Autumn Recipes – Foods You Should Be Eating In Autumn
“According to Chinese Medicine, there are foods that can heal you and foods that can harm you, based on your imbalance or constitutional make up. These foods are classified by their elemental affiliation, temperature, season, flavor, and their balance. As a general rule, always eat foods that are in season, local, and never over eat one flavor.” Read more
Fire Cider
Warms and Detoxifies the Body, Boosts the Immune System
Ingredients:
• 1 quart mason jar with lid
• Wax paper
• 1/2 cup peeled and diced horseradish
• 1/2 cup peeled and diced garlic
• 1/2 cup peeled and diced onion
• 1/4 cup peeled and diced ginger
• 1/4 cup peeled and diced turmeric
• 1 Habanero chile, split in half
• 1 orange, quartered and thinly sliced crosswise
• 1/2 lemon, quartered and thinly sliced crosswise
• 1/2 cup chopped parsley
• 2 tablespoons chopped rosemary
• 2 tablespoons chopped thyme
• 1 teaspoon black peppercorns
• 2 to 3 cups raw, unfiltered apple cider vinegar
• 1/4 cup raw honey, or more to taste
Directions:
• Place all of the vegetables, fruits, herbs, and spices in a clean 1-quart jar.
• Fill the jar with vinegar, covering all the ingredients and making sure there are no air bubbles.
• Cap the jar. If using a metal lid, place a piece of wax paper between the jar and the lid to prevent corrosion from the vinegar.
• Shake well.
• Let the jar sit for 3 to 6 weeks, shaking daily (or as often as you remember).
• Strain the vinegar into a clean jar.
• Add honey to taste.
• Refrigerate and use within a year.
This recipe can be considered an herbal tonic. It is an herbal antibiotic. For preventative measure you could take ½ to 1 teaspoon a day. If you are sick, take 1 to 2 tablespoons every 3 hours. You may also use this as a salad dressing, on steamed vegetables, as a marinade, or in soups or chili. Refrigerate, and will last up to a year.
Daikon Radish Soup
Clears Phlegm from Lungs, Drains Dampness, Aids in Digestion
Ingredients: Makes 4 Servings
• 1 pot
• 1 small daikon radish, peeled and diced. (About 2 cups)
• 1 1” piece of fresh ginger, peeled and grated
• 1 tablespoon of tangerine powder or 1 large piece (4 grams) of dried tangerine peel
• 4 cups of water
• Salt
Condiments:
• Chopped green onions
• Chopped cilantro
• Lime juice
• White pepper
• A few drops of sesame oil
Directions:
• Combine the daikon, ginger, dried tangerine peel, and water in a pot.
• Bring to a boil, then lower heat to a simmer.
• Cover pot and simmer for 30 minutes. The daikon will become soft.
• Add salt to taste.
• Serve with condiments on the side.
Daikon radish soup is especially good for anyone suffering from a wet cough; should be eaten twice a day. There is a Chinese saying: “When farmers put daikon on the market, doctors are out of business.”
Augmenting Asparagus Soup
Moistens the Lungs, Clears Heat, Counteracts Cough, Calms the Shen*
Ingredients: Makes 4 servings, can substitute ham instead of seafood.
• 1 medium size pot
• 1 heaping tablespoon of dried lily bulb (Bai He)
• 5 cups of chicken or vegetable broth
• ½ cup of rice wine
• ½ cup of enoki mushrooms, shiitake, or oyster mushrooms
• 1 heaping tablespoon of goji berries
• 1 1” piece of fresh ginger, peeled and minced
• 4-5 cloves of garlic, peeled and minced
• A ¾ lb bunch of asparagus, cut into 1” pieces, (discard hard bottom ends), separate the tips.
• ½ lb of crab meat, shelled shrimp, or cooked ham
• ¼ teaspoon of salt, or to taste
• 1 tablespoon of soy sauce, or to taste
• ¼ cup of chopped cilantro (optional)
Directions:
• Soak the lily bulb in warm water for 30 minutes, then drain.
• In a medium size pot, add the broth and rice wine together.
• Bring to a boil.
• Add the lily bulb, enoki mushrooms, goji berries, ginger, and garlic.
• Allow soup to return to a boil.
• Reduce heat to a simmer with a cover slightly ajar for 25 minutes.
• Add the asparagus stalks and meat, and cook for about 1 minute.
• Add the asparagus tips, and cook for an additional 5 minutes, or until asparagus is tender.
• Add salt, or soy sauce to taste, and garnish with cilantro.
Chai Tea
Engenders Fluids, Warms the body, Boosts the Immune System, Clears Heat & Phlegm
Ingredients: (serves 8 cups)
1 tablespoon fennel seed
6 green cardamom pods
12 whole cloves
1 cinnamon stick
1 (1/4-inch) piece ginger root, peeled and thinly sliced
6 black peppercorns
7 cups water
2 tablespoons Darjeeling tea
4 tablespoons brown sugar
1 cup milk
Directions
1. In a medium saucepan, combine the fennel seed, cardamom, cloves, cinnamon stick, ginger root, peppercorns and 7 cups of water.
2. Boil for 5 minutes.
3. Remove from the heat and steep for 10 minutes.
4. Add the tea, bring to a boil, reduce the heat, and simmer 5 minutes.
5. Strain mixture, discard spices and return the tea to the saucepan.
6. Stir in the brown sugar and milk.
7. Serve immediately.
As with all recipes I offer to my patients, I strongly encourage them to be creative. I give enough to be a start, but everything is to taste. Some people may add allspice, nutmeg, or star anise. This is for your enjoyment. Also the sugar is necessary to help encourage the flavors of the spices. Think of sugar as a spice and not the main component of the meal. This rings true for the milk too. Some may be on strict diets, in that case become creative, try a milk and sugar substitute.
Shen is usually translated as “spirit” and refers to that aspect of our being that is spiritual