Rhubarb Sweet Potato Porridge

Warm breakfasts are very important in TCM. The stomach is thought of as a 100 degree soup and great care is taken to protect the digestive and thermal energy of the body. Warm breakfasts boost energy, support the vitality of organs & blood, help with mental clarity and ensure proper nutrient absorption. This recipe is a variation of congee rice porridge - a traditional warm breakfast - adapted for those who don’t tolerate grains well. Cost & time effective, full of fiber, complex carbs, omegas and healthy fats which help to keep blood sugars stable throughout the morning. Sometime I add a scoop of collagen powder for extra protein. Or seamoss gel for a thyroid and immune boost.

Rhubarb & Sweet Potato Porridge

Ingredients:

• One large sweet potato (white not orange)

• 1 600g bag of frozen rhubarb or 3 cups fresh rhubarb or puree

• One can full fat coconut milk

• 1/2 cup chia seeds

• 1/2 cup flax meal

• 2 tbsp cinnamon or pumpkin spice

• 1/4 cup maple syrup or to taste

• Optional toppings: nuts, seeds, fresh or dried fruit, shredded coconut, chocolate nibs, hemp seeds, coconut yogurt or whip, apple butter, nut butters, etc.

Directions:

• Chop potato and add to slow cooker or soup pot with rhubarb, spices & full can coconut milk.

• In a slow cooker - cook for 2-3 hours on high or overnight on low. In a soup pot - simmer covered until potato mashes tender.

• Remove from heat and puree with emulsion blender or mash well with a fork.

• Add chia seeds, maple syrup and flax meal. Stir well to combine.

• Serve warm with toppings of your choice.

TCM Golden Milk

There has been a lot of popularity around “golden milk” recipes over the last few years. Golden milk is a traditional Ayurvedic recipe used to balance all the dosas -or energies- in the body. The main therapeutic qualities to achieve this are bitter, astringent and pungent herbs. Turmeric is the main herb and although having a long history of use as a healing plant, has been picked up by mainstream culture for its well studied anti-inflammatory properties when mixed with black pepper. I’ve been making a TCM version of this classic recipe that I quite enjoy as an added immune and energy tonic as well as for relaxation and inflammation.

TCM Golden Milk

3 cups water

1 cup milk or non dairy alternative

1 tbsp powdered turmeric + a few dashes of black pepper

1 small finger ginger, sliced

1/2 - 1 tsp pumpkin spice mix

3 Chinese dates

2-3 sticks of huang qi - astragalus root

1 tsp goji berry

1 tbsp ju hua - chrysanthemum flower and/or chamomile flower

Honey to taste

Directions: Bring all ingredients to a simmer in a covered pot for 10 mins. Strain and add honey to taste. Makes 2-4 servings

Furikake Wild Seaweed Seasoning

Furikake is a Japanese seasoning blend. There are many variations but the base ingredients are sesame, salt and seaweeds. It’s a delicious and nutrient dense way to season rice, eggs, avocado toast, soups & broths, salads, and meat dishes. I spent a lot of time in the ocean this year, which meant that I was able to identify and learn about an abundance of coastal edible seaweeds. For this blend I am using kelp, sea lettuce, sea arrow grass, and sea asparagus, that I harvested from Vancouver Island and nori from Japan. But many edible seaweeds blend well into this mix. In the past I have also included botanicals into this blend for added health benefits such as: nettle seed, tulsi, and mushroom powders.

FURIKAKE SEAWEED SEASONING

1 cup seaweeds & sea vegetables. Dried & flaked in a food processor.

1 cup white sesame seeds - toasted if you like

1 cup black sesame seeds - toasted if you like

2-4 tablespoons of good quality salt - depending on how salty your seaweeds are

Optional variations depending on your flavour profile:

2 - 4 tbsp of botanicals like nettle seed, tulsi, shiso leaf.

2-4 tbsp of bonito flakes, sugar, chili, miso powder or mushroom powders.

Directions

Pulse all ingredients together in a food processor until combined. Store in a seasoning shaker.

In TCM seaweeds support the kidneys and adrenals, softens hardness, masses, & nodules and breaks up phlegm. It is considered cooling but eating it with black sesame - another kidney nourishing food - helps to balance its thermal nature to more neutral. Black sesame tonifies the vital substances - jing, qi and blood. It is said to help hair from growing grey and to boost milk supply during lactation. Seaweeds, salt and black foods like black sesame are all associated with the winter season and considered supportive of the kidneys. So its a good time to start adding these foods into your diet as we transition to winter. Seaweeds are also rich in iodine which can benefit the thyroid.

Herbal Poached Pears & Canning Recipe

Pear soup is a common Tcm recipe, eaten especially in the fall for its lung and immune boosting benefits. This is a spin on the traditional soup, with herbs you might be more familiar with, swapping honey in place of traditional cane sugar for added lung support. You can make this as a straight sweet soup, eaten as dessert after meals, add oats to it for breakfast or use the broth for canning your pears for the winter months. Pears are used for their lung supporting, moistening quality, making this an especially relevant food for wild fire season. I was lucky and got 3 lbs of pears for 2$ in the ugly fruit section of my grocery store. There are also many wild pear trees around the southern island making this quite accessible medicine too.

Ingredients:

6-8 pears sliced or cubed - whatever is in season near you is best

1/4 cup raw honey

1 cinnamon stick

2 slices ginger

3-4 star anise seeds

Optional and highly recommended:

3-4 Chinese jujube or honey dates

2 tbsp goji berries

2 - 4 slices of dried astragalus root

For soup:

Bring all herbs to a simmer for 10 - 15 minutes. Reduce heat to medium low and add pears for another 5 - 10 minutes. Take off heat and add honey. Serve warm & eat the dates and goji in the broth!

For canning:

Prepare herbs as above. Coat your pears in honey and add to your clean sterilized jars. Add your steaming broth to jars covering pears at least 1 inch. Add a few decorative herbs if you wish and seal for canning bath. Store as usual and serve warm or cold as desired.

Wood Ear Mushroom Salad

This salad is a common cold dish in China, eaten in many provinces throughout the year. These mushrooms are used medicinally to clear toxins from the body, support the lungs and boost the immune system. They are sold dried, often labelled as “black fungus” and once rehydrated have a firm jelly like texture that is quite unique compared to other mushrooms. I found these ones at fairways market for about 3$, so they are also a great value for their nutrient content.

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 cups dried wood ear

• 1 med-large cucumber

• 3-4 cloves garlic, crushed

• sesame oil

• soy sauce

• 1/2 - 1 tbsp sambal chili paste or to taste

Directions:

-Rehydrate mushrooms for 2-3 hours or over night. Trim off hard ends if any.

-In a wok or large skillet, simmer garlic in generous amount of sesame oil until fragrant.

-Add mushrooms, chilli paste, drizzle with soy sauce and sautéed for 5-7 minutes.

-Remove from heat and toss with cucumber. Serve warm or cold.

Balsamic Glazed Brussel Sprouts With Pomegranate & Goat Feta

Sometimes the best recipes come from cleaning out the fridge. This unlikely combination came from one of those days but is now in the regular rotation. This dish is well suited to the seasonal transition into fall as brussel sprouts are considered warming and the vinegar and pomegranate are slightly sour (the TCM flavor of fall).

Ingredients:

• 1 lb brussel sprouts, trimmed and quartered

• 1 pomegranate - seeded

• 2 gloves garlic minced

• Olive oil

• Balsamic Vinegar

• Optional: 1/4 cup goat feta, 1/4 cup diced bacon, cooked

Directions: In a skillet warm oil and brown the minced garlic. Add brussel sprouts and sautéed until softened. Drizzle with balsamic and sautéed until slightly carmelized. Remove from heat and toss with pomegranate, goat feta and bacon if using. Can be served warm or cooled.

Nettle & White Bean Cassoulet

Maple Blossom Pesto

Sweet Potato Brownies

A favorite grain free recipe for breakfasts, snacks or dessert that is nutrient dense and easy to hide supplements in.

Ingredients

• 1 med sweet potato

• 2/3 cup coconut flour

• 1/2 cup cocao

• 1/2 cup almond butter

• 2 eggs

• 1/4 butter or oil

• 1/4 cup chia seeds

• 1/2 c monk sugar or sweetener

• 1/2 c choc chips

• 1 tsp baking soda

• 1 tsp salt

• Optional: supplement powders: mushroom, ashwaghanda, lucuma, etc

Quarter sweet potato and bake until fork tender - 30-35 mins. Let cool and transfer to food processor with butter, almond butter, sugar, cocoa powder, chia, baking soda, powders and eggs. Mix in flour a 1/3 cup at a time. Then add chocolate chips. Transfer to oiled baking pan or cupcake pan. Bake 25-30 minutes or until toothpick inserted comes out mostly clean. Enjoy at least 6 feet from those around you.

Plantain Pastry Dough (Grain-free)

Plantains are one of my favourite foods and definitely my favourite starch. I’ve successfully subbed them into many recipes to replace grains in bread, pizza crust, pancakes & waffles, naan and now pastry dough. I havent yet tried this recipe for bigger pastries like pie, but so far for empanadas and turnovers they are a great fit for grain free or plantain loving people.

Ingredients

• 3 green plantains

• 1 egg

• 2 tbsp butter

• Optional:

• For savoury pastries: salt, pepper, seasoning mix

• For sweet pastries: a few tbsp of sugar or substitute. (I use monk fruit sugar for turnovers.) spices like cinnamon, all spice, etc.

• Egg wash for shine

Directions

• Cut the ends off plantains and slice them peel deep, lengthwise -for easy peeling later. Then cut them in half or thirds to fit into a pot.

• Place prepared plantains into a large pot and fill with water. Boil until fork tender. About 20 mins. Drain and let cool before peeling.

• Peel cooled plantains and transfer into a food processor. Add egg and butter, optional spices and blend until a ball of dough forms. The dough should be fairly sticky. You can add a few drops of water until you reach desired consistency. The ideal dough should look and feel like a stickier mesa dough.

• Working with the dough is the hardest part due to the stick.

• Take a plastic bag or sheet of saran and oil lightly.

• Place a heaping spoonful of dough and roll in between the sheets of plastic to 1/4 inch. Or press with a tortilla press.

• Place desired filling on dough and use the plastic to fold the dough over itself and pinch the ends to seal in.

• Wash with egg if desired.

• Bake on cooking sheet for 30-40 mins until brown

Fillings:

Sweet: caramelized apples, mixed berry, rhubarb, wild berries, jams and jellies

Savory: mixed veg, turkey and mushroom, beef and ugly relish, spinach nettle & feta, wild green pestos

Weedy Green Soup

Ugly Relish

Dairy-Free Salmon Chowder

Kale & Chickpea Stew

A warming stew that benefits the spleen & pancreas, aids digestion, boosts energy.

Ingredients

• 2 cans chickpeas

• 2-3 bunches of kale

• 1 can full fat coconut milk

• 1 cup broth

• 1 yellow onion

• 4 cloves garlic

• Cooking oil

• 2 tsp tumeric

• 1 finger of ginger

• 1/2 tsp cayenne or pepper flakes

• Salt and pepper

• Optional: coconut yogurt, herbs (cilantro, mint, or parsley) for garnish

Directions:

• In a large pot, heat 1/4 oil, and simmer chopped garlic, ginger, and onion until clear and fragrant.

• Add two cans of chickpeas, rinsed and drained, to the pot. Let them cook down a bit, gently crushing them as they cook to soften the texture. Add salt, pepper, tumeric and cayenne.

• Add stock and coconut milk. Let stew simmer on med-high heat until to desired thickness. 30-35 mins. Rinse and tear kale from stems, add to simmer until wilted into a vibrant green.

• Serve hot, garnished with yogurt and herbs.

Go-for-a-walk Broth

Wild Immunity with Go-for-a-Walk Broth 

With social distancing during these uncertain times, going for walks in the neighbourhood or near by trails can be potent medicine in itself. Nature time lowers stress and cortisol, boosts immunity and has marked effects on our mental health and wellbeing. Spring is also a time where abundant wild foods and herbs are popping up and making themselves available for our tender immune systems. Cooking with wild foods is a cheap and easy way to add wild yeasts, phytoproteins and pollens into our diet which help attune our bodies to the local ecosystem, aid in healthy immune function and help gently detox the body after a winter full of rest and heavy foods. From a TCM view, adding wild foods into your diet now is a way to help attune to the season by moving energy in the body up and out after a winter of energy moving inward and downwards in the body.

The intention for this recipe was to make a cheap, nutritious and tonifying broth with some ingredients you likely already have at home & some that get you outdoors noticing whats growing around you. For my broth, I didn’t have to buy anything, using what I found on my walks and what I had kicking in my cupboards and freezer. Hopefully it will be similar for you. 

*Note, please only use wild foods you are 100% confident identifying.

Go-For-a-Walk Broth Recipe:

Ingredients will vary depending on what you have growing around you and stored in your home but here is a list of options for inspiration:

1) Bones: and/or mushrooms for the base. Bone broth is especially trendy these days for all its purported health benefits. Here is a great article for more on bone broth.

I always save my left over bones from cooking (in the freezer) to have on hand for broths. Chicken, turkey, duck, beef, lamb, bison, deer/elk/moose, all work well depending on your tastes.

**mushrooms are a fine replacement for the heartiness of bones in broth and a good option for vegan and vegetarians. If you aren’t confident with mushroom foraging, shiitake are a lovely addition and found at most grocery stores. Many asian markets will have a variety of fresh or dried mushrooms to experiment with. Common dried mushrooms are wood ear, lions mane, and reishi.

2) Wild Mushrooms: Rich in immune supporting properties and hearty flavour.

Found growing on deadfall tress, common around hiking trails in Victoria

• Red Belted Polypores

• Reishi

• Turkey tails 

3) Aromatic herbs:

These herbs gently move energy in the body and circulate defensive Qi, known to help the immune system. They clear phlegm, congestion and benefit digestion.

These are common culinary herbs that are found in many backyards, community garden commons or growing in balcony pots. 

• Rosemary

• Thyme

• Oregano

• Sage

• Dill

• Fennel

• Chives

• Green onion

• Garlic & garlic scapes

4) Wild greens:

Great for helping to move energy in the body, gently detoxing and incorporating enzymes and phytoproteins from your local biome.

Found in parks, along hiking trails, cracks in sidewalks or in your garden beds. Be mindful to rinse carefully.

• Nettles

• Cleavers

• Miners lettuce

• Chickweed

• Wild garlic

• Wild ginger

• Ramps

• Spruce tips

• Dandelion greens or roots

5) Wild Seaweeds: (used in small amounts to keep flavour mild).

Containing iodine, trace minerals and supporting the kidney and adrenals in TCM.

Found along rocky seashores, and in tide pools. Though be mindful of water cleanliness and algae tides.

• Kelp

• Dulse

• Bladder wrack 

• Sea grass/asparagus

• Sea moss (not local)

6) Veggies:

Broths are a good way to use the discarded ends of veggies from other dishes. These can be saved in the freezer until ready to make broth. You can also freeze wilting veggies to reduce food waste and add them to flavour your broth later. 

• Celery stumps

• Carrot ends

• Outer onion layers

• Garlic scapes 

• Pepper tops and seeds 

• Wilted greens 

7) Other: Common household herbs & spices that help to build a good flavour profile.

• Ginger

• Garlic 

• Apple Cider Vinegar to help pull collagen from bones

• Cayenne powder or hot peppers 

• Tumeric

• If you are someone who has stores of medicinal herbs in your cupboards like me, broths are a way to get extra herbs in your diet. For this one I threw in a few handfuls of milky oat tops, astragalus root, and angelica root. Tulsi, dried nettle tops or seeds, ginkgo, or any mild flavoured herbs usually work well too.

Directions:

Place ingredients in a large pot and cover generously with water. 

Boil water and then reduce to a simmer. Simmer for several hours to extract the bones or harder mushrooms. 

Strain and serve as a warm drink or use broth in other dishes. Make this stew, make a soup, cook your rice, make a congee. Or freeze into ice cubes to save for later recipes. 

I often make several batches of broth with the same ingredients before discarding remains into the compost. 

Ingredients in my batch of Go-for-a-Walk Broth:

• Chicken bones left over in my freezer

• Red belted polypores from a hike

• Thyme, rosemary, oregano from the community garden

• Astragalus root (huang qi), Angelica root (dang gui), milky oats, sea moss- found in my cupboard

• Onion, garlic, ginger, celery scraps

• Cayenne and apple cider vinegar