Ever since I started teaching, I’ve prioritized what I put into my body so I can best be of service during long hours of travel, preparing classes, and teaching. For this reason, I’ve been obsessed with superfoods for as long as I can remember.

Yoga teachers are no stranger to superfoods and healthy snacks to keep them powered up with energy and maintaining a vibrant, healthy glow.

About 12 years ago on retreat in Costa Rica, the juice bar had a new superfood seed on the menu, called “chia” and the barista offered me a scoop in my smoothie. Of course I said yes with no hesitation.

But I should have said no – Within minutes, my belly bloated out to 6 months pregnant, my stomach cramped, and my gut wrenched.

Not wanting to reject the “superfood” though, I surmised that “I must have needed to soak the seeds first.”

And so I kept on eating chia over the years, always soaked, with less acute reaction.

It wasn’t until a few years ago that I learned that our beloved chia seeds were quite inflammatory and tough on the gut, which explains my initial reaction. I was bummed – because I love chia pudding and parfaits.

And so, this is why I rejoiced in 2020 when I discovered ZenBasil seeds!

Basil seeds are similar to chia, without the inflammation or leaky gut — and what’s more, they hydrate far quicker, in just 3-5 minutes! In addition to being great for your gut, they are also exponentially more nutrient-rich, full of pre-biotic fiber, super hydrating, and far more mineral-rich compared to chia.

I recently had the pleasure of interviewing the lovely Shakira Niazi, founder of ZenBasil (a provider of 100% organic, quality sourced basil seeds), on Instagram Live to learn more about this ancient food from her country, Afghanistan, and all the fun and easy ways to consume it.

Watch the interview here.

After we hung up, I was so inspired, I went into the kitchen and made the pumpkin spice yogurt parfait she showed us while we were talking – and it did not disappoint!

Below is my adapted recipe, which uses sweet potato instead of pumpkin for maximum anti-inflammatory goodness.

You probably don’t have basil seeds lying around your pantry, so ZenBasil was kind enough to give us a code for 25% off, good until October 25th! The code is ‘Amy20’.

If you’re reading this after October 25th, Vesselify has an evergreen 10% off code as a perk for yoga teachers, ‘Basilseedsrock‘.

Here’s the recipe!

Gut-Friendly “Pumpkin” Spice Basil Seed Parfait
Hands down, this will be my go-to dessert during the holidays, but it’s also mild enough to be enjoyed for breakfast every morning or served at holiday brunches.

For the Seed Mixture
2 tbs ZenBasil seeds
1 cup water
3/4 cup coconut yogurt (I used Culina) – If you use plain yogurt and it’s too tart for you, sweeten with stevia or honey to taste

For the “Pumpkin” Mixture
3/4 cup sweet potato puree (skinned)
1/2 tsp pumpkin spice
Nut milk or coconut milk – enough to help soften the puree
Sweeten to taste with stevia or honey

For the Topping
1/4 cup coconut yogurt (I used Culina which has a Greek yogurt texture) – If you use plain yogurt and it’s too tart for you, sweeten with stevia or honey to taste
Chopped walnuts
Cinnamon

Instructions:

1. In a small jar or bowl, mix together the ZenBasil seeds with water and let set for 5 minutes
2. Bake or boil 1 medium or 2 small sweet potatoes until soft (do not microwave – it will be too starchy) – or if you can find canned sweet potato puree, use that for speed!
3. Place sweet potato and milk, and pumpkin spice in a blender or food processor and blend until you get a good pureed consistency
4. Add desired amount of sweetener and mix well
5. Add 3/4 cup of the coconut yogurt to the ZenBasil seeds and mix well
6. Pour the seed and yogurt mixture into a tall glass as the base of the parfait
7. Follow this with the sweet potato mixture
8. Top with coconut yogurt, sprinkle on the chopped walnuts, and cinnamon
9. Serve with a long-handled spoon, and enjoy!

Am

Have you used basil seeds before? Tell us in the comments how you’ve prepared them!

About the author:

Amy Ippoliti is known for bringing yoga to modern-day life in a genuine way through her intelligent sequencing, clear instruction, and engaging sense of humor. She shares her passion for yoga, health, earth conservation, with her writings for Yoga Journal, Organic Life, Prevention magazine to name a few. She has appeared on the covers of Yoga Journal, Boulder Lifestyle, and Fit Yoga Magazine and has been featured in Self Magazine, New York Magazine, Allure (Korea), and Newsweek and on the front page of Yahoo.com. A teacher on Glo.com, she is a pioneer of advanced yoga education, cofounding Vesselify (formerly 90 Monkeys). She is the co-author of The Art and Business of Teaching Yoga. Learn more at amyippoliti.com.