a hungry herbalist

Here’s what I’ll be reading over the next six months, to get through what I’m sure will be a short autumn and a brutal winter. I plan to get through a book every two weeks, while taking notes and preparing for spring!

Part 1: Microbes

Banana: The Fate of the Fruit that Changed the World (Dan Koeppel, 2008)

Mold Survival Guide: For your Home and For your Health (Jeffrey C. May, 2004)

A Field Guide to Bacteria (Betsey Dexter Dyer, 2003)

Part 2: Gardening Basics and Troubleshooting

Garden Maker’s Answer Book (Lorraine Marshall Burgess, 1975)

Garden Rescue (Jo Wittingham, 2013)

The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Healing Remedies (C. Norman Shealy, 2002)

Garden Wisdom and Knowhow (Rodale press, 2010)*

Part 3: Weeds and Foraging

Wild Urban Plants of the Northeast (Peter Del Tredici, 2010)

Nature’s Garden: Identifying, Harvesting, Preparing Wild Edible Plants (Samuel Thayer, 2010)

Foraged Flavor: Finding Fabulous Ingredients (Tama Matsuoka Wong, 2012)

Part 4: Spirituality in Nature

The Forest Unseen (David George Haskell, 2013)

Nature Spirits (Rudolf Steiner, 1995)

Lost Art of Reading Nature’s Signs (Tristan Gooley, 2014)

*This book is HUGE so not only is it impossible to commute with, it will take me longer to read. Here are other books I’ve got as backup to bring when I travel:

Northeast Smart Garden Regional Guide (Trevor J Cole, 2003)

Ortho’s All About Houseplants (2007)

Gardener’s Essential Companion (Dora Galitzki, 2000)

Common Mosses of the Northeast and Appalachians (Karl B. McKnight etc, 2013)

Smithsonian Nature Guide to Trees (Tony Russel, 2012)

I don’t really miss eating chicken eggs. But when I’m in the mood for a breakfasty meal on a morning off, I whip up a tofu scramble. So easy to customize and, with a bit of prep in advance, super easy to make!

(Serves 2)

1/2 firm tofu block (pressed overnight)*

2 tbsp (olive) oil 

1/4 cup red onion, minced 

1 tbsp garlic, minced (or 1 tsp powder) 

1 tomato, chopped 

1 ear of corn (or 1/3 can) 

2 mushrooms (button/baby portobello) 

1 tbsp nutritional yeast 

1 tsp turmeric 

1 tsp jalapeño, minced (or pepper of choice) 

1/2 tsp coriander -salt and pepper to taste 

(1/4 cup fresh parsley, chopped) 

*Tofu is full of water, so the night before I put the block in a bowl, a plate on top, and a jar of water on the plate. This presses out excess water so it cooks better and holds its texture. 

In a mixing bowl, combine all remaining ingredients except parsley, draining any excess liquid first (from tomato or corn). I forked it up ‘til it was nice and mixed.

In a skillet on medium/high heat, add oil and cook onions and (fresh) garlic until fragrant (2-3minutes). Add the tofu mixture and stir occasionally. At least 5 minutes will cook the tofu, evaporate extra liquids and meld flavors. YUM.

Serve topped with parsley, rich in Vitamins A, C, K, Iron, Magnesium, Trace Minerals, Calcium and Flavonoids! 

BASIC SMOOTHIE RECIPE

Smoothies are great because they combine all the ingredients into a frozen treat, while making it easy to get essential vitamins! Omega fats, protein, acids, vitamins, minerals and flavors help me stay full and awake. I love lemon but not everybody is into it so skip it if you don’t like it… But remember it’s got more Vitamin C than an orange ;)

1 and a half tablespoon frozen ginger, chopped

1 cup frozen fruit (blackberries today) 

1 cup ice 

1 medium favorite apple, chopped 

½ teaspoon Ceylon cinnamon 

1 cup hempmilk/ fortified nondairy 

1 serving hemp protein/hearts 

½ cup lemon juice (optional) 

1 teaspoon ACV 

1 tablespoon ground flax or chia 

Pinch of Himalayan sea salt 

So cheap, so easy, so fast in a food processor. Less than 15 minutes of effort and you’ve got hummus for the week!

First, make some tahini. Lightly toast 1 cup of sesame seeds in a skillet (maximum of 5 minutes on medium heat, or they will get bitter). Add these and 3 tablespoons of olive oil into your food processor. Blend until smooth, stopping to scrape down the sides at least twice. This makes enough tahini for 3 batches of hummus, or use it for something else (nutty spread on toast, sauce for rice or noodles, etc).

For the hummus:

Half cup tahini

1 can garbanzos (half the liquid drained)

Juice of half a lemon

1 tbsp @solunagarden Pseudo Salt (or equal parts cumin and garlic powder

1 tsp Himalayan sea salt

1 tbsp ground chia or flax seeds

Whip it all up in a food processor until smooth! Store in a glass jar for up to a week.

BEANS are so good for you, even if you aren’t vegan. They are rich in Protein, Potassium, Calcium, Magnesium and vitamin B6. They also contain Fiber which helps you feel full. My favorite are Black Beans or Turtle beans, which I usually cook up all at once, along with a big batch of rice, so I can make lunches for the week. I mix in ground flax or chia seeds to add more Omega fatty acids. Also, I love TACOS, so I use frijoles with corn tortillas, rice, maybe salsa or avocado, and of course fresh cilantro. If you’re not into cilantro, try parsley instead.

Below is a simple recipe for frijoles. The longer they simmer, the more thick and rich they become!

Whenever I’m craving something creamy, zesty, yellow and savory, I make some Chz. Mostly I use it for a pasta/veg combo like ShellsNchzNpeas (below), but you can also use it on a baked potato, or for nachos, or in rice, or even as a spread in a sandwich (if you stir in a tablespoon of Veganaise and cool down the sauce). 

~Modify for a stir-fry sauce by adding a tablespoon of Nut butter; Best with noodles!

Nutritional yeast and ground Flax seeds provide essential B vitamins and Omegas. When you can, replace the Water base with Coconut milk for good Fats, Vitamins C, E (and B’s) and minerals including Iron, Calcium, Magnesium. I cook with Coconut oil because it’s tasty and also has the above nutritional values. Mustard is fantastic because it has incredible flavor and few other ingredients; it’s naturally rich in minerals, vitamins and anti-oxidants. Herbs like Tumeric, Cayenne and Curry improve mood and concentration, while Coriander and Cumin deepen the flavor subtleties in the sauce. I hope you try making this at home, let me know what you think! 

CHZ SAUCE: 

1 cup water

1 tbsp (coconut) oil

1 tbsp A(pple) C(ider) V(inegar)

2 tbsp ground Flax seed

3 tbsp nutritional yeast

3 tbsp of your favorite mustard (honey dijon or coarse ground are my picks)

1 tsp tumeric

1 tsp coriander

1/2 tsp cumin

1 pinch each of Cayenne, Curry, Parsley

Stirring occasionally, simmer it all on low-medium heat for 15 minutes, or as long as it takes to make the accompaniment for your sauce. The sauce should form a skin: that’s a good thing, and it helps the sauce thicken. 

-Makes enough for up to 2 cups of cooked pasta, rice, tortilla chips, etc.

Today I made ShellsNchzNpeas, recipe below.

What is a plant-based diet? Everything I consume was once a plant. It is a misconception that a balanced mealplan cannot be created this way. I’m a planner: I prepare lunches in advance, and I cook dinner as often as possible. Daily I eat leafy greens, fruits, roots, legumes, seeds, and grains*. To get essential B vitamins and Omegas, and to diversify recipes, I add ingredients like nutritional yeast, ground flax or chia seeds. Something vital for my health as a vegan and a hard-working individual is vitamin supplements: C, D, iron, calcium and magnesium as needed. Learning what nutrients are present in the meals I eat helps me know which supplements I need, because life is full of surprises and, as much as I’d like to, I can’t ~always~ access these nutrients from my meals.

*Cooking grains from scratch, like brown and wild rice, quinoa, polenta, teff, buckwheat and sprouted wheat, ensures that I know where they came from and how they were prepared. Most processed meals, including breads, cereals and pastas, include synthesized chemicals and preservatives, highly industrializing our food for longer life on the shelf, cheaper cost of producing goods, more profit… Commodities like these are meant to sell, not to supply nutrients. Learning how to cook can help us take back our food supply, showing the industry that we buy more organic produce than products in packaging.

My goal for this blog is to reign in my culinary creativity to create at least a dozen meal recipes, flexible to use for dinner, lunches for the week, potlucks, guests, etc. The ultimate tool any adult can have is how to prepare oneself a meal. Especially a vegan!