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Eating with the Seasons

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This article is inspired by and adapted from our a lecture from our Traditional Chinese Medicine professor, Dr Clara Cohen, who practices in Port Moody BC and teaches at BINM. Check out her website here http://www.claracohen.com. And if you’re in her area, we highly suggest seeing her for acupuncture treatments – not only is she an effective practitioner, but she is a one-of-a-kind person that you’ll love to meet.

Visit your local favourite farmer’s market to choose foods that are currently in season.

SPRING

  • Emphasize light meals with young green plants (baby carrots, spinach, baby lettuces) & sprouts (alfalfa, sunflower, lentil). 
  • Use pungent herbs such as fennel, basil, rosemary, caraway & dill.
  • Avoid salty foods.
  • Raw food is good during this time if you tend to be a warm/hot person, but not if you feel deficient and rather weak.
  • Cooking: use methods with shorter cooking time (light steaming, sauté, stirfry).
  • Psychology: Time to cleanse, give attention to self awareness.


LATE SUMMER & END OF ALL SEASONS (2 week period)

  • Keep meals simple & mostly bland.
  • Minimize seasoning & spice.
  • Choose cooling foods such as apples (especially granny smith), watermelon, cucumber, celery, yogurt, seaweed, and peppermint.
  • This is a great time for fresh salads! All lettuce & leafy greens are not only tasty during this season but also cooling.
  • Late season cooking: do not use oil too much in cooking.
  • Psychology: follow your natural rhythms & cycles, meditate, reassess.

FALL

  • Use sour and fermented foods (sauerkraut, lemons, vinegar, sourdough, yogurt).
  • Kale & chard are very nice fall greens during this time.
  • Don’t be shy with spices during this time – get creative with curry, cumin, garlic, basil, rosemary & thyme.
  • A great time to do canning & preserving.
  • Fall Cooking: Cook for longer period of time but at lower heat. Bake & sautée with really flavourful foods (the kitchen should smell delicious!).
  • Psychology:  reflecting and planning for the winter ahead.

WINTER

  • Choose warming foods such as whole grains (quinoa, oat, spelt), seeds & nuts (walnuts, almonds, sunflower & sesame seeds), adzuki & black beans.
  • Warm hearty soups are a great way to warm up during the winter months. Include root veggies such as parsnip, squash, and yam.
  • Use only a little salt during this time. 
  • Winter cooking: cook by roasting or simmering for a long time.
  • Psychology: be more introspective and storage oriented. Rest, meditate, go to bed early, stay active but don’t overdo it.
Happy Cooking!

Prayer for Self-Love by Don Miguel Ruiz

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PRAYER FOR SELF-LOVE

By Don Miguel Ruiz, taken from his book “The Mastery of Love” 

Today, Creator of the Universe, we ask that you help us to accept ourselves just the way we are, without judgment. Help us to accept our mind the way it is, with all our emotions, our hopes and dreams, our personality, our unique way of being. Help us to accept our body just the way it is, with all its beauty and perfection. Let the love we have for ourselves be so strong that we never again reject ourselves or sabotage our happiness, freedom, and love.

From now on, let every action, every reaction, every thought, every emotion, be based on love. Help us, Creator, to increase our self-love until the entire dream of our life is transformed, from fear and drama to love and joy. Let the power of our self-love be strong enough to break all the lies we were programmed to believe – all the lies that tell us we are not good enough, or strong enough, or intelligent enough, that we cannot make it. Let the power of our self-love be so strong that we no longer need to live our life according to other people’s opinions. Let us trust ourselves completely to make the choices we must make. With our self-love, we are no longer afraid to face any responsibility in our life or face any problems and resolve them as they arise. Whatever we want to accomplish, let it be done with the power of our self-love.

Starting today, help us to love ourselves so much that we never set up any circumstances that go against us. We can live our life being ourselves and not pretending to be someone else just to be accepted by other people. We no longer need other people to accept us or tell us how good we are because we know what we are. With the power of our self-love, let us enjoy what we see every time we look in the mirror. Let there be a big smile on our face that enhances our inner and outer beauty. Help us to feel such intense self-love that we always enjoy our own presence.

Let us love ourselves without judgment, because when we judge, we carry blame and guilt, we have the need for punishment, and we lose the perspective of our love. Strengthen our will to forgive ourselves in this moment. Clean our minds of emotional poison and self-judgments so we can live in complete peace and love.

Let our self-love be the power that changes the dream of our life. With this new power in our hearts, the power of self-love, let us transform every relationship we have, beginning with the relationship we have with ourselves. Help us to be free of any conflict with others. Let us be happy to share our time with our loved ones and to forgive them for any injustice we feel in our mind. Help us to love ourselves so much that we forgive anyone who has ever hurts us in our life.

Give us the courage to love our family and friends unconditionally, and to change our relationships in the most positive way. Help us to create new channels of communication in our relationships so there is no war of control, there is no winner or loser. Together let us work as a team for love, for joy, for harmony.

Let our relationships with our family and friends be based on respect and joy so we no longer have the need to tell them how to think or how to be. Let our romantic relationship be the most wonderful relationship; let us feel joy every time we share ourselves with our partner. Help us to accept others just the way they are, without judgment, because when we reject them, we reject ourselves. When we reject ourselves, we reject you.

Today is a new beginning. Help us to start our life over beginning today with the power of self-love. Help us to enjoy our life, to enjoy our relationships, to explore life, to take risks, to be alive, and to no longer live in fear of love. Let us open our heart to the love that is our birthright. Help us to be come Masters of Gratitude, Generosity, and Love so that we can enjoy all of your creations forever and ever. Amen. 

5 Ways to Make Water Taste Good

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5 ways to make getting your 8 cups of water per day easier.

 

1. CITRUS – Add slices of organic lemon or lime to water to add a bit of zest to regular water.

2.  GINGER – Chop up fresh ginger and boil it in water. This can be drank as a hot or cold tea.

 3.HERBS – Mint, lemongrass, and parsley are great for adding aroma and a hint of green to your water. Chopping up the herbs before adding to water helps to release the taste of the herbs.

4. CUCUMBER – Adding slices of cucumber to your water gives it a refreshing taste.

 5. BERRIES – Cut or crush a few blueberries or strawberries into your water to give it a sweet, fruity flavor. You can also make ice cubes out of crushed berries and add them to your water for a nice summer drink.

 

 

 

 

Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins (gluten & dairy free, vegan)

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Yummm fresh out of the oven!

These muffins are delicious as a snack or sweet treat. Investing in good dark chocolate chips is the key ingredient here! We use organic 70% dark chocolate chips from Corn Crib but any dark or semi-sweet chocolate chip will do. 

This recipe was modified from the ‘Banana’Walnut Muffins’ recipe from the awesome “Whole Life Nutrition Cookbook” (see their website for more amazing recipes, health information & information on their cookbooks http://www.nourishingmeals.com).

*Sensitive to corn & want to avoid xanthan gum? Check out the Banana Blueberry Walnut Muffin recipe for substitutions for xanthan gum.

Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins (gluten & dairy free, vegan)
 
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Banana and chocolate chips will always be a classic combination for muffins.
Author:
Recipe type: gluten-free baking
Serves: 12-16 muffins
Ingredients
  • 2 ½ cups brown rice flour
  • ½ cup tapioca starch
  • ¼ cup ­each brown & raw cane sugar
  • 2 tsp baking powder
  • 1 ½ tsp xanthan gum (omit if you are corn-sensitive)
  • 1 tsp baking soda
  • ½ tsp salt
  • ½ cup uncooked millet (optional)
  • 2 cups mashed ripe bananas
  • 1 cup vanilla ‘mylk’ (rice, almond, coconut, hemp, etc), near-room temp
  • ¼ cup coconut oil, melted
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • 1 ½ cup dark chocolate chips (organic, if possible)
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 375 F. Lightly oil muffin tins or line with paper cups.
  2. In a large bowl, combine brown rice flour, tapioca starch, sugar, xanthan gum, baking soda, baking powder & sea salt. Mix together well.
  3. Place bananas in a 4 cup measuring cup or bowl, and mash with a fork. It should measure about 2 cups. (*Tip: to prevent coconut oil from clumping, use fresh ripe bananas or if you use frozen bananas, ensure that they are at room temperature.)
  4. Mix melted coconut oil with near-room temperature 'milk', vanilla extract, and mashed bananas.
  5. Pour wet ingredients into dry ingredients bowl and mix together – take caution not to overmix. Fold in chocolate chips & uncooked millet.
  6. Spoon batter into muffin tins until about ¾ to full (for smaller muffins, or completely full for larger muffins). Bake at 375 F for about 20-25 mins.
  7. Gently take muffins out of muffin tin (may need to loosen sides with a knife) and place onto wire rack to cool.

Banana Blueberry Walnut Muffins (gluten & dairy free, vegan)

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I <3 Muffins!

Muffins are a great snack to have around for a quick bite when you’re on-the-go or need a little fuel to get you through the morning or afternoon. These muffins are both moist & hearty with a nice crunch from the walnuts. They are sure to impress the whole household!

A word about ‘xanthan gum’: Xanthan gum is a powder added to gluten-free baking to provide a ‘gluten’ texture to the baked goods. However, many people’s digestive systems do not tolerate this gum well, because it is derived from corn and, well, it is ‘gummy’. So you may want to consider replacing this ingredient with egg, ground flax seed, or ground chia seed. Or, you can omit it in most cookie & muffin recipes and not really notice a different in the texture. But it is best to keep xanthan gum in your gluten-free pancake, cake & bread recipes whenever it is called for.

Substitution for xanthan gum:

1. If you want to add a little fluffiness to any gluten-free recipe, you can always add a whisked egg or two to the wet ingredients. 

2. In a small bowl, add 1 Tbsp ground flax or chia seed with 2 Tbsp hot water. Let sit for 3-5 mins and add to wet ingredients.

Banana Blueberry Walnut Muffins (gluten & dairy free, vegan)
 
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Prep time
Cook time
Total time
 
These muffins are a modified version of the classic Banana Chocolate Chip muffins (also gluten and dairy-free!)
Author:
Recipe type: gluten-free baking
Serves: 12-16 muffins
Ingredients
  • 2 ½ cups brown rice flour
  • ½ cup tapioca starch
  • ¼ cup ­each brown & raw cane sugar
  • 2 tsp baking powder
  • 1 ½ tsp xanthan gum (*see the 'A word about xanthan gum' post for substituting xanthan gum)
  • 1 tsp baking soda
  • ½ tsp salt
  • 2 cups mashed ripe bananas
  • 1 cup vanilla ‘mylk’ (rice, almond, coconut, hemp, etc)
  • ¼ cup coconut oil, melted
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • 1-2 cups frozen or fresh blueberries
  • 1 cup walnut pieces
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 375 F. Lightly oil muffin tins or line with paper cups.
  2. In a large bowl, combine brown rice flour, tapioca starch, sugar, xanthan gum, baking soda, baking powder & sea salt. Mix together well.
  3. Place bananas in a 4 cup measuring cup or bowl, and mash with a fork. It should measure about 2 cups.
  4. Add melted coconut oil to dry ingredients and stir vigorously until there are several small clumps (it doesn't have to be perfect, it's just one way to avoid the melted coconut oil from clumping when colder ingredients are added).
  5. Mix milk & vanilla into mashed bananas.
  6. Pour wet ingredients into dry ingredients bowl and mix together. Fold in blueberries and walnuts.
  7. Spoon batter into muffin tins until about ¾ to full (for smaller muffins, or completely full for larger muffins). Bake at 375 F for about 20-25 mins.
  8. Gently take muffins out of muffin tin (may need to loosen sides with a knife) and place onto wire rack to cool.
  9. Enjoy!

Our Favorite Falafel Recipe (gluten-free, vegan)

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OUR FAVORITE FALAFEL RECIPE (gluten-free, vegan)

This is the best falafel recipe we have come up with so far! It’s an adaptation of many different recipes & has taken some time to perfect. If you have other suggestions on improvements or you’ve made successful changes, be sure to let us know! Hummus is a great addition, as well as the dips & sauces we recommended here. But feel free to get creative and serve these tasty falafels with anything that you wish.

One of Nick’s favorite ways to get creative is to shape the falafels into little hearts – this makes for an artistic and lovely meal 🙂

 

Nick’s special heart-shaped falafels with side of tahini lemon sauce, cucumber tzaziki dip, hummus & sliced cucumber.

Ingredients

  • 4 cups chickpeas (or 2 x 15-oz cans)
  • 1-2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 2 tsp cumin, ground
  • 1 tsp each ground coriander & turmeric
  • 1 tsp salt
  • ½ cup finely onion, minced (or 6 scallions, minced)
  • ¼ cup packed parsley, minced
  • ¼ cup water (a splash more if you used dried parsley)
  • 1 Tbsp lemon juice
  • a few dashes of cayenne (and a few dashes more for a bit of spice)
  • 1/3 cup gluten-free flour (we use Bob’s Redmill All Purpose Gluten-Free Flour)

Directions

– Rinse chickpeas & drain them well.

– Combine all ingredients but flour in a food processor (or mash in a bowl) until you have a uniform batter.

– Add flour and stir until thoroughly combined. (You can cook them now, or store in a covered container for several days)

Cook via frying:

– Heat a heavy skillet and add about 3 Tbsp oil over medium-high heat. When a drop of the batter sizzles when dropped into the oil, start dropping tablespoons full into the oil, flattening with the spoon so that you have small pancakes. Cook about 5 minutes per side; or until it is crisp on the outside and still soft on the inside.

– Place on paper towels to soak up grease & serve with your favorite sauce, dip, hummus, and pita.

Cook via baking (lower fat and still really tasty!):

– Preheat oven to 400F. Grease a baking pan & make batter into 1.5” balls (or 2” heart shapes) & flatten them to 1/2” – 3/4 “ thickness

– Bake for 10 mins one side, flip & bake another 10 mins the other side. Then broil 2 mins each side.

Recommended Sauce & Dip Recipes:

Tahini-Lemon Sauce Yields 1- 1 ½ cups (from Moosewood Cookbook)

  • ¾ cup sesame tahini
  • 5 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice
  • 1 medium garlic clove, minced
  • ¾ – 1 cup water
  • Salt to taste
  • Fresh parsley
  • Cayenne to taste (optional)

– Place tahini, lemon juice and garlic in a food processor or blender. Begin to process.

– With the motor running, add water until sauce reaches desired consistency (thinner than peanut butter, thicker than mayonnaise, in my opinion).

– Transfer to a small bowl or container, and season with salt, parsley, and cayenne if you want a little kick. Cover and refrigerate until you’re ready.

Cucumber-Tzaziki Dip

  • 1 cucumber
  • 1 clove garlic, minced
  • 1 Tbsp dill (dried, more if fresh)
  • dash salt & pepper
  • 2-3 dallops plain yogurt or sour cream

– Blend all ingredients together and serve.