Guest Blog

A common challenge I hear from clients and health class students is: “how do I make my cooking easy, what do I use for spices, what can I do that is different….?

First thought: Do what is easy and familiar, make your favorite foods! The key is to turn them into whole food recipes with fresh, local, and seasonal foods. I will send you a handout, “How to Make Any Recipe a Whole Food Recipe” and other educational information to get you into the ‘whole food’ swing of things.

Trying to get more vegetables into your life? People get too overwhelmed by ALL the vegetables that are available in the supermarket. Common questions I hear from clients are: WHAT do I do with all of these, what goes with what, how do I cook them…..?”

Learn to eat in season. If the veggies you are eating are only available at certain times of the year, it makes your choices narrower at that particular time of the year. Being overwhelmed by the plethora of choices is common in today’s culture of being able to eat broccoli, strawberries, asparagus, and every other fruit or vegetable 12 months out of the year. Create meals using vegetables that are available locally and in season. This makes the choosing easier, as not so much variety is available all the time. It also allows you the opportunity to have a diet that is varied over the course of the calendar year.

For example:

Spring: spinach, asparagus, green onion, early lettuce, rhubarb, wild leeks, spring sorrel, peas

Summer: leafy salad greens, summer squashes, seasonal berries from strawberries to late summer raspberries & blackberries, tomatoes, peas, strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, gooseberries, currants, juneberries, cherries, garlic, carrots, new potatoes, fresh herbs, corn, onions, melons…

Fall: root veggies, winter storage squash, cabbage, apples, pears, peaches, fall raspberries

Winter: stored root veggies, kale & collards still in the garden, canned tomatoes and veggies, frozen veggies and berries

If you would like our local non-profit’s seasonal produce chart, email me. I will be happy to send it off to you. Many websites offer their version of a “what produce is in season” charts for the geographical region you live in. Here is one resource: http://www.simplesteps.org/eat-local

When you eat seasonally, what you eat changes with each seasons. Your meal planning and preparing takes on a rhythm of simplicity. I cannot stress this enough: keep it simple. Do not over think things. Wing it in the kitchen. If the meal was a winning combination, do it again. If the meal is not the taste you were looking for, eat it with gratitude for the farmers who grew the food, the earth/water/sun, etc. that provided the growing environment, and the work you did in the kitchen. Make a mental note (or keep a cooking journal, if that is easier for you) and do not repeat that particular cooking concoction.

If you think about vegetable dishes, they are the same things just cooked a different way. One fall or winter night you might roast potatoes, carrots, onion and parsnips and another night you might throw those same types of veggies into a beef or chicken stew. On another night you might stir fry them and add meat, fish, scrambled eggs, or beans. Another night you might gently steam them, mash them up with grass fed butter and unrefined sea salt, and serve with a side dish of chicken, beans, or fish. This is what I mean about simplicity and not over thinking.

To these above meals add a grated root veggie salad using different root veggies: rutabaga, celeriac and beets with some finely chopped cabbage. Toss with an herb, homemade oil and vinegar dressing (ask me for my easy recipe) and voila, dinner!

Summer cooking will be more tomatoes, eggplants, peppers, and other summer veggies enjoyed with green, leafy salads and raw carrots, baby beets, and cucumbers.

Let go of the idea that you have to work from a recipe and cook up this fabulous gourmet meal every night. 100 years ago, people ate what they had on hand, in season, with no regards for cook books and recipes.

In the garden I grow: mint, basil, cilantro, parsley, oregano, thyme, rosemary, tarragon, sage, marjoram, certain edible flowers, etc. It is so easy to step outside, cut a bunch of herb sprigs and brighten up a raw salad or add to cooked vegetable just before you serve them. I do not recommend cooking the fresh herbs as you will save the fresh flavors for your eating enjoyment.

I keep standard herbs and herb blends handy to spice things during the non-garden, no fresh herb months:

Italian spices: rosemary, thyme, oregano, parsley, basil, marjoram

Curries: mild, medium, or hot to your liking

Chili type spices: Chili powder, cumin, turmeric, and coriander

Pulled pork blend: (I also put this on chicken, in chili, and in stir fries if I am looking for this particular taste): ground pepper, cumin, garlic powder, onion powder, paprika, chili pepper, thyme, all spice, turmeric Use 1 Tbsp. of each spice except 1 ½ tsp. thyme, allspice and turmeric

Chinese 5 spice for Asian stir fries

Eating is wonderful, tasty fun! Relax and enjoy the process for your good health, Paula

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