Chia Drinks: An Ayurvedic Pumpkin Ksheera

I like to call this Creamy Dreamy Drink! The finely ground pumpkin and chia seeds makes this surprisingly rich and creamy. Both pumpkin seeds and chia seeds are rich in amino acid tryptophan which promises you a trip to your dreamland! Did I mention it’s super-delicious to taste!

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!

Just to side-track a little, I cannot believe myself that I am writing a post on how to make your own non-dairy milk! Growing up as a kid I was made to believe by my mother that I should have at least 2 cups of milk (cow’s milk) every day to keep my Pitta in balance. 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 savior 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 I 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 good with dairy I would strongly recommend giving green smoothies a try. It really worked for me!

Now, coming back to chia drinks and my creamy dreamy ksheera. This recipe is so simple, it requires only a few of my favorite ingredients. Best part of making your own raw plant-based milk is you know exactly what goes into the recipe and most important you get to control the sweetness! With store-bought non-dairy milks, the only thing you taste is SWEET, nothing else!!

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)

This is a basic recipe that tastes AMAZING! You could jazz it up by adding cacoa powder, your favorite berries…you get the idea. Blend away in a high-powered blender like Vitamix. I don’t like to strain my seed milk as all the good fiber and nutrients are wasted in that process. Blending in Vitamix you won’t feel a trace of fiber only pure bliss to enjoy!

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 your seeds as it’s easier to digest and can assimilate well in the body. Chia seeds are called sattvic and 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. BTW, no cows were harmed in the making of this plant-based ksheera!

Photos: JeevaLifestyle.com