy dreamy ksheera, this recipe is simple and it requires only a few ingredients. The best part of making your own raw plant-based milk is to know exactly what goes into the recipe and to control the sweetness. With store-bought non-dairy milks, the only thing you taste is sweet nothing else.
The Goodness of Pumpkin Chia Ayurvedic Ksheera!
As per Ayurveda, nuts and seeds are important part of the diet as they provide vitamins, minerals, and fiber. Pumpkin seeds are excellent to pacify Vata and Pitta doshas. It’s always recommended in Ayurveda to pre-soak the seeds as it’s easier to digest and can assimilate well in the body. Chia seeds are called sattvicand tridoshic in Ayurveda. They are rich in good fats and make 60% of omega-3s and super-hydrating.
The hint of cardamom goes very well with this drink and the creamy rich taste will make your taste buds happy and keep you satisfied for a long time. By the way, no cows were harmed in the making of this plant-based ksheera.
Pumpkin Chia Ayurvedic Ksheera
– 1 big handful soaked Pumpkin Seeds (pepitas)
– 1 tbsp soaked Chia Seeds
– 2 Medjool Dates
– 1 pod of Cardamom
– 1 small pinch of Cinnamon (optional)
– 1/4 cup Water (adjust accordingly)
How to Prepare?
This is a basic recipe that tastes amazing. You could jazz it up by adding cocoa powder to your favourite berries. Blend them in a high-powered blender like Vitamix. I don’t like to strain my seed milk because all the good fiber and nutrients are wasted in that process. However, if you blend the items in Vitamix, you won’t feel a trace of fiber but only pure and natural smoothie.
