Thu, Jan 14, 2016
Importance of Eating Seasonally
According to Chinese Medicine food is looked at as herbs, there’s a reason why certain things grow during certain times of the year and certain climates. Food is grown to balance the nature of the season. For example, squashes, pumpkins, apples, carrots and root vegetables are grown during the colder months, and are eaten because they are hardy, and warming in nature and easy on the digestion.
Winter is a time of restoring and reserving your energy. It’s an inward, condensing time of year to reflect and hold on to nutrients. Salty foods reflect the Kidney meridian which reserves your source Qi, and helps to hold on to nutrients. A person abundant in Kidney Qi will look younger than thier age. Saltyfoods in nature help to reserve Qi during the harsh winter months.
Here is a wonderfully delicious recipe that is slow cooked, warming in nature, and easy to digest. The barley helps to drain damp, meaning it can help with any phlegm you have left over from a lingering cold.
This is the time of year that slow cooked, easy to digest warming foods in nature are essential.
Barley Soup
Ingredients
- 1 large sweet potato, peeled and cubed
- 1-1/2 cups carrots
- 3 celery ribs, thinly sliced
- 2 small onion, chopped
- 1 green pepper chopped
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 6 cups water
- 3 cups of vegetable broth
- 1 cup medium pearl barley
- 1 bay leaf
- 1-3/4 teaspoons salt
- 1/2 teaspoon fennel seed, crushed
- 1/4 teaspoon pepper
- 1 can (14-1/2 ounces) Italian diced tomatoes, undrained 1 bag frozen shelled edamame
- 2 cups of kale chopped
Add all ingredients into a crockpot. Cook on high for 2 – 4 hours or low from 4 – 6 hours. About one hour before the soup is finished add the kale.
*Recipe courtesy of A Nutritious Life