Mood Recipe: Recipe Dictionary

Recipe Dictionary

Find your appropriate diets

Recipe Dictionary supports people if they need an Ayurvedic dietary treatment to make them feel balanced and healthy based on your dosha (body type).

Mood Recipe About Recipe Dictionary

We are Mood Recipe, a dietary treatment service that provides a reflective and thought-provoking toolkit to guide people in discovering healthy and suitable diets. We support individuals who suffer from emotional eating and want to learn more about themselves.

We combine nutritional and psychological aspects to help people find suitable diets. Specifically, our approach includes Ayurveda dietary treatment and the colour theory of taste and food.

Edited and made by Sophie Chen, 2024 @sophiechen.studio

The Recipe Dictionary provides detailed information about various kinds of meals and foods.

Finding suitable and healthy diets is divided into three phases: understanding your body, finding appropriate meals, and recording your feelings about eating food. The Recipe Dictionary is the second phase: finding appropriate meals and foods based on the results you obtain from the Quiz Handbook, specifically your dosha (body type). It includes:

1. Dosha Recipes

2. Tastes of Foods.

If you don’t know your dosha (body type), you can find it in the Quiz Handbook.

i. Dosha Recipes

Dosha means body type. Dosha Recipes are based on the theory of dosha (body type) in Ayurveda. Each body type has specific needs for taste and food to balance or make adjustments between their body and mind. It includes ingredients, features, and the cooking process.

1. Vata Recipes

For the vata-dominant people, they will be easy to get nervous and anxious, so it needs to embrace slow, steady, and small shifts.

Favour warm over cold.

Favour moist and oily over dry.

Favor grounding, nourishing, and stabilizing over light.

Favour smooth over rough.

Breakfast

Yellow Goddess Smoothie Bowl

Lunch

Biryani Rice

Dinner

Kale & Carrot Soup with Ginger, Fennel & Lime

Breakfast

Yellow Goddess Smoothie Bowl

Serving: 1

Total Time: 20 minutes

Ingredients Directions

1 cup___Mango

1/2 cup___Advocado

1/2 cup___Young coconut meat

1/2 cup___Water or oat milk

1/4 cup___Soaked cashew

1/2 teaspoon___Turmeric powder

1/6 tsp___Cardamom powder

1/6 tsp___Nutmeg powder

1 tsp___Chia seeds

2 tbsp___Coconut Cream

3 strings___Saffron

1. Preparation: soak cashew for 2 to 4 hours.

2. Except coconut meat and chia seeds, blend the rest ingredients together with 1/2 water or oat milk.

3. Slice coconut meat into slices.

4. Serve with coconut flakes, banana and chia seeds.

Lunch

Biryani Rice

Serving: 1~2

Total Time: 30~45 minutes

Ingredients Directions

1 cup___Basmati rice

3___Cloves

1 finger-length___Cinnamon stick

1___Star anise

4___Cardamom pods

2___Bay leaves

1/2___Onion

4___Cloves of Garlic

15___Chashews

1 tablespoon___Diced carrots

2 tablespoon___Ghee or Coconut Oil

2 cups___of Water

2 teaspoon___Sea salt

1. Wash the basmati rice and set it aside.

2. Chop the garlic and cut the onions into long thin strips.

3. Heat the ghee or the oil in a pan.

4. Add the cloves, cinnamon stick, star anise, cardamom and bay leaves and stir until they release their aroma (around 2 minutes).

5. Add the onion and garlic and cook until the onions begin to golden.

6. Add the cashews and the raisins and mix well.

7. Add the water, stir and bring the mixture to boilLower the flame right away, cover with a lid and let the mixture simmer for 10-15 minutes.

8. Stir regularly to prevent the rice from sticking.

9. Remove from heat when the rice is cooked.

Yellow Goddess Smoothie Bowl

Serving: 1

Total Time: 20 minutes

Ingredients Directions

1 cup___Mango

1/2 cup___Advocado

1/2 cup___Young coconut meat

1/2 cup___Water or oat milk

1/4 cup___Soaked cashew

1/2 teaspoon___Turmeric powder

1/6 tsp___Cardamom powder

1/6 tsp___Nutmeg powder

1 tsp___Chia seeds

2 tbsp___Coconut Cream

3 strings___Saffron

1. Preparation: soak cashew for 2 to 4 hours.

2. Except coconut meat and chia seeds, blend the rest ingredients together with 1/2 water or oat milk.

3. Slice coconut meat into slices.

4. Serve with coconut flakes, banana and chia seeds.

Out of Balance

- Anxiety.

- Irregular schedule and appetite

- Gas, bloating, and constipation.

- Dry skin.

- Mineral depletion.

- Constipation.

- Dryness.

- Underweight.

- Arthritis.

- Nervous system disorders worry, and anxiety.

Routine

Avoid

- Stimulants: Coffee, Black Tea, Candy.

- Foods that make you pee (diuretics) - Celery, Parsley, Watermelon, Asparagus.

- Dry foods - Dried fruit, Nuts that aren’t soaked.

- Difficult to digest foods: Kidney beans, some raw foods.

- Excessively light foods - Salads.

Lifestyle Choice

- Routine sleeping and eating schedule.

- Keep warm, comfortable, and hydrated.

- Avoid raw foods and too much cleansing.

- Increase sweet, sour, salty, and pungent taste.

- Massage yourself daily with Vata oil.

- Keep the colon clean with herbs like haritaki.

Need

- Increase oils, warm food, and liquids.

- Increase sweet, sour, salty, and pungent taste.

- Ghee - Nourish Tissue.

- Dashamoola: Relax, Reduce Anxiety.

- Licorice root - Moisten Tissues.

2. Pitta Recipes

For the pitta-dominant people, they are usually competitive by nature and enjoy challenges, so it needs some cooling and energising food to calm down.

Favor cool over warm or hot.

Favor dense, grounding, and nourishing over light.

Favor dry and dense over oily or liquid. Favor mild over sharp.

Breakfast

Oatmeal with Almonds & Milk

Lunch

Chickpea Stew

Dinner

Sweet Potato with Kale & Ginger

Breakfast

Oatmeal with Almonds & Milk

Serving: 1

Total Time: 20 minutes

Ingredients Directions

2 tablespoon___Almonds

1/4 teaspoon___Cardamom

1 teaspoon___Ghee

1 teaspoon___Maple syrup

1 cup___Milk

1/3 cup___Oats / oatmeal

1. Preparation: Soak the almonds overnight and peel them in the morning.

2. Blend in a coffee grinder with oatmeal.

3. Place oatmeal mix and all ingredients from the list above in a pot.

4. Use double or triple the quantity of milk depending upon level of dryness in the body. If you have difficulty digesting milk substitute almond milk instead.

5. Bring to a boil stirring constantly. Lower heat to a simmer and cook until soft. Garnish with a pinch of cinnamon. (around 10 minutes)

Lunch

Chickpea Stew

Serving: 1

Total Time: 25 minutes

Ingredients Directions

1.5 cups___Water

1 tablespoon___Ghee or sunflower oil

1 cup___Chickpeas (cooked)

1/4 cup___Potato

1/4 cup___Carrots

1/4 cup___Cauliflower

1/4 cup___Chopped Onions

1/4 teaspoon___Coriander Powder

1/2 teaspoon___Turmeric powder

1 tablespoon___Cilantro

1. Heat the oil in a pot, then add onion and cook for 1 min.

2. Add the chopped carrots and potato, and cook for another 2-3 min. Stir in between.

3. Now add 1/2 cup of water, mix well, cover with a lid and cook for about 5 mins.

4. Add the cauliflower and cook for another 5 min.

5. Now add the cooked chickpeas, turmeric powder and coriander powder and the remaining water.

6. Stir well and let the mixture simmer for another 5 min.

7. To round things of, you can add fresh cilantro.

Sweet Potato with Kale & Ginger

Serving: 1~2

Total Time: 40 minutes

Ingredients Directions

3/4 inch___fresh ginger

1.5 cup___Kale

1 pinch___Salt

1 tablespoon___Sunflower oil

2 cup___Sweet potato

1. Boil the kale until leaves turn a vibrant shade of green green and strain.

2. In a separate pot, add the diced sweet potatoes with just enough water to cover them. Add the salt and boil until soft. Remove from heat and save sweet water for another meal.

3. Grate and sauté ginger in sunflower oil for thirty seconds. Then add cooked sweet potatoes and kale. Mix gently to avoid breaking up the soft sweet potatoes.

Out of Balance Avoid

- Body odor, acid reflux.

- Hair loss.

- Common Pitta Diseases.

- Ulcer or acid reflux.

- Bleeds or bruises easily.

- Nearsighted, sensitive to light, migraines.

- Judgemental, critical

- Any inflammation or sharp pain.

- High blood pressure.

Lifestyle Choice

- Take time off to enjoy life.

- Take a break from mental activity.

- Go to bed before 10pm.

- Avoid heat, intensity, and overexertion.

- Avoid hot, light, liquid, oily, pungent, salty and sour.

- Avoid self-criticism, criticism of others.

- Avoid fatty, fried foods.

- Avoid meat, wheat, and dairy after sundown.

Need

- Increase bitter, astringent, and sweet tastes.

- Amalaki: Cool the intestines.

- Shatavari: Soften Mood.

- Avipattikar Churna: Improve Pitta Digestion.

- Neem: Cool Blood / Skin.

- Cook with coconut oil and ghee.

2. Kapha Recipes

For the kapha-dominant people, they are naturally calm, but they are greedy and tend to be indulgent. Thus, they need more stimulating tastes to make them emergise.

Favor warm over cool or cold

Favor light and airy over dense and heavy

Favor dry over moist or oily

Favor rough over smooth

Breakfast

Baked Pear with Cardamom

Lunch

Chickpea Curry

Dinner

Quinoa with Mint, Cilantro & Red Onion

Breakfast

Baked Pear with Cardamom

Serving: 1~2

Total Time: 15 minutes

Ingredients Directions

1/2 teaspoon___Cardamon 2 whole___Pears 1/4 cup___Water

1. Preheat the oven to 350.

2. Lay pears down on a baking dish.

3. Coat the bottom of the dish with water.

4. Sprinkle the pears with cardamom.

5. Bake at 350 til tender.

Lunch

Chickpea Curry

Serving: 1~2

Total Time: 45 minutes

Ingredients

1 tablespoon___Curry Powder

1 cup___Chickpeas

1/2 tablespoon___Turmeric Powder

1/4___Sea salt

1___Cloves of garlic

1___Tomato

1 teaspoon___Mustard seeds

1 Stalk___Curry Leaved

2 tablespoon___Canola

1/2 teaspoon___Garam Masala

1/2 tablespoon___Cilantro

Directions

1. Preparation: Soak the chickpeas in water overnight or for a minimum of 6-8 hours.

2. Drain the water and place the chickpeas into a pressure cooker. Add 1.2 cups of water and cook for 20-25 minutes or until soft.

3. Chop the garlic, ginger, and tomato and set it aside.

4. Heat oil in a pan and add the tomatoes, ginger, and garlic. Cook until the tomatoes are soft.

5. Place mixture into a blender, add 1/4 cup of chickpeas, and blend thoroughly.

6. Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a pot then add the mustard seeds, curry leaves, salt, turmeric powder, and the blended mixture. Mix well and cook for 2 minutes.

7. Add the rest of the chickpeas along with 1 cup of left water from the pressure cooker into the pot as well.

8. Lastly, add the garam masala and the curry powder. Mix well and simmer for 2 minutes. Garnish with chopped cilantro.

Quinoa with Mint, Cilantro & Red Onion

Serving: 2

Total Time: 40 minutes

Ingredients Directions

0.3 cup___Canola

1/4 table spoon___black pepper

1/2 cup___Cilantro

1 whole___Lime

1 tablespoon___Mint

0.5 cup___Quinoa

1/4 cup___Raw red onion

1/2 teaspoon___Salt

1. Boil quinoa in 1 cup water 15 minutes or until soft.

2. Do not over stir or over cook, to avoid quinoa turning to mush.

3. Finely chop mint, cilantro and onions. Then, squeeze lime. Gently mix all ingredients together.

4. Serve immediately or chill in refrigerator for 2 hours before serving.

Out of Balance

- Lack of motivation.

- Easy to get bored & tired.

- Slow to change.

- Difficulty learning but good memory.

- Food cravings, possessive

- Overweight, diabetes, edema, high cholesterol and blood pressure.

- Depression.

Lifestyle Choice

- Wake up early and exercise.

- Kapha should wear bright, stimulating clothing and choose stimulating surroundings.

- Keep warm.

- Kapha should eat well balanced meals with moderate portions in order to minimize snacking between meals.

Routine

Avoid

- Avoid meat, wheat, and dairy after sundown

- Avoid salty and sweet taste

- Avoid fatty, fried foods

- Avoid sleeping during the day

- Avoid heavy, gooey foods like dairy, wheat, and sugar, which bog down their digestive system.

Need

- Increase spicy, bitter and astringent tastes.

- Hot spices such as cayenne, black pepper, and fenugreek reinvigorate Kapha.

ii. Tastes of Foods

Tastes of foods are based on the principles of taste in Ayurveda. In Ayurveda, food consists of six flavours: sweet, sour, salty, bitter, spicy, and astringent (a taste between sour and bitter). Each taste has different functions and effects that are beneficial for our body and mind. However, some foods are appropriate while others should be avoided, so it is necessary to consider their body types and conditions.

Tastes Features

The colour components attach below is explaining the features and benifis when eat a specific taste of food, including sweet, sour, salt, bitter, spicy and astringent. Then, it will show more details of tastes of food in the following pages.

Sweet Sour Salt

Tastes in food

It contain high-protein, carbohydrates, meat, fats, sweet fruits, grains, milk, oils and fats.

Honey and fruits may be a safe way to satisfy your sweet cravings without weight gain, and are also much less addictive.

Tastes in food

Sour taste is from citrus fruits, fermented foods and drinks such as yoghurt, cheese, vinegar and alcoholic beverages.

Tastes in food

It is easily recognisable, like salt and seafood.

May be helpful for these symptoms below

Mind stress sleep

Light sleeper

Blood and circulation

Compulsive exercising

Dry skin

Colon Tonic

Mood changes quickly

May be helpful for these symptoms below

Heart attack

Irregular heartbeat

liver sore

Oily stools

Dry tongue

Irregular thirst,

Light-headed

Difficulty concentrating

Fasting to lose weight

Dry cough.

May be helpful for these symptoms below

Tires in afternoon

Early satiety

Dry tongue

Anemia

Iron deficiency

Constipation

Foot cramps

Irregular thirst

Fasting to lose weight

Bitter

Tastes in food

Bitterness is mostly found in green leafy vegetables and vegetables.

Pungent Astringent

Tastes in food

Spiciness is the burning sensation of pungency or pepper. Spiciness can be obtained from spices, chilli peppers, garlic, onions and ginger.

Tastes in food

Foods with astringent have a unique taste and dry mouthfeel, which has firming and dehumidifying effects on the body.

May be helpful for these symptoms below

Tired in morning

Blood clots

Easily hot

High blood pressure

Heart attack

Sour taste in mouth

Yellow teeth

Heavy digestion

Oily face

Red skin

Withdrawn emotionally.

May be helpful for these symptoms below

Tired in morning

Seasonal allergies

Sore throat

Cold extremities

High blood sugar

Pale tongue

Bored easily

Cry easily

Low energy, excessive, low self esteem

Sleep deep.

May be helpful for these symptoms below

General acne

Oily skin

Sun sensitivity

Warm and rosy skin

Bad breath

Strong food cravings

Yellow teeth

Easily hot

Soft stool

Heavy period

Preoccupied with food

Sweet

Acai Acorn

Adzuki beans

Ajwain

Apple

Appricot

Asparagus

Black beans

Bok choy

Brown rice

Butter

Cardamom

Cherry

Coconut

Cooked apple

Corn

Cranberry

Cucumbers

Egg

Fennel

Fig

Fresh water fish

Honey

Ice cream

Meat

Milk Mint

Nutmeg

Okra

Papaya

Peach

Peanut

Sesame

Spaghetti

Sour

Alcoholic beverages

Apple (raw)

Apple Cider

Balsamic Vinegar

Berry

Cheese

Cherry

Cranberry

Cranberry Juice

Flower / Bee Pollen

Grape

Grapefruit

Green

Green apple

Green grape

Hibiscus

Kombucha

Leaf

Leaves

Lemon

Lemon

Lime

Mango

Pickle

Pomegranate

Raspberry

Red Wine

Sake

Sassafras

Sour cream

Strawberry

Tomato

Vinegar

White Vinegar

White Wine

Blue Cheese

Cheddar Cheese

Feta Cheese

Flower / Bee Pollen

Ketchup

Miso

Mozzarella Cheese

Olives

Parmesan Cheese

Romano Cheese

Salt

Sea fish

Sea water

Soy sauce

Spinach

Bitter

Alfalfa Sprouts

Almond

Aloe vera

Bitter gourd

Chickweed

Coffee

Dulse

Eggplant

Flower / Bee Pollen

Kale

Lamb’s Quarters

Raincoat

Rosemary

Seaweed (Hydrated)

Shepherd’s purse

Spinach

Spirulina

Stinging Nettles

Tea

Pungent

Ajwain

All spice

Black pepper

Cloves

Daikon Radish

Garlic

Ginger

Horseradish

Mustard

Mustard Greens

Mustard Seed

Nigella (black cumin)

Radish

Radish (raw)

Red pepper

Raw onion

Scallions (raw)

Turnip Greens

Turmeric

Wasabi

Astringent

Acorn

Adzuki Beans

Aloe Vera Juice / Gel

Artichoke

Artichoke Hearts

Asparagus

Bat leaf

Black tea

Broccoli

Buckwheat

Burdock Root (Gobo)

Cabbage

Cassava Root / Yuca

Cauliflower

Celery

Chard

Collard Greens

Coriander leaves

Corn

Green beans

Green Plantain

Green tea

Lettuce

Lentils

Lima Beans

Millet

Mung bean sprouts

Mushrooms

Okra

Peas

Poppy Seed

Rosemary

Saffron

Thyme

Tofu

Turnip

Afterword

To our readers and users,

Thank you for exploring eating habits with us. Mood Recipe believes that eating habits can impact emotions. We support those who struggle with emotional eating and seek self-understanding. By offering insights into dietary therapy and food symbolism, we aim to provide new perspectives on life and self-awareness. Recognition is the first step toward self-discovery and opens up possibilities, encouraging people to find their way of life. Our reflective and thought-provoking toolkits explore the connection between food and feelings.

This Recipe Dictionary is the second step in the process: finding your appropriate meals. Based on Ayurveda dietary principles, it includes two sections: dosha recipes and tastes of foods.

For more information about healthy eating habits, here would recommend using Food Journal. A space to record your eating habits, containing moods and tastes. And, it will guide you to the final phase: recording your feelings about eating food.

From, Sophie Chen. May 2024

We are Mood Recipe, a dietary treatment service that provides a reflective and thought-provoking toolkit to guide people in discovering healthy and suitable diets. We support individuals who suffer from emotional eating and want to learn more about themselves.

Recipe Dictionary

mood recipe, 2024