Seasonal Harmony
By Ellasara
"The wise nourish life by flowing with the four seasons and adapting to cold or heat, by harmonizing joy and anger in a tranquil dwelling, by balancing yin and yang, and what is hard and soft." The Neijing
Although this article series is entitled Seasonal Harmony, I would like to emphasize that eating only the foods that are associated with a particular season is an out of balance action. It is always best, to eat a balanced diet with as wide a variety of foods/tastes/colors/etc. as one can using the best quality foods you can afford. Adding in or highlighting foods that naturally harmonize with the season is highly beneficial.
I truly believe that following your intuition about what your body needs is always the best course of action. And because we want to go deeper, and not just skim the surface, we inquire about what our bodies are telling us. For example, if you "feel" you need to eat potato chips (a basically energy devoid substance), ask yourself "what is the experience my body is after?" The answer might be that you are a bit tired and salt would perk you up. If you explore your feelings more, you might answer yourself with the information that you have been sitting for a long period of time and you need to stretch, allowing your blood and qi to flow more. Upon stretching (always a good thing, especially in Spring), you might find that you no longer want the potato chips or salt. There are many, many variations to which these ideas can be applied to your daily life. Always remember that your individuality and intuition are of prime importance. Everything else is a suggestion, guideline, useful (one hopes) idea, interesting concept, and so on. Following "who you are", "where you are", "how you are", "when you are" will undoubtedly lead you to the best choices for your health.
That being said, Traditional Chinese medicine theory sees the Stomach like a cauldron in which the food we eat is cooked, much like a soup. Soups, congees, cooked cereals and the like harmonize most with this theory as does eating foods that are cooked as opposed to raw or cold. We derive the most energy from foods that are cooked. Many of us were raised with the idea that Winter is "soup season", but actually, all seasons are soup season. I think that soups are an excellent way to eat a wide a variety of foods, in a tasty manner, that are easy to digest (and therefore save energy) that also harmonize with the needs of our bodies.
Emotionally, most of us find that soups are comforting. They make a great addition to any meal, or a meal in and of themselves. There is also no food type that is more "forgiving" than soup to cook. Almost all errors can be adjusted out and they do not need to have a long preparation time. This makes them so very user friendly for our overly busy 2010 lives. Eating soups also causes us to slow down when we eat, which is helpful for our frame of mind and our digestion. Because of the feelings of comfort we derive from them, we welcome food ingested in this form. This too adds to the value that we derive from soup. Here are a few soup recipes and side dishes that I hope you find to your liking.
Spicy Vegetable Soup
Ingredients
2 tablespoons walnut or safflower oil
4 scallion whites sliced into little thin rings
3-4 small red chili peppers (I like spicy so adjust to your taste)
24 oz of water
4 medium plum tomatoes, diced
1 medium zucchini, diced
2 cups diced ¾ cooked sweet potatoes - cut into 1-1/2" chunks
1 cup %20Low-Cal%20Vegetarian%20Recipes.aspx?utm_campaign=2009-06-08-28964&utm_source=todays-recipe&utm_medium=email&utm_content=todays-recipe_7%20Low-Cal%20Vegetarian%20Recip&VID=28964&FromNL=1&sc_date=20090608T000000#%23" green beans , cut on the diagonal into 2-inch pieces
½ lb Fresh baby spinach
2 tablespoons rice vinegar
¼ cup dry sherry
½ tsp fish oil
½ cup walnuts pieces – lightly toasted
Directions
Heat oil in a large heavy skillet or wok over medium heat. Add scallions, chili peppers and heat through, then
Add water, tomatoes, squash, potatoes and beans; bring to a boil. And quickly
Reduce heat to a simmer until the vegetables are just tender, about 8-10 minutes.
Add fish oil
Stir in spinach and vinegar; continue cooking until heated through, 2 to 4 minutes more.
Adjust seasonings –remove chillis
Add the toasted walnuts to the top of each bowl.
I love fennel and I am always looking for new ways to eat it. This year, I have been experimenting with fennel soups, this is one I rather liked and it's very simple. Also, the dill garnish is lovely for spring as dill's energy is to spread qi.
Fennel Soup
Ingredients:
2 TB walnut oil
1 lb of fennel bulbs only - sliced
6 large scallion whites only – sliced
2 carrots – sliced
1organiclemon – juiced and grate the peel (set the grated peel aside)
24 oz of water
Salt/pepper
1 cup Pine nuts – light toasted
2 TB Dill leaves
Directions:
Heat the oil in a wok or heavy large skillet
Lightly sauté the vegetables in the oil
Add the vegetable and sauté for a couple of minutes
Add the water and simmer for about 15 minutes
Add the lemon juice and stir thoroughly
When cooked through, add the pine nuts
Adjust seasoning
When serving, garnish with dill and lemon zest
Black Rice Congee
Ingredients:
7 cups water
½ cup black rice
¼ cup Jasmine rice
½ cup Chinese Red Dates (cut in half)
Directions:
Bring the water to a boil and add the rices.
Bring back to a boil and lower heat and simmer until the rices begin to "break down"
Add more water if necessary to keep the rices from sticking to the pot. Stir occasionally.
Add the red dates and continue simmering until the rices are sort of "homogenous" – a nice smooth type consistency of the rice.
Makes a nice dessert (or sweet breakfast) with some honey and/or coconut milk.
Green Tea Noodles
Ingredients:
4 ounces of your favorite noodles
4 scallionwhitescut into thin rings
2 tsp rice vinegar
¼ tsp fish oil
2 TB Vegetable oil – safflower, walnut, etc. (about)
1 tsp loose gunpowder green tea - you will eat the leaves in this recipe.
2 tsp minced ginger
½ cup each: green and red bell peppers – small dice
½ cup very thinly sliced carrot rounds
Directions:
Cook noodles according to the package directions. Add the scallion whites
Combine together the fish oil and rice vinegar and toss in the noodles and set aside.
Heat a wok or heavy skillet over medium heat and add oil and heat.
Add ginger and tea leaves and saute to release the fragrance (1/2 minute or so)
Add carrots and bell peppers and saute until they are just passed sweating.
Add in the noodles and toss thoroughly with the vegetables and tea leaves.
Saute just until everything is heated through.
Adjust seasoning
The Organ System for the Spring is: Liver/Gall Bladder; The opening to the world is the Eye; The ruling color is a teal green; the taste of the season is Sour, Tendons are the "Tissue"; the envioronmental factor is Wind, the emotion is Anger (Benevolence would be teh "remedy"); its time period is 11pm to 3 am; its direction is East.
.Above are some of the major relationships that are part of the Spring season. The earth is beginning "the big push". If you look at trees that have appeared dormant (although they really weren't) all winter, you will see that little buds have become obvious. Suddenly, you have the feeling that they are about to do something. And that is accurate. They bulbs below the ground, the trees, bushes and other plant life are starting the outward and upward flow that is the hallmark of the Spring Season. We can relate this back to our daily lives and how we feel at the end of Winter -- eager, anticipatory and excited for the rush of Spring to bring that dazzling feeling of new life. We are infused with the spirit of renewal. Daylight is lengthening as the Winter Solstice has passed, which is a welcome relief in and of itself. And even now, as we begin to perceive Spring, we know that Summer is coming and that adds to our excitement of the Spring season. The winds of Spring herald the welcome heat of Summer with its cresting energy reflected in wild assortments of foods. Colorful, fresh, local foods will be appearing shortly in the markets. Remember to "Think Universally, but Buy Locally"so that you ingest the energy of your area in the timing of where you live. It is an easy way to support your energy system.
Some Foods That Harmonize With Spring
Artichoke, Bamboo shoots, Bean Curd (tofu) – use non GMO, organic, Beef Liver, Bee Pollen, Beets, Blackberry, Broccoli, Broccoli rabe, Buckwheat, Carrots, Cashews, Celery, Chicken , Chicken Liver, Clams, Corn silk, Crab, Dandelion greens, Eggplant, Fennel, Garlic, Ginger, Green veggies in general, Green Bell Pepper, Kiwi, Lemon, Lime, Lotus, Mulberry, Milk thistle, Nettle Tea, Oats, Parsley, Pickles, Quail, Rasberry, Rye, Safflower oil, Scallion, Spinach, Sprouts of all kinds, Vinegar, Wild Rice, Zucchini
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