Fall and Winter Recipes for Optimal Health!

 

Ginseng Brazilian Black beans

American Ginseng, black beans, chopped onion, ground beef, whole canned tomatoes, chili powder, balsamic vinegar or soy sauce, and cilantro.

Pressure cook beans until tender ( or soak overnight). Dice onion (set half aside) and sauté with olive oil and sea salt. When onions are caramelized (brown, not black) add chili powder (to taste) and continue to cook on low heat for 10-15 min. Add tomatoes, ginseng root (3 rootlets) and beans and let simmer 1-2 hrs. Saute remaining onion until translucent and add ground beef. Cook until browned. Add meat to beans and let simmer 30-60 min (low Heat). Season with balsamic vinegar, soy sauce and Cilantro.

This dish is a rich blood tonic and Qi tonic. The touch of spice clears Fall phlegm. Black beans are also nourishing to the kidney. The beef is neutral to warm in temperature and benefits the blood. American ginseng tonifies the bodies qi and immune system and helps produce body fluids. It is cooling, good for the heart and Spleen. The vinegar is sour and helps astringe the fluids in the dry fall.

Asparagus and Almond Soup

1 cup blanched almonds          5 Cups vegetable stock

1 Tbsp Coconut oil                 4 Celery stalks chopped

1 lb Asparagus chopped         2 Tbs fresh parsley chopped

½ cup coconut milk                salt and pepper to taste

½ lemon juice

1. Put almonds and stock into a blender and puree until smooth. Strain, keep stock.
2. Heat oil in large sauce pan, add celery, sauté for 5 min.
3. Add asparagus, sauté for another 5 min.
4. Pour in stock and add the parsley. Cover and simmer 15 min. Remove from heat and let cool slightly.
5. Puree in a blender until smooth, then return to gentle heat and add Coconut milk, lemon juice and salt and pepper to taste

This is a warming Yin soup, ideal for cold fall days. As well as being a delicacy, asparagus is a traditional folk medicine. It is slightly warm, bitter, and slightly pungent. Good for coughs, mucous discharge, swelling, hives, and promotes lactation. Almonds lubricate the lung, suppress coughs, remove phlegm, and balance energy. Coconut milk is warm, slightly sweet and aromatic. Helps produce body fluids, promotes urination, and destroys intestinal worms. It is good for diabetes, edema, Stomach ulcers, and the heart.

Pomme Sun Chokes

1 lb Jerusalem artichokes (sun chokes)           2 stalks celery chopped

1-2 apples chopped                                        soy sauce and pommegranite dressing

Garnish with pommegranite seeds and fresh parsley.

Sun chokes are an excellent source of iron, thiamin, potassium, fiber, vit. C, and niacin. They contain no starch and are beneficial for the heart and for diabetes. Pommegranate is a powerful anti-oxidant, benefits the heart and circulation. Apples are in season and their outer skin is beneficial in lowering cholesterol and for some cancers. Parsley is high in Glutathione, which is found in the lens of the eye and protects from UV ray damage and cataracts, it is also an anti-oxidant, prevents rancidity, and is anti-cancer.