Cool, Green Summer

We find balance in summer weather by eating foods that are bitter (cooling, moist), such as: unsweetened cocoa, olives, dandelion, kale, celery, and amaranth leaves. It is also important to take time to rest, sit in the shade, breathe deeply, and absorb the green color that surrounds us.

These are the healing properties of summer herbs:

Basil – anti-bacterial, digestive, and aromatic, this member of the mint family stimulates growth of white blood cells and protects against unwanted bacterial growth.

Cilantro – the leaf of the coriander plant stimulates the secretion of insulin and helps lower levels of total and LDL (the "bad" cholesterol), while actually increasing levels of HDL (the "good" cholesterol). Cilantro’s volatile oils have antimicrobial properties.

Parsley – purifying, anti-dandruff, digestive, and tonic, parsley is also rich in Vitamin C to decrease inflammation, beta carotene to help prevent infection and strengthen immunity, and folic acid (B vitamin) to support cardiovascular health.

VELVETY GREEN SOUP

You will need:

• 2 teaspoons olive oil

• 2 shallots, peeled and thinly sliced

• 1 large yellow onion, peeled and sliced

• 2 large zucchini, sliced

• 1 bunch chard, chopped

• 1 pound fresh or frozen peas

• 3 cups water and 1 vegetable bouillon cube

• 1 teaspoon each: salt and freshly ground black pepper

• 1 bunch fresh basil

In a large soup pot, heat the olive oil over low heat. Add the shallots and onions.

Cook, covered, until they are soft and translucent, about 10 minutes.

Add zucchini and sauté for 5 more minutes. Add the chard and peas. Add the water and stock and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer, uncovered, for 15 minutes.

Add the basil. Remove from heat and purée with an immersion blender.

Chop the rosemary and use as garnish. Serve with cooked quinoa. This soup is excellent chilled, too!

HERBED PESTO

You will need:

• 2 cups fresh basil

• ½ cup fresh cilantro

• ½ cup fresh parsley¼ cup pumpkin OR sunflower seeds1 teaspoon lemon juice

• 2 tablespoons olive oil

Place basil, seeds, lemon juice, and olive oil in a food processor.

Make a coarse pesto and set aside.

Spices for healthy holiday cooking

The early winter holidays are traditionally a gathering time. Come together with friends and family, slow down and enjoy the peaceful darkness of long evenings. As you circle around the meal table, remember that the light will return at winter solstice, December 21st.

Honor the peace that comes before the light slowly starts returning. Nourish yourself and your loved ones while staying healthy by incorporating these spices into your holiday cooking. You probably already do.

CINNAMON

During the colder months, cinnamon increases warmth and circulation and supports efficient digestion of fats and heavy foods. It counteracts the congestion that is often accompanied by dairy-rich foods.

Cinnamon also brings relief from the common cold and flu by dissolving mucus and resolving coughs and bronchial congestion. 

NUTMEG

Nutmeg is a highly prized digestive aid, commonly added to cheese sauces and creamy desserts. Enjoy it! It mediates the effects of rich food, sweets, overeating and late-night eating. Watch this short video on how to make a vegan cream sauce that mimics the flavor of dairy.

CLOVES

This potent spice comes from a beautiful beautiful tropical bush, the clove bush. It can develop into a large woody shrub. I have seen it growing in the shade of coffee trees in Indonesia. It is antimicrobial and antiseptic, particularly for the gums and teeth. Heavy holiday desserts are known to clog the sinuses and produce mucus. Cloves clear the sinuses, encourage mental clarity and clear mucus. Hence, they are a perfect addition to sweet treats as well as savory dishes.

Try these recipes to incorporate a taste of health into your meals.

COCONUT CARROT RICE PUDDING

You will need:

• 1 can organic, full-fat coconut milk

• 2 cups water

• 1 cup uncooked long grain brown rice

• 2 medium carrots, grated

• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

• 1/2 teaspoon each: salt, cinnamon, cardamom, ginger

• 1/3 cup raisins

• 2 tablespoons raw honey to finish

In a pot, bring coconut milk, rice and water to a boil.

Meanwhile, grate carrots.

Reduce heat to low; add carrots, vanilla, spices and raisins.

Stir well, cover, and simmer for 25 minutes, until rice is tender. The mixture will still be liquid, like a thick stew. Cook it down more if you like or try it as is.

Remove from heat, stir in honey, and serve in small bowls, perhaps with an extra sprinkle of cinnamon on top.

GET CREATIVE! Two ideas: substitute parsnips for carrots. Instead of raisins, add chopped almonds and dates.

BAKED APPLES STUFFED WITH ALMONDS AND FIGS

You will need:

• 1/2 cup dried figs, chopped

• 1 cup almonds, chopped

• ¼ cup red wine

• 6 tart apples

• pinch salt

• 3 tablespoons butter OR coconut oil

• 2 tablespoons maple syrup

• 1/2 teaspoon each: cinnamon and nutmeg

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Combine chopped figs, almonds and wine in a small bowl. Set aside.

Chop apples in half, remove core, and place right-side up in a greased baking dish that has a lid. If you do not have a lid, cover tightly with aluminum foil.

Fill apples with fig almond mixture.

Whisk together remaining ingredients, pour over apples, seal tightly, and bake for 1 hour. 

Serve with ice cream or whipped cream if you like!

Immune Soup

A food’s energetic quality is inherent to it. Cooking can modify it, but only to a certain extent.  A cooling food like fruit, even when cooked, is still relatively cooling. Ginger or cinnamon can be added to an apple to increase its warming quality, but the fruit’s original cooling effect remains.  As we prepare for winter, we can eat warm and warming foods to prevent illness and strengthen ourselves for the colder months to come.

Foods rich in protein and fat have more calories and thus are more warming. Vegetables that grow more slowly are also more warming. For example, cabbage is more warming than lettuce and root vegetables are warmer than peppers or tomatoes.

The fire element is related to heat in the body. Metabolism and circulation depend upon this stimulating quality to transform food and body chemicals into functional substances and circulate them throughout the system. Foods that are hot, both in temperature and spice level, increase metabolism and circulation.

To support healthy immunity, we must first promote healthy digestion.

To do so during the fall and winter, eat plenty of whole grains, legumes, nuts, seeds and slow-growing vegetables for protein and vital energy. Increase fats from nuts and seeds, coconut oil, grass-fed butter, olive and/ or sunflower oil.

Steam, bake or roast vegetables (use coconut or sunflower oil for roasting) and garnish with oil and garlic. This practice helps the body assimilate of fat soluble vitamins like A and D, which are also found in whole milk, dairy, and eggs.

Enjoy hearty meat and or bean-based stews, root dishes, and spices, whole grain porridges as winter comfort foods that are both heating and healing. 

IMMUNE SOUP

Start heating a pot of cold water on the stovetop.

Add:

• 3 chicken legs, stew beef with bones, lamb shanks – leave meat out if you prefer

• A handful of astragalus root and/or codonopsis root

• A handful of fresh or dried shitake or maitake mushrooms

• 2 inches of rinsed kombu seaweed

• 1 teaspoon salt

• 2 carrots, chopped into quarters

• 2 stalks celery, chopped in half

• 1 onion, whole with peel removed

• 1 head garlic, whole with peel removed

Cover the pot and bring to boil, lower the heat and simmer for 1 to 2 hours, until any meat falls off the bones.

Remove bones, herbs, any dried mushrooms and roots from the soup.

Now, you can add other vegetables and herbs, such as:

Aromatic vegetables like parsnips, turnips, mustard greens and leeks – these reduce congestion

Orange vegetables like carrots, sweet potatoes and winter squash – these are rich in carotenoids, which support immunity and respiratory health.

Spices such as thyme, black pepper and oregano – these are anti-microbial and reduce risk of contracting a viral or bacterial infection

Simmer the soup until everything is tender, then add more fresh garlic and ginger if you like. Taste for salt.

Serve with a drizzle of your favorite oil and a whole grain.

Stone Fruit Tart

Late summer: harvest time, abundance, peaches, plums, berries, and the first apples.

Maple trees tinge red-gold and mornings are crisp and dew-dropped. 

Now is the time to enjoy this abundance.

Feed your body. Feed your soul.

STONE FRUIT TART

You will need:

• 1 lemon

• 1 1/2 cups millet flour (gluten-free) or spelt flour (wheat-free)

• 1 teaspoons baking powder

• a pinch of sea salt

• 1/2 cup coconut oil OR unsalted butter at room temperature

• 1/3 cup maple syrup

• 2 large eggs OR 4 tablespoons flaxseed meal dissolved in just as much hot water

• 5 plums, 6 apricots, OR 4 peaches, pitted and cut in half or into wedges

• 1 teaspoon cinnamon

• 1/2 teaspoon each: cardamom, cloves, nutmeg

• 2 tablespoons maple syrup

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. 

Grease a 9 inch cake pan.

In a large mixing bowl, zest the lemon and squeeze out the juice. 

Add the flour, baking powder, and salt. 

Add the oil or butter in pieces and smash into the flour mixture with a fork so that the fat is well coated with flour.

Add the maple syrup and eggs / flaxseed, mix well, and spread into the pan.

Arrange the fruit halves / wedges in concentric circles on top of the batter, lightly pressing them in. 

In a small bowl, combine the spices and 2 tablespoons maple syrup. 

Pour the mixture over the fruit and bake about 1 hour. 

Serve warm.

Spinach for spring

A wonderful spring vegetable, spinach is growing in many farmers' greenhouses right now. Enjoy its mineral rich content and know that your digestive tract will thank you for eating green fiber! You can substitute chard if you like, which is another delicious green member of the chenopodium family.

SPINACH ROSEMARY SOUP

Rosemary adds a complex flavor to this simple soup while helping to boost brain function and immunity.

You will need:

• 2 tablespoon olive oil

• 1 medium onion, chopped

• 3 cloves garlic, chopped

• 2 tablespoons rosemary, fresh

• 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg

• sea salt and black pepper to taste

• 2 cups red potatoes, rinsed and cubed

• 4 cups chicken or vegetable broth

• 6 cups fresh spinach (or chard)

To prepare:

Add oil to a large saucepan over medium heat. 

Add onion, garlic, rosemary, nutmeg, salt and pepper, reduce heat to medium-low and cook, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes. Stir in potatoes and cook, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes. 

Pour in broth.. Bring to a simmer over medium heat and cook until the potatoes are soft, about 15 minutes. Stir in spinach (or chard) and continue to simmer until the greens are tender, about 10 minutes more.

Puree the soup with an immersion blender or regular blender (in batches), leaving it a little chunky if desired.

Serve the soup garnished with nutmeg, if desired, and topped with a spoonful of yogurt (cow or almond).

MUNG BEAN AND SPINACH STEW

This fresh spring stew will nourish you and re-vitalize your senses! Breathe in the aromas of ginger and chiles and savor their digestive power.

You will need:

• 3 tablespoons coconut oil

• 1/2 tablespoon minced ginger

• 2 cloves minced garlic

• 1/2 teaspoon chile powder

• 1 teaspoon smoked paprika

• 2 teaspoons Tamari or soy sauce

• 4 cups mung beans, soaked overnight and cooked

• 1 cup water

• 1/2 cup fresh cilantro

• 2 cups fresh spinach

• 1 cup cooked quinoa

• 1/3 cup toasted pumpkin seeds

To serve:

• Freshly squeezed lime juice

• Cilantro 

To prepare:

Rinse and drain mung beans. Cook in 8 cups water, skimming any foam that rises to the top. Once tender, drain and rinse once more.

Rinse and cook quinoa in 2 cups water with a pinch of salt.

Place minced garlic and ginger in a skillet with coconut oil. Saute on medium heat for 3 minutes, or until fragrant. Add chile, paprika, and tamari. 

Reduce heat to low. Add cooked mung beans and stir together.

Add water, cilantro and spinach.

Cook on medium heat until spinach is wilted, about 3 minutes.

Turn off the heat, stir in the rest of the ingredients, and serve in bowls garnished with fresh cilantro and lemon juice.

New Year, Healthy Eating

Would you like to reach your wellness goals in the new year?

Do you need help navigating the waters of food choices and fad diets?

With this step-by-step program, you will lose weight and learn healthy habits that last a lifetime.

A healthy diet is essential to achieving and maintaining well-being.

This simple program includes:

Recipes: Taste good health with delicious recipes that are easy to prepare and highlight food as medicine.

Updates: Receive customized advice based on your health assessment.

Tools: Gain tips to stay healthy and keep eating well for life.

Resources: Read articles written by food experts that relate to your wellness goals.

"Lisa's Healthy Eating Program gave me personalized content, including information on how to cook and eat better, reduce stress, breathe, and more! Her simple, weekly guide helped me implement changes at my pace and maintain the new way of being. Thank you!" Christie W.

Vegetable Literacy

Spring is coming, and so are the vegetables! Get excited for a wonderful new book, which hits the shelves TODAY, both in bookstores and online.

The book, which I am lucky enough to have contributed to, is written by Deborah Madison, who is a leading authority in vegetarian cooking and has published eleven cookbooks.

Click this link to learn more and purchase a copy.

Vegetable Literacy is a gorgeously photographed reference for cooking vegetables. It is organized according to twelve families from the edible plant kingdom and includes over 300 simple, delicious recipes. Try making the Kohlrabi Slaw with Frizzy Mustard Greens or Griddled Artichokes with Tarragon Mayonnaise. Learn from Madison's extensive knowledge of cooking, gardening and botany.

Peanut Soup

Winter Solstice is this Friday, December 21st. Celebrate the shortest day of the year with some warming, slightly spicy soup.

Thai-Style Peanut Soup

You will need:
Sesame or olive oil
1 onion, chopped
2 large carrots, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 inch fresh ginger root, minced

1 teaspoon each: salt, black pepper, turmeric, cumin powder, coriander powder
1/2 teaspoon each: fenugreek seeds (or powdered fenugreek) and cinnamon
pinch cayenne if desired

1/4 cup peanut butter (you can substitute almond or cashew butter if you like)
3 1/2 cups vegetable broth
2 cups stewed tomatoes

1 cup tofu or chicken, sautéed in:
2 Tablespoons sesame or olive oil
1 teaspoon Tamari (i.e. wheat-free soy sauce)

chopped fresh cilantro for garnish

Sauté onion on low heat for 10 minutes, until browned. Add carrots, garlic and ginger. Add spices and sauté on low heat for 3-4 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Add nut butter and stir to dissolve.
Add broth and tomatoes. Bring to a boil, reduce to summer and cook about 30 minutes on medium-low heat.

Prepare chicken or tofu.
Add to soup pot.
Mince cilantro and mix into soup. Serve hot with rice and lime wedges.

Soups To Warm Your Bones

Try to set aside time this weekend to make some of these dishes. Put them in portion-sized containers to nourish you during the week ahead. You can bake cornbread, quinoa almond pancakes, or rice to go with any of these soups.

Reishi Astragalus Broth

This vegetarian broth will deeply nourish and strengthen your immune system.

You will need:

• 8 cups water
• 1 onion, diced
• 1 bulb garlic (at least 10 cloves), chopped
• One 1 1⁄2 inch (3 1⁄2 cm) piece of fresh ginger root, chopped
• 5 pieces sliced dried Astragalus Root
• 2 cups fresh, sliced shiitake mushrooms
• 1 large reishi mushroom

Bring all the ingredients to a boil in a large stock pot. Reduce to medium low heat and simmer for 30 minutes to 2 hours. Strain and use as a base for the soup recipes below.

***

Pumpkin Cashew Soup

For this soothing and sweet soup, you will need:

• 1 Tablespoon coconut oil 
• 1 can coconut milk (8 oz.)
• 1 onion, chopped 
• 3 cloves garlic, chopped 
• 1 inch fresh ginger root, chopped
• 2 cups pie pumpkin, peeled and diced 
• 1/2 cup roasted cashew nuts
• 4 cups vegetable or chicken stock
• pinch each: ground nutmeg, ground cinnamon, ground coriander
• freshly ground black pepper 

Heat coconut oil in a large stock pot. Add onion and sauté for a few minutes, until softened. Add garlic, ginger, pumpkin and cashew nuts. Save some nuts for garnish if desired. Cook gently for 2 minutes. 

Add the stock and bring to a boil. Reduce heat, add coconut milk and simmer to 20 minutes, until pumpkin is tender.

Place into a blender or use an immersion blender and process until smooth.   Serve with a garnish of cashews if you like.

***

Mushroom Goulash Soup

For this traditional Austrian recipe, you will need:

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

4 medium onions (about 1 1/2 pounds), chopped 

3 garlic cloves, minced

1/4 pound crimini, shitake, or a mix of both mushrooms, chopped

3 tablespoons paprika (preferably Hungarian sweet)

1 1/2 teaspoons caraway seeds

1/4 cup apple cider vinegar

1/4 cup tomato sauce

5 cups chicken or vegetable broth

1/2 teaspoon salt

4 large russet (baking) potatoes (about 2 1/2 pounds)

Heat oil in an heavy stock pot. Add onions and garlic and cook, stirring, until golden. Stir in paprika and caraway seeds and cook, stirring, for about 2 minutes. 

Add mushrooms and saute for 15 minutes.

Whisk in vinegar and tomato sauce and cook, whisking, about 2 minutes. 

Stir in broth and salt. Bring to a boil, reduce to medium and simmer soup, covered, stirring occasionally, for about 30 minutes.

Peel potatoes and cut into 1/2-inch pieces. Add potatoes to soup and simmer, covered, until tender, about 20 minutes. Season soup with salt and pepper. Soup may be made 3 days ahead and cooled, uncovered, before chilling, covered. Reheat soup, thinning with water if desired.

Serve with freshly chopped parsley as a garnish if you like.

***

Corn and Beet Soup

For this traditional southwestern soup, you will need:

• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 1 cup chopped onion
• 3 medium carrots, coarsely chopped
• 3 medium beets, coarsely chopped
• 1 large garlic clove, minced
• pinch each: coriander and cumin
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 6 cups chicken or vegetable stock
• Freshly-ground black pepper to taste
• 1/4 cup fresh or frozen corn kernels
• freshly chopped cilantro 

In a stock pot over medium heat, heat the oil. Saute the onion until it is translucent. Add the beets, carrots and garlic. Add salt and spices.

Cook for 5 minutes, stirring frequently. Add stock, bring to a boil, reduce heat to medium and simmer the soup, covered, for 50 minutes. Taste for salt and add some if necessary.

Add corn kernels, cilantro and black pepper. Simmer for 5 more minutes and serve hot!

Sweet, Sour, Salty: Fall Flavors

Ayurveda, the 'science of life', is a centuries-old healing modality from India, which highlights food as medicine. This traditional method is still practiced widely today. Cooking classes at the Ayurvedic Center of New Mexico highlight the importance of changing the way we cook and eat in accordance to the seasons. Fall is a time to focus on foods that are sweet, sour, and salty in nature.

Maple Macaroons

You will need:

2 organic egg whites

1/2 cup maple syrup

Pinch of sea salt

1 1/2 cups unsweetened shredded coconut

2 tablespoons spelt OR rice flour

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/4 teaspoon ground cardamom

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

Combine the egg whites, maple syrup and salt in a saucepan over medium heat and cook, stirring constantly, until just warm, about 1 minute. Add the coconut, flour, vanilla, and cardamom and continue to cook, stirring constantly, until the mixture just begins to sizzle and is slightly dry, about 2 minutes. Remove from the heat and let cool for a few minutes.

Using a teaspoon and your fingers, form the dough into 24 small mounds on the prepared pan. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, until golden brown. Let cool completely before serving.

Get creative: chop your favorite dark chocolate and place it in a dry metal or glass bowl and set it over a pan of gently simmering hot water (or use a double boiler if you have one). Stir the chocolate constantly until just melted. Remove it from the heat.

Dip the macaroons into the melted chocolate, then place them on a pan or plate lined with wax or parchment paper. Chill in the refrigerator until the chocolate hardens. Enjoy!

Greek Lemon Soup

You will need:

8 cups chicken or vegetable stock

2 shallots, or 1 small red onion, peeled and chopped

6 1-inch pieces of unpeeled fresh ginger, minced

1 cup carrots, peeled and diced

1/2 teaspoon sea salt

1 teaspoon each: thyme and coriander

½ teaspoon each: turmeric and paprika

Pinch cayenne

1 organic/free range chicken breast half, cut into 1/8-inch-thick diagonal slices

OR 1 cup cooked white beans (I like canellini)

2 Tablespoons lemon juice

1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro, for garnish

2 tablespoons sliced scallion, cut thinly on the diagonal, for garnish

Coat the bottom of a soup pot with olive oil. Combine the shallots, ginger, carrots, and 1/4 teaspoon of the salt and sautee over high heat for 5 minutes. Add broth and bring to a boil. Lower the heat to medium-low and simmer for 20 minutes.

Stir the thyme, coriander, turmeric, paprika, and cayenne into the soup.

Simmer for 3 minutes, then add the chicken or white beans and simmer for an additional 10 minutes, until the chicken/beans are tender and thoroughly cooked. Stir in the lemon juice and the remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt, and taste. Add more maple or salt as needed.

Serve garnished with the cilantro and scallion.

Get creative: to boost your immunity, add 1 cup of stemmed and sliced shiitake mushrooms when you add the chicken or white beans.

Spelt Gnocchi with Caper Sardine Pesto

Choose 4 medium potatoes with dry flesh. Boil the potatoes in water until soft.

Trying to keep them warm without burning your fingers, cut the potatoes into chunks and pass them through a vegetable mill or smash them with the back of the fork.

Add just enough spelt flour to give the dough consistency, about 1 1/2 cups. It needs to be supple without being too sticky.

Roll the dough into inch-thick ropes. Cut the rope into small chunks.

Roll each chunk off the edge of a fork to create grooves on one side and a hole in the other side.

As you are shaping the gnocchi, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.

Add the gnocchi in small batches and remove them from the boiling water with a slotted spoon when they rise to the top. Place them in a deep baking dish and keep them in a 250 degree oven to stay warm if desired.

Caper Sardine Pesto

In a food processor, mix:

½ cup olive oil

½ teaspoon sea salt

½ Tablespoon lemon juice

Blend at highest speed for 2 minutes.

Turn the off processor, add enough basil to fill the bowl, and blend at lowest speed, stopping occasionally to tamp basil down into blades and add more as needed.

While blending, mixture may become too thick with basil leaves. If so, pour additional olive oil in a small stream through the opening of the food processor while it is blending.

Keep adding basil until you have used about 2 cups fresh basil.

Remove from food processor and place in a large serving bowl.

Add 2 Tablespoons capers and 1 can sardines.

Add cooked gnocchi to the bowl, mix and serve with grated parmesan cheese as garnish if you like.

Get creative: instead of potatoes, use roasted, de-skinned winter squash to make gnocchi.

Cooking Lesson

I recently taught a cooking lesson as a wedding anniversary gift for a Vermont couple. They were willing and excited participants in the learning! 

Read the blog post about their experience: http://www.non-toxickids.net/2012/09/cooking-class-with-harmonized-cookery.html

Here is a snippet, written by Katy Furber for her blog, Non-Toxic Kids:

My husband looked at me the other day, while we were cooking dinner. He said, "I would really like to learn how to cook, I mean really cook."

I quietly took note. I thought, now that would be a win-win. 

See, I cook most of the meals in our house. I like to make a mess, not follow recipes, combine mostly whole foods, and just see what happens. Sometimes this works well. Many times it does not. I have never taken a cooking class, although I read a good bit about whole food cooking. 

Cooling Summer Soups

Save a quart of two of these soups in the freezer to enjoy this winter!

Zucchini Basil Soup

You will need:

2 pounds zucchini, trimmed and cut crosswise into thirds

3/4 cup chopped onion

2 garlic cloves, chopped

1/4 cup olive oil

3 cups water, divided

1/3 cup packed basil leaves

1 teaspoon salt

Black pepper to taste

Cook onion and garlic in oil in a heavy saucepan over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, chop zucchini into chunks.

Add chopped zucchini and 1 teaspoon salt and saute, stirring occasionally for 10 more minutes.

Add 3 cups water, bring to a boil, and simmer, partially covered, about 30 minutes.

Purée soup with basil in 2 batches in a blender or with an immersion blender.

Garnish with fresh basil leaves and black pepper if desired. Serve with sourdough bread and goat cheese or toasted almonds to make a meal!

Cucumber Soup with Avocado Nutmeg Garnish

For the soup:

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 small onion, diced

1 tablespoon lemon or lime juice

4 cups peeled, seeded and thinly sliced cucumbers, divided

1 cup water

1 cup almond or rice milk

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon each: cumin and coriander

Pinch of cayenne pepper

For the garnish:

1 avocado, diced

½ teaspoon nutmeg

½ teaspoon salt

¼ cup chopped fresh parsley

Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add garlic and onion and cook, stirring occasionally, for 10 minutes.

Add lemon juice, cucumber slices, water, milk, and spices.

Bring to a simmer. Reduce heat and cook at a gentle simmer until the cucumbers are soft, about 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, prepare the garnish by mixing all ingredients together in a bowl.

Transfer the soup to a blender or use an immersion blender to puree it.

Serve the soup warm or refrigerate and serve it chilled. Just before serving, garnish with the avocado nutmeg delight! Enjoy with a fresh tomato and feta salad and corn tortillas or cornbread.

Baby Beet and Carrot Soup with Tahini Beet Green Garnish

For the soup:

4 Tablespoons olive oil

3 medium shallots, diced

4 medium-sized red beets, cut into 1 inch chunks

10 medium carrots, peeled and cut into 1 inch chunks

**If the new beets and carrots from your garden or market are smaller, just increase the quanties.

2 tbsp ginger, minced

2 cloves garlic, sliced

6 cups vegetable stock

1 teaspoon salt

For the garnish:

1 cup baby beet greens, washed and minced

1 teaspoon lemon juice

pinch salt

1 Tablespoon tahini

Heat the oil in a pot over medium heat.

Add shallots and sauté for several minutes until translucent.

Add the carrots to the pot and cook for about 10 minutes.

Stir in the beets, ginger, garlic, and cook for another few minutes.

Add the stock and salt. Raise the heat to high and bring to a boil. Reduce to a low boil and cover partially, cooking for about 1 hour, or until the carrots and beets are fork tender.

Meanwhile, mince the beet greens. Place them in a sauce pot with ¼ cup water. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to simmer, and cook for 5 minutes with the pot lid askew.

Drain liquid and toss greens with salt, lemon juice, and tahini.

Set aside.

Using an immersion blender or food processor, purée the contents of the pot.

Ladle the soup into bowls and garnish with beet green mixture. Enjoy with sourdough bread, cooked rice, and tempeh or chicken. Delicious!

Spring Awakening

During this time of spring when sunlight and starlight are equal, find balance between the slow weight of winter and the quickening freshness of spring. According to Traditional Chinese Five Element Theory, spring is the time of the liver and the wood element. By adding sour flavors to our daily meals, we adapt to the changing climate, prevent seasonal colds, aid digestion, soothe inflammation, and release the heaviness of winter. Sour foods include: lemons, limes, oranges, apples, celery, garlic, leeks, mung beans, rye, teff, and fermented foods like sauerkraut. Add some sprouts as a garnish to your grains and use apple cider vinegar and olive oil as a condiment for braised greens.

Ginger 'pickles'

I recently learned this recipe from Dr. Vasant Lad at the Ayurvedic Institute in Albuquerque, NM. These spicy treats stimulate digestion and balance overall metabolism. You can make a jar of them and keep them in the fridge for 3 days. Enjoy one before each meal.

You will need:

a thick piece of fresh ginger root

rock (coarse) salt

1 lime

Make ginger root slices as thin as possible with a sharp knife. Place them on a plate in one flat layer. Sprinkle them with rock salt. Cut open the lime and squeeze it onto the ginger. Let the slices sit for 5 minutes or so before eating.

Spiced mung bean stew

You will need:

1 cup mung beans, soaked overnight

 

	2 Tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil or sunflower oil (choose the one that’s local to you)
	2 large onions, diced  5 stalks celery, diced
	4 cloves garlic, minced  1 inch fresh ginger root, minced
	2 Teaspoons each: ground coriander, ground cumin, salt 1 teaspoon each: ground turmeric, paprika, black pepper ½ teaspoon ground cardamom and cinnamon
	7 cups vegetable broth (make your own or choose a sugar-free, low-sodium variety)
	Juice of 1 lemon
	3 Tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
	2 Tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro  Rinse the soaked mung beans. In a medium-sized stock pot, bring the soaked mung beans to a boil, using four times as much water as beans. Cook for 45 minutes on medium-high heat, skimming foam as it rises to the top of the pot.

Meanwhile, heat the oil in a large, heavy-bottomed soup pot over medium-high heat. Add the onions and cook until tender, about 5 minutes. Add the celery, garlic, ginger, and powdered spices. Cook for another five minutes or so. 

Add the broth and heat to boiling. Reduce heat to simmer and cook for 30 minutes or so.

Once the beans are soft, place a fine mesh strainer over the sink and pour them through it. Rinse beans and add them to the soup pot.

Stir in the lemon juice, parsley, and cilantro, cover, and cook on high for 10 minutes. Serve hot with injera, sourdough rye bread, or cooked millet.

Teff pancakes or injera, ethiopian skillet bread

Teff is a gluten-free grain in the grass (poaceae) family. It is rich in iron, fiber, and calcium. When fermented for 24 hours in this recipe, it acquires a sour flavor, which awakens the taste buds to spring’s arrival.

You will need:             

        ½ cup teff flour
        ½ cup millet flour
        1 cup water
        1 teaspoon salt
        vegetable oil

Mix the teff and millet flour in a bowl. 

Slowly add the water, whisking to avoid lumps.

Cover the bowl with a thin cloth napkin and tuck the corners under the bowl. Set it aside for a day and allow it to ferment. In this time, your injera batter will start to bubble and acquire a slightly sour flavor or tanginess.

If your batter does not ferment on its own, try adding a teaspoon of baking powder.

When you are ready to cook the injera pancakes, stir the salt into the batter.

Place a thin layer of vegetable oil in a nonstick or cast iron skillet. Heat until a water drop dances on the surface.  Keep the heat at medium temperature.

Coat the pan with a thin layer of batter. Each pancake can be thicker than a crêpe, but not as thick as a traditional pancake. It will rise slightly as it heats.

Cook until holes appear on the surface of the bread. Once the surface is dry, remove the bread from the pan and let it cool.

You do not need to flip it. By keeping it thin, each pancake will cook all the way through.

Serve with stew, sauerkraut, and other spring vegetables that appeal to you.

Grapefruit-braised endive with apple cider vinegar

You will need:
     1 Tablespoon honey
     1 garlic clove, minced

     1 inch fresh ginger root, minced - about the same quantity as the garlic
     Juice of 1 small grapefruit

     1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
     2 cups water
     1 Tablespoon rock (coarse) salt
     5 endive hearts (inner portion)

     2 Tablespoons local vegetable oil (olive or sunflower)

In a small bowl, whisk together the honey, garlic, ginger, grapefruit juice, ginger and vinegar. Set aside.

Bring the water and salt to a boil over a high heat in a large skillet. Add the endive hearts and allow them to cook for 3 minutes. Drain them and slice the endives into ½ inch rounds and set them aside. 

Add the honey mixture to the pan and bring it to a boil. Reduce the heat and cook it for 3 more minutes (or until it thickens). Return the endives to the pan, turn off the heat, and stir gently to coat them with the sauce. 

Place the endive rounds on individual serving plates. Drizzle them with the pan sauce and olive oil.

Get Creative With One Ingredient

In my last post, I explored how sweet potatoes can become healthy desserts. This delicious vegetable, which is rich in beta carotene to promote healthy skin and keen eyesight, also offers a wide array of anti-oxidant plant compounds that ease digestion and reduce intestinal inflammation.

When you purchase a few pounds of sweet potatoes, try to prepare a few different dishes with them. This practice will reveal how versatile one vegetable can be when combined with various spices and other ingredients. Savor this rooting, warming food as winter's coldest full moon wanes its way into spring.

Sweet Potato Spread

Chop one large sweet potato into ¼ inch cubes.

Place in stock pot, cover with water, cover with a lid, and bring to a boil.

Boil for 10 minutes or until cubes are tender when poked with a fork.

Drain water and place boiled sweet potatoes in food processor

Add:

            ¼ cup olive oil

            ½ teaspoon each: cinnamon, coriander, nutmeg, cardamom

            2 teaspoons salt

            You can also add 1 Tablespoon almond butter or ¼ cup fresh ground almonds if desired

Blend at highest speed for 2 minutes.

Serve and enjoy with oatmeal, on toast, or by itself as a snack.Garnish with chives if you like.

Sancocho de Habichuelas Rojas – Dominican Sweet and Sour Red Bean Stew

Soak 2 cups kidney beans in water overnight. Rinse, drain, and boil in 5 cups water until tender (about 35 minutes). You can also buy 1 can cooked kidney beans. I like Eden Organic salt-free brand.

While beans are cooking, prepare these vegetables:

            1 large yellow onion, peeled and diced

            2 medium sweet potatoes, skin on, rinsed and cubed

            2 medium gold potatoes, skin on, rinsed and cubed

            3 cloves garlic, minced

            ½ bunch fresh parsley, chopped

Set aside.

Coat the bottom of a soup pot with 4 Tablespoons vegetable oil (I like olive or sunflower).

Add onion, reduce heat to medium, cover, and simmer for 10 minutes.

When onion is translucent, add sweet potatoes and potatoes. Increase heat to high and sear the vegetables for 5 minutes, until their surfaces turn golden.

Reduce heat to low and add:

            2 teaspoons salt

            1 Tablespoon each: dried thyme and coriander powder

            ½ Tablespoon dried oregano

            1 Tablespoon lemon or lime juice

            1 can crushed tomatoes (I like Muir Glen) or 3 large whole tomatoes (when in season)

            ½ cup water

Mix well and simmer for ½ hour. Add garlic and parsley, simmer for 5 more minutes, and enjoy! Keeps in fridge for 5 days.

Pinto Beans, Chicos and Roasted Chiles

Fall in New Mexico offers a delicious harvest. In this arid climate, local people have been growing beans and corn for centuries. The abundant desert sun also allows chile peppers, sweet yellow, mild green, and spicy red, to grow bountifully. Every Saturday, vendors from the nineteen Northern New Mexican Pueblos come the the Santa Fe Farmers Market to sell their produce. 


I had the opportunity to talk with a farmer who had just threshed his crop of pinto beans, sweet corn, and chiles. As I sifted my fingers through the bushel basket of beans, he shared his wisdom about ways to cook the pintos so that they grow soft and digestible while maintaining their shape. 


Here is my interpretation of his recipe for cooked pinto beans:

Chiles with chicos (left) and pintos (right)

In a stockpot, place 1 cup of beans in 5 cups of boiling water; boil for 2–3 minutes, cover and set aside overnight. The next day, most of the indigestible sugars will have dissolved into the soaking water. Drain, and then rinse the beans thoroughly before cooking. Cook fresh beans for 30 minutes or dry beans for 50 minutes, skimming off any foam that rises to the top.


"We cook these beans with chicos", he told me, while opening a bag of smoked sweet corn for me to smell. The aroma, earthy and rich, tantalized my senses. I listened to his stories about the importance of preserving corn so that it lasts for the whole winter. First he described making chicos, sweet corn kernels smoked in their husks and dried in the sun. 


Then, he detailed the way to make posole, corn soaked in lime water and ash. This process, known as nixtamalization, is essential for producing whole grain dishes such as posole and hominy as well as masa harina, the corn flour from which tortillas and tamales are made.
Soaking the corn keeps it from sprouting while in storage. In addition to preserving the grain as foodstuff, this process also affords several significant nutritional advantages over untreated maize products. It converts B vitamins into a form that the body can easily absorb. It also makes amino acids and calcium more readily available.


Both forms of alchemy allow the corn to last for many months while creating a flavorful and digestible variation on this starchy vegetable.


Even though you may not be able to find chicos outside of New Mexico, posole is more readily available. When you have a winter day to spend at home, try this recipe for Posole Stew. It will take about 6 hours to cook and the final flavor is well worth the wait.

1 pound prepared posole corn, well-rinsed         

1 medium onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
10 cups water

1/4 teaspoon oregano

1 teaspoon ground cumin
5 cups water, approximately

3-6 dried red chile pods, rinsed and crumbled
2 tablespoons salt                     

Place posole and 10 cups water in large stewing pot. Bring mixture to a boil at high heat. Reduce heat to low and simmer posole for 5 hours. Add the remaining ngredients to posole and simmer for 1 hour. 

Whether cooking beans with chicos or posole, many New Mexicans add freshly roasted green and red chiles. Their spicy sweetness lends even more depth to these traditional foods. 


Beyond being staple foods of the pueblos in Northern New Mexico, beans and corn are both food and seed. Every time we save a kernel of corn or a bean, we create the possibility for another crop to grow next year. Beyond their capacity to nourish us with a balance of protein and carbohydrates, these delicious seeds also feed the soil with their bio-available abundance of nitrogen, phosphorous and calcium.


No wonder each pueblo offers gratitude for beans and corn in its traditional dances and speaks of their meaning in their creation stories. Make time to cook and savor the simple richness of these foods for yourself.

Roasted Chiles

Roasting Chiles

Harvest Moon Recipes

This full moon also known as harvest moon, the hunters' moon, blood moon, and moon of first frost. The last squashes and hardy greens are coming from the garden as crimson and gold leaves cover the beds, mulching the soil as they decay.Take time to cook simple, warm, and nourishing soups and whole grains. Choose as few ingredients as possible. Let them speak for themselves as you savor their simplicity with each bite.  

Pumpkin Paprika Soup

1 two-pound cooking pumpkin or Kabocha squash to yield 3 cups roasted pumpkin OR two cans of pumpkin purée

4 Tablespoons coconut oil OR butter

2 medium yellow onions, chopped

3 garlic cloves, minced

1 Tablespoon paprika

1 teaspoon ground coriander

½ teaspoon ground cloves

1 teaspoon dried thyme

Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

2 cups chicken broth or vegetable broth

¼ cup cream OR ½ can coconut milk

To make pumpkin purée, cut a Kabocha squash or pumpkin in half, scoop out the seeds* (an ice cream scoop works well), and place face down on a greased baking sheet.

Bake at 375 degrees until soft, about 45 minutes. Cool for 10 minutes then scoop out the flesh.

Freeze whatever you don't use for future use.

*You can save the seeds, rinse them, coat them in salt, olive oil, cumin and coriander and toast them on a cookie sheet for 15 minutes. They are a delicious snack or a lovely soup garnish.

Meanwhile, chop vegetables for the soup.

When pumpkin/squash is ready, melt butter or coconut oil in a 4-quart saucepan over medium-high heat. Add onions and garlic and cook, stirring often, until softened, about 4 minutes.

Add all spices and stir briefly.

Add pumpkin purée. Add broth and water. 

Mix well with a wooden spoon. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, partially cover, and simmer for 20 minutes. 

Working in batches, transfer soup to a blender or a food processor. Blend until smooth. Return the soup to the pot. 

If you have an immersion blender, you can blend directly into the soup pot.

With soup on low heat, slowly add the cream or coconut milk, stirring to incorporate. Add salt to taste. 

Serve with biscuits or cornbread. 

Pumpkin: high in Vitamin A and fiber, this sweet, satisfying winter vegetable has a high carotenoid content, which lends an orange color and provides zinc to strengthen immunity and lutein to stave off free radicals that contribute to macular degeneration.

 

Kasha Biscuits

¾ cup cooked kasha (buckwheat groats)

¼ cup coconut oil OR butter
¼ cup ground flax seeds

¼ cup ground sunflower seeds
1 Tablespoon lemon juice
½ teaspoon nutmeg

1 teaspoon caraway seeds
1 teaspoon each: baking powder, baking soda, salt

Place ½ cup dry kasha (buckwheat groats) and 1 ½ cups water in a stock pot. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to simmer, and cook, uncovered, for 15 minutes or until kasha begins to thicken.

Stir vigorously until grain reaches porridge-like consistency. Set aside to cool for 15 minutes. 

Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 375 degrees.

Grind flax seeds then sunflower seeds in a spice/espresso bean grinder until they reach a flour-like consistency.

Place in a mixing bowl and add the coconut oil OR butter, cut into chunks.

Add spices, salt, baking powder and baking soda and mix well. Incorporate the cooled kasha and then the lemon juice.

Drop mix in heaping spoonfuls on a greased glad baking dish.
Bake for 20 minutes, or until the edges have turned dark brown.

Kasha: also known as roasted buckwheat groats, this gluten-free whole grain contains all essential amino acids (eight proteins that the body cannot manufacture), provides a complete protein source, and soothes the nervous system.

Millet Cauliflower Casserole

Pour 1 cup millet into a cooking pot with 3 cups water. Bring to a boil, reduce to simmer, and add 1 teaspoon each: turmeric, cumin, coriander, salt. 

Cook with the lid askew, for 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, chop one large yellow onion into crescents.

Coat the bottom of a deep skillet with olive oil, heat the oil, and add the onions. Season with salt and pepper. Reduce heat to medium, cover, and saute for 10 minutes, or until onions are translucent.

Rinse and chop 1 head cauliflower into bite-sized pieces. 

Push onions to the edges of the skillet and add cauliflower.

Splash 2 Tablespoons lemon juice or white wine over the cauliflower, cover, and sauté for 15 minutes. Stir occasionally and add a splash of water if vegetables are sticking to the skillet.

Once cauliflower is browned, incorporate with onions, turn off the burner and set aside.

Tend to your millet. Stir it as though you were cooking oatmeal. Add 3 Tablespoons olive oil.

Cook on low heat and stir occasionally until millet reaches thick consistency. Cook it long enough so that the grains break down but the mixture maintains a batter-like consistency. Set aside.

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. 

Grease a 9x9 square glass baking dish. Assemble the casserole by starting and ending with a layer of millet. Alternate layers of millet and vegetables.

Bake for 20 minutes, until top has started to brown. Enjoy with grilled tempeh, chicken, or white beans and a bowl of soup.

Millet: gluten-free whole grain, rich in B vitamins and iron, potassium, magnesium, manganese, phosphorus; ideal for blood glucose control and weight management.