Wednesday, February 13, 2013

Delicious Baked Brussel Sprouts!!

I have long been a fan of brussel sprouts, but I had only ever eaten them steamed.  Recently I have been seeing lots of pictures of baked brussel sprouts, so I decided to try it out - the results are delicious!!  Since trying it 3 weeks ago, I have been making a baked brussel sprouts and yam dish once a week.  To prepare, I peel and chop the yams and cut the brussel sprouts into halves or quarters and place in a canola oiled baking dish and then bake at 350 degrees.  After 30 minutes, I have been mixing in a sauce made with 2 cloves of chopped garlic, 2 freshly squeezed lemons, 1 tbsp of nutritional yeast, 2 tbsp of canola oil, 1 tbsp of tahini, and 1 tbsp of basil and then baking for another 30-45 minutes.  Tonight, I mixed this dish with brown lentils and a stir fry of onions, garlic, shiitake mushrooms, green beans, broccoli, and black kale (see above picture).  This is a particularly yummy winter meal and I am so glad that it is now a regular part of my supper choices!

Monday, February 4, 2013

Herbal Medicine

I recently signed up for a monthly herbal medicine webinar that will cover herbal protocols for specific concerns as well new research in the field of herbal medicine.  With the first webinar, I was reminded of some of the terms/actions that I love in herbal medicine.  The term alterative means a substance that supports a gradual and beneficial change in the body/our health.  To me, the definition of alterative sums up the goal of naturopathic medicine - with naturopathic medicine, we engage and support the body with gentle healing methods that slowly and steadily encourage the body/our health to move more towards.  I also love the demulcent action of herbs.  A demulcent herb coats and soothes the body tissues helping to reduce inflammation and support tissue healing.  Interestingly demulcents herbs (when taken orally) only come in direct contact with the lining of the  digestive tract, but through a reflex action in tissues that are embryonically similar to the digestive mucous membranes (which includes the lining of the lungs and the urinary tract), the demulcent herbs can also support and strengthen the health of the lungs and the urinary tract.  The action of demulcent herbs gives an insight into the incredible wisdom and ability to work together that both our body and the herbs share.