What To Eat When You Have The Flu

Flu season has been a doozy this year and we're all crossing our fingers in hopes our we, loved ones, co-workers, or fellow yogis, don't get the bug.  And while eating may be the last thing on your mind when you’re sick, it’s essential to keep up your strength. But along with reaching for the standard bowl of chicken-noodle soup, we recommend taking a page from other countries’ books and relying on soothing sick foods full of flavor and healing ingredients, like ginger, garlic, turmeric, cilantro, lemon, and leafy greens.

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Brown Rice Khichdi

1. ¾ cup brown rice
2. ¾ cup yellow lentils
3. 6½ cups of water
4. ⅓ teaspoon ground turmeric
5. salt and pepper, to taste
6. ⅓ cup finely diced carrots
7. ⅓ cup fresh or frozen peas
8. ⅓ cup small cauliflower florets
9. 1 tablespoon ghee
10. 1 teaspoon cumin seed
11. 3 tablespoons ginger, minced
12. 2 teaspoons garlic, minced
13. ½ Serrano chili, seeds removed (optional) and finely-diced
14. ¼ cup cilantro, roughly-chopped
15. ground cumin, to garnish
16. plain yogurt, optional
17. chutneys of choice, optional

1. Rinse and drain brown rice and yellow lentils three times.
2. Place in a saucepan with the water, ground turmeric, and a large pinch of salt. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to maintain a steady simmer and cook until rice and lentils are tender, stirring often.
3. Add carrot, peas, and cauliflower, and cook another 10 minutes, or until veggies are tender. Turn off the heat.
4. Meanwhile, heat ghee on medium heat in a sauté pan or dutch oven. Add whole cumin seeds, let crackle for 30 seconds, then add ginger, garlic, and chili and sauté another 30 seconds or until just starting to brown.
5. Add rice and lentil mixture and water as needed to achieve the consistency of a thick porridge. Add salt and pepper to taste, and serve with chopped cilantro, ground cumin, yogurt, and chutneys of your choice.

Originally featured in Ayurveda & How To Eat For Your Dosha

Garlic & Greens Soup

1. 2 whole heads garlic
2. 4 tablespoons olive oil, divided
3. ½ teaspoon chili flakes, divided
4. 4 cups chicken stock
5. 2 cups water
6. 1 cup washed and roughly chopped beet greens, turnip greens, or dino kale
7. zest of 1 lemon, grated
8. salt and pepper to taste

1. Preheat the oven to 400°F.
2. Cut the top off of 1 head of garlic and place in a ramekin with 2 tablespoons of the olive oil and ¼ teaspoon of the chili flakes. Cover tightly with aluminum foil and roast in the oven for 30 minutes. 
3. Heat the remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil in a medium dutch oven over medium heat. Break up the cloves of the second head of garlic and crush each one using the side of your knife. Peel each clove and add to the dutch oven along with the remaining ¼ teaspoon chili flakes. 
Sauté for 2 minutes, or until the garlic is fragrant but not browned. 
4. Add the chicken stock and water. Bring the mixture up to a boil then lower to a simmer and cook gently for 30 minutes. 
5. When the garlic is roasted, remove from the oven and pull the roasted garlic from the olive oil to cool, reserving the infused oil. Squeeze each of the roasted garlic cloves into the soup and use an immersion blender to blitz until smooth. 
6. Stir in the greens, cook for 1 minute, then stir in the lemon zest. 
7. Season to taste with salt and pepper and serve drizzled with some of the reserved garlic-infused oil.