Tag: food medicine

Posted on by

A Menu for Your Spring

Garden Slaw

Chef Leah Burback
Mix and match seasonal produce with your favorite dressings and additional toppings
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 15 minutes
Marinating Time 1 hour
Total Time 1 hour 15 minutes
Course garnish, Lunch, Salad, Side Dish
Cuisine American, Comfort Food, Southern Soul

Ingredients
  

Slaw Mixture

  • 2 cups Cabbage thinly sliced red or green
  • 1 cup Carrots, shredded or julienned
  • ½ cup sweet onion, thinly sliced
  • 1 cup combined seasonal toppings

See Seasonal Notes for dressing options

  • 1 cup dressing of choice
  • as needed salt and pepper

Instructions
 

  • Combine Slaw ingredients and dressing in a large mixing bowl. Reserve crunchy topping like nuts or toasted seeds until ready to serve.
  • Toss evenly and season well with salt and pepper. Let marinate for at least one hour before service, no more than 2 days.
  • Top with crunchy toppings in a favoirte serving bowl and enjoy the flavors of the season.

Notes

Seasonal Topping Options
Spring: Chopped Snap Peas, Diced Roasted Beets, Blanched Cut Asparagus, Sliced Toasted Sunflower Seeds (Pair with a Creamy Walnut Dressing)
Summer: Roasted Corn Kernels, Diced Bell Peppers, Halved Cherry Tomatoes (Pair with a Green Goddess Dressing)
Fall: Dried Cranberries, Diced Tart Apples, Broccoli and Cauliflower, Toasted Pumpkin Seeds (Pair with a Herb Dressing)
Winter: Orange segments, Pomegranates, Sliced almonds, Radish slices, Pickled Red Onions (Pair with a Mustard Vinaigrette)
Keyword 30 minute recipe, apple, cabbage, carrots, chopped salad, eat the rainbow, from the garden, fruit, garnish, salad
blank

Beet Lemon Hummus

Chef Leah Burback
Try this fun colored bright and sweet version of a traditional dip.
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour
Total Time 1 hour 5 minutes
Course Appetizer, condiment, garnish, sauce
Cuisine American, Indian, Mediterranean
Servings 3 cups

Equipment

  • food processor
  • blender
  • zester

Ingredients
  

  • ½ lb fresh beetroot scrub, destem, remove taproot
  • 2 cups garbanzo beans aka chickpeas cooked and drained or see instructions for dried
  • 2 each lemons zested and juiced
  • ½ cup olive oil avocado, sunflower, or infused oil option
  • 1 Tbsp garlic crushed
  • to taste salt and black pepper to taste
  • ¼ cup Tahini sesame paste also try sunflower seed butter or paste of pumpkin seeds

Instructions
 

Dried Beans Option

  • Soak ¾ cup of dried beans in fresh cool water overnight. Drain then Rinse and pressure cook with correct ratio of water or low sodium stock until tender. DO NOT SALT BEANS WHILE COOKING. This hardens the outer membrane and takes them much longer to cook.

Cooked Beans Option

  • Preheat oven to 350°F. Scrub Beetroot clean. Place on a square of foil, drizzle with a small amount of oil and sprinkle with salt. Enclose beet entirely in foil and bake for 40 min. or until cooked through, easily pricked with a paring knife.
  • Let beet cool slightly then the beet skin should slide off the cooked root with little to no effort, some roots may still need a peeler to assist. Cut into 1" pieces and reserve.
  • Place 1 cup of cooked beets and all other ingredients but the oil in a food processor or appropriate immersion blender cup. Pulse until ingredients start to soften and drizzle in olive oil until a smooth even texture has formed.
  • Adjust seasoning to taste, chill, and let meld for at least 30 minutes before serving. Garnish with lemon peel, olive oil, and remaining cooked beets.
  • Serve with your favorite crudite vegetables, chips, or as a sandwich spread.

Notes

Try using local beans like Romano, European Soldier, Indian Woman, or so many other varieties to EatWy Hummus!
Keyword appetizer, beet lemon, beetroot, beets, hummus
blank

Beet Deviled Eggs

Chef Leah Burback
Use leftover soft beets and eggs that have been on the shelf longer than others to create a red-pink bright addition to your spring festivities.
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Soaking Time 40 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 15 minutes
Course Appetizer, Breakfast, garnish, Side Dish, Snack
Cuisine American, Peasant, sous vide

Equipment

  • stovetop burner or sous vide(immersion circulator
  • whisk and bowl
  • piping bag or spoon for assembly

Ingredients
  

  • 12 each eggs

Beet Brine

  • 2 cups beet juice
  • 1 cups apple cider vinegar
  • 1 cup white vinegar
  • 2 cups purified water
  • ½ cup honey
  • 4 tsp. kosher salt
  • 3 whole cloves
  • ½ cinnamon stick

Deviled Filling:

  • Cooked yolks from eggs.
  • 3 Tbsp mayonnaise
  • 2 Tbsp yellow mustard
  • Smoked Paprika or other garnish

Instructions
 

  • Stovetop method: 1. Place eggs in a saucepot with room temperature water just to cover. Bring up to a boil for 2 minutes, remove from the heat, cover, and let sit in the water for 10 minutes.
  • Sous Vide Method: 1. Set waterbath temperature to 194F. Place room temperature eggs carefully into water only once the temperature is reached. Cook for 20 minutes and remove to an ice bath to cool completely.
  • Beet Brine: Combine beet juice, vinegars, water, honey, salt, cloves, and cinnamon in a small saucepan bring up to a boil to dissolve everything together. Remove from heat and pour into a container to cool completely.
  • Carefully drain and peel eggs under cold water. Place in cooled beet mixture and let set, can store for up to a month, color and pickling seeps through in 1 full week.
  • Cut eggs in half lengthwise, seperate the whites and yolks, place the whites back into the beet liquid until ready to serve, place the yolks in a small bowl to mix.
  • With a whisk mix yolks with mayo and mustard until smooth. If texture is too thick add a splash of beet mixture.
  • Spoon or pipe mixture into the egg whites when ready to serve and sprinkle with paprika, and add a bit of spice with a slice of fresh jalapeno or simple with chives.
Keyword appetizer, beetroot, beets, eat the rainbow, egg yolk, make ahead, penny saving, thrifty
blank

Carrot Cake

Chef Leah Burback
Use some of your carrot kraut for something sweet! Try this spicy cake recipe while using preserved produce.
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 40 minutes
Cooling time 30 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 25 minutes
Course Breakfast, Dessert
Cuisine American, Eastern European

Ingredients
  

  • 2 cups flour substitute oat or almond flour and add 1 Tbsp ground flax as well
  • 2 tsp each baking powder and soda
  • ½ tsp. salt
  • 1 tsp. ground cinnamon
  • ½ tsp ground nutmeg
  • 1 tsp. ground ginger
  • ¼ tsp ground allspice
  • 1 ½ cups sugar
  • 4 each large eggs
  • 1 ¼ cup ghee (clarified butter) or coconut oil
  • 3 cups Carrot Kraut see seperate recipe
  • ½ cup walnuts or pecans try sunflower or pumpkin seeds
  • ½ cup dried cranberries or raisins or golden raisins or currants

Instructions
 

  • Preheat oven to 350F.
  • Butter and lightly flour two 10 ” rounds or one 9×13 rectangle.
  • Sift the dry ingredients together into a medium bowl.
  • In a seperate large bowl whisk together sugar, eggs, melted/cooled ghee or oil, and zest. Stir in carrot kraut.
  • Using a rubber spatula, fold the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients, until combined.
  • Finally, add the nuts and dried fruit. Pour the batter into the prepared pans.
  • Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center or the cake comes out clean, usually 30-40 minutes.
  • The center of the cake should look similar to the edges and just begin to crack, remove from the oven to preserve moistness.

Notes

Decorate with your favorite cream cheese icing recipe or with a simple glaze and candied orange peel.
Keyword carrot kraut, carrots, eat the rainbow, fermentables, secret veggies, thrifty
Posted on by

Let Food Be Thy Medicine

blank

So proclaimed Hippocrates, but what does that mean in everyday life? Explore a handful of awesome foods you can add to your palate today and learn how they benefit your health!

Mother Earth News | Originally published in April of 2018 | By Laura Berlage, North Star Homestead Farms

Dan Buettner, in his recent TED talk that shared lessons learned in the study of vibrant centurions, noted that longevity is 10% genetics and 90% lifestyle choices.  Second on his list after meaningful social connections was “Eat Wisely.”

Of course, we’ve all heard the message that we need to pay attention to what we eat, in tandem with leading an active lifestyle, but what does that actually mean in an everyday practice?  How can we get to that place where the Greek physician Hippocrates’s admonition of “Let food be thy medicine and medicine be thy food” has a real and profound impact on our own lives?

The answer is not as daunting or complex as it may seem.  “Eat food, not too much, mostly plants” says renowned food expert and journalist Michael Pollan, which is a great guiding principle when making that key choice about what’s for dinner.  In this article, I’ll unpeel the benefits of a few awesome foods you can add to your wellness toolkit this week.  Why not try eating your way to a more vibrant you?!

Kale

Top of the list for super foods, kale is a member of the broccoli family.  It’s rich in magnesium, potassium, and vitamin C—a combination that makes it even more potent than spinach for lowering blood pressure.  In some cases, consuming kale regularly has been shown to lower blood pressure as much as taking a blood pressure medication.  Add kale to your salad, soups, eggs, and stir fries.

Blueberries

Packed with the highest intensity of antioxidants, which help fight aging and certain types of cancer, blueberries can also help lower your cholesterol and reduce the risk of diabetes.  The chemical that gives these berries their blue color (anthocyanin) is the source of the anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties.  Blueberries are low in calories and are known to help improve memory!  Make fresh or frozen blueberries a healthy snack choice, add them to your oatmeal or granola, and mix them in your smoothies.

Green Tea

Savored since ancient times for its health benefits, green tea has not only its own antioxidants (catechin) but also promotes your body’s ability to make nitric oxide, which has been shown to increase arterial diameter by 40%, lowering blood pressure and risk of cardiovascular disease by up to 31%.  Macha green tea, especially, has been linked with preventing several common cancers and can even be beneficial for dental health.  Studies in Japanese society (where green tea consumption is more common), showed that drinking several cups a day offered major decreases in mortality rates from all causes.  Green tea does contain caffeine, so you can swap out your coffee at the next break when you need a warm, uplifting cup.

Fish

Two to three servings per week of fish increases the Omega3 fatty acids in the diet, which improves cardiovascular health by lowering cholesterol and blood pressure.  Most of our dietary vegetable oils are high in Omega6, which, by themselves, are harmful to heart health.  Increasing Omega3 intake in proportion against Omega6 reduces risk substantially, whether this is sourced from fish, walnuts, duck eggs, olive oil, or flax seed, for example.  Oily fish like salmon are preferred for this purpose, though generally eating more fish than red meats is a healthy choice.  Tilapia raised in a clean environment has also been shown to be hearth healthy, with its boost of magnesium, potassium, and calcium.  And no, this doesn’t mean eating more fried fish because the cooking oils bring in more of those Omega6 rates again!  So poach, bake, broil, grill, or pan-fry in olive oil your next serving of clean-raised fish.

Garlic

With an active ingredient of allicin, this aromatic Sulphur compound is released when the cloves are crushed, chopped, or chewed.  But it’s valuable for more than just its culinary characteristics.  Just two cloves a day may lower blood pressure as effectively as a prescription medicine after 24 weeks, as well as can lower LDL (bad) cholesterol levels by 10-15%.  Garlic can help stabilize blood sugar levels and aid in preventing cancer, so chop them up and add them to all sorts of dishes, including roasting them with your favorite root vegetables. 

Yogurt

When they say “go with your gut,” it’s true.  Research is continually finding connections between the health of the bacteria in our gut and our emotional and mental well-being.  But not all of the flora in your alimentary tract are friendly.  Foods rich in natural and healthy bacteria cultures, like yogurt, help to improve and maintain beneficial bacteria.  There are more microbes in your gut than cells in your body, so keeping that colony happy and healthy is no small undertaking!  Make sure your choice of yogurt is labeled as having “live” or “active” culture.  It’s high levels of calcium and vitamin D can also help to prevent osteoporosis and other bone ailments.  Have some yogurt with your blueberries for breakfast or a snack, and try plain, unsweetened yogurt in a variety of savory dishes for a fun twist.

Dark Chocolate

Yes, you read that right, chocolate (in small amounts) is actually good for you.  70% cocoa or more kicks this treat into the healthy bracket.  Rich with flavonoids (which dilate blood vessels), dark chocolate has been found to improve blood pressure and your mood.  Consuming just 30 calories a day (one small square from a classic chocolate bar) has been demonstrated after 18 weeks to be effective in lowering blood pressure and raising HDL (good) cholesterol.  More is not better, though, because of the refined sugars.  So take your daily dose of a square of dark chocolate without having to apologize to anyone!

Ready to eat your way into vibrancy?  I hope you try including these delicious and healthy foods into your grocery list, pantry, refrigerator, and regimen.  Why not?  And there’s all sorts of other foods that will help to improve health and well-being.  Go for foods with deep natural colors (beets, broccoli, oranges), strong natural aromas (cinnamon, basil, onions), and distinctive natural flavors (asparagus, cashews, watermelon).  These characteristics are often markers of chemical compounds that can have their own, distinctive health benefits to offer.

This week, let food be thy medicine of choice.  Watch for more upcoming tips on great foods for wellness and longevity.  See you down on the farm sometime.

Laura Berlage is a co-owner of North Star Homestead Farms, LLC and Farmstead Creamery & Café. 715-462-3453 www.northstarhomestead.com

Posted on by

Food Medicine: 5 Autumn Healers

Food Medicine: Apple, Beet, Carrot, Garlic, Pumpkin

Mother Earth gifts us every autumn with produce to heal seasonal illnesses and balance us with our natural environments.

Mother Earth News | November 5, 2020 | By Amanda Nicklaus

Now that we are post-autumnal equinox, mid-October, between a Harvest and Blue Moon, it is easy to notice the way the Earth is changing. The temperature has dropped, the leaves are dressing the trees in oranges and reds, the sky is becoming more overcast. A change of seasons makes it easier for us to have more heightened awareness than usual, and after the busyness of summer  —even a slower than usual pandemic summer — autumn offers us the chance to reflect on the year and prepare for the long cold months ahead.

Winter often brings illness and negatively-associated emotions. Thankfully, Mother Earth gifts us every autumn with produce to heal seasonal illnesses and balance us with our natural environments. We’re all aware that apples and pumpkins are in season now, as well as a variety of root vegetables. The Earth gives us exactly what we need; each of these foods holds medicinal and spiritual properties that align with the cooler seasons and bring us into balance.

Here are a few offerings from the earth that can heal and balance us this autumn:

Apples

Going apple picking at an orchard is a popular autumn activity, and while baking pies is a great way to enjoy this fall fruit, there are many reasons to make them a regular part of your diet. Apples are loaded with fiber and antioxidants and are a great source of vitamin C, which boosts immunity and keeps skin healthy. Apples also contribute to bone health and are anti-inflammatory. But this popular autumn fruit does more than just help your body fight off colds; as a symbol of love, health, wisdom, and abundance, you can use apples in your autumn and moon rituals to remind you of these qualities. And since apples have a red skin, you can use them to help balance your root chakra, helping you stay grounded through the long winter.

Beets

People either love beets or have never had them cooked right, and there are plenty of reasons to cook them until you love them. Beets have a variety of nutrients, such as fiber, iron, manganese, and vitamins B2, A, K, and C. They regulate blood flow, which is important when it starts to get cold and we lean toward a more sedentary lifestyle. Beets keep the heart and liver healthy, and they also aid digestion. The strong earthy taste of beets is a reminder that this root vegetable offers grounding qualities, and understandably, are another great food for balancing your root chakra. These deep red veggies also have a long history of being associated with passion, love, and beauty, so when the autumn and winter months begin to feel dreary, cook up a batch of beets to heighten your awareness of these necessary characteristics.

Carrots

Everybody has heard that carrots are good for your eyes, but this autumn root vegetable has much more to offer than good vision. Carrots are chock-full of vitamins A, K, B6, and C, which contribute to skin and brain health; they also contain potassium, fiber, and biotin. Carrots historically have been used to promote healthy pregnancies and ease cramps, which is hardly surprising. Orange foods balance the sacral chakra, which regulates creative and sexual flow, so if winter leaves you feeling empty and uninspired, add this vegetable into your diet!

Garlic

When you sense a cold and flu coming on, you might not think to reach for garlic, but there are plenty of reasons why you should! Garlic is used in both eastern and western medicine to prevent infection and influenza. Another vegetable containing Vitamin C and manganese, it is useful for detoxification and anti-inflammatory purposes. Maybe this is why garlic has developed a reputation for being used for protection, purification, and even exorcism. Keep lots of garlic around your home this autumn and winter (and not just for its healing properties; it also makes everything taste better!).

Pumpkins

We know we can carve pumpkins and bake them into pies, but what is lesser known is that this popular autumn food, like its orange carrot friends, is great for skin and eye health. Pumpkins contain vitamins A, B, C, and E, copper, potassium, fiber, and antioxidants. There are plenty of healthy savory ways to cook pumpkins—soups, curries, even pizzas—so don’t feel limited to pumpkin sweets, whose sugar content can weaken your immune system.

And this orange food is good for (you guessed it!) balancing your sacral chakra. Pumpkins symbolize abundance, generosity, home, and creativity, so decorating with them and increasing the intake of them in your diet does more than make it feel like fall; these autumn fruits can increase your sense of gratitude, which is key for maintaining mental and spiritual health, especially in autumn, when nature begins to minimalize its liveliness.

Winter has many beautiful aspects, but often these get lost in the negative qualities and the slow quality of time. To survive winter, we must be grounded, connected with our surroundings, aware of the very elements we endure. It makes sense, then, that we must eat more vegetables that grow directly in the ground, or ripen on the ground, foods that are red and orange, aligning with the chakras that keep our sense of groundedness and adaptability balanced. And it should come as no surprise that these vegetables and fruits contain the very nutrients we need to fight off winter illnesses and keep cold weather ailments, like dry skin, at bay.

There is no one way to maintain physical and spiritual health; each of us must tend to our own personal bodies, minds, and souls. Using foods that heal in universally similar ways, we can guide ourselves through the difficult, beautiful seasons. Mother Earth has given us all we need; it is up to us to receive and use what we have to heal ourselves and each other.

Amanda Nicklaus is a writer and aspiring urban homesteader based in Minneapolis. She spends her free time trying new recipes, going to farmers markets, and writing about everything she learns. Read all of Amanda’s MOTHER EARTH NEWS posts here.

All MOTHER EARTH NEWS community bloggers have agreed to follow our Blogging Guidelines, and they are responsible for the accuracy of their posts.