Lighter cooking and simpler flavors is a great way to get your body in shape for the warmer weather. In winter our bodies tend towards stagnation, mimicking the plants and trees around us. The following dish is wonderful to make use of the wide array of spring vegetables and shed that winter sluggishness (and those pounds)!
Blanched Spring Vegetables
Wash and slice your favorite spring farmer’s market vegetables including summer squash, daikon, brussel sprouts, zucchini, carrots, sugar snap and snow peas, fennel, asparagus, red radishes, purple broccoli, celery, cucumber, tomato. Bring a large pot of water to a boil with a few large pinches sea salt. Start with the summer squash and immerse in the water. Cover pot and bring water to a boil again. Once the water starts boiling, the squash should almost immediately turn brighter in color. Remove with a small strainer. Bring water back up to a boil before immersing the next vegetable. Purple broccoli should go last as it will color the water. Celery is nice blanched, but cucumber and tomato should be served raw. Sprinkle with chopped spring herbs such as oregano, thyme, sage, dill, mint, scallions, chives, parsley, or make a
Spring Herb Hummus, with lemon for dipping the vegetables.
Puree (or hand mash with a potato masher or fork) 1-2 cups cooked chickpeas with the juice of 1 lemon, 1 minced shallot, a few drops ume vinegar or pinches sea salt and optional couple tablespoons tahini and oil (olive or sesame), the zest of 1 lemon, and 1 clove minced garlic. You can also add the leftover cooking water from the chickpeas (or plain water) for a lighter and creamier hummus. At the end stir in fresh chopped spring herbs as listed above and/or blanched shelled fava beans, blanched green peas, or raw chopped watercress.
Greens are especially cleansing for the spring, and extremely nutrient dense too. Wild spring greens to try, include chickweed, dandelion, sorrel, chicory, malva, violet, mustard greens, nettles, and watercress. Use these greens in a fresh salad, a grain or bean salad, a quick sauté, or finely minced and added to soup at the last minute. I make it a habit to find a new green, or long forgotten one, on each of my weekly visits to the farmers market! The following soup is delicious and a great cleanse too!
Creamy Greens Soup
Slice 2 large zucchini (or 4 small) into large chunks. Steam with a few pinches sea salt or tablespoon sweet white miso and optional 1 clove chopped garlic until zucchini is fork tender. Add to a blender with chopped tender spring greens such as arugula, watercress, lemon balm, or lightly steamed kale. Blend and enjoy!
Tip: add leftover cooked brown rice to the blender for an ever thicker, creamier soup!
4.24.2008
4.09.2008
Miso in the Morning for improved digestion/metabolism
A small bowl of miso soup, three to four times per week can have a very positive effect on overall health. Weight gain has a lot to do with food getting “stuck” inside us and not being properly absorbed and eliminated. Miso increases digestive enzymes by creating the environment in the intestines for the good bacteria to thrive.
It’s especially beneficial to consume miso in the morning, it gets the intestines and stomach revved up and ready to work; for a day of breaking down, absorbing, and eliminating all we eat. In terms of weight loss, having proper digestion can be compared to an optimum metabolic function.
The second factor in weight gain is consuming too much food. It’s true that people who have breakfast eat less during the day than those who don’t have a morning meal. The simplest form of miso soup is miso paste and water, but it can also include wakame, scallions, onions, broccoli, carrots, kale, radishes, cabbage, tofu, leftover rice or noodles, and any type of vegetable. Our bodies love the nutrients in all these foods. And, eating healthy food eventually leads to healthy food cravings! Miso in the morning will put you on the road to good health for the entire day.
As miso increases digestion and absorption, it helps in remedying irritable bowel syndrome, constipation, and diarrhea. If you are prone to constipation, use half the amount of miso paste recommended below.
Miso paste can be purchased at any health food store in New York. An aged barley or brown rice miso has the most enzymes (which is what provides that good bacteria). Look for a 2-3 year aged miso. The brand Mitoku has the best ones!!!
Miso soup for 1:
Heat 1 cup water in a small saucepan. Add chopped or sliced vegetables, tofu, and wakame.
In a small bowl or teacup place 1 tablespoon miso. Take 2 tablespoons of hot water from the soup pot and add to the miso. Stir, to dissolve the miso in the water and form a thinner paste.
When water in saucepan is simmering, add the dissolved miso. Stir. Return to a light simmer and cook for 1 more minute (this activates the enzymes but doesn’t kill them).
Garnish the soup with chopped scallions, parsley, or cilantro.
A Tip for Busy People: make this soup the night before; in the morning, heat the soup, and add to a Nissan Brand container. It will keep the soup piping hot and you can sip it when you get to work. Better than coffee!
It’s especially beneficial to consume miso in the morning, it gets the intestines and stomach revved up and ready to work; for a day of breaking down, absorbing, and eliminating all we eat. In terms of weight loss, having proper digestion can be compared to an optimum metabolic function.
The second factor in weight gain is consuming too much food. It’s true that people who have breakfast eat less during the day than those who don’t have a morning meal. The simplest form of miso soup is miso paste and water, but it can also include wakame, scallions, onions, broccoli, carrots, kale, radishes, cabbage, tofu, leftover rice or noodles, and any type of vegetable. Our bodies love the nutrients in all these foods. And, eating healthy food eventually leads to healthy food cravings! Miso in the morning will put you on the road to good health for the entire day.
As miso increases digestion and absorption, it helps in remedying irritable bowel syndrome, constipation, and diarrhea. If you are prone to constipation, use half the amount of miso paste recommended below.
Miso paste can be purchased at any health food store in New York. An aged barley or brown rice miso has the most enzymes (which is what provides that good bacteria). Look for a 2-3 year aged miso. The brand Mitoku has the best ones!!!
Miso soup for 1:
Heat 1 cup water in a small saucepan. Add chopped or sliced vegetables, tofu, and wakame.
In a small bowl or teacup place 1 tablespoon miso. Take 2 tablespoons of hot water from the soup pot and add to the miso. Stir, to dissolve the miso in the water and form a thinner paste.
When water in saucepan is simmering, add the dissolved miso. Stir. Return to a light simmer and cook for 1 more minute (this activates the enzymes but doesn’t kill them).
Garnish the soup with chopped scallions, parsley, or cilantro.
A Tip for Busy People: make this soup the night before; in the morning, heat the soup, and add to a Nissan Brand container. It will keep the soup piping hot and you can sip it when you get to work. Better than coffee!
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