Energy Bombs – Dale Pinnocks recipe

ENERGY BOMBS:  Dale Pinnock –
Makes 10-12
250g pitted dates 250g raw walnuts 3 teaspoons spirulina powder desiccated coconut to coat
Put the dates, walnuts & spirulina into a food processor and process at full speed until a stiff paste forms.
Sprinkle the desiccated conconut on a plate and have another clean plate handy.  Processing the ingredients at high speed will have squeezed the oil from the walnuts so the paste will be very oily.  Break off thumb-sized pieces of paste & roll them into balls, then roll in the desiccated coconut.  Place the coated balls on a clean plate.
Once all the paste has been rolled into balls, place in the fridge for several hours which wil make them firmer and give them a fantastic chewy texture.

Kidney Supporting Foods

Supportive foods for the Kidneys

Celery, asparagus and dandelion (tea) are natural diuretics which help to flush out toxins from the kidneys. Juniper is a strong kidney cleanser;
•    Beetroot is a good kidney cleanser. Drink the juice or eat raw beetroot grated onto salads or buy the cooked variety which has not been soaked in vinegar;
•    Cranberries have a cleansing action on the kidneys and bladder. They help urinary infections by preventing bacteria from sticking to the bladder wall. Look for a no-added sugar drink or use a concentrated herbal fluid extract;
•    Kidney/Aduki beans
•    Animal Kidneys
•    Seaweed is a supportive food for the water element because of its connections with the sea. Seaweed, also known as sea vegetable, is high in natural sodium which does not tax kidney function. Dried seaweed makes a nutritious condiment for sprinkling onto food. Try dried nori or wakame crumbled into soups, casseroles or salads or over rice dishes;
•    Wholegrains, such as brown rice or buckwheat, assist the kidneys by helping detoxification and water balance. They do this by holding large amounts of fluid and providing bulk to absorb toxins. They are also rich in B vitamins which are used up during the stress response;
•    Warm foods support the kidney and bladder. Casseroles and soups are particularly recommended;
•    Jasmine and green tea are thought to reduce damp in the body which weakens the kidneys. Drinking plain hot water can also be effective for this;
•    Magnesium rich foods are particularly important for the kidneys and adrenal glands. For example, Brazil nuts, cashew nuts, sesame seeds, chick peas, soya beans, millet, oats and bananas;
•    Red peppers and green leafy vegetables are rich in vitamin C which the adrenal glands thrive on;
•    Cold pressed oils, such as flax, olive, walnut and sesame, provide anti-stress essential fatty acids. Use these oils liberally but do not heat them or add to hot foods.

Regular meals containing a little protein protect the adrenal glands from being over-stimulated by blood sugar drops. Regular breaks during the working day are important for conserving kidney energy and avoiding depletion and weakness.

Delicious, Date & Walnut Flapjacks

A healthy, tasty & nutritious snack for every type!  Enjoy!

 The combination of walnuts, dates, sesame seeds, eggs, molasses and oats is nourishing to most aspects of our system:  the yin, yang, blood and Qi.  Its moistening action is partially moderated by the drying and warming action of the spices.  Because of its richness, too much will be dampening.  This is a warming energy tonic that will support the whole system.

 Ingredients:

6 ounces walnuts

8 ounces dates

A little hot water

1 handful sesame seeds

1 cup sunflower oil

2 eggs, beaten

2 tablespoons molasses

1 tablespoon cinnamon

1 teaspoon ginger

20 ounces oatflakes

 

Crush the walnuts and chop the dates finely.  Add a small amount of hot water to the dates, leave for a few minutes them mash until the dates dissolve a little.  Add the molasses, crushed walnuts, sesame seeds, oil, spies and eggs.  Stir well. Gradually add the oats until the mixture is thick and moist.  Push it into a shallow baking tray and bake at 400%F/Gas Mark 6 for about half an hour.  Cut when still warm.

This recipe was taking from ‘Recipes for Self-Healing’ by the very well informed Daverick Leggett

Nourishing the Spleen through food

This piece is taken from the website of Daverick Leggett.  To view the full article follow the link below.

Introducing the Spleen

The Spleen likes to feel a satisfied glow of comfort after eating. An eating style that nourishes the Spleen is one that is homely and generous, one that gives attention to the ‘feel-good factor’, generating a sense of abundance and care.

In Chinese medicine the Spleen is said to be nourished by sweet food. This does not mean sugar but rather the deep sweet taste of grains or root vegetables as in rice pudding or pumpkin soup. Generally speaking the Spleen likes well-cooked food such as thick soups or stews which are easy on the digestion; it has more difficulty with raw and cold food. The weaker the Spleen, the more it benefits from well-cooked meals.

The Spleen also dislikes being flooded with too much fluid so it is helpful to drink only a little fluid with meals and have most fluid intake between meals. It is helpful to separate fruit and sweetened foods from the main meal, eating them instead as between-meal snacks. This assists the Spleen’s function of sifting and sorting and helps reduce digestive fermentation.

Chewing well helps the Spleen to digest, and warms chilled or raw food. We can also assist the Spleen by sitting in a relaxed way with an open and untwisted posture. Sitting slumped or twisted will compress the digestive organs and hinder digestion.

Aromatic flavours stimulate the digestion, so the inclusion of aromatic herbs and spices in cooking will encourage the Spleen not to become Stagnant. Sweet-flavoured foods, especially foods rich in complex carbohydrates, are used by the Spleen to release energy steadily into the system; they form the centre of a Spleen-supportive diet.

Finally, according to the system of correspondences in Chinese medicine it is said that yellow/orange foods such as squash, ‘red’ lentils or carrot are energetically resonant with the Spleen and will support its functions.

LIST OF FOODS WHICH TRAVEL THE SPLEEN ROUTE:

Rice Spelt Aubergine Carrot
Cauliflower Swiss chard Courgette Coriander leaf
Marrow Parsnip Potatoe Pumpkin
Squash Stringbean Sweet potatoe Turnip
Water chestnut Water cress Yam Field mushrooms
Oyster mushrooms Shitake mushrooms Apple Avocado
Banana Blueberries Cherry Date
Fig Grape Grapefruit Guana
Kiwi Lemon/lime Mango Papaya
Pear Pineapple Plum Aduki
Kidney beans Chickpea Pea Tofu
Almond Hazelnut Pumpkin seed Linseed
Anchovy Mullet Salmon Sardine
Tuna Whitebait Beef tripe Pork tripe
Turkey

Chicken stock & Soup – good for the soul

THE BENEFITS OF CHICKEN SOUP:

Although I personally do not eat meat, I often suggest to patients with similar diets to consider making an exception at certain times of their lives; it has so many benefits I just can’t help it :/

Hanna Kroeger, who in 1958 opened New Age Foods , the first health- food shop in US, was an early proponent of the medicinal properties in everyday food.  In her book Ageless Remedies from Mothers Kitchen she asks, ‘Why is chicken soup superior to all the things we have, even more relaxing than Tylenol (Paracetamol)?’

And she answers:

It is because chicken soup has a natural ingredient which feeds, repairs and calms the mucous lining in the small intestine.  The inner lining is the beginning or ending or the nervous system.  It is easily pulled away from the intestine through too many laxatives, too many food additives and parasites.  Chicken soup heals the nerves, improves digestion, reduces allergies, relaxes and gives strength.

You can make chicken stock with a single uncooked chicken carcass or bones but it will be improved if you add extra legs, wings and giblets (but not liver) or you can use a roast chicken carcass.

METHOD FOR MAKING THE CHICKEN STOCK:

If you are using a leftover roasted carcass, pull off any spare meat and set aside to use when you make the soup.  Next, push down on the carcass until you hear the bones crack, then pull it apart and add to a large stock pot.  Use the entire carcass, including any juices left in the roasting pan.  If you are using an uncooked carcass or bones, simply squash it down into your pot.

TO MAKE THE DELICIOUS, HEARTY SOUP:

• 1 x 1.5kg organic, free range chicken
• 4 carrots, peeled and sliced
• 1 celery heart, sliced, yellow leaves reserved
• 12 new potatoes, peeled
• a few sprigs of fresh thyme
• 2 large handfuls of peas
• 1 leek, washed and shredded
• a small bunch of fresh flat-leaf parsley, leaves picked and chopped

Wash your chicken in cold water and pat dry with kitchen paper. Place the chicken, carrots, celery, potatoes and thyme into a large, deep pan and pour in 3 litres of water or enough to cover the chicken.

Simmer on a medium heat for 1½ hours or until the chicken is cooked through.

Remove the chicken from the pan and strain the broth. Save the veg for later. Put the broth back on a high heat and allow to reduce for 15 minutes until there’s about 2 litres left.

Meanwhile, tear the cooked chicken into long chunks. Once the broth has reduced, throw the vegetables back in the pan with the peas, leeks and chicken. Simmer for a further 5 minutes, then remove the sprigs of thyme.

Serve in warm bowls sprinkled with chopped parsley and the celery leaves.

Tip: The chicken is the star ingredient so use the best organic, free chicken available.

 

Information in this piece is taken from ‘The Baby Making Bible’ by Emma Cannon.

Nettle Soup

Nettle Soup

Best picked in Spring and great as a fertiliser for tomatoes when they are past their best.  Pick only the top 4-6 leaves of each plant for a delightful earthy soup.

Energetics:

Very beneficial for all women but especially those who suffer from light periods, dizziness, floaters in the eyes, fatigue – especially in the afternoon, lack of concentration, those with pale lips, nails, tongue and complexion.

Nettles are an excellent tonic for the blood, with a strengthening action on the Liver, Lung and Kidney.  Nettles nourish the Liver yin as well as helping resolve Phlegm in the Lung.  The potato acts as a neutral, Qi-strengthening base for the nettle’s action.  The main action of this soup is to nourish Blood, support the Kidney and strengthen the Liver Yin.

Ingredients:

1 onion

12 ounces potatoes

1 tablespoon sunflower oil

 6 ounces nettles

 2 pints veg stock

1 teaspoon nutmeg

Juice of 1 lemon

Salt and pepper

Soya sauce

 Method:

Cook the onion in the oil until golden then add the finely chopped potato and stir frequently of about five minutes.

 Add the nettles and a good splash of stock and let them sweat with the other ingredients for another 5 minutes.

 Add the stock and simmer for about 15 minutes.  Add the nutmeg just before the end.  Liquidise and add the lemon, salt and pepper.  Season with soya sauce, extra nutmeg and lemon if desired.  Do not overseason, otherwise you will overpower the simple earthiness of this soup.

The nature of food

Chinese medicine defines the natures of foods as hot, cold, warm, cool, wet and neutral. It is the same definition as our body constitution.

All foods can be defined as Hot (Yang) or cold (Yin) or having varying other qualities similar to our body types such as damp & just to confuse things, certain types of food can also be neutral

Knowing your body’s constitution and the nature of foods are necessary to eat right for your type. When the body is in balance, it is in good health and is more resistance to disease and external evils.

You are born with a specific body constitution determined by genes and the diet of your mother when carrying you. However, your diet can change its constitution after birth. Eating foods that are in contrast to your body’s constitution is beneficial because it balances out the effects. This is why people of cold constitution can eat a lot of heat excess foods without getting sick and vice versa. So, what is good food for others can be bad food for you. You just have to eat according to your constitution.

The nature of food can also affect your moods. Too much hot or yang food brings about over excitement. Too much cold or yin food brings about sadness and fearfulness. Foods that are neutral in nature are good for everyone and they promote clear thinking and reasoning.