Tag: real food (Page 2 of 20)

Dawn Chorus Herbal Tea Recipe for Spring

April 7, 2019 / Lindsey / 0 Comments

It is Spring. Brown and barren, with the greenery of hyacinth bulbs barely beginning to nose up through the dry soil. Now and then, a wet snowstorm, slush, and mud. This is Early Spring in Colorado, giving way to a period of ephemeral, rarefied beauty that makes it difficult to keep eyes on the road as one drives around a city. Millions of fragrant light pink, dark pink, and white crabapple blossoms filling tree after tree, petals fluttering in every direction on the breeze. Fuchsia redbud trees in protected corners with an iridescent glow on gray days. Cheerful tulips and hyacinth and green grass in front yards. Bushes bowing heavily with lilacs. Fresh spring rain showers. Robins, finches, sparrows, blue jays, flickers — nearly constant birdsong from dawn until dusk. What a feast for our senses.

It is around this time that this winter-lover’s eyes begin to really crave green. It is so nice to see the green!!

I have also rediscovered an old favorite herbal tea blend called Dawn Chorus — it’s a nice one for Spring. Mountain Rose Herbs gets the credit for this one, but it’s such a simple blend that I reverse-engineered a recipe for it quite a while ago. Mountain Rose is so often out of stock on stuff and their shipping is so expensive, that I stopped using them — but I still love this tea blend. My own recipe might have more rose petals in it, which is even nicer than the original.

Dawn Chorus tea blend:

1 part green rooibos (or red rooibos, for a taste that’s different but every bit as good in this blend)

1 part stinging nettles leaf, dried

1 part rose petals, dried

Mix together.

Put a heaping teaspoon into an infuser* in your mug. Add boiling water, steep for 5-10 minutes, squeeze out, add milk!

Then sit down and enjoy it. I am a big tea drinker. A chain tea drinker. I used to have a rule where I had to sit down while I drank my cup of tea. Over time, the rule faded and I’d be up chopping vegetables between sips of tea, starting a load of laundry with a cup of tea in my hand, going out to get the mail with my cup of tea, cleaning up and taking things from room to room with my cup of tea, writing emails with my cup of tea. I’ve recently decided to follow this rule again, most of the time. Taking that quiet moment feels good.

*Infusers! There are so many crappy ones. My favorite is the People’s Brew Basket in stainless steel (made by Republic of Tea — I get this locally at the health food store for about $3.50) and this one which is good for wide mugs. Fill-able tea bags are also sold, but you can make your own with coffee filters like this:

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Green Smoothie: Pineapple-Banana-Spinach-Chia

February 7, 2016 / Lindsey / 0 Comments

Green smoothie, (c) The Herbangardener

I made up this green smoothie recipe a couple weeks ago and it’s becoming a favorite. Not too elaborate, tastes good, just right. The proportions are easy so I’m pretty much guaranteed a tasty result.

Pineapple-Banana-Spinach-Chia Green Smoothie

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Half a pineapple – Cut off the rind, and cut into chunks.*

1 banana

1 Tbsp chia seeds soaked in 2/3 cup water**

1 handful (5 medium) ice cubes

~1/2 cup cold water (in addition to what chia soaked in)

3 oz of fresh spinach (One big handful)

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Put everything except the spinach into your blender. Begin blending. About half way thru, add the spinach. Finish blending and serve.

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* If you’ve got a good blender, like a Vitamix, include the core of the pineapple since there’s nutrition in it.

** The way I do chia is add the chia seeds and water to a small jar, shake the jar, leave on the counter all day or overnight, shaking a couple times, then pop into the fridge to wait for the next time I make a smoothie. If you’re doing the chia then and there, soak for 10 or 15 minutes before adding to the blender.

Green smoothie ingredients, (c) The Herbangardener

Soaked chia seeds, (c) The Herbangardener

Green smoothie (c) The Herbangardener

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Kitchen Tip: Freeze your extra eggs

January 9, 2015 / Lindsey / 1 Comment

Did you know? You can most certainly freeze eggs! I’ve never read about this handy tip but I’m sure others have done it. For the past year I’ve been freezing my extra eggs and they turn out great. I use them mostly in baking, but also for scrambled eggs or an omelet.

And let’s not think about Easter yet, but this is a great thing to do with the contents of the eggs you blow out for your Easter Egg Tree.

Here’s how I freeze them:

1. Crack egg into a small plastic container. Snap the top on and shake it until the egg is scrambled.

2. With the top still on, place in the freezer till frozen solid.

3. Remove from the freezer, and let the container stand on the counter till it’s melted just enough to pop the egg-disc out.

4. Place into a freezer bag. Thaw at room temperature whenever you need an egg!

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Yay garden!

August 30, 2013 / Lindsey / 3 Comments

And of course, no post is complete without…

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Japanese Squash and Soba Soup

January 27, 2013 / Lindsey / 0 Comments

This soup is incredible; I could hardly stop eating it. It’s light and different and so flavorful, and it’s quick to make.

It’s based upon this recipe from Martha Stewart Living magazine, except I leave out the tofu — and even the soba noodles could easily be optional, as they add more in the way of texture and filler, rather than flavor. The real flavor is from the broth, squash, mushrooms, and scallions. Just like that it is absolutely delicious, and would be a good Paleo dish to add to your repertoire.

Japanese Squash & Mushroom Soup

5 cups water (for out of this world soup, use bone broth — either beef or chicken bones simmered for many hours in water)

3/4 oz dried kombu seaweed (kelp)

1/3 cup dried bonito flakes, lightly packed

2 Tbsp soy sauce, plus more for seasoning (I highly recommend Ohsawa Organic Nama Shoyu!)

1 lb kabocha, buttercup, or butternut winter squash, peeled and cut into 1/2″ dice

3 1/2 oz shiitake mushrooms, sliced if large

8 oz soba noodles, preferably 100% buckwheat (feel free to cut down to 4 oz, or even leave these out altogether)

Scallions, thinly sliced for garnish

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Boil water and kombu together in a large saucepan. Remove from heat, stir in bonito flakes, and let sit 5 minutes.

Pour through a fine sieve into a bowl, and return liquid (it’s now called “dashi”) to pan. Discard solids, or save only the kombu to reuse.

Add the soy sauce, squash, and mushrooms to the dashi. Bring to a boil over high heat, and then reduce heat, cover, and simmer for about 10 minutes or until the squash is tender. Stir it now and then if you think of it.

While the soup is cooking, cook the soba noodles separately. This is important since 100% buckwheat soba, especially, will turn its cooking water murky and starchy-slimy. So, bring water to a boil (salted or not, your choice) and cook the soba according to the package, about 7 or 8 minutes. Don’t overcook it. When it’s done, drain and rinse in cold water — to stop the cooking and rinse away the starch.

Ladle the soup into bowls, add the soba noodles, and top with scallions. Serve with soy sauce at the table in case anyone would like to add more.

Eat!! Yum!!

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