Red Clover Infusion

Okay, this isn’t a meal, but there is so much more that you can do for your health besides eat well…..drink well too!  I drink herbal infusions daily.  Infusions are much stronger than tea.  They are allowed to steep for a much longer time.  Red Clover is one of my favorite infusions to make.  It’s a blood cleanser, and can be used safely for eczema or other skin issues.  It is also an expectorant and is useful in the treatment of bronchitis.  Red clover is mineral-rich and contains all four of the major types of phytoestrogens: lignans, coumestans, isoflavones, and resorcylic acid lactones. It is the world’s best-known anti-cancer herb.  So drink up!

• 1 ounce Red Clover blossoms
• 1 quart of boiling water
• 1 quart mason jar

Put the dried Red Clover blossoms in the mason jar and cover with boiling water.  Put the lid on the jar and allow to steep for 4 to 10 hours.  I usually make mine in the evening, before bed, so I can drink it in the morning.  When ready to drink, strain the infusion and enjoy. I use sprouting lids on my jars, for easy straining.  You can drink it cold or warm, with sweeteners or lemon or whatever you like.

You can usually find Red Clover blossoms at your local health food store.  If not, you can order them here https://www.mountainroseherbs.com/

Just for you girls:  Red clover is also used for fertility.  It is especially helpful if there is scaring of the fallopian tubes, irregular menses, abnormal cells in the reproductive tract, or “unexplained” infertility. It may take several months for the full effect of this herb to come on and pregnancy may not occurs until you have used it for a year or two.

This information and more can be found at  http://www.susunweed.com/Article_Fertility_Herbs.htm  and here http://www.susunweed.com/herbal_ezine/Weed_letter_Feb03.htm#herbalwisdom

Home fries and Scrambled Eggs with Baby Kale, Roasted Turkey and Harvarti Cheese

Brrrrr!  The cold has finally hit us here in Southern Minnesota!  We’ve been so lucky to have the warm winter that we’ve had so far, but I think it has finally come to an end.   It’s one of those mornings that you just want to stay in your nice fluffy robe and drink hot tea and eat a nice hearty breakfast!  So that’s just what I did, and the creative juices were flowing!  I don’t eat pork and was craving some extra protein so I decided to use our Turkey Deli meat in the eggs.  Turned out pretty darn good. This recipe is for one, so if you are cooking for others, you will want to double or triple it.  I use a griddle to cook breakfast.  On one side I cook the potatoes and the other I cook the eggs.

• 2 small red potatoes, cut into small bite size pieces
• 1 organic, free range egg
• 1 c. fresh baby kale, chopped
• A couple of slices of Harvarti cheese
• 2 slices Turkey deli meat, cut up
• Sea salt and freshly ground pepper
• 2-3 T. extra virgin olive oil

Oil a griddle and heat up.  Add the sliced potatoes and fry until they are crispy.  Mix the egg with the kale and turkey.  Pour onto hot, oiled griddle and cook, stirring often.  When the eggs are set, top with cheese and cook until the cheese is melted.  Serve with freshly squeezed organic orange juice, a hot cup of your favorite tea and a slice of whole wheat country bread with organic butter and you’re ready to go!

Food Revolution Movies

Check it out!  I’ve added a new page to my blog, “Food Revolution Movies”.   I feel that it is really important for us to educate ourselves about what is going on in our food industry.  It really is time for us to change the way food is raised and produced in this country.  We have the lowest standards of any country in the world.  Educate yourself a little bit with any of these movies, and you will be outraged, but hopefully it will inspire change.   We vote with our dollar.  Buy local, sustainably raised food, for your health and the health of the environment.

You can find any of these movies at your local library, movie store, netflix or amazon.com

Roasted Red Pepper, Tomato & Lentil Bisque

Sometimes the best recipes come when your pantry is almost bare and you’re forced to come up with someway to feed your family.  Creativity takes over and WHAM, you come up with something that tastes great!  This is one of those recipes.  I had an almost bare cupboard, and an equally almost bare wallet, so I looked at the main things I had and threw some of them together and here it is.  This soup has a creamy tomato, roasted red pepper base and is loaded with lentils and veggies.

• 4 c. vegetable broth
• 1/2 c. dry lentils
• 1 small onion, diced
• 2 carrots, sliced
• 1 large potato, cut into bite sized pieces
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 – 17 oz. carton of Pacific Brand Tomato and Roasted Red Pepper Bisque
• 1 c. frozen spinach
• 1/4 tsp. fenugreek
• 1/4 tsp. curry powder
• 1/4 tsp. turmeric
• 2-3 T. olive oil
• 1 tsp. Balsamic vinegar
• 1/4 tsp. prepared mustard (optional)

In a large dutch oven or saucepan, saute the onions and garlic in the oil until soft and fragrant.  Add the spices and saute a minute more.  Add the broth, bisque and the rest of the ingredients, cover and simmer until lentils, carrots and potatoes are tender, about 30 to 40 minutes.  Serve with a warm, crusty bread, a green salad and a glass of organic red wine!

Banana Apricot Bread

This bread is rich with flavor.  Sweetened with maple syrup and molasses, it is a moist, dark bread that is absolutely delicious.   It’s an excellent breakfast, or quick energy snack.  The recipe is one I adapted from the Natural Foods Cookbook by Mary Estella.

• 2 c. whole wheat pastry flour
• 1-1/2 tsp. baking powder
• 1/2 tsp. baking soda
• 1/2 tsp. sea salt
• 2 ripe bananas, mashed
• 2 T. apricot preserves
• 1/3 c. maple syrup
• 1/3 c. unsulphured blackstrap molasses
• 1 tsp. vanilla
• 1/2 c. water
• 1 organic, free range egg

Mix dry ingredients in large bowl.  Mash the bananas with a fork or potato masher, then add the apricot preserves, maple syrup, molasses, vanilla, water and egg.  Mix well.  Pour into oiled bread pan and bake at 375 degrees for 45 minutes or until toothpick inserted in the center comes out dry.

Nutritional Tidbit:  Unsulphured blackstrap molasses is a sweetner that is actually good for you.  Loaded with minerals such as iron, calcium, copper, maganese, potassium, and magnesium.  Unsulphured molasses does not contain the processing chemicals that regular molasses does.  It also has a better taste.

Creamy Shiitake Mushroom, Chicken and Quinoa Soup

This one is absolutely fabulous!  I’m so proud that I created it…it’s like a flavor explosion!  I was craving creamy chicken and wild rice soup, but didn’t have any rice..so I improvised with quinoa instead.  Rich with the earthy flavor of shiitake mushrooms, red wine and organic cream..you just can’t go wrong.

• 5 c. organic chicken stock
• 2 c. cut up cooked chicken
• 1/2 pint organic cream
• 1 c. dried shiitake mushrooms
• 1 c. organic red wine ( I use Our Daily Red)
• 1 c. organic fresh parsley, chopped
• 1 c. red quinoa
• 1 large potato, scrubbed and chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, chopped
• Olive oil
• 1/4 tsp. fenugreek
• 2 T. tamari
• Salt and pepper

Saute the garlic in olive oil, until brown.  Add the broth, chicken, cream, parsley, mushrooms, quinoa, potato and fenugreek.  Cover and simmer until the mushrooms are tender and the quinoa is done (about 30 minutes).  Add the red wine, tamari and salt and pepper.  Cook about 10 more minutes then serve.  Enjoy!

Nutritional Tidbit:  Do you know the health benefits of eating Shiitake mushrooms?  This mushroom is a powerful immune system stimulant.  It’s able to increase resistance to bacterial, viral and parasitic fungal infections.  They are also an excellent non-animal source of iron. 

Read more about this incredible medicinal mushroom here:  http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=foodspice&dbid=122

Homestyle Chicken Noodle Soup

When I say homestyle, I mean it!  This was my first ever attempt to create a chicken noodle soup from the ground up, starting with boiling a whole chicken to make the broth.  Wow!  What a wonderful taste difference from using packaged broth!  I don’t think I’ll ever go back.  You can always assume that I use organically grown vegetables, especially potatoes and carrots.  Conventionally grown just don’t taste as good.

• 1 small roasting chicken
• 2 large potatoes, scrubbed and cut into bite size pieces
• 4 carrots, sliced
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 8 oz. package egg noodles (I used pappardelle style noodles, found at Trader Joe’s)
• 1 tsp. Rosemary
• 2 tsp. Thyme
• Pinch of Tumeric and Fenugreek
• Salt and pepper
• 1/2 c. Fresh parsley
• water

Clean chicken and place in a large dutch oven.  Cover with water.  Add garlic, herbs, spices and salt and pepper.  Boil, covered for about 1 hour or until chicken is cooked through.  Remove chicken from pan and cut meat from the bones.  Add meat back to the broth along with the carrots and potatoes.  Cover and simmer until potatoes and carrots are tender.  Add the noodles and the parsley and cook until noodles are done.  Adjust seasonings and serve.

 

Nutritional Tidbit:  Parsley is rich in anti-dioxidants, vitamin C and vitamin A.  It’s also a good source of folic acid.  Read more about the benefits of this incredible food at http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=foodspice&dbid=100.