Kitchen Pharmacy Part 2 - Prevention, plus an immunity hotpot

Prevention.
It's better that cure! That is definitely the word on the street. And it certainly saves a lot of time (and money if you think it terms of time off work) to be avoiding illness. By keeping yourself as well as you can you are also in a better position to bounce back faster and more completely if you do get sick. So how do you stay well and avoid the dreaded lurgies?
There are certain key nutrients that help to maximise immune function, the big three being Vitamin C, Vitamin A/betacarotene and Zinc.

Vitamin C is widely recognised as being of assistance during colds / flu / infections for its ability to reduce the severity and duration of illness. Vitamin C supplements are one of the most widely consumed supplements on the market. They appear in varying quality, forms and strengths, and here is the basic lowdown. Powders are better absorbed than tablets. Smaller quantities taken more frequently is better than one huge dose. Don't buy chewable vitamin C tablets as they are full of sugar/sweeteners which inhibit your immune system by up to 50%, and this is not what you want!
Having said this, nutrients work better, and are ultimately best absorbed if you have them as part of a whole food! Of course there are circumstances where we require higher doses, but for prevention and general wellness, wholefood is the go. 
We are so lucky to have such an amazing array of goodies packed with Vitamin C to choose from, with capsicum, kale, broccoli, thyme and parsley, kiwi fruit, strawberries, citrus fruit, raw cabbage, sweet potato and tomatoes being the high flyers. Be careful though, you can destroy up to 100% of the vitamin C content of these foods during the cooking process as it is sensitive to light, heat, and oxygen. In simple terms, less cooking = more vitamin C. Don't use large amounts of water to cook your veg as this will leach vitamin C and other vitamins and minerals from your food (the exception to this being soup/casseroles which pass the test as you are eating the liquid as well as the vegetable). The other big thing to consider is seasonal eating and buying local produce! By buying food this way, you are ensuring less storage time, less transportation time, less time sitting around on a shelf, and therefore a higher nutrient value (and a more delicious taste!). Organically grown fruit and vegetables have a higher nutrient value again, and if you buy in season and from the farmers markets you will often find that this is not a great deal more expensive than conventional produce. 


A little on Vitamin A and Zinc
Preformed Vitamin A is mainly found in eggs, fish, milk, butter, cream, red meat and liver. Plant sources of carotenes which are converted to vitamin A in the body are sweet potato, carrots, kale, pumpkin, spinach, paprika, cayenne and chilli powder. Vitamin A plays a large role in cellular immunity and is a lovely antioxidant.


Zinc can be found in eggs, seafood, nuts, legumes, wholegrains, miso, mushrooms, green beans and pumpkin seeds. It's role in immune function contributes to reduced frequency  and duration of colds, as it is required for normal development and functioning of immune cells. It is also an antioxidant.
But again, having these nutrients as wholefoods is the best thing you can do to stay healthy and boost your immune system.

There are literally hundreds of delicious things you can create with this combination. I have given two fabulous options here to get you started.

Firstly, a juice. Actually it's more or a smoothie. Don't just reach for the orange juice - boring! Yes oranges do have vitamin C, but not as much as kale, capsicum, kiwi fruit or broccoli. Don't fancy broccoli juice? No problems, this kale and orange juice will knock your socks off! Not only packed with vitamin C, but with immune boosting vitamin A and loads of antioxidants. I add a little ginger sometimes to it for a spicy edge and to give it a little more of a warming nature. Here's what to do.

Kale and Orange Juice

1. Peel an orange, chop and pop in a blender.

2. Tear up a handful of kale and add that too (always add the orange first so that the kale sits on top and can blend in nicely instead of getting stuck down the bottom of your blender).
3. Add  about 1/4 cup water or a few ice blocks.
4. Add optional extras: a squeeze of lemon juice (highly recommended), 1/4 tsp finely grated ginger, a few chunks of pineapple, berries, chia seeds, spirulina, etc).

5. Blend up until you a get a rocking creamy green colour and enjoy! 

I just love knowing that all the goodness from this green goddess of a drink reaches the cells of your body in 15 minutes, awesome!
The great thing about making it in the blender is that you retain all of the goodness and fibre of the ingredients, AND you don't have to clean the juicer!!

(P.S. I agree OJ is delicious and lovely - but please use freshly squeezed, or in the least a juice without sweeteners).

Next, a warming, nourishing hot pot delight to keep you satisfied. 

Inspired from the Food Matters Project, this little beany veg combo is packed full of immune boosting nutrients, and is sustaining and warming to boot! This weeks recipe was Beans 'n Greens Burritos (original recipe here), and this is my take. 

Beany Capsicum Hotpot

You will need:

Coconut or olive oil

1 red capsicum/pepper, cut into chunks

1/2 - 1 red chilli, sliced

1 carrot, roughly diced

4 cloves of garlic, sliced

1 brown onion, diced
Large handful of kale, roughly chopped or torn

1/2 tsp smoked paprika

2 tsp fennel seeds

a few sprigs of fresh thyme

1 bay leaf

400g red kidney beans, cooked and rinsed

200g chickpeas, cooked and rinsed

200g tomatoes, chopped (or 200g tinned tomatoes)

Vegetable stock or water

1 avocado

2 sprigs fresh parsley or corriander

1/4 cup pumpkin seeds

Lemon or lime juice

Yoghurt (optional)

Heat the oil in a pot, add the capsicum and chilli and cook for about 5 minutes.

Add the carrot, half the garlic, onion, paprika, fennel seeds, thyme, bay leaf and a pinch of sea salt. Cook for about 15 minutes. Add the beans, chickpeas, tomatoes, the rest of the garlic and enough vegetable stock (or water) to cover. Simmer on low heat for half an hour. Five minutes before the end of cooking time, add the kale.

Season to your liking with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper.

Serve in bowls and top with sliced avocado, fresh herbs, a squeeze of lemon/lime juice, a dollop of yoghurt (if using) and a scattering of pumpkin seeds. Alternatively, you could top with avocado salsa. The flavour of this hotpot just gets better in time, so it's a great thing to make and enjoy for lunch in the following days.

Check out what the other FMP members created here. 

Stay well.x

Kitchen Pharmacy Part 1: cure yourself from your own pantry

Illnesses such as colds, flu, coughs, sore throats, sinusitis, and other respiratory illnesses have a peak incidence in winter. Mostly these are fairly mild, and are reasonably easily treated if you catch them early. So, since winter is just around the corner, I thought I would prepare you with some self help strategies! There are loads of beautiful immune herbs (in particular Echinacea and Andrographis) which can be extremely useful in some situations, as can the big immune nutrients, which I will talk more about next week in Part 2.
However, you might be surprised to learn that we have a wonderful artillery at our disposal that can be found in our own kitchens and gardens!
Allow me to introduce the following superstars: Garlic, Sage, Thyme, Onion, Lemon, Ginger and Herbal Teas.


Garlic is natures answer to antibiotics, only better. Antimicrobial, immune enhancing, antiviral, antifungal and antiparasitic! Whoa. Even more exciting, it has been found to display antibacterial activity against various multi-drug resistant strains of bacteria1. And all wrapped up in a tidy little clove! Go Mother Nature!

The catch? You need to eat it raw, or as close to raw as you can, and ensure that it's crushed or bruised to release the powerful chemical constituents (allicin and ajoene). You need to be aiming for at least 2 grams a day for these potent antimicrobial effects.
Try adding garlic to meals towards the end of your cooking time (or even better raw) if you want these benefits.
I love raw garlic, but if you struggle with it, try slicing it thinly and placing between two slices of apple, like a sandwich.


Another great method is to make up a garlic oxymel. Oxymels are liquid medicines used to improve the flavour of herbs and have a soothing effect on mucous membranes.

A garlic oxymel can be used for sore throats, colds, cough, flu and related symptoms. Take in frequent teaspoon doses as necessary.

Garlic Oxymel
Adapted from Herbal Manufacturing by Jenny Adams and Eleanor Tan
You will need:
30g (about 10 cloves) garlic, peeled and crushed
1 heaped tsp fennel seeds
1 heaped tsp caraway seeds
100ml apple cider vinegar
2 tablespoons honey


Place seeds and vinegar in a small pot and gently warm for a few minutes, without boiling. Remove from heat, add honey and allow to cool just a little. Place the crushed garlic in a glass jar and add the warm honey mix. Steep. This mix really packs a punch, but it works!!
If you have some left over, no dramas, you have a ready made salad dressing!


Paul Pitchford suggests another method of putting half a peeled garlic clove in your mouth and holding it between your cheek and teeth for 20 minutes. Move it around every so often to avoid 'burning' the delicate mouth tissue. Do this every three hours on the day that you first notice any symptoms.

Teas

The body's natural defence against these illnesses is to sweat. It is the most effective way to rid the body of pathogens. Use diaphoretic herbs to encourage this process such as yarrow, elderflower, chamomile and fresh ginger root. 

I like to make up an immuni-tea (ha!) whenever I feel a cold starting.

I use:

1-2 cloves raw crushed garlic

2-3 slices fresh ginger

The juice of 1/2 a lemon

A good pinch of cayenne pepper (also high in vitamin C)

One heaped teaspoon each of yarrow, elderflower and rosehips (again high in vitamin C)

Place all ingredients into a teapot and cover with boiling water. Allow to steep for at least 15 minutes. Add honey to taste and drink hot - add extra hot water to your cup if need be. Teas for this purpose are always best enjoyed hot, after a hot shower or bath, and rugged up nice and warm to encourage the sweating process. Be careful with this process in cases of severe weakness.

Onion Cough Syrup
Another lovely little remedy is this onion cough mix. Dice a brown onion and add a large spoon of honey.

Let the mix sit for a couple of hours and it will start to develop into a bit of a syrup. 
Take teaspoons of the syrup as necessary for coughs. This is especially good for dry coughs, and is great with children.

Throat gargle
Add boiling water to fresh sage and thyme leaves and 1/4 of a lemon and steep for 10 minutes. Strain and gargle with the mix as necessary. You could also add a teaspoon of manuka honey for its antibacterial properties, but it's really quite refreshing as is.

Inhalations
Inhalations are a great way to clear nasal congestion. Eucalyptus oil is particularly useful here. A nice combination might be 8-10 drops of Eucalyptus oil, 2-3 drops tea tree oil, and 1 drop of thyme oil into a bowl of steaming water. Place your head over the bowl and cover with a towel and breath in deeply - be careful not to hold your head too close if the water is still very hot. Another way is to add the oils to a vapouriser. 
For nasal congestion, neti pots can be a very useful way to clear mucus - check out the link.


I hope that this is a helpful list of ideas. Next time I will talk more about how to improve your immunity with food!




1 Braun and Cohen (2007) Herbs and Natural Supplements An Evidence-Based Guide, Churchill Livingstone, NSW, Australia

Cacao Love: Chocolate Avocado Mousse and Chocolate Kale Chips

I have had a little cacao obsession this week. It started with the avocado love from last week, which just sort of melted into an avocado chocolate mousse; and finished with cacao and cashew kale chips.... Lucky that cacao is chock full of antioxidants: 10-15 times more antioxidants than blueberries, and 20 times more than green tea to be precise - whoa! Cacao beans are super rich in magnesium, and are also high in chromium, iron, zinc, vitamin C and manganese. If you are worried about the caffeine content, it is actually quite low - around 1%, compared with coffee which had around 10%.


So what's the deal with cacao anyway? The cacao tree grows the cacao pod which is the fruit. The pod is full of fabulous seeds which we know as cacao beans. You can find cacao as beans, nibs, powder and cacao butter. The nibs (like chocolate chips) and the powder lend themselves fabulously to baking, trail mix, smoothies, desserts and my new gourmet granola (I will post the recipe soon!).

The difference between cacao and chocolate, or ordinary cocoa, is that the latter is like a watered down version of cacao, with added extras like sugars, binding agents, milk solids, colourings and other chemicals. Vitamins and minerals are very sensitive to heat, and as most chocolate and cocoa is made using high temperatures, the end product is severely depleted in antioxidants, and has almost none of the vitamins and minerals it began life with. Good quality raw cacao however is produced using low temperatures and so maintains much of the original nutrient profile, hooray! Although it's not something you should really eat in the same quantity as vegetables, the health benefits make it such an awesome alternative for a sweet treat! You will find it in health food shops an some specialty shops. Look for organic and products that have been produced using low temperatures and minimal processing.


Avocado chocolate mousse is a tricky way to healthy up dessert. Put all the goodness of avocado (as mentioned last week), with the happiness of cacao and you get a silky little delectable with a difference. There are a number of ways to go about it, and I have spooned the mousse into some cute little walnut cases which not only add deliciousness, but protein and extra omega 3s, making this quite a legitimate snack!


Chocolate Avocado Mousse Cups
Adapted from Smooth Criminal Chocolate Mousse Tarts from My New Roots
To make the walnut cups, blend 3/4 cup walnuts and 1 tablespoon maple syrup/agave in a food processor until combined. Press into small muffin tin to make 8 cups, or larger moulds to make 4 cups. Pop into a very low oven and bake until firm and a little crisp. Carefully remove from the tin and let cool.
**To make this recipe conducive to raw food diets, refrigerate the cups instead of baking, or dehydrate for 1 - 2 hours.

To make the mousse you will need:
2 ripe avocados
2 tbs good quality raw cacao powder
1-2 tbs agave or maple syrup
5 very soft dates / soaked dates, pitted; or extra agave/maple syrup
A pinch of sea salt
A scant 1/4 tsp vanilla bean paste or 1/4 vanilla bean, scraped
2 tbs coconut milk
A handful of good quality dark chocolate (optional)


Put all ingredients (except chocolate if using) into a clean food processor and blend until smooth. If you are using the chocolate, melt it now and fold into the mousse.
Spoon the mix into the cups and serve! You can garnish these babies with any fruit that you have at hand if you like. 

Which brings me to the cacao and cashew kale chips. I have never made a sweet version of kale chips before, but was rummaging around for a sweet treat this afternoon and this hit the spot for me perfectly! You just can't go wrong with kale chips it seems. I added cashews for a little extra substance.


Cacao and Cashew Kale Chips
To recreate this little treat, mix 1 teaspoon coconut oil (softened/melted), 1 teaspoon cacao powder, 1/2-3/4 teaspoon maple/agave syrup, a small handful of blitzed cashews and a pinch of sea salt and massage into a big handful of torn kale. Spread out onto a baking tray lined with baking paper and bake in a very low oven until crispy (20-30 minutes). Alternatively, dehydrate for at least 2 hours. Delicious!! Double, triple and quadruple the recipe as needed! You have been warned. 

A Wholefood Tasting Plate with Avocado Salsa and Walnut & Sage 'Pate'

Walnut and Sage 'Pate' Balls

Growing up, my family would have 'platters' on given occasions. My sister and I loved these platters that were decorated with a number of usual suspects; black pepper pate, fruit cheese, gherkins, and savoy biscuits. And there was always the ceremonial using of the duck pate knife, which we thought was very flash! I still love platters. I associate them with good times, good conversation and sharing food - all of which play a starring role in the making of my own family traditions with my husband and daughter now.
The platters have changed a bit over the years though. My perfect platter, or tasting plate to be more fancy about it, must have a dip, a cheese, some sort of crunchy vehicle to get these into your mouth, something raw, and a nice balance of colours so that it looks pretty too.
I thought I would share a couple of favourites here: avocado salsa and walnut and sage 'pate'.
The Food Matters Project's menu for this week was Five Quick Salsas For Chips, Dips and other Stuff - you can see the original recipe here. 

Avocados should feature in every home's fruit bowl. They have an abundance of monounsaturated fat. This is good! Monounsaturated fats have beneficial effects on cholesterol and cardiovascular disease, and they are a more stable fat and therefore do not become rancid as easily as the polyunsaturated types.
Avocados also contain a natural source of lecithin - a food for our brains and again assists will cholesterol levels. They are high in lutein, vitamin K, calcium, folate and vitamin C, and because of their combination of good fats and vitamins, are a fabulous skin food. So, healthy heart, glowing skin, boosted immune system and protection against certain cancers (bowel and breast), it's reason enough for me!
There are literally thousands of things you can do with avocado - spreads, dips, smoothies, soups, mousses, a fabulous garnish for beany/lentil dishes, the list goes on...


So for a simple avo salsa try combining an a chopped avocado, the juice of 1/2 a lime, 1/4 red onion finely chopped, small handful of torn up coriander/cilantro, 1/2 small chili sliced, and about 30ml of extra virgin olive oil. Yummo!

Serve on it's own with dippers or as a side or topping for patties, fish, bean dishes, or as part of a Mexican fiesta! Check out what the other Food Matters Project members did with the salsa recipe here.


The Walnut and Sage 'Pate' is a powerhouse of protein, essential fatty acids, calcium, iron, B vitamins and deliciousness! You can roll it into balls as shown above, serve as is or press into a mould and turn it out.
Here's how to make it.


Walnut and Sage Pate
Adapted from Jude Blereau's Lentil and Walnut Pate
Makes about 3 cups
2/3 cup of brown or green lentils, rinsed
2 cups walnuts
1 tablespoon coconut oil
1 red onion, finely chopped
3 cloves of garlic, minced
3 teaspoons mirin
1 tbs miso paste
4 sage leaves
small handful of basil leaves
1/4 - 1/2 tsp pomegranate molasses


Preheat oven to 180 degrees Celsius/350F.
Put lentils in a saucepan, cover with enough water so that it reaches about 2cm above the lentils, and place over medium heat. Bring to the boil, reduce heat and simmer for 30-40 minutes or until lentils are tender. Drain and set aside.
While the lentils are cooking, put the walnuts on a baking tray and bake for 8-10 minutes or until just aromatic.
Heat the oil in a small frying pan and over low heat cook the onion and garlic for about 10 minutes or until soft and cooked but not browned. In the last few minutes of cooking time add the sage and bail leaves.
Remove from the heat. Transfer to a food processor with all other ingredients and process to your desired consistency.
Taste and add more pomegranate molasses or mirin if needed.
Serve straight away or pop into the fridge to firm up a little if you like. Pate will keep covered in the fridge for 3 days, and freezes really well.

So on my tasting plate today I had avocado salsa, walnut pate, roasted capsicum pesto, kale chips, organic natural corn chips, smoked goats cheese and a beautiful sourdough olive bread. Delish!