Healthy Recipes

MISO SOUP COLD REMEDY

miso soup at Stillpoint Acupuncture Los Angeles This is the perfect meal to eat upon feeling the first symptoms of a cold, but is also helpful if the cold is already taken hold. The soup is easy to assimilate, and its ingredients aid the body in fighting the cold causing pathogens, restoring the body to a healthy state.

2 C. water
2 oz. soft tofu cut in small cubes*
1 small carrot sliced
2 chopped scallions*
1 tsp. Miso* (or more to taste)
2-4 Shitake mushrooms, soaked

OPTIONAL (but highly recommended)
A handful of fresh greens (spinach, dandelion*, bok choy, broccoli, etc.)
½ tsp. Ginger*
1 sheet of nori seaweed*, crumbled into pieces, or 1 dry tsp. wakame, soaked in water for 10 minutes
a couple drops of sesame oil

Boil water. Add tofu and cook for 5 minutes. Add carrots and cook for 2 minutes more. Add scallions, ginger and greens and cook for 1 minute more. Remove from heat. Take small amount of stock (about 2 Tbs.) and mix in a big bowl with miso until dissolved. Pour remaining soup into bowl, stir, and add remaining ingredients to the top. Enjoy!

After eating wrap yourself in a warm blanket until you begin to break a sweat. Then dry off and change into dry clothes.

Get plenty of rest, drink plenty of fluids, and don’t go out into the cold or wind without covering up your neck.

* indicates ingredient with medicinal properties

QUICK CURRIED LENTILS AND RICE

We're all busy... busy being busy, as my friend likes to say. Several years ago I posted a recipe for an Indian dish called kichari. While healthy and delicious, it admittedly takes a relatively long time to prepare. Here is the answer for those of us without a personal chef. It differs from kichari in that it is more hearty and not soupy, but it is equally tasty. The dish will take you all of 5 minutes of prep time, and 43 minutes to cook. If you are really hungry, you can start cooking the rice and lentils and throw in the other ingredients after you chop them for a total time of 43 minutes start to dinner bell. Here is what you will need:

A fuzzy logic rice cooker. Yes this part is important, because a regular rice cooker will burn the lentils. Alternatively, you can cook this on a stove top, but that takes away from the appeal of the set it and forget it ease of the rice cooker. And if you end up cooking this dish as often as I do, you will want to have this convenience. The rice cooker I have is no longer available, but here is one that is similar.

Ingredients

1 C. brown rice

1/4 C. red lentils or mung dahl (available at Whole Foods under the moniker of "golden lentils")

2-1/2 C. water, or enough to fill to slightly above the 1 C. line of the rice cooker

1 Tbs. olive oil or ghee

1 tsp. cumin

3 pinches of turmeric

1/2 onion, sliced

1 clove garlic, crushed

2 C. chopped kale or other leafy dark green

Salt to taste

Add everything except the greens and salt to the rice cooker, close it and press start. I find that the "normal" setting as opposed to the "brown rice" setting yields the best result. And be sure not to use the "abnormal" setting, as that can cause flatulence ;). When 10 minutes remain on the timer, open the rice cooker (careful not to burn yourself), and add the greens. Add salt to taste and serve.

In terms of therapeutic properties, the red lentil targets the heart health, whereas the mung bean target the liver and has more of a detoxing effect. The garlic is antiviral and cholesterol lowering properties, and turmeric has potent anti-inflammatory and pain killer properties, among many other health enhancing effects.

This dish is a staple of my diet, and I eat it several times a week. I hope you enjoy it as much as I do.

BIELER'S BROTH

by Virginia Prior, L.Ac., DAOM

Following this protocol can set you up for a fantastic fall with zero colds & flus in your household. Starting with Bieler’s Broth, a vegetarian soup that can be eaten during a “fast”, or can be taken with each meal as an adjunct “vitamin”. This nutrient-dense soup is mineral rich and full of calming, alkalizing greens to replenish organ systems, support bone health, and wring your organs of the toxins that may have built up over the summer-time. Not clearing the nasty remnants of beach-time barbeques, too many kid birthday parties involving sugary cakes and more than your share of margarita mayhem leaves you unprepared for flu season & the impending hibernation of winter, where the energy we’ve worked with all summer goes inward for a more introverted season, and brews until it’s birth in the spring.

During the winter season, one needs to really consolidate ones qi (pronounced “chi” and loosely meaning “energy”, “prana” or “life-force”). Storing and building up your qi is sort of like saving money as an investment – this is your energetic bank account, which takes on the flavor of whatever “stocks” you’ve invested in over the year(s). Down the road, if you’ve invested wisely, this ends up effecting your spring time “awakening”, giving you more energy to start the year clear, bright and ready with new ideas and new energies to create whatever your heart desires.

So, eat this soup, and rest assured that your body will be free & clear, ready for any type of immune boosting tonics and exercises so that you’re not building your immunity on a foundation of toxins, knowing months later you’re body, mind & soul will be all the wiser.

Ingredients:

4 stalks celery
3 zucchinis
2-3 cups green beans
1 cup Italian parsley

Start by cutting the celery into pieces (to avoid strings) and adding the celery & green beans to a pot of water (approximately 6 cups, depending on your preference of soup-consistency). After ten minutes, add in the zucchinis and ½ of the parsley. Cook until tender, or about 15-20 minutes. Then blend both the liquid and the plant material in a blender or Vitamix, also adding in the left over parsley. Voila! Internal happiness is only a moment away. Enjoy with a small amount of sea-salt or a small amount of raw, unsalted butter or extra virgin olive oil; or, eat spice & season-free for an even stronger “detoxing” effect (according to TCM, bland foods help leech toxins from deep within the body and are better for overall longevity). You can also try adding kale, spinach or cilantro, a natural and safe chelator, for variation. Stay tuned for another great recipe in part 2 of Dodge Colds & Flus, coming soon. Thanks for reading!

If you want to know what the cleansing experience is like, and the particulars of how to do it, also check out Joe's Bieler's broth cleanse journal.

STEELCUT OATMEAL FOR THE CROCKPOT

1 cup steel cut oats (DO NOT substitute old-fashioned or quick-cooking oats)
4 1/2 cups water
Pinch salt (this makes the oatmeal less acid forming)

1. Place all ingredients in a 2 quart slow cooker.
2. Cover and cook on LOW for 6-8 hours.
3. It might form a "crust" around the outside. Just scrape the crust down with a spoon and stir it in.

Optional (add these ingredients at the end, just before serving):
Cinnamon, to taste (you may alternatively add a cinnamon stick to the crockpot and cook with oats)
Maple syrup, to taste
1 Tbs. flax seed oil per serving
A small handful of any combination of the following: Goji Berries, raisins
pumpkin seeds, slivered almonds, walnuts, and/or your favorite dried fruit.

MINESTRONE

Yield: 4 servings
Preparation time: 4 hours

1 can (16 oz.) cannellini (white kidney) beans
½ to 1 bunch Swiss chard, cut into strips
3 medium zucchinis, cut into quarter inch slices
2 yellow onions, finely chopped
5 cloves garlic, minced
4 red tomatoes, cut into chunks (or one 28 oz. can whole peeled tomatoes, drained)
2 carrots, diced
4 stalks celery, diced
3 medium potatoes, cut into chunks
3 tablespoons olive oil
2 cups vegetable broth (may be made from bouillon)
1 Teaspoon salt (or to taste)
½ cup fresh parsley, chopped

Optional:
1 cup uncooked pearled barley or pasta or Arborio rice
Fresh basil or oregano
Parmesan cheese to taste

Sauté garlic, celery, carrots and onions in olive oil until the onions become translucent. Then add remaining vegetables, one cup of broth, and cook on a low flame. Add more broth as needed. Simmer for 3 hours or more (if adding barley, add 50 minutes before removing from heat; If adding pasta or rice, cook them separately and then add 10 minutes before removing from heat.) Then add the beans 10 minutes before removing from heat. Add salt to taste. Before serving, add parsley, drizzle olive oil on top, and garnish with fresh basil or oregano. Buon Appetito!

SPLEEN-PANCREAS KICHARI

Yield: 3-4 hearty servings
Preparation time: 2 hours

2 teaspoons Ghee (clarified butter) or olive oil
½ teaspoon black mustard seeds (available in Indian grocery store)
½ teaspoon cumin seeds
½ teaspoon turmeric
½ teaspoon coriander
1 teaspoon sea salt
6 neem (curry) leaves (available in Indian grocery store)
2 teaspoons fresh grated ginger root (or to taste)
½ cup split mung beans (“yellow dal” or “moong dhal”) (available in Indian grocery store)
1 cup brown basmati rice
1 onion, finely chopped
1 stick kombu (rinsed)
3 carrots, sliced (about 1½ cups)
6 cups water

Garnish: fresh coriander leaves, chopped (optional)

Warm oil or ghee in a 3-4 quart saucepan; add black mustard seeds, coriander and cumin. Warm until the mustard seeds pop or until the spices become aromatic (be careful not to burn the spices). Then, add turmeric, onion, salt, neem, and ginger. Stir well and sauté onion until tender. Wash beans and grains until the rinse water is clear. Add them to the sautéing mixture, stirring well. Add water and kombu, bring to a boil and let cook covered over medium heat for 45 minutes. Add carrots and cook another 15 minutes (Cook until both beans and grains are very soft, but not gummy.) Garnish with chopped coriander leaves to enhance digestion.

Function of ingredients:
Ghee: for lubrication and assimilation
Black mustard seeds: digestive with pronounced warming effects
Coriander: cooling, soothing carminative (relieves flatulence) and digestive
Cumin: carminative, digestive, balances all constitutions
Ginger: warms, potent digestive stimulant
Kombu (a seaweed): digestive, removes heavy metals
Neem (curry leaves): cooling, bitter, clears and removes wastes
Turmeric: specific for aiding protein digestion

ABOUT KICHARIS

Kicharis are traditional Ayurvedic healing stews used during detoxification and rejuvenation diets. They are relatively simple stews of basmati rice and split mung dal, which are suitable for almost any constitution. Kicharis take on endless variations depending on the herbs, spices and vegetables used in them. They are the primary food in Pancha karma, an Ayurvedic cleansing therapy, because of their ease of digestion and assimilation. They are best eaten fresh when used therapeutically. The above recipe is targeted to tonify digestive function and overall energy level (from a Chinese medical standpoint, this kichari tonifies Spleen/Pancreas Qi.)

LENTIL-QUINOA SALAD

This a great summer dish that is packed with nutrients. It is the perfect salad to prepare in advance when you know you will have a busy week and won’t have time to prepare meals everyday. I usually double the amounts.
Yield: 6 servings

1 cup green lentils (preferably presoaked overnight to improve digestibility)
2 cups water

1 cup quinoa (rinsed several times to reduce bitterness from saponin on its surface)
2 cups water

1/4 cup olive oil
1/4 cup lemon juice
2 medium cloves garlic, crushed
1 tsp. salt
1-1/2 tsp. fresh oregano (or 1/2 tsp. dried oregano)
2 Tbs. freshly minced mint (or 2 tsp. dried mint)
2 Tbs. Freshly minced dill ( or 2 tsp. dried dill)
1/4-1/2 cup freshly minced parsley
1/2 stalk celery, finely minced
1/2 cup black olives
2 medium sized tomatoes, diced
1/2 cup chopped toasted walnuts

1. Place lentils in a medium sized pot, cover with water, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer without agitation for 20 to 25 minutes, or until tender, but not mushy. Drain well and transfer to a large bowl.

2. While the lentils are cooking, combine quinoa, 2 cups of water in a pot. Bring to a boil, cover and simmer 20 minutes.

3. Place chopped tomatoes in one container; parsley, walnuts and fresh herbs in a second container; and combine remaining ingredients in a third container. Cover tightly and refrigerate.It is important to keep the ingredients in separate containers until just before serving in order to deep the dish fresh tasting.

4. Just before serving, stir all ingredients together.

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