tricianutricia

I was so busy having a calm and relaxing pre-holiday holiday, it just occurred to me that I should probably bring some little gifties to the folks with whom I'm eating Christmas dinner! Most people don't need more STUFF. (goodness knows I don't - I just moved and cleared out so much STUFF that I never want to buy anything again!!)

So here's my idea, combining my passions for food and herbs: homemade chai tea mix. I put together the recipe from 2 cookbooks: The Modern Ayurvedic Cookbook by Amrita Sondhi, and The Ayurvedic Cookbook by Amadala Morningstar, plus some herbal & preparation touches of my own.

Rooibos is a hearty tea that contains no caffeine, and is high in vitamin C. All the lovely spices are warming and anti-microbial, perfect for winter! And, this is my first winter with my cat named Chai -- ahhhh, the synchronicity!)


Rooibos Mint Chai Tea Mix
Serves 6

1 cinnamon stick
3 cardamom pods
3 black peppercorns
3 cloves
1 teaspoon dried ginger
---> simmer above in 4 cups water for 20-30 minutes.

Add ---> 2 cups milk (cow, almond, soy, etc: your choice)
simmer gently for 5 minutes, to warm the milk

Pour over ---> 4 rooibos teabags + 2 mint teabags

Steep 10-15 minutes.

Strain, and add sweetener to taste (honey, agave, etc: your choice).

Happy happy holidays!

Dessert is the topic of this month's Nutricia's Nusletter. Tasty treats! As anyone who spends time with me knows, I am a fan of treats. And I'm a double fan if the treats are actually healthy!

Do you have healthy versions of holiday treats? Please, o please share them here! Because we all need more treats in our lives. :)

The newest Nutricia's Nusletter is hurtling to your inbox as I type!  This month's subject?  Curry!

As I mentioned in the newsletter, you can make your own curry powder mix, either from a recipe or  by mixing and matching the flavors that make you happy!

Here's a recipe for a curry spice mix, for your inspiration: 

Curry Blend #2

From The Natural Gourmet by Annemarie Colbin

Makes ½ cup

 

2 tablespoons coriander seed

2 tablespoons cumin seed

½ teaspoon fennel seed or anise seed

½ teaspoon whole white peppercorns

½ teaspoon cardamom seeds

1 teaspoon dill seeds

6 fenugreek seeds

1 teaspoon ground ginger

2 tablespoons turmeric

1/8 teaspoon asafetida or “hing”

 

Preheat oven to 250 degrees F.

Combine the first 7 ingredients (the whole spices) and distribute evenly in a baking pan. Bake for 15 minutes, stirring frequently. Allow to cool.

Combine with the remaining ingredients (the powdered spices) and grind in a blender, coffee grinder, or spice mill. Store in a tightly closed container (a screw-top jar is best). 

Do you have curry tales, recipes, or questions to share?

I'm thrilled to announce not one but TWO events this week, for your health and wellness edification! 

Thursday October 15, 12 noon - 1:00 pm
Fall Detox:  Preparing Our Bodies for Winter
Learn strategies for implementing a gentle autumn detox to boost your immune system for the coming months.  A FREE lunchtime lecture at the Tai Sophia Institute in Laurel/Columbia Maryland, presented by myself and two fellow 3rd year graduate students in herbal medicine.  Free parking, too; though sadly there is no public transportation option.
     Tai Sophia Institute, 7750 Montpelier Road, Laurel MD
     Register at 410-888-9048, extension 6616 or at the Tai Sophia Institute.

Saturday October 17, 11:00 am - 1:00 pm
Uncommon Uses for Common Herbs
Parsley, sage, rosemary, thyme -- you grow them in your garden and use them to flavor your cooking, but how else can they benefit you?  Learn medicinal uses for the herbs in your spice rack, including fennel, mint, oregano, chamomile, and catnip by making teas and brews in this hands-on workshop.  Bring a mug! 
     Common Good City Farm, 2025 3rd Street,NW, Washington DC (entrance on V Street between 3rd & 4th)
     $10: register at Common Good City Farm.

 

Happy Monday!

The latest Nutricia's Nusletter went out on Friday -- all about the health benefits and convenience of nuts and seeds!  Please post your thoughts, comments, and relevant rants here.

And here's a followup: have you ever tried chia seeds?

I've heard of the Chia Pet, of course -- a clay animal with grooves, and you cover it with seeds and it grows grassy "fur".  (Also there's a Jerry Garcia version where he grows a beard, fun!)  I didn't realize  until last year that "chia" is actually the name of the seed/ grass, rather than some sort of copyright name for the clay sculpture!

Chia seeds, like flax seeds, are incredibly high in omega-3 fatty acids.  They look like tiny poppy seeds.  I've put them in smoothies, though they're so small that I question whether they actually get chewed and digested -- or just swallowed and eliminated.

Any chia experience is most welcome!

Have a fantastic week!

Happy full moon in Aquarius (on Wednesday)! 

I'm posting a wee bit in advance of my newsletter's hitting the inboxes.  I realized today, as I FINALLY finished this newsletter on Medicinal Weeds, that I haven't sent anything out since April!  Eeek!  It's amazing how Life, school, and whatnot can get in the way of saying what needs to be said.

That said, please share any weedy stories you may have, including tales of dandelion wine! 

And stay posted for news of Leafyhead Lotions and Potions: herbs for your body...  coming soon!

Dearest Loyal  Readers,

It's true, I am the lamest, most lame blogger ever.  I know.  In an attempt to woo continued readership, I hereby post some lovely responses to my April Salad Nusletter!

Bewildered in Brookland writes: "i love these. you are a goddess. quick question, any danger in using just rice wine vinegar to dress a salad without the oil? anything so perfect and guiltfree must have a catch no? does it create ear hair growth or anything else threatening?"

dear Bewildered in Brookland,  NO, no worries with using only vinegar, and rice wine vinegar is a lovely choice.  :)

what i like about using oil, is that it adds healthy fats to the salad -- contributing (a) a macronutrient and (b) a sense of fullness after eating.

Here's a recipe for Martin's Red Salad, which I did not get ahold of in time to include in the Nusletter:  

You need:

red chili peppers (chopped fine)

red baby tomatoes (halved)

one red pepper (chop chop chopped)

garlic

plenty of fresh parsley

sea salt

cracked black pepper

and LOADS of lovely olive oil!

Mix and serve!

And finally, my lovely friend Jai sent in her favorite salad dressing recipe: 

Olive Oil

Balsamic vinegar

Tahini

Brown mustard

Maple syrup

A dash each of pepper and salt

 

Yum!!!

Wishing you  health, joy, and a glorious spring,
Tricia

The newest newsletter is hot off the press!

What are your holiday health challenges?  Are candy and cookies drawn to you like moths to a flame?  Are you forced to eat two loaves of Aunt Mabel's fruitcake every year?  Is the office party eggnog named after you?

... and what small changes can you make to create a healthier holiday season?

It's the 3rd annual Herb Day this Saturday, October 11!

In the DC area, the US Botanical Gardens on the Mall will host a day of talks, demonstrations, giveaways, and good mellow family fun from 10 am til 4 pm.  The Botanical Gardens are beautiful, if you haven't been there.  It's free!  

Happy new moon!  Share your bean adventures! 

Read the latest Nutricia's Nusletter, and get your very own free subscription, here.

Hello and happy September!  It's that back-to-school, back-to-reality time of year, and in keeping with that eager, nose-to-the-grindstone sort of energy, the latest newsletter is hot off the press.

In perusing this blog, I notice that I once was quite a prolific poster!  Then came grad school...  alas.  To make up for my online absence, I will now ramble at moderate length:

It's true that there was no August newsletter.  I was in the thick of final exams (finishing up my first year of grad school), and figured  you might not mind one less thing in your inbox.  It gave you more time to experiment with summer recipes, yes? 

To be completely forthcoming, today is not actually the new moon.  The new moon in Virgo was on Saturday, and I didn't think my American readership would be sitting in front of the computer on a holiday weekend.  In the future, would you prefer a newsletter in your inbox on a holiday weekend, or at the beginning of the week?  This fall, newsletter new moons fall at the end of September, near Halloween, on Thanksgiving day, and 2 days after Christmas.  So if you're a Halloween-celebrating, American Thanks-giver Christian, when are you most likely to open my charming emails?

And how about immune boosters?  Do you have any fantastic home remedies?  Questions about curry?  Immunity is a vast subject, so I pared it down to some essentials... though I didn't include vitamin C.  But you already knew about vitamin C, right?  Let me know.

And have a wonderful day.

The newsletter's out!

Do you have any fun summer recipes to share?  Are you perplexed by exotic things at the farmers' market?  

Do let us know.

And have a lovely weekend.

 

Loyal Reader T.R. writes: 

"I have an immense oral fixation and need to nibble on food all the time. Until recently, I chewed sugarless gum in massive quantities, but after reading some information about sorbitol having unfortunate side effects, I quit cold turkey. (I noticed significant differences after quitting the gum.) Struggling, I've gone back to sugared gum (which I quit a long time ago b/c bad for the teeth). Otherwise, I don't eat badly: baby carrots, natural almonds, lots of other kinds of nuts, dried fruit, and on and on. But I just feel like I'm piling on unnecessary calories or carbs just to keep my mouth busy. Sadly, this all started when I quit smoking years ago, and returning to Joe Camel sounds like a bad idea, too.

"Any ideas for food I can eat endlessly without consequence? It doesn't need to taste good, necessarily, but it's hard to keep fresh fruit and vegetables in the office, so I'm looking for some shelf stable stuff. "

I reply:

"kudos on recognizing the negative effects of artificial sweeteners and the positive effects of their removal from your daily routine! that's good stuff.   the thing with "shelf-stable" snacks is that they tend to be high in calories and/or chemicals. fruits and vegetables really are the only things you can eat endlessly without negative consequences -- and even then, if you're watching sugar intake, you need to take it easy on the endless fruit. nuts are fantastic and easy to store, but in moderation.   i will continue to ruminate on this... in the meantime, here are 2 thoughts for you:

1. yes, it's a pain; but consider a plan to stock your world with carrots, celery, berries, lettuce leaves, etc.... perhaps a weekly trip through the salad bar at the grocery store, then divide everything up into daily portions, so you've got your supply all ready to bring with you to the office.

2. look into this oral fixation business. i don't mean to sound flip at all. you've made some serious changes -- quitting smoking, changing up your gum choices -- and there is no need to be a slave to a habit that doesn't serve you. what exactly are you looking for in your need to keep your mouth moving? what did smoking do for you? can you find a way to satisfy that need in a non-snack, non-chew way? i don't know you very well so these are only surface questions. "

The moral of the story is:  if i post your questions on this blog, you get free advice... but no capital letters.  :-)


 

Dear Lovelies, 

Spring has sprung!  The strawberries are ripe, the spinach is ready!  

I am beside myself with vegetation-watching -- so much drama!  Will the mysterious, uninvited squash plant deny the red russian kale the sunlight he needs?  Will the aloes re-adjust to outdoor life?  Will the dastardly squirrels wantonly dig up more innocent iris sprouts?

This threatens to become a garden blog...  a thought worth considering.

In any case, the new Nusletter is out!  Please share your thoughts, stories, comments and recipes here!  And then, go outside and play, for gosh sakes!

Hello loyal readers,  and happy new moon!

The May nusletter has hit the newsstands.  Do you have any thoughts, questions, resistances, or success stories about organic food?  

(I have a friend who likes to point out that "it's ALL organic, duh."  ... which is true -- food technically can't be INorganic, can it?  But you get my point, so bear with me...)

I will do my best not to delete your comments, though for some reason I become technologically impaired when faced with The Blog.  Sigh.

Health, joy, and happy springtime to you!

 The newest nusletter has arrived!  Please wax poetic with stories, recipes, anecdotes, and haiku related to all things leafy and greeen.

Loyal Reader L.A.M. writes: "I was alarmed to read in your newsletter today that there is a downside to the spinach salads that are a lunch staple for me!  I probably have at least 5 or 6 spinach salads every week.  It sounds like that is a problem for calcium absorption.  I guess you would recommend substituting some other salad green for the spinach.  What do you consider to be the best alternative?"

I reply: "it's true, and i was also alarmed when i learned of it, as spinach salads were a mainstay for me also.  so sad....   

Brilliant and hilarious.  "May the farm be with you..."

http://www.storewars.org/tater_tot.html

Apologies to those to whom I've already recounted this story.

So, I was in the grocery store a few days ago -- the "conventional grocery store" as I like to call it, also known as "Giant."  While paying for my groceries, I had the following conversation with the friendly young man behind the register:

Checkout man:  Is this broccoli?

Me:  Yes, this is broccoli.

*****************************
We are in so much trouble, as a nation, if our youth cannot recognize a head of broccoli.  Sigh.

If you celebrate Easter, Ostara, or Spring by dyeing eggs, check this out:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bsvRGLQqeVQ

A fun little video on using vegetables and spices to dye eggs!

Happy Spring!

Well, I am obviously not in my right mind... my copy of my Nusletter just arrived in my in-box and it's entitled "Sugar."   Oops.  

I guess I will just claim "Grad School has taken over my brain" syndrome, because the topic is Beverages.  Not Sugar.  Sugar has been done.  I failed to change that line in that there draft copy.  Sigh.

So, send me some stories about how you prevent Brain Loss.  :-)

love T