Stinging Nettle Lemon Sponge Cake

A beautiful, chlorophyll rich sponge cake that also helps to build blood, minerals and iron. It was my first time baking with Nettle and it’s such a treat. If you aren’t a confident forager, many specialty grocers carry nettle this time of year.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup nettle puree*

• 2 cups gluten-free flour

• 4 eggs

• 1/2 cup butter

• 3/4 cup sugar

• 1 tbsp vanilla

• 1/2 tsp each baking powder & soda

• juice of one lemon + some rind if you like it zesty

* To make nettle puree - add your nettles to a pot of boiling water and blanch for 3-5 minutes to remove the sting. Strain into a colander and rinse with cold water. Add nettles to a blender and puree.

Directions:

In a mixer combine nettle puree, lemon juice, eggs, vanilla, butter and sugar. Sift baking powder and soda into the flour and then add to wet ingredients slowly, mixing well. Pour into greased cast iron pan or baking dish. Bake at 350 for 50 mins or until a fork inserted in the center comes out clean. Delicious on its own with a cup of tea or served shortcake style with fruit and coconut yogurt or whip.

Turmeric Pineapple Carrot Porridge

Like carrot cake in a breakfast bowl. Nutrient dense, full of omegas & antioxidants, anti-inflammatory and immune supporting. Another recipe to support your spleen & stomach. I’m seeing a lot of Qi deficiency, exhaustion & burnout in clinic. The spleen is the organ related to helping us process emotionally & “digesting” our experiences and the world around us. After last year, we need to take a lot of care of our spleen/stomach & food is a good place to start.

Ingredients:

• 2 cups chopped or grated carrots

• 2 cups pineapple - fresh or frozen

• 1 can coconut milk

• 2 inch piece of ginger - finely chopped or grated

• 1 cup shredded coconut unsweetened

• 1/2 cup flax meal

• 2 tbsp turmeric latte powder or 1 tbsp regular ground turmeric

• 2 tbsp pumpkin spice

• 1-2 tsp vanilla

• Optional: 2 scoops collagen powder

• Toppings: dried currants or raisins, chopped walnuts, coconut yogurt

Directions:

• Add all ingredients except flax and collagen powder (if using) to a slow cooker and cook on low overnight.

• In the morning, remove from heat and puree with an immersion blender. Stir in flax and collagen if using.

• Serve warm with toppings.

Carrot Chayote Soup

A recipe for supporting your body & immune system through the seasons change. As we are in relationship with the natural world - our bodies mirror the rythms of nature - the energy of the earth is starting to move up and outwards allowing for shoots & blooms. I’ve been starting to notice the energy rising in my own body and feeling the pulses and abdomens change on the table. To help our body move with the season we can incorporate more pungent herbs into our diet like onion, garlic, chilli and ginger which circulate Qi in the body up and out, protect against wind-cold (seasonal colds & climatic factor of spring) and move liver Qi (organ of spring). This recipe has lots of pungent herbs + veggies that support the spleen/stomach (digestion), are nutrient dense + support the liver. 

Carrot Chayote Soup Recipe:

  • 3 cups chopped carrots

• 2 - 3 small chayote squash chopped & peeled - or sub 1 cup roasted squash of choice 

• 4-6 cloves garlic 

• 1 cup onion and/or leek

• 3 inches of ginger 

• 1 litre of broth - chicken or veggie

• 1 can coconut milk 

• 1-3 tbsp of samba chili paste depending on spice preferences 

• salt and pepper to taste 

• thai basil for topping 

Method:

• Stove top: Simmer garlic, ginger and onion until fragrant. Add veggies, broth and coconut milk. Cover and cook until very tender, about 30 mins. Add chili paste, salt and pepper. Remove from heat and purée with immersion blender. Top with basil for serving.

• Slow cooker: add all ingredients to a slow cooker. Cook on high for 2-3 hours - or on low over night. Purée with immersion blender & top with basil for serving. 

Rhubarb Sweet Potato Porridge

Warm breakfasts are very important in TCM. The stomach is thought of as a 100 degree soup and great care is taken to protect the digestive and thermal energy of the body. Warm breakfasts boost energy, support the vitality of organs & blood, help with mental clarity and ensure proper nutrient absorption. This recipe is a variation of congee rice porridge - a traditional warm breakfast - adapted for those who don’t tolerate grains well. Cost & time effective, full of fiber, complex carbs, omegas and healthy fats which help to keep blood sugars stable throughout the morning. Sometime I add a scoop of collagen powder for extra protein. Or seamoss gel for a thyroid and immune boost.

Rhubarb & Sweet Potato Porridge

Ingredients:

• One large sweet potato (white not orange)

• 1 600g bag of frozen rhubarb or 3 cups fresh rhubarb or puree

• One can full fat coconut milk

• 1/2 cup chia seeds

• 1/2 cup flax meal

• 2 tbsp cinnamon or pumpkin spice

• 1/4 cup maple syrup or to taste

• Optional toppings: nuts, seeds, fresh or dried fruit, shredded coconut, chocolate nibs, hemp seeds, coconut yogurt or whip, apple butter, nut butters, etc.

Directions:

• Chop potato and add to slow cooker or soup pot with rhubarb, spices & full can coconut milk.

• In a slow cooker - cook for 2-3 hours on high or overnight on low. In a soup pot - simmer covered until potato mashes tender.

• Remove from heat and puree with emulsion blender or mash well with a fork.

• Add chia seeds, maple syrup and flax meal. Stir well to combine.

• Serve warm with toppings of your choice.

Furikake Wild Seaweed Seasoning

Furikake is a Japanese seasoning blend. There are many variations but the base ingredients are sesame, salt and seaweeds. It’s a delicious and nutrient dense way to season rice, eggs, avocado toast, soups & broths, salads, and meat dishes. I spent a lot of time in the ocean this year, which meant that I was able to identify and learn about an abundance of coastal edible seaweeds. For this blend I am using kelp, sea lettuce, sea arrow grass, and sea asparagus, that I harvested from Vancouver Island and nori from Japan. But many edible seaweeds blend well into this mix. In the past I have also included botanicals into this blend for added health benefits such as: nettle seed, tulsi, and mushroom powders.

FURIKAKE SEAWEED SEASONING

1 cup seaweeds & sea vegetables. Dried & flaked in a food processor.

1 cup white sesame seeds - toasted if you like

1 cup black sesame seeds - toasted if you like

2-4 tablespoons of good quality salt - depending on how salty your seaweeds are

Optional variations depending on your flavour profile:

2 - 4 tbsp of botanicals like nettle seed, tulsi, shiso leaf.

2-4 tbsp of bonito flakes, sugar, chili, miso powder or mushroom powders.

Directions

Pulse all ingredients together in a food processor until combined. Store in a seasoning shaker.

In TCM seaweeds support the kidneys and adrenals, softens hardness, masses, & nodules and breaks up phlegm. It is considered cooling but eating it with black sesame - another kidney nourishing food - helps to balance its thermal nature to more neutral. Black sesame tonifies the vital substances - jing, qi and blood. It is said to help hair from growing grey and to boost milk supply during lactation. Seaweeds, salt and black foods like black sesame are all associated with the winter season and considered supportive of the kidneys. So its a good time to start adding these foods into your diet as we transition to winter. Seaweeds are also rich in iodine which can benefit the thyroid.