Great recipe: Swamp Water (Don’t judge by the name)
One of my favorite ways to use vegetables is fondly called swamp water. As some may know, I have been a “plant/vegetable” person for all my life, an am enamored immensely by beautiful, fresh veggies. As excellent as salad is, sometimes cooked vegetables are more easily assimilated by our bodies, especially during the colder months.
Indeed it is said that a 100 degree soup is the most easily digested food. If you think of our digestive organs as alchemical vessels, which transform food into energy and blood that fuels our lives, why not facilitate this process, easing the warming and early processing of these vital nutrients? There is a global multitude of recipes that can meet this end, but I would like to demonstrate the simplicity and utility of this process:
Gather vegetables in your veggie bin, CSA box, garden, or just hanging around. Any combination will do. Add fresh herbs and/or weeds such as dandelion or nettle when available. If you have any particular stock, you can include it. A potato adds body and creaminess but is not necessary. Cook these in a pot briefly, immersed in some liquid (water or stock). Include some alliums: ramps, garlic, onion, shallot, etc.
Season to taste with the likes of sea salt, pepper, soy, bragg’s, any vinegars, oils or citrus juices as well as any spices you like- note that there is usually plenty of flavor already! After testing for taste, simply puree as you like and enjoy. I use an affordable hand-held device from Kmart to puree my soup right in the cooking pot. A blender or food processor also works, but the “wand” device makes it easy, without transferring contents from the soup pot.
I have found this recipe “foolproof” as well as one of a kind. Each batch is a healthful adventure, in my mind even good for breakfast, and it will never let you down.
Kale Cake
This is an easy, portable way to use the bounty of kale or other greens from the garden. It can be make with nettle, dandelion, lambs’ quarters, beet tops, mustard or turnip greens, chard or spinach.
Gather a large armful of kale
Rinse, then blanch briefly in batches in a large stockpot (OK to use stems)
Cool and chop roughly
In a mixing bowl, moisten kale with two or three beaten eggs. Add salt and pepper
Optional ingredients, generally1-3:
Fresh marjoram, basil, rosemary, lemon thyme or lovage leaves
Garlic, scapes, ramps, onion or shallot, sautéed or carmelized
Feta, parmesan, blue cheese or gruyere (doesn’t need a lot of cheese)
Mushrooms
Combine all ingredients and mix well. If mixture seems too dry, you can add some milk, stock, or another egg.
Press into a greased 9 by 13 baking dish.
Cook until browned in a 350 oven- about 20 min but check earlier.
Cool, cut into small squares. This stuff is good at any temperature and can be used as a sandwich filling, a party appetizer or a quick on the go snack.
Pink Pancakes
This is a fun party food that is a take on latkes. You can even make healthy creamy sauce for it with homemade raw goat milk yogurt, or store-bought plain yogurt with chopped herbs, salt, pepper and citrus juice or zest.
3 carrots, 3 beets, 1 medium to large shallot, and 2or 3 smallish potatoes.
Grate veggies: I do the potatoes first, put them in a bowl of water to soak, then the beets and carrots in a separate bowl. No need to peel.
Slice the shallot into thin strips and add to beet-carrot mix.
Add 1 or 2 eggs, a bit of flour-whole grain is fine, not much is needed.
Add a rational amount of salt and pepper.
Squeeze water from potatoes handful by handful and gradually add to mixture. Mix should hold together, but still have a defined grated vegetable look. Adding the potatoes gradually at the end lets you modulate the consistency without missing out on the extra nutritious ingredients. When mixed to your satisfaction, form into small pancakes with your hands- I favor 2in. diameter- and simply bake or pan fry until done. I have also tried this spread in a cookie sheet as a homogenous mass and baked. The result was interesting if a bit crude. I think this would also be good made with daikon, rutabaga, parsnips or broccoli stems.
A Dip/ Spread
to Nourish each Element/Organ system
These dips are variations of bean dips, which are made around the world. Different colors and ingredients have affinity with different elements and organs, so if you know you need a boost somewhere, you can help yourself.
If you are feeling ambitious, a combo of any or all of these dips are fun. I usually serve them with various raw chopped vegetable and whole wheat pita wedges, but they are very versatile: I have even thinned out leftovers with water or stock and made decent soups!
Food and herbs are on a continuum, and cooking with herbs adds a wonderful dimension to food. Americans are slowly adapting to this after the post-WWII canned blah food revolution. I will suggest some optional herbs to add to these dips that are also easy to add to other foods to enhance the therapeutic effect. My cooking mantra: Experiment! It’s fun to be a geek!
Color has a strong link to the elements. Symbols like colors, forms and numbers are deeply embedded in Chinese culture and medicine, and while it may seem superstitious, as an herbalist I have come to embrace tried and true traditions that humans have evolved with. For the Chinese herbs in these recipes, people can obtain them at our pharmacy.
Heart/Fire Element: Red
Adzuki or Red kidney beans, roasted red pepper, safflower or olive oil, and garlic: puree and season.
Herbal additions: Fresh basil, cayenne, red yeast rice powder
Spleen and Stomach/Earth Element: Yellow
Orange lentils, cooked carrot or sweet potato, sautéed onion.
Herbal additions: Turmeric, fenugreek, cumin, coriander, cardamom, or curry powder/paste.
Lungs/Metal Element: White
Navy or great northern beans, onion or garlic, olive oil, apple cider vinegar
Herbal additions: white pepper, mustard
Kidneys/Water Element: Black
Black beans, Tahini made from black sesame seeds (You can make your own from the seeds as this can be hard to locate), Sea salt, Balsamic vinegar
Herbal additions: hijiki seaweed- just a touch will do, Shiitakes
Liver/Wood Element: Green
Canneloni beans, blanched kale, olive oil
Herbal additions: Parsley, rosemary, dandelion leaves
These dips all benefit from some oil and acid, whether vinegar or citrus juice. Try to make a small batch at first to see how you like it.