Unexpected blessings
About twenty years ago this fall, I was busy on a Saturday morning, preparing for the cold New York winter ahead. As I shifted the warmer clothing to the front of the closet ...
About twenty years ago this fall, I was busy on a Saturday morning, preparing for the cold New York winter ahead. As I shifted the warmer clothing to the front of the closet, I came across my favorite coat. It's funny how after 6 months and article of clothing can feel new again. I donned the coat and out of habit, put my hand in the pocket. What's that paper ... A note? A receipt? Oh, it's money! A hundred dollar bill!!
It was one of those moments when you stop ... and express gratitude for unexpected blessings. It's not something you can plan. It just happens when it does and everything is as it should be at that moment.
Similarly, I met my husband through an unknown neighbor, discovered meaning in unexpected experiences, and found one of my favorite recipes inside an unopened box of quinoa – Coconut Curry Quinoa Stew. Oh yeah!
Get the recipe!
Family remedies
I grew up with the old fashioned grandmother. Nanny grew her own food, raised chickens out back, wore an apron most of the day, hummed gospel hymns over collard greens and black eyed peas, made dumplins from scratch, and frogs legs on special occasions.
Culture is critical to one's foundation. It stays with you long after folks pass on, long after the lessons end.
Maybe it's cuz I am the oldest grandchild or perhaps because I was the slowest eater. Whatever the reason, of all the things I learned from Nanny, the food is what stuck with me. And as I raised my own children, those family recipes brought comfort, healing and a few new twists. Seeing as it is the cold and flu season, I wanted to share one with you.
This concoction came in handy whenever my family came down with sniffles, sore throat, fever, or chills. Make large batches to drink throughout the day, using local and organic ingredients when possible.
3 cinnamon sticks
3 whole cloves
3 whole Chinese* star anise pods
1 1" piece fresh ginger root
2-4 quarts water
lemon (optional)
Bring water to a low boil in stainless or glass pot/kettle.
Add cinnamon sticks, cloves, star anise and ginger root.
Turn off heat, cover, and steep for 10-15 minutes.
Serve alone or with a little raw honey and/or lemon.
Cinnamon
Potential for regulating blood sugar, lowering cholesterol, and improving memory
Improves circulation, lowers risk of infection, and healing to the sinuses.
Increases digestion
Excellent source of potassium, iron, calcium, magnesium, zinc, manganese, vitamin A, and niacin
Cloves
Warming and soothing
Antispasmodic properties help to relieve coughing
Useful at relieving indigestion, nausea, constipation, diarrhea and vomiting
Helps control heart rate and blood pressure
Great source of manganese, vitamin C, potassium, selenium, calcium, fiber, vitamins A, C, B1, B6 and K
Star Anise (Illicium verum)
*CAUTION: Japanese star anise (Illicium anisatum) is highly poisonous!*
Energy building
Strengthens immune system against respiratory ailments
Reduces pain, cough and respiratory infections
An important ingredient in Tamiflu
Good source of calcium, iron, zinc, manganese, magnesium, copper, vitamins A and C
Ginger root
Settles the stomach
Relieves nausea and vomiting
Promotes healthy sweating (helpful with cold and flu)
Safe to use during pregnancy
Good source of magnesium, B6, potassium and copper
Recipe: 30-minute lentil soup
Serves 4.
1/2 onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced or crushed
1 medium bell pepper, sliced
2-3 stalks celery, chopped
1 yellow or green zucchini, chopped
1/2 bag of whole carrots, sliced
1/2 bag dried lentils, soaked, rinsed and parboiled (or 1 package Steamed Lentils from Trader Joe's)
2 tablespoons olive oil
5-6 cups water or chicken/bone/vegetable broth - enough to cover
Salt, pepper, cumin and other seasonings of choice to taste
In a 4-qt pot, heat olive oil over medium heat.
Add onions, peppers, garlic and sauté until softened, about 1 minute. Add carrots, celery, seasonings and sauté 3 more minutes.
Add water, lentils and zucchini, bring to a slow boil.
Reduce heat to simmer for 15 minutes.
Add more water if desired.
Serve warm with crusty bread or salad.
Family remedies
This concoction came in handy whenever my family came down with sniffles, sore throat, upset stomach …
I grew up with the old fashioned grandmother. Nanny grew her own food, raised chickens out back, wore an apron most of the day, hummed old gospel hymns over collard greens and black eyed peas, made dumplins from scratch, and frogs legs on special occasions.
Culture is critical to one's foundation. It stays with you long after folks pass on, long after the lessons end.
Maybe it's that I am the oldest grandchild or perhaps because I was the slowest eater ... whatever the reason, of all the things I learned from Nanny, her love of food is what stuck with me. And as I raised my own children, those family recipes brought comfort, healing and a few new twists. Seeing as it is the cold season, I wanted to share one with you.
This concoction came in handy whenever my family came down with sniffles, sore throat, upset stomachs, fever, or chills. Make large batches to hot drink throughout the day, using local and organic ingredients when possible.
3 cinnamon sticks
3 whole cloves
3 whole Chinese* star anise pods
1 piece fresh ginger root (at least 1")
2-4 quarts water
lemon (optional)
honey (optional)
Bring water to a low boil in stainless or glass pot/kettle.
Add cinnamon sticks, cloves, star anise and ginger root.
Turn off heat, cover, and steep for 10-15 minutes. Strain.
Serve alone or with a little raw honey and/or lemon.
Enjoy!
Cinnamon
Potential for regulating blood sugar, lowering cholesterol, and improving memory
Improves circulation, lowers risk of infection, and healing to the sinuses.
Increases digestion
Excellent source of potassium, iron, calcium, magnesium, zinc, manganese, vitamin A, and niacin
Cloves
Warming and soothing
Antispasmodic properties help to relieve coughing
Useful at relieving indigestion, nausea, constipation, diarrhea and vomiting
Helps regulate heart rate and blood pressure
Great source of manganese, vitamin C, potassium, selenium, calcium, fiber, vitamins A, C, B1, B6 and K
Star Anise (Illicium verum)
*CAUTION: Japanese star anise (Illicium anisatum) is highly poisonous!*
Energy building
Immune system strengthener
Relieves respiratory pain and cough
An important ingredient in Tamiflu
Good source of calcium, iron, zinc, manganese, magnesium, copper, vitamins A and C
Ginger root
Settles the stomach
Relieves nausea and vomiting
Promotes healthy sweating
GRAS to use during pregnancy
Good source of magnesium, B6, potassium and copper
Another word on avocados
Every time I go food shopping I'm tempted to buy avocados to add to salads, accompany beans, make guacamole, or mixed with lime juice and salt atop corn thins. The body loves all the healthy fats and fiber in avocados too. In fact, in people with mildly elevated cholesterol levels, the monounsaturated fats in avocados have been found to lower LDL (bad fats) and raise HDLs (good fats).
Between the versatility and health benefits of avocados, who can buy just one? Certainly not me!
Unfortunately, if you don't eat them fast enough, they go bad. And refrigeration doesn't really help. So, my dilemma became what to do with really ripe avocados. Inadvertently, I found a solution: pudding. Yes, pudding ... made from avocados.
Of all the recipes I tried, Louisa Shafia's 5-Minute Carob Pudding (get the printed recipe here) has become my favorite for the following reasons:
- It's vegan - no dairy or eggs
- It uses carob instead of chocolate (which I can't have)
- Avocados + Carob = Super Nutrients
- It requires minimal and natural ingredients
- It makes two satisfying servings
- It refrigerates nicely for the next day
- Clean up is a cinch
- The resulting texture and flavor are enjoyable
- And most importantly, it is quick, healthy and delicious!
Here's how mine came out ...
Let's face it, when you want dessert, you want it right then, not in 30 minutes, but now! Although Shafia's recipe claims to take 5 minutes, I find that to be true once you have all of the ingredients assembled and measured out. So in reality it's more like 10 minutes, which is still a short time to satisfy a craving for something decadent ... and healthy!
Image: Avocado FruitnFoiliage by Geographer is used here with permissions granted under the Creative Commons Attribution 1.0 Generic license