Onion Steam Remedy

It’s getting to be that time of year… we travel, swim, stay outdoors, play in the lake, endure the swelling allergies of spring. It’s common for adults and children alike to get ear infections/swimmer’s ear/ear aches this time of year - and there is a wonderful home remedy I learned from a naturopath that just may nip these ear troubles in the bud. The onion steam. I’ve used it a handful of times with 100% success as have several of my clients and their children. It’s a really useful tactic & a great example of what Medicine Kitchen is all about. Onions are anti-microbial and their steam will help open up the ear, drain fluid, relieve pain, and kill bacteria. 

Onion Steam for Ear Aches:

1 white onion

knife

microwave

cheesecloth or other thin cloth (i.e. linen or thin cotton)

Cut the onion in half or chop about 1/3 of it off from a stemmed end, revealing the circular layers within. Make several evenly dispersed knife cuts in the onion on the cut side. Microwave the onion for about 30-40 seconds - it will be hot and steamy upon removal, so be careful. Wrap the onion in cheesecloth or linen towel and hold the cut side over the affected ear - feeling the steam penetrate into the ear canal. Lie back and relax with the steam on for 30-40 minutes and repeat if necessary until pain is diminished. 

Try it out and see if it’s what the doctor ordered! If it’s not, go to the doctor and get something he DOES order. :)

Have any other home-remedies you have learned and loved? Let me know! 

Texan Lentil Soup

Lentils are a great source of vegetarian protein - providing up to 25% of protein by weight. This is almost as much as sardines or tofu! Dr. Weston Price also considers them the most nutritious of all legumes due to their high mineral content. They are eaten around the world and make for great soups & salads. They also cook a lot faster than beans - and in my life, time is precious! I make a vegetable soup whenever I have several things in the fridge that need to be cooked before they start to go bad - onion, broccoli, tomatoes, greens,etc. Usually I add lentils to this and PRESTO! Dinner is served. One lentil soup recipe that I have time-and-again based my own versions on is Heidi Swanson’s recipe here - it just stuck with me, I guess, and I use the basic building blocks of that soup for TONS of easy variations. Here’s one with a twist:

Texan Lentil Soup:

~1 C French green lentils, rinsed

2 large carrots, chopped

½ red onion, chopped

1-2 cloves garlic, chopped or minced

2 tomatoes chopped and mashed up with a potato masher (aka make-your-own crushed tomatoes)

2 C vegetable broth or HERB INFUSED vegetable broth!

1 tsp ground cumin

salt and pepper to taste

½ C frozen corn kernels

2-3 stalks curly or dino kale, chopped or torn up into small pieces (use more if you have smaller stalks to work with)

2-3 C filtered water

fresh cilantro, chopped 

I usually pre-boil the lentils for 15 minutes in water, strain and set aside. Pour 2 glugs of olive oil in a soup pot with carrots, onion, garlic and heat on medium high, coating all vegetables until the onions are just tender. Add in lentils, crushed tomatoes and stir to mix flavors. Add broth, cumin, salt / pepper, corn kernels and keep pot at a simmer for about 15-20 minutes, adding the water as needed when the liquid gets absorbed. Before serving, stir in kale greens and heat 3-5 minutes more. Top with cilantro and avocado if you have one!

I’m thrilled to have several Medicine Kitchen products ready to sell, and several more in the works! The Medicine Kitchen line of crafted herbal remedies for health & home is based on the concept of blending herbs from around the world (East & West) into customized formulations that benefit different body types and target certain common health complaints. My herbal tea line is specialized towards symptoms and health concerns and, unlike so many dreadful Chinese herb concoctions, taste great! They are made with 100% pharmacy grade herbs and will also look quite lovely on your kitchen counter. My favorite new product is a wonderful herbal soup stock mix that I can’t wait to tell you about! Until then, have a great weekend and enjoy the beautiful spring air. 

Texas VegFest 3/31/12 →

Come see me at the VegFest this Saturday 3/31 from 11:00-6:00pm at Fiesta Gardens! I’ll be having free wellness consultations at my booth and Medicine Kitchen herbal products for sale. This is a great event to promote healthy eating and I’m super excited to be included. Hope to see you there. ♥

The farmer’s market was overwhelmed by spring this weekend. Mounds of artichokes, radishes, sunflower sprouts, flowers, and the first crop of early strawberries! You can get so many items around the time the seasons change, and it’s really fun to witness the progression of the harvests. Seeing as our backyard is bursting with green and morning dew, and all the plants are expanding with growth – it’s the perfect time to nourish ourselves with spring foods. Chinese medicine associates the liver organ with spring, so we want to incorporate foods that help the liver function and naturally cleanse the body so that we may start anew. Dandelion greens (and beet greens) are classic foods for liver function, and are also slightly bitter in nature which is a sign of cleansing plants. 

Food Facts:

Dandelion greens: benefit liver function, gently detox the liver and gall bladder, promote healthy bile flow, reduce inflammation, help with digestion and elimination, and clear heat and toxins from the body. Most slightly bitter greens will act accordingly. 

Radish: Relieves indigestion and helps break up phlegm & mucus accumulations, helps clear sinuses and prevent infections, cleanses toxins from the body, purifies & cools the body, and can also remedy stones in the Gall Bladder or Bladder if taken daily. All types of radish fall into this category, especially the Chinese daikon variety. 

Ultimate Spring Salad:

1 handful dandelion greens, washed and dried and chopped

1-2 handfuls baby arugula

1 small handful broccoli sprouts, or sunflower sprouts

several red radishes, sliced or smaller ones left whole

several ripe organic strawberries, sliced

raw sunflower seeds

balsamic, lemon, or citrus vinaigrette

Place greens and sprouts in a salad bowl, and garnish around with radishes and berries. Sprinkle generously with sunflower seeds. Toss with vinaigrette and devour. 

*You want to mix dandelion greens just as you would any salad greens, they have a texture very similar to lettuce but are rather bitter. Mixing them with something slightly sweet (strawberries in this case, and a nice citrusy-sweet dressing) gives a wonderful flavor! You can also quickly sauté dandelions with some garlic, oil, and sea salt for an easy hot side dish - just as you would kale or collards greens. 

…And we’re back from a rejuvenating vacation to southern California, where I was able to spend some time browsing through an adorable and charming bookstore in Laguna Beach one day. Stumbled upon some new and beautiful healthy cookbooks and wanted to share them with you. These books are inspiring for the new and seasoned cook alike, and all are pure pleasure to look through: Elizabeth Gordon’s, The Complete Allergy-Free Comfort Foods Cookbook; David Tanis’s A Platter of Figs and Other Recipes; & Tamara Adler’s An Everlasting Meal. 

This is what’s called “Sun-Cheese” at a our local macrobiotic cafe, Casa de Luz. I think it tastes nothing like cheese, and has a totally unique texture, so I don’t like calling it that. It IS non-dairy though, and could be a great alternative to cheese dips for vegans. AND, like cheese, you can put it on most everything! You will love this served as a dip for celery, carrots, bell peppers, cucumbers, and any raw vegetable you have in the house; a great appetizer for parties with pita toasts or crackers; and excellent as a sauce over greens (kale, collards, chard etc) or any cooked grain. We use it on our beans too! It’s pretty much an all around versatile sauce/dip that is a cinch to whip together. 

Food Fact:

Umeboshi Plum Vinegar (and Umeboshi plums): In Chinese medicine, ume plums and their vinegar are used for myriad health benefits, especially for the Liver. In the 1950s, scientists extracted a potent antibiotic substance from umeboshi, and it also helps with alkalizing the body and many digestive issues. Some even call it the “Japanese Alka Seltzer” because it will help the body rapidly break down excessive acids. The plums are extremely salty and sour, and can be eaten whole, but are often soaked in water or tea first to leach out some of the salt, or eaten as a paste or vinegar mixed with other foods. Umeboshi benefits most any liver condition; stress, emotional tension & repression; dehydration, headaches, and indigestion. It’s even reported to cure hangovers. 

Sunflower Dip:

1 C sunflower seeds, raw and hulled and soaked for ~4 hours in water

2 Tbsp lemon juice

2 Tbsp umeboshi vinegar (purchased at any health food store or good grocery)

1 clove garlic, cut in half

Strain the sunflower seeds and add all ingredients into a blender. Add ¾ C water and blend on high until creamy, smooth, & thickened. Thin with more water to desired consistency - may want it thicker for a dip, thinner as a sauce, etc. 

*For variations, I like to add 1 Tbsp sesame tahini for a really smooth dip (think silky, light hummus), or even blend in some fresh basil leaves for an herbaceous kick. Also try drizzling some good olive oil or sunflower oil on top before serving. Use on beans, greens, grains, with veggies, tacos or anything else you can imagine! 

There are lots of noodle bowl recipes out there. I like mine because it’s good, fast, and also cooked in one single pot! There is a LOT to say for an easy clean-up, especially on a weeknight. This recipe is probably a mash-up of several different ones out there, I definitely take some shortcuts for convenience… I forget the first time I saw this type of dish, but it’s been in our dinner rotation for years and never gets old. I love the bright colors and warm, tasty broth you get to sip at the end. 

Veggie Soba Bowls:

1 Tbsp sesame oil

1 large clove garlic, quartered

3 green onions, diced

1 in. piece of fresh ginger, peeled and grated

2 pinches lemongrass (optional)

2 C vegetable broth, or chicken broth; plus 2 C water

1 Tbsp shoyu or tamari

1 pinch red chili flakes

2 C each broccoli florets and thinly sliced mushrooms (I like shiitake or baby bellas)

½ pkg buckwheat soba noodles (find them gluten-free from Eden Foods)

1 small handful cilantro leaves, diced

Place sesame oil, garlic, and white parts of onions in a soup pot and heat on medium-high until they begin to sizzle and release flavor. Add in ginger and lemongrass, stir around for a minute and then add broth and water. Let water come to a light boil and add shoyu and chili flakes, then add broccoli and mushrooms. Cook veggies for about 4 minutes until broccoli is bright green and mushrooms are cooked down a bit. Portion off veggies equally (with a large slotted spoon) into soup bowls for serving later. Return broth to flame and add soba noodles, with some cilantro and onions tossed in for flavor, simmer for about 5-6 minutes until tender, then equally portion noodles into bowls with the veggies. Pour remaining broth over the dishes in equal amounts. Top with fresh cilantro and onions, drizzle of toasted sesame oil, and more chili flakes if you like spicy. Serve hot! 

*Therapeutically, buckwheat nourishes the digestive organs - especially the intestines, and can help with chronic bowel problems and poor appetite. It’s also a preferred grain for vascular and heart health. Not all packaged soba noodles are gluten-free, even though buckwheat itself is not related to wheat, many have gluten added. Look for designated gluten-free labels to ensure your noodles are 100% buckwheat flour. 

So-Called Health Foods that Don't Deliver →

Marketing in the processed foods industry is EVERYWHERE. Telling us this white box is good because it’s “multi-grain”, “natural”, “high-fiber”, or “only 100 calories!” Read this article for some accurate information on why certain foods don’t deliver, and don’t deserve to be called “healthy." 

Simple Tartine

We don’t normally have bread in the house, but when we do, I like to revel in it. Thin baggies with mushy, pre-sliced loaves that smell like plastic and feel a bit too light & fluffy to be “real” bread are not my thing (ie almost every big brand you see in grocery stores), not to mention that I have only seen ONE main brand on the shelves that doesn’t have high fructose corn syrup added to it! ONE! In a loaf of bread! Sigh. 

Luckily, we have friends who know food. And, I’ve found my perfect locally made bread at the Farmer’s Market that I’ve mentioned before - True Nature’s Child. Lately I’ll buy their Teff Loaf, which has an amazing deep color to it due to some blue corn flour, and is hearty but light at the same time. My fave. This week, we have some tasty Caraway Rye bread from a friend that is crusty and bursting with that spicy caraway seed flavor. Let’s make a tartine for brunch. 

Simple Tartine:

4 slices good crafted real bread (whole grain rye, baguette, sourdough, teff, etc)

1 semi-sweet apple, cut into very thin slices about 2 mm thick

several slices havarti cheese (or grated cheese of your preference -white cheddar, jack, muenster, etc)

freshly cracked black pepper

European-style butter 

Turn the oven to broil. Butter your bread slices and place under broiler for a few minutes until edges begin to toast brown. Remove from oven and top each slice with several slices of apple in a neat row, overlapping slightly, and top with layer of cheese and a few grinds of pepper. Broil again for about 2-3 minutes more until cheese is bubbly and browning on the top. Serve immediately! 

*You can make a tartine (just an open-faced sandwich, really) with all sorts of things - throw some bacon on, or top with an over-easy egg. Add some spinach under the apple before you broil the second time, or throw some herbs on top for a fresh addition. Simply top with good butter and honey and some sea salt for a decadent dessert or weekend treat. Whatever you do, don’t make a tartine with poor-quality bread! It will be horrible and totally defeats the purpose of making such a recipe that highlights the simple beauty of handmade bread. I urge my patients to never deny themselves anything 100%… whether you are trying to lose weight or just eat healthier. Bread falls into this category for me. We don’t eat it often, but when we do…. it’s gotta be worth it.