Foods Alive Recipe + Newsletter
The Chinese principals of regeneration is built around nourishing, cleansing and bringing into balance the five body systems.
The body is designed to digest and process a variety of whole life foods. So, it should come as no surprise that in ancient times a meal served in the Golden palace would consist of the following plants and herbs:
Five plants categorized by taste; bitter, sweet, salt, pungent and sour; Five plants categorized by colour; red, to nourish the hormonal system; yellow for the digestive system; green for our defense system (dark leafy greens are excellent foods to help a stressed liver); black, for our circulatory system (kidneys and bladder); and white for respiratory support. You would also find a plant that grows facing the sun (artichoke, corn); a fruit or seed that is facing the earth (bean, tomato); one that grows in the earth (carrot, potato); a plant that grows on top of the water (water lily bulb, or algae); and one that grows in the water (kelp, dulce).
That adds up to at least fifteen colourful vegetables in all shapes, texture and nutritional content. The average North American rarely eats more than one or two fresh raw vegetables a day. The secret in good health is not buried in one magic food or juice. The secret lies in eating a large variety of fresh, unprocessed food with a happy heart and grateful mind.
Snow is covering the black earth in most Canadian provinces, but not before we have had a chance to store its fruit in cool rooms and store houses. Our carrots and beets are buried under a pile of leaves in the garden and will stay fresh until the sun rises in the East again.
Potatoes, cabbages, parsnips, leeks, onions and garlic are crops that keep well and give us a large variety of ingredients to choose from during the winter months with bone warming soups and stews. The smell of the sweet potato celery, with that soft scent of garlic, will surely wake up you’re saliva glands and nourish your respiratory system as you shake the snow of your boots and hang your toque at the back door.
Recipe of the Week
Sweet Potato Celery Soup
1 very large light skinned sweet potato, peeled and cut in chunks
1 large onion, coarsely chopped
1 medium leek, sliced
4 stalks of celery, sliced
2 cloves garlic
1 tbsp celtic sea salt or (herbamare piquant)
freshly ground pepper
2 tbsp lemon juice
Gently fry onion in 2 tbsp of butter until soft (or steam in water or vegetable broth). Add 1 liter of organic vegetable broth. Add remaining ingredients, and simmer 15 minutes.
Let cool for awhile and process at high speed in a blender, or food processor until creamy.
Reheat and add seasonings, plus lemon juice. Add more vegetable broth for your preferred consistency. Garnish with very finely sliced leek tops and a swirl of plain yogurt.
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