Category Archives: Healthy Recipes

Cashew Cardamom Milk Recipe

INGREDIENTS

  • ¼ cup raw cashews (soak overnight in 1 cup of water) and blend it into a fine puree
  • 1 pinch of ground cardamom
  • 1 dash of nutmeg
  • 1 pinch of ground vanilla beans
  • 1.5 cups of rice milk or almond milk
  • Sweeten to taste with either agave syrup, honey or stevia

 

INSTRUCTIONS

Mix all of the above ingredients in a pan, and heat it to boil for about 2 minutes, you can also add a chamomile tea bag once you remove the hot milk from the stovetop and put it in a mug. Enjoy a warm soothing cup of cashew cardamom milk, ideally in the evenings. Works well for relaxation, lowered blood pressure and better sleep!

By: SUSHMA SHAH, Toronto Naturopathic Doctor.

Change Of Season Soup

Change of season soup is an immune system tonic used in traditional Chinese medicine. It’s a herbal blend ideal to enhance the immune system during the changing of the seasons. This herbal formula is also thought to improve resistance to colds and flu and help with stress.

One cup or bowl twice a day for 12 days is often recommended for a healthy person. People who are in the midst of a cold or flu should not drink the soup until after they have recovered.

The soup has a slightly bitter taste. To improve the taste, use it as a base for a hearty chicken soup made with a whole chicken and shiitake mushrooms, onions, carrots, potatoes, pumpkin, squash, beets, and other local harvest vegetables.

INGREDIENTS 

To make change of season soup, you will need equal parts (2-3 oz each) of the following herbs. Chinese herbal shops sometimes sell the herbs pre-packaged for convenience.

1. Codonopsis root

This herb is thought to help tonify and strengthen “qi” energy and helps to build blood and nourish body fluids.

2. Astragalus root

Astragalus is a root thought to helps strengthen protective defenses, strengthen qi energy, nourish the spleen, and tonify the blood and lungs.

3. Dioscorea (Chinese yam) root

Dioscorea is a herb believed to tonify and balances the lungs and the kidneys.

4. Chinese Lycii berries

Lycii berries is believed to strengthen the liver and the kidneys.

INSTRUCTIONS

  • Fill a large Stock Pot with water. Add the above herbs to the pot and place the lid on. Bring to a boil and simmer for 4 to 6 hours. If the water level boils down, add water to refill if necessary.
  • Using a slotted spoon, remove the herbs from the pot and allow the soup to cool. This recipe makes about 4 liters of soup. You can drink it as a broth, use it as a base for soup recipes, or place it in a mug or thermos and sip it throughout the day.

By: SUSHMA SHAH, Toronto Naturopathic Doctor.

Sauteed Garlic Asparagus And Brown Rice Recipe

Ingredients:

  • 2 tbsp of coconut oil
  • 1 tsp of cumin seeds
  • 2 large cloves of garlic (minced)
  • 1 bunch of young asparagus (cut into 1 inch pieces and steamed lightly)
  • 2 1/2 cups of cooked brown rice (cook the rice with 1/2 water and 1/2 vegetable broth for better flavour)
  • seasoning to taste
  • 1 tbsp of chopped coriander

 

Heat the coconut oil in a saucepan and add the cumin seeds. Let the seeds brown a little and add the garlic to the oil. Cook the garlic until it browns a little and then add in the steamed asparagus pieces. Stir the asparagus infrequently for about 5 minutes. Finally add the cooked brown rice and mix thoroughly. Add seasoning and fresh herbs to taste. Serve immediately and enjoy!
By: SUSHMA SHAH, Toronto Naturopathic Doctor.