March 31st, 2010
Kendra Lay
I got this idea from a few different sources and it has been bopping around in my head for a few months, begging to be experimented with. If you are wanting a traditional Shepherd’s Pie, this probably won’t quell your craving, but if you love Thai food and lots of veggies, this might just be a welcome variation. Tell me what you think!
“Under the Hood”
In Chinese medicine, sweet potatoes are great for nourishing deficient patterns–especially qi deficiency and yin deficiency. A deficient pattern might arise from overwork, illness, or emotional stress and signs of deficiency could be extreme fatigue, listlessness, a pale face, shortness of breath, and dizziness. According to the classic book on Chinese dietary therapy, Healing With Whole Foods by Paul Pitchford, in deficiency one should eat many nourishing foods with a sweet taste. In Chinese medicine a “sweet” taste does not indicate sugar or even necessarily fresh fruit. Foods with a sweet taste are generally whole grains and vegetables (complex carbohydrates in western nutrition). Animal foods in small amounts as well as seeds are also useful. I hope to go into more detail about nourishing a deficient pattern and building qi soon on the blog. This dish, with its turkey, veggies and sweet potato would be great for recovering from a deficiency.
“Finished Product”
Read the rest of this entry »
January 24th, 2010
Kendra Lay
Here’s a recipe using whole grain red quinoa, though you could certainly use regular quinoa.
According to several nutrition experts, but most notably Sally Fallon of the Weston Price Foundation and author of Nourishing Traditions, grains should be soaked prior to cooking to increse digestibility and nutritent absorption. I have to say I used to have a tough time digesting quinoa, which is a big blow to someone who doesn’t eat gluten. However, since I’ve been soaking the grain, I have no problems. You should note that even if you decide not to soak your quinoa you should make sure to rinse it thoroughly since there is a bitter coating on the outside of each grain called saponin which needs to be removed. I soak my quinoa overnight.
From the western nutritional point of view, quinoa is very high in protein (16 %) and offers a complete profile of amino acids–just like animal protein! From an eastern nutritional point of view quinoa is drying and warming and strengthens the kidney and heart.*
Read the rest of this entry »
January 7th, 2010
Kendra Lay
A few weeks ago, right before I was supposed to fly across country to visit my parents, I had the distinct feeling I was coming down with something. Determined not to be sick on the plane (can you say miserable?), or during my brief stay with my loved ones, I pulled out all of the stops to stop the sickness “cold.” ;) Here’s my formula for knocking out a cold or flu.
10.) Black Elderberry-Black elderberry halts the spread of viruses and strengthens the immune system. I took Honey Gardens Black Elderberry Syrup. It’s on sale right now at New Seasons for those of you who live in Portland! You can also take small amounts of black elderberry on a preventative basis every day to make yourself impermeable to viruses.
9.) Daikon-Carrot Drink-This is a macrobiotic recipe that helps to break up congestion and phlegm (it also helps to break up fat accumulation, but that’s for another topic–added bonus!). Shred about a 1/2 cup each of carrot and daikon (Japanese radish) and add to simmering water. Add some fresh ginger and umeboshi plum (a Japanese medicinal food that you can find at health food stores). Cook for a minute or so. I ate this twice a day until I was feeling better.
Read the rest of this entry »
January 1st, 2010
Kendra Lay
Mochi is a traditional Japanese food that consists of pounded sticky rice. When pounded, the rice becomes sweet and it is molded into cakes and eaten on New Year’s Day. The Japanese run on the Gregorian calendar just like we do here in the United States (unlike the Chinese and many other Asian countries, which run on the Chinese lunar calendar), so New Year’s Day is January 1st in Japan.
This is a simple and EASY dessert to make and it contains no refined sugar. I suppose you could eat it for breakfast too, however I tend to eat my sweets after a meal as this helps with blood sugar stability.
The mochi I use is a whole grain mochi with no sweetener added. To those of you who have been to Japan or simply picked up mochi at your local Asian market, this mochi will be quite different from what you are used to, but it is still delicious–and a little healthier!
Read the rest of this entry »
December 14th, 2009
Kendra Lay
Well, finals are done and it is time to celebrate the holidays. I am looking forward to spending the next few weeks with family and friends, resting up before winter term starts.
I want to start a new “series” on my blog called Food Explorations where I explore a food I haven’t cooked with a lot, or have never eaten. The first entry is devoted to celery root, which I whipped up into a creamy Roasted Celeriac Soup.
Celeriac Photo by emptyhighway
I have to admit I had never eaten celery root, let alone cooked with it. My curiosity all started when I read an article on different root vegetables. Unfortunately, roots aren’t always my favorite, but I decided I wanted to see if I could experiment with ones I have never used in order to get the full range of nutrients and flavors in my diet. According to Rebecca Wood in The New Whole Foods Encyclopedia, celeriac aids digestion and supports the lymphatic, nervous and urinary systems. It is useful for those with kidney stones and arthritis. It tastes very similar to celery with a much richer quality.
It’s amazing how such a gnarled and unrefined root vegetable can turn into a smooth and delicate soup. I calculated the nutrients in this recipe and each serving only contains about 115 calories, although you would think it was loaded with butter and cream to taste it. So enjoy guiltlessly!
Read the rest of this entry »
Posted in 
Tags: 