As it is
finally
getting colder in Prescott, I wanted to talk about warming foods. Not only do we need to stay warm on the outside, but let's kick up the internal heaters as well.
According to Chinese Medicine, certain foods affect our internal temperature by heating and invigorating the body. This involves more than eating a hot food such as soup. Cooked meals warm us up more successfully than raw foods, (which are naturally cooling), but there are also foods that heat by pushing blood and energy to the surface of the body during the digestion process. Spicy foods are the most obvious of these. When we eat a hot pepper, our face might even flush; that's why we call them "hot." Other foods create this same sensation of heat on a less observable scale.
So, it's a great time to break out the crock pot! One way to have more warming food is to use bone broth. Bone broth is incredibly nourishing, as it extracts the best from the bone through a long cooking process which makes it very digestible, warms the body, and heals the lining of the gut. You can make it yourself (see recipe below) or you can purchase some pre-made bone broth from organic producers. If you are not a fan of the straight bone broth, you can add it to soups, use as the liquid in mashed potatoes, or in an recipe where you would use normally use stock.
Ginger, cinnamon, cumin, curry and turmeric are some of the great warming spices to include this time of year. Add some cinnamon to your oatmeal, and make sure to try some great curries, like chickpea coconut curry (recipe is below).
Other warming foods include:
- Oatmeal
- Bean soups
- Brussels sprouts and cruciferous vegetables
- Pumpkin and squash
- Avocado and other good fats, such as walnuts and coconut oil
Bone broth
- Large bones from organic beef, roasted at 350 degrees for 1 hour
- 1 onion, quartered
- 2 carrots
- 4 garlic cloves
- 2 celery stalks
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 leek
- ½ cup raw apple cider vinegar
- Ginger
- 1 parsnip
- Salt and pepper to taste
- Parsley, thyme and rosemary
- ½ lemon
- Broccoli stems
- Any leftover greens from juicing
Bring all ingredients to a boil, then a low simmer for 24 hours.
Cool completely before refrigerating or freezing.
Chickpea Yellow Coconut Curry
- 1 can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
- Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
- 2 tbs. olive oil; more as needed
- Half medium onion, finely diced (to yield about 1/2 cup)
- 1 tbs. minced fresh ginger
- 1 1/2 tbs. curry powder
- 1 cup low-salt vegetable or bone broth
- 1 medium (6-oz.) sweet potato, peeled and cut into 1/4-inch dice (to yield about 1 cup)
- 1 large carrot, sliced
- 8 oz. coconut milk, canned, well shaken
- 1/2 cup frozen peas
- 2 cups fresh spinach
- 2 tbs. roughly chopped fresh cilantro
Options:
- Shredded coconut
- Sriracha sauce
- Raisins
- Cucumber
In a sauté pan, heat the oil. Add the onion and ginger and sauté, stirring almost constantly with a wooden spoon, until the vegetables soften, about 2 minutes. Add the curry powder and sauté for 30 seconds. Pour in the broth and scrape the pan with a spoon to loosen any browned bits. Add the chick peas, potato, carrot and 1/2 tsp. salt. Bring to a simmer and cook, partially covered, until the potato is barely tender, 7 to 8 minutes. Add the coconut milk, spinach and peas; simmer uncovered until the peas are thawed, the potato is fully tender, and the sauce is somewhat thickened, 4 to 5 minutes. Taste the sauce; add salt and pepper as needed. Serve immediately, sprinkled with the cilantro and optional toppings.
Happy Holidays!
Victoria Abel, MA, MNT, CAN
