Blazing Star Herbal School

Green on Green, another way to eat Spring Greens!

Mugwort Soba! Jade Green pasta who can resist it! It is a treat! and today we topped it with another treat a green cashew creamy sauce. 

2 Cups of cashews (soaked over night)

2 Cups of Cashew soaking water

2 limes (juice)

1/2 bunch of cilantro

1 cup of basil leaves

1-2 cups of Dandelion greens

1 cup of Nettle Greens

1 cup of apple cider vinegar

A little seasalt

All together in the blender!

Put a generous helping over a generous helping of mugwort soba. (Parmesan optional) and a side of maple ginger glazed kale to balance out the greens! YUM!

 

 

 

 

The Perfect Spring Dinner!

Wild Mushroom, Ramps and Fiddlehead Rissoto!

-1/2 cup ramps, finely chopped

 - 8 ounces bacon, sliced and chopped

 - 1-2 cups of mushrooms ( we used shitake, maitake, oyster)

 - 1 cup wild greens (we used dandelion)

- 2 cups parboiled fiddleheads, coarsely chopped

- 1 bunch of scallions

- 1 tbsp olive oil

- 2 or more ounces butter

- 18 ounces arborio rice 

- 1 glass white wine

- 6 cups of chicken stock 

 - 2 ounces grated parmesan cheese

 

1) In a heavy bottomed pot, saute the ramps, mushrooms, greens, bacon and fiddleheads in the oil and butter for a few minutes

 2) Add the rice and heat for a minute or so  stirring gently to prevent burning. Add the wine and let it evaporate.

3. Cup by cup add the warmed stock and stir occasionally to prevent sticking. Keep risotto at a gentle simmer throughout the cooking. As the stock is absorbed gradually add more. Continue to add the stock as required until the rice is cooked. The risotto should be runny but not liquidy. Toward the end of this process still in the parmesan!

 

Enjoy! No photos it was eaten to fast.

 

The remaining ramps and dandelion greens were made into pesto with some basils, lemon juice and cashews! Now to get over to Whole Foods to buy some Mugwort Pasta!

 

Seaweed Love, Introducing "She Sells Seaweed" and a Giveaway!

I am a huge fan of Seaweed!. It provides us with unbeatable nourishment, medicine, beauty and an opportunity feel  so alive spending time at the ocean. My love for seaweed is not subtle for I have it tattooed all the way down my right arm! When I was at Pats Tats, in Kingston NY (BTW- she is the best tattoo artist) getting my seaweed arm she said that it is the medicine of the tattoo fan too as it helps eliminate heavy metals from the body and as much some of us herbalists love  permanent body art we all  know that the inks are not so great for us. 

You may remember last year the article that I posted by Dori Midnight, you can click here to read it again  "A note on self/community care in these uncertain times" her first recommendation was "Eat More Seaweed!" in order to protect your self from excess environmental radiation. 

I would like to introduce you to Kacie Loparto from "She Sells Seaweed"

Enriching our food culture! 

Gathering seaweed is both meditative and adventurous work that immerses one into the water element according to the cycle of the tides followed by long hours of drying and sorting under the baking sun. Drying seaweed rather than delivering fresh is much more economical because it can be done in bulk quantities and it stores well for many years. Seaweed can be easily soaked, re-hydrating the plant into a highly nutritious food- enjoy toasted as well.

When you integrate seaweed into your kitchen you are greatly enriching our food culture. Seaweed is a balancing food, and one that can be added to a daring or simple menu. 

Here are some of the wide variety of locally gathered wild edible seaweeds that Kacie offers. She has both Pacific and Atlantic seaweed in stock. 

Below you can read a short description of each seaweed. 

Bull Whip Kelp- bright green and flaky. Salty flavor with a bit of sweet from the spore patches. Great ground into a furikake mixture with sesame seeds to shake on rice, eggs, popcorn and more. 

Kombu- Sweet, smoky flavor. Best added to a pot of beans to tenderize, flavor and aid digestion. Highest in iodine. Detoxifying as a broth for miso soup. 

Sea Palm- Toast for a crispy snack- toss with roasted almonds or cashews. Soak to reconstitute and use as a noodle. Complimentary to mushroom dishes. Unique texture. 

Wakame- Soak to reconstitute. Taste reminiscent to chicken bouillon. Tasty in soups and with stir fried or steamed veggies especially carrots. High in vitamin C and calcium. 

Nori- Strong ocean flavor. Best toasted or deep fried and eaten like a chip or crumbled into a variety of dishes. High in protein. 

Dulse- Beautiful deep red hue.  Versatile. Needs minimal cooking, just add to sautéed greens and soups just at the end of cooking. Fry and eat like chip. 

See website for descriptions of Atlantic varieties.

Visit  www.shesellsseaweed.com to place an order. Try her Sea to Sea variety Pack or her Atlantic Variety Pack. Or, order bags of individual varieties.

You can check out some of these articles recipes from "she sells seaweed"

http://plantspeople.blogspot.com

She Sells Seaweed Recipes

The Energy Times Seaweed Article

 and now for the Giveaway!

 

Kacie will be sending one reader 2 oz packet of her Soup Seaweed Mix which is a flaked combination including atlantic kelp, kombu and wakame! All you have to do is leave a comment with your favorite seaweed recipe! and don't forget to wander over to She Sells Seaweed and support the amazing work that Kacie is doing harvesting amazing seaweed for us! We will choose a winner on April's New Moon Sat April 21st 2012.

 

 

* * * 

 

 

And the winner is #4 Nathalie Lewis!! Congratulations you will be sent a bag of soup mix seaweed! from She Sells Seaweed!

January's Health Challenge

 

Challenge 1:

30 days of Nettle Leaf (Urtica Dioica) infusion!

Easy enough...

 

Use 1oz (30g) (2 handfuls) of dried plant matter (nettle in this case) in a quart jar. Fill the jar to the top with boiling water, put the lid on and let it steep for a minimum of four hours  at room temperature. (Overnight is appropriate). When ready strain and squeeze out. Compost the herb. Drink the liquid, 2 cups daily. Drink at either room temperature iced or heated. Keep refrigerated. NB once prepared the infusion lasts only 2 days.

 

Prepare infusions in quart canning jar with a tight lid to prevent the volatile essences and vitamins from escaping. Also these jars are convenient to carry around with you.

Long steeping allow for the extraction of chlorophyll, vitamins and minerals. Steeping in a closed jar prevents the water soluble vitamins from escaping in the steam.

Why Nettle?? 

in summary:

- Rebuilds adrenal glands (which coffee drinkers over stress)As a general rule drink at least 1 cup more herbal infusion than coffee!!

- Strengthens the kidneys

- Mineral/Vitamin Rich, Including Vit. K an anti Hemorrhage ingredient

- Good for people with anemia or mal-nutrition

- Strengthening to the body after surgery

- Helps eliminate fatigue and exhaustion. A great herbal ally for people with   CFS and other compromised immunity diseases.

- An ally in many chronic conditions include allergies and nerve  inflammations (sciatica)

- Good for adults or children who have over-used antibiotics and tend to get sick easily.

- Anti-rheumatic

- Anti-diabetic

- Hair and skin nourisher

 

In order to participate comment by saying! "I am on the road to better health!" and begin the challenge. At the end of the month let us know if you have experienced and health changes and start on the next months challenge and so on. At the end of 12 months I will put all monthly participants name in a hat and draw a prize! So the more months you participate in the better your chance of winning. Prize yet to be decided! 

Healthy Herbal Holiday Recipes: Day 4

Condiments!

Here are two of our fav!

 

Garlic-Ginger Sesame Sauce:

A wonderfully spicy sauce to use on cooked vegetables, grains, pasta & entrees.  Especially decongesting for colds and scratchy throats.

 

10-13 cloves Organic Garlic

 1/2 cup Sesame Butter or Tahini

1 inch piece Ginger Root, grated      

4 tsp Dark Toasted Sesame Oil

1/4 cup Tamari or Shoyu Soy Sauce      

Juice of 1 Organic Lemon (& grated peel)

Honey (to taste)        or Maple Syrup            

Water (to thin to gravy consistency)

 

Blend all ingredients in a food processor or blender.  (It will be thick.)  Dilute with water to gravy consistency.  Add honey to taste, to mellow flavors. 

 

Herbal Gomasio:

1 tablespoon 14 mushroom powder

1 talespoon ground Kelp/Dulse Powder

1 tablespoon hemp seed

1 tablespoon Milk Thistle Seed (ground)

1/2 tablepoon garlic powder

1 tablespoon course pink Himalayan Salt

1  cup sesame seeds.

 

Gently roast the Sesame Seeds. Once cooled grind the sesame seeds. Combine all ingredients and store in the refrigerator. Gomashio is used mostly in Japan and Korea. Traditionally, it is made using a suribachi, a Japanese grooved ceramic mortar with a wooden. Nutritious and super tasty what more can you ask for!

 

Don't forget to scroll down and read  healthful recipes from earlier in the week "CREAM OF LEEK WITH LEMONBALM"  and our HIGH MINERAL CHICKEN BROTH" and Green Tea Ginger Sage Tea/Lemonade and Hot Blackcurrant Cider with Ginger Brandy, Immune Enhancing Rice and Roasted Roots

If interested in buying a Health Promoting Gift Certficate please scroll down and read the post below. It is not too late and can be emailed directly to the recipient. And remember to comeback on friday for the Giveaway!

 

 

Healthy Herbal Holiday Recipes: Day 3

A Holiday Meal is not a Holiday Meal  without rice or potatoes! I couldn't decide which recipe to post so here are both!

Immune Enhancing Rice

 

8 slices of dried astragalus root

4 cups water

2 cups brown rice or wild rice

1 teaspoon of 14 Mushroom blend 

1 strip of Kombu

1/4 cup pine nuts

1 garlic clove

Add Astragalus, Kombu and 14 Mushroom blend to water, bring to boil. Simmer for 2 hours. Remove from heat and let stand overnight. Remove Astragalus. Add rice bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer until done approx 1 hour.  In a castiron pan with a little olive oil gently roast the pine nuts and chopped up garlic for about 5vmins over medium heat.  Mix with the rice and enjoy. 

Use rice as a base for meals.

 

 

Roasted Roots:

- Pre heat oven to 425 degrees

Ingredients: 

Potatoes (several kinds)

Sweet Potatoes and Yams

Beets

Carrots

Parsnips

Jeruselam Artichokes

Garlic (peeled)

High Mineral Chicken Broth (see day 1 of Holiday Recipes)

Olive Oil

Tamari (we are in love with the miso from South River Miso) Lucky for us they are just down the street!

 Juice of 1 Lemon

• Prepare oven tray with Olive Oil, Tamari and Lemon Juice
• Fill an oven tray with cut up veggies.
•  Cover with 1/2-1 cup Chicken Stock
•  Bake until ready

 

 Enjoy!

All herbs can be purchased at Mountain Rose Herbs. They provide great quality organic herbs!

 

Don't forget to scroll down and read about yesterdays healthful recipe "CREAM OF LEEK WITH LEMONBALM"  and our HIGH MINERAL CHICKEN BROTH" and Green Tea Ginger Sage Tea/Lemonade and Hot Blackcurrant Cider with Ginger Brandy

If interested in buying a Health Promoting Gift Certficate please scroll down and read the post below. It is not too late and can be emailed directly to the recipient. And remember to comeback on friday for the Giveaway!

 

Healthy Herbal Holiday Recipes: Day 2

Green Tea Ginger Sage Tea/Lemonade

4 cups water
5 slices fresh ginger peeled (if using young ginger there is no need to peel)
2 teaspoons of green tea Our favorites are Ancient Forest and Pu'erh Tea  (you could also use 2 green tea teabags) 

1 tablespoon of freshly juiced lemon juice
2 tablespoons of herbal honey (I like to use Sage but you could really use any herbal honey. Thyme for a deeper respiratory condition, Tulsi for overall sweetness, Goldenrod if allergies are bothering)

Bring the water and ginger to a boil, and lower heat to a simmer for 15 mins. Remove from heat add the green tea and let steep for 10 more mins. Strain. Stir in the lemon juice and herbal honey. You can drink it warm or chill for an hour. For added vitamin C and sweetness once chilled you could add the juice of 1 orange.

If battling a cold I usually add my supportive tinctures to this....echinacea, or monarda and sip/drink it though out the day as needed.

Here us another recipe for a beverage that we drink often this time of year.


Hot Blackcurrant Cider with Ginger Brandy


 4-6 cups Apple Cider
1 cup Fresh/Frozen Blackcurrants
Ginger Brandy  (to taste)


Heat Cider gently. Juice frozen blackcurrants. If you do not have a juicer a blender works though I would add a little cider. Depending on whether you like "pulp" you may need to strain the juice. Add to heated cider. I keep the teapot on the woodstove to keep it warm through out the day. Add the Ginger brandy to taste.

Our Elderberry Delight syrup is often added to this brew!

Enjoy!

 

Don't forget to scroll down and read about yesterdays healthful recipe "CREAM OF LEEK WITH LEMONBALM"  and our HIGH MINERAL CHICKEN BROTH"

If interested in buying a Health Promoting Gift Certficate please scroll down and read the post below. It is not too late and can be emailed directly to the recipient. And remember to comeback on friday for the Giveaway!

 

PS It just occurred to me that I should post an Sage Hone Recipe just incase....

 

Medicinal Honeys

Sage

-1 glass jar with lid

- enough raw, preferably local, honey to fill the jar

- enough fresh Sage to fill the jar 

• a chopstick or stick

Fill the jar, more or less, with roughly chopped Sage leaves. Then, drench the plants with slightly warmed (enough to be pourable) honey until almost full. Stir with stick or chopstick until thoroughly mixed. Then poke at the mixture to release any remaining air bubbles. Top off with more honey.

 

Let sit for a few weeks or so until the honey takes on the taste and fragrance of the herb. If you live in a very humid, moldy climate you may want to either keep the jar in the fridge or add some (as you like, any amount will help preserve it) brandy or rum to the mix. 

 

The sage honey is fabulous as a Winter remedy, take a tablespoon in a cup or hot water, add some lemon juice, ginger and echinacea tincture and drink freely at the first onset of cold or cough.

 

Variations: Thyme, Garlic, Basil, Tulsi, BeeBalm, Goldenrod

 

Healthy Herbal Holiday Recipes: Day 1

For our first recipe this week I will share a favorite soup recipe in our house "CREAM OF LEEK WITH LEMONBALM"

But first the immune building broth that recipe that many of our recipes begin with

HIGH  MINERAL CHICKEN BROTH

Ingredients:

Several pieces of Organic Chicken (I used backs, necks and or bones)

A couple of unpeeled white onions (coarsely chopped)

3-5 Carrots cut into thirds or so

1-2 parnips cut into thirds or so

2 sweet potatoes  with skins quartered

A couple of celery stalks

5-6 fresh thyme sprigs

1 bay leaf

4 unpeeled cloves of garlic

Several dried Astragalus roots

A few oz of shitakee and maitakii mushrooms (dried or fresh)

1-2 Strips of Kombu (seaweed)

1 teaspoon sea salt

Rinse all the veggies. In a stockpot combine all ingredients except for the salt. Fill pot with water. Cover and bring to a boil. Uncover and skim off the scum and the fat that has risen to the surface. Lower to an active simmer and cook for 2-3 hours. Add the salt. Strain through a cleese cloth. Bring to room temperature before storing in the refrigerator or freezer.

 

CREAM OF LEEK WITH LEMONBALM

Ingredients

    - 1 onion

    - 2 leeks (plus one for garnish if desired)

    - A large handful of Lemon Balm

    - Chicken stock - about 300 ml (1 1/4 cups) per serving (SEE RECIPE ABOVE FOR HIGH     MINERAL CHICKEN BROTH)

    - 1 large potato, quartered

    - Salt and pepper

    - A squeeze of lemon juice + some grated zest

    - Raw Heavy cream 

    - A pinch of ground ginger

Chop, slice or dice the onions and leeks. Put a thin layer of butter pan on your stovetop. Add the onions/leeks to your pan and cover with a tight fitting lid. Cook the onions/leeks  over low heat on your stovetop. Stir the onions occasionally with your spatula . Place the lid back on the pan after you finish stirring. Continue to cook the onions over low heat until they are translucent and have a soft texture, which will indicate that the onions are done.

 Add the chopped lemon balm; cover and let cook for a few minutes over very low heat so that the ingredients release their juices. Add the chicken stock and the quartered potato to the first mixture; let simmer over medium heat until the potato is cooked. Purée the soup in the blender on the "liquefy" setting;  Season with salt and pepper; add some lemon juice and a little chopped lemon balm. Whip the cream; add a pinch of powdered ginger and some thin strips of lemon zest which has been blanched in boiling water for a few seconds. Ladle the soup into serving bowls; garnish with a spoonful of whipped cream and a few leek rounds.

If you would like you can repeat step one for the extra leek for the garnish.

Enjoy on a cold Winters night. The lemony flavor makes me think of it around Solstice. 

 

If interested in buying a Health Promoting Gift Certficate please scroll down and read the post below. It is not too late and can be emailed directly to the recipient. And remember to comeback on friday for the Giveaway!

The Autumn Olive

Elaeagnus umbellata

 

A fruit crammed with nutritional value, simply falling off bushes all around us. A sour taste at first but a sweet reward follows.

Ounce for ounce, the typical autumn olive berry is up to 17 times higher in lycopene than the typical raw tomato (80-90 per cent of the US intake of this nutrient comes from tomatoes and tomato products). It also has a high carotenoid content as well as  high levels of vitamins A, C and E, and flavonoids and essential fatty acids.

There are several ways that you can use Autumn Olives in creating yummy snacks and condiments.

• processed into jams, jellies and sauces
• dried into fruit leather

This year I made a yummy stewed sauce sweetened with maple syrup that so far has been eaten on top of warm ginger bread and whipped cream, waffles, and with yogurt. I also processed a batch with apples into apple sauce with Autumn Olives, Spikenard Berries, Lycium Berries and Elderberries.....the result quite yummy! Later today I think I will try the friut leather recipe found here