December recipe (in lieu of a yoga nidra/meditation practice)
Ayurvedic gingerbread with date frosting
2 cups whole wheat flour
½ tsp. Salt
1 tsp. Baking soda
¼ tsp. Cloves
2 tsp. Cinnamon
¼ tsp. Star anise powder
⅓ cup jaggery
½ cup molasses
½ cup ghee or olive oil
1 TBSP grated fresh ginger
Zest of one orange
½ cup water
2 flax eggs (4 TBSP ground flax seed soaked in 6 TBSP warm water for five minutes)
Heat your oven to 350 F.
Combine the dry ingredients in a large bowl.
In a separate bowl, combine the wet ingredients (you can do this with an electric mixer or simply a whisk and a little elbow grease).
Gently fold the wet ingredients into the flour mixture. Don’t overmix, but be sure that the ingredients are well incorporated and there are no clumps of flour. Pour into a greased loaf pan and bake for 40-50 minutes until the center springs back to a gentle touch.
If desired, spread date frosting on top after it has cooled.
Date frosting
6 dates, pitted and soaked in 1 cup boiling water for 10 minutes.
1 TBSP ghee
Blend the ghee and dates with a little of the water (just enough to make it move in the blender — it should be thick). Spread on top of the gingerbread loaf after it has cooled.
