CHLOROPHYLL: the green giant

Chloro-what??! If you rewind back to the days of desk sitting and page turning, you might be able to dig up this vaguely familiar word in the recess of your mind. Think elementary science class. Maybe something? If you're seeing green, you're on the right track.

Simplified, chlorophyll is the pigment that makes plants green and is vital in said plants ability to absorb energy from light, also know as photosynthesis.

I'll spare you the science lesson and get to why this is important, why you might care.

There has been much hype surrounding green veggies in the recent years. What's not new is why much of the hype is actually legit. Vegetables are nature's gift to us - a tasty package of many of the nutrients we need to survive. In addition, fresh, green veggies and herbs are full of chlorophyll. Chlorophyll is said to aid the body in cleansing and detoxifying its cells [of which our bodies are made up of]. A clean, healthy cell has a better chance of optimally utilizing nutrients.

Of course, the best way to get chlorophyll is through fresh vegetables, but in the winter green is scarce. I've found taking chlorophyll in liquid form to be a nice stand-in rather than paying the high price for fresh greens flown in from various continents. In combination with the frozen veggies tucked in my freezer, chlorophyll helps nourish my body throughout the long winter months.

I want to be very clear that I'm not suggesting chlorophyll as the magic cure to prevent illness and I'm certainly not saying replace fresh green vegetables with chlorophyll. Illness happens even to the healthiest eaters, especially when said eaters have children in school. Green vegetables and herbs contain so many more nutrients in addition to chlorophyll and it would be a foolish substitution for the green stuff direct from the ground. I am suggesting that green, in liquid form, can aid a body in ridding the stuff that needs to go and strengthening the systems that could use it in months that come up empty in green.

As always, please research for yourself before giving chlorophyll a try and if you have specific health concerns or illness, consult a well-trained physician of natural medicine or your doctor prior to use.

THE ART OF SIMPLE + [LOCAL] WINTER DETOX SALAD

I often live under the illusion all my meals need to be spectacular. You know, full of complexity and perceived "wow!" factor, a table full of mouth-watering dishes, everything coming together seamlessly. When I look at how my life, specifically meal time, actually is I find mealtimes miles from whatever immaculate images I've created in my mind - it's  laughable.

Here's maybe the most important lesson I've learned about feeding people well:

Keep it simple.

It sounds obvious but in reality I need to remind myself of this truth daily. What I know is if I don't keep food simple it just doesn't work. I slack, I rely on the leftovers of leftovers, I get to 5:00 and start to panic, or deem the evening "on your own night". I'm frazzled and frantic and grumpy because I've let myself down again. I'm not present and therefore can't enjoy anything - my husband, my kids, the people around our table, the setting, the smells, the tastes. I miss all of it because I'm in recovery mode.

And then I look into the eyes of my girls and get a sucker punch to the gut. What I'm teaching them is perfection is most important and if perfection can't be attained then just scrap it all, be cranky, and eat popcorn.

[Big gulp.]

Here's the thing, when I keep my meals simple, fresh, local, and "me" I actually serve more than just food to those I love. I give them a piece of my heart, my time, my effort, and all the good things I want for them. I'm giving my girls a sustainable and joyful way of doing food, something they can carry with them their entire lives.

When I hone in on what I'm good at making and enjoy eating, the meal comes out the way I want every time. I can relax and take pleasure in the process, experimenting along the way. This is what makes cooking fun and what brings me back to the kitchen each day. I like the comfort in familiarity that allows for creativity and adventure.

So, if you've struggled to "get it right" in the kitchen, find a few [seasonal, healthy] meals you like to make and cook them a lot. Get comfortable with the process and then experiment with different flavors and ingredients that reflect your own uniqueness. For me these are sauteed veggie scrambles, soups, and salads. I can make a mean veggie-hash in minutes or throw together a salad bar from almost anything. Over time I've learned what flavors I love and which I hate, creating my go-to dressings and seasonings that make assembly a cinch.

Don't feel like you have to scrap all your grandiose meal plans, just save them for the weekend or an open day. If you head into complex meals with the space they demand, I promise you'll have a lot more fun.

Here is one of my favorite, simple, and local lunches that provides the "fresh" reminiscent of summer yet uses seasonal produces and flavors. This is an especially great meal to enjoy while detoxing!

[WHERE DO I FIND LOCAL PRODUCE IN WINTER?]

If you live well north of the equator, it's no secret winter is upon us. Glance out your window and the banks of snow, maybe snow flake flying, and biting temperatures will remind you of this. But all is not lost when attempting to support your local community with your food purchases. In many parts of the country winter farmer's markets are popping up surprising us all with the bounty farmers have year-round. If you can't find a winter market check in at your local health food store - many are locally minded and stock produce direct from your area whenever possible.

Although olive oil and some herbs and spices aren't grown and produced in my area, purchasing them from a local artisan or market gives money to small business rather than big box stores. I like to use well-crafted, high-quality olive oil on my salads for their intensity and variety of flavor.

That being said, if you live in West Michigan, my favorite haunts are:

Sweetwater Local Foods Market
Harvest Health Foods
Nourish Organic Market & Deli
Global Infusion [for herbs / spices / teas]
Old World Olive Oils

Even changing just one or two of your common purchases from large stores to local businesses can make a big difference. If each of us did this, imagine the impact we'd make!

[THE RECIPE]

1 small head of savoy cabbage, thinly sliced [If your cabbage is a bit wilted, cut and place into a bowl of water with a large handful of ice. Allow cabbage to soak for 20 - 30 minutes or until it's crispy again.]

1/2 delicata squash [I roast the whole squash and save extra for another time], reserve seeds
sage or rosemary, ground
caraway seeds, whole [optional]
sea salt

squash seeds of delicata squash
sea salt
nutritional yeast

1/2 kohlrabi, peeled and either shaved [use vegetable peeler or mandolin] or cut into match sticks
2 radishes, thinly sliced
3 - 4 baby turnips, thinly sliced
1/2 [local] apple, cubed
homemade sprouts [mix of choice, alfalfa is great for detoxing]*

juice of 1/2 lemon, freshly squeezed or 1/2 - 1 tsp. local apple cider vinegar
extra virgin, first cold-pressed olive oil [from local specialty store]
splash of local, organic, pure apple juice [if added sweetness is desired]

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Wash and dry delicata squash. Cut in half, length-wise, and scoop of pulp and seeds. Separate seeds from pulp, rinse in fine mesh strainer, drain, and set aside. Slice the squash into 1/2-inch piece, cutting along the width. Then cut those slices into either thirds or quarters. Toss with a tablespoon or two of olive oil and sprinkle with a few pinches of sage or rosemary, caraway seeds, and sea salt. Rub seasoning in to pieces using your hands. Place on parchment paper lined baking sheet or directly on stone baking pan. Roast for 25 - 30 minutes, tossing at the 20 minute mark.

While squash is baking, place rinsed and drained squash seeds on another parchment lined baking sheet or stoneware pan. Toss with a pinch or two each of sea salt and nutritional yeast. Set aside [if you have an additional oven or toaster oven you can bake these while squash is roasting]. When squash is done, set oven to 375 and bake squash seeds for 10 - 20 minutes or until golden brown and crunchy.

While squash and seeds are roasting, prepare additional ingredients as noted above.

Toss prepared cabbage and kohl rabi. Drizzle over salad a tablespoon or two of olive oil and freshly squeezed lemon juice. When squash is done, toss with cabbage mix.

Top with a layer each of sprouts, turnips, radishes, and apples. Sprinkle with roasted squash seeds and eat to reducing toxins, good health, and supporting our local communities!

*To make homemade sprouts: purchase seeds specifically used for sprouting [will note on the package]. In a large glass jar, place seeds to cover bottom and cover with four times the water. Place a piece of screen or cheesecloth over the jar and secure with a rubber band. You can also purchase a sprouting jar. Let the seeds soak for 24 hours. Double check to make sure the cloth or screen is securely in place and then drain the water from the seeds. With cloth or screen still on bottle, let water run through to fill the jar. Drain water again, tip jar to side and place in a sunny windowsill. Gently rinse and drain the seeds 2 - 3 times a day for 3 - 5 days or until sprouts are a few inches long. Remove sprouts from jar and store in an airtight glass container for no more than a week. 

A NEW YEAR: ON DETOXING AND RESOLUTIONS AND HABITS

Last year about this time I wrote about detoxification. In fact, you may find most health-minded blogs, magazines, and news articles will bring up the big "D" word come January 1 and the week leading up to it.

I have to admit, I too have been consumed with it all, over the last week mapping out a herb and food-based detox of my own.

As I put together the plan, I got to wondering why we many have the insatiable desire to detox in January when much of the fresh foods needed for such cleanses come around in August. Any good locavore would say, pass on [wheat]grass unless it's in summer. Of course there are local greenhouses and ways to grow sprouts, wheatgrass, even greens while a frozen tundra encases the outdoors, but for the most part the stuff in our detox juices, smoothies, salads, and stir-fries are all but extinct on January 1st. Unless, of course, you traverse the ice to the local grocery. California, Mexico, and Brazil have us well supplied.

And thus the uncomfortable rub for me - if I'm going to do a fast, wouldn't I want to have the best, most nutrient dense, freshest [I mean with dirt still on it] produce? Why am I so drawn to detoxing when there is nothing like said fruit and veggies around?

I've come to a couple conclusions:

First, the over abundance of heavy foods and sweets during holidays automatically causes our bodies to crave simple, fresh, whole foods easy to digest and packed with the vitamins and minerals we've missed out on in the weeks preceding the new year.

Second, there is something undeniably powerful about each new year. It's a fresh start, a clean slate, a time to build habits we've wanted but just haven't had the motivation or time set aside to put in place. It's an annual new beginning - a beautiful picture of grace.

And so we diet. We detox. We work out. We list our goals. We forgive. We restore. We dream.

For about a day.

And then we realize just how hard all of it is. How it takes intention and patience and diligence and discipline.

And we give up.

We succumb to guilt and self-depreciation and poor habits and a life we know is not the best life we could be living all the while knowing we are made for more.

And we live in this until next January when determination consumes us for another brief moment.

But maybe this year can be different. Maybe we start small and enjoy fully each step we take. Instead of grandiose plans doomed to fail, perhaps we take one thing we can realistically achieve and actually do it. We follow through to completion and relish the success.

So, and this new year unfolds, choose one thing and do it with intention. Take on this new beginning in a less ambitious way knowing more will be achieved. Set time aside to rest and reflect and take in the past year, grieving what needs to be grieved and celebrating what needs to be celebrated. Then bask in the freedom to live in the present.

Happy 2014 - may you be so blessed this year.

PLANTAIN & SAUTEED GREENS WITH TOMATO-SPIKED MILLET

[PLANTAIN: seed, root, leaf]

If there is one "weed" herb you need to make yourself comfortable with, even befriend, it's this one. Plantain is like the kale of the herb world. It can just about heal everything and is as nutritious as they come. Have a cut? Plantain. Have a burn? Plantain. Acne - plantain. Dry skin - plantain. Rash - plantain. Bite or sting - plantain. Bruise - plantain. Constipated - plantain. Need to detox? Plantain. Are you getting the picture?

Like dandelion, plantain can be found just about everywhere [except maybe the beach...]. Yards, park, pond side, roadside, hillside, concrete cracks, pasture, patios, gardens, city sidewalks, you name it. You've probably seen it a number of times, maybe even cussed it out on occasion. Although it is related to spinach [it's not only edible and amazingly nutritious but free!], it tends to masquerade as weed, keeping company with thistles, crabgrass, ragweed, and horse nettle. Really plantain should be elevated to "patron saint of the garden" status, or at least bestowed the title of "super herb". On hot days this herbs works wonderfully to cool the body from the inside out which is the most effective to eliminate heat. Essentially it's the perfect "emergency food".


Energy:  bland, a bit bitter, cool
Use:  Internal and External
For Infants / Children:  Yes
Precautions:  No know reactions or side effects

Key Nutrients:  iron, vitamins A, C and K, B vitamins, fatty acids, protein

Medicinal Uses:  detoxification and purification [is even used as a remedy for blood poisoning], liver stimulation [aids in poor digestion and nutrient assimilation], helps disperse too much heat in the body. It helps heal urinary tract infections, hepatitis, stings, bites, and wounds, skin issues [acne, rashes, dry skin, etc.]; cuts, scrapes and bruises.

Common Culinary Uses: salads, boiled and / or sauteed in ghee or oil, tossed with vinegar, pastas, pesto; hide in, I mean "add to", smoothies and juices ; seed pods can be used in soups, stew, stir-fries, and sauteed in ghee or oil.

[THE RECIPE: SAUTEED GREENS]

1 - 2 T. ghee, coconut oil or extra virgin olive oil [I highly recommend the ghee]
2 - 4 garlic scapes, chopped
1/2 c. freshly cut plantain leaves, rinsed and torn
1/2 c. freshly cut dandelion leaves, rinsed and torn
4 c. greens [ex. kale, chard, collards, mustard greens, arugula, and / or spinach]
large handful of herbs [ex. oregano, chives, parsley, and / or cilantro]
sea salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
splash of fresh squeezed lemon juice, apple cider vinegar, or vinegar of choice [optional]

Heat the ghee or oil in a large cast iron skillet over medium heat until melted. Gently add garlic scapes and toss for 1 - 2 minutes. Add dandelion, plantain, and other greens to skillet. Continue to stir until greens have wilted and turned bright green. Turn off heat and season with salt, pepper, and vinegar [if using]. Toss with Tomato-Spiked Millet [recipe follows], quinoa, or Cauliflower "Rice" [I like to cook this in coconut oil].


[THE RECIPE: TOMATO-SPIKED MILLET]

1 1/2 c. millet, rinsed and drained
2 T. extra virgin olive oil
1 small onion, chopped
1 quart size jar of stewed tomatoes with juice [or roughly 3 - 4 cups of tomato puree], blended
large handful of fresh parsley and dill or herbs of choice, minced

Place millet in a fine mesh strainer and rinse until water runs clear. Drain and set aside. Pour oil into medium pot and warm over medium heat. Add onions and saute until translucent but not browned [about 5 - 7 minutes]. Add millet and toss frequently to roast for about 3 - 5 minutes [be careful not to burn the millet]. Gently pour in blended tomatoes, stir, and cover. Watch carefully and when liquid starts to bubble turn heat to low, cover, and let cook until all liquid has evaporated. When the millet is fully cooked, add parsley and stir.

Special Note: Remember, whenever you are introducing your body to something new, educate yourself on what you are eating / using [especially if you have health issues / concerns]. Many of the herbs found here will be safe for most but each of us has a different composition and will respond to foods and herbs in our own unique way.