This is your new favorite, quick and simple, elegantly rustic, and nutrient-dense sweet snack. Dates are considered a superfood in Ayurveda. They are loaded with fiber, cooling to the system, sattvic by nature, and nourishes the Ojas in the body.
What do you Mean by Sattva?
'Sattva' is a coined yogic term that dates back to ancient Ayurvedic principles. Sattva means harmony, intelligence, clarity, balance, health and well-being, neutrality and calmness in both mind and body. It represents the middle path between the two ossiciliating forces of extreme movement / turbulence / intensity (rajas) and ignorance / laziness / dullness (tamas).
Exploring the Energetic Qualities of Food: What are Sattvic Foods?
What we consume influences our well-being on all levels, thoughts and emotions included. Some foods have a stimulating effect on the mind-body, making us feel jittery or even a little irritable. Examples of this fall under the Rajasic food category; caffeine, hot and spicy foods, fried foods, onion and garlic, and even the act of eating too fast.
Tamasic foods on the other hand have a more dulling effect on the mind-body, leaving us feeling heavy, clouded in thought, and lethargic. Examples include canned and frozen foods, lifeless leftovers, overprocessed, overeating and distracted eating.
Sattvic foods leave us feeling light, energized, uplifted, bright, nourished both physically and emotionally. Sattvic food is fresh whole foods prepared with love, eaten slowly and with deep gratitude. Sattvic foods include fresh fruits and vegetables, organic, nuts, seeds and legumes, whole grains, quality dairy products like ghee and whole milk, raw honey, and dates.
There is no list of good and bad foods in Ayurveda, as there is no black and white approach to healthy living and internal success. Your healthy lifestyle is not defined by how much sattvic food makes up your diet. Ayurveda lays out a set of principles, not to be followed by so strictly, but as guidelines encouraging us to favor what is good for us while reducing what is less suitable. A
s we shift our focus to the present moment, we can begin to tune in to what our bodies actually need from us, versus want, inviting us to act in a way that is supportive to our intention.
ROSE-WHIPPED TAHINI DATES
8 dates Mejdool dates
1/4 cup tahini
2 tbsp raw honey
1 tsp rosewater
1/4 tsp ground cardamom
Pinch of pink Himalayan salt
Dried rose petals to garnish
METHOD
Remove the pits from the dates and set aside. In a small bowl, whisk together the tahini, honey, rosewater, cardamom and salt. It should turn into a thick paste. Adjust the flavor as needed. Spoon the mixture into the dates, about 1/2 - 1 tsp per date. Garnish with dried rose petals or Maldon's Sea Salt.
NOTES
Rosewater can be strong in flavor for some people. If it's a new taste, start with 1/4 - 1/2 tsp or omit altogether.
You can substitute another nut butter for the tahini if you don't have it on hand. A crowd favorite is using Clean Nature's Maple Nut Granola Butter.
Makes 8 dates
Takes 10 minutes
Copyright 2022, A. Chavez, Original Recipe.