Kitchen Witchin’ Part 1 shared valuable medicinal uses for kitchen herbs and spices that many folks have on hand. For part 2, let’s continue unleashing that inner witch by bringing some botanicals out of the medicine cabinet and into the kitchen!
Mushrooms have been eaten as food and used as a healing aid since pre-history starting in the Neolithic period. They were first found in in the prehistoric lake dwellings in Austria, Germany, and Switzerland. Truffles were found in Greece and Rome where they cultivated the small Agrocybe aegerita on pieces of poplar trunks. In China and Japan they’ve grown shitake mushrooms on rotting logs. In 1678, a French botanist demonstrated the cultivation of mushrooms by transplanting their mycelia.
Mushroom coffee is a blend of coffee and dehydrated mushroom powder. Why mushrooms, you ask? Because these mushrooms have many health and healing properties that can upgrade your morning beverage, increasing your ability to handle the stressors of your day. Some of the amazing benefits are that they can boost your immune system, give you sustained natural energy, relieve stress, help you focus, improve athletic performance, improve respiratory and liver function, fight cancer and tumors, are anti-viral, reduce hypertension, and can lower cholesterol.
Think food and poison together, and you’d probably come up with puffer fish that seems to kill an equal number of chefs and their ardent followers every year. But what about common foods in the kitchen?
So here let’s not mention the obvious pesticides, insecticides, additives and other cleaning and corrosive chemicals that can seep into food and kill us. The top seven poisons in the kitchen often come from food itself – vegetable, fruits, meat, and spices – they are all out to get us, or so it seems…
You likely learned about zinc – a type of metal – in chemistry class when you memorized the periodic table. Or maybe you have slathered on some thick, white sunscreen with zinc oxide in it? (Zinka sunscreen was all the rage in my middle school!) Perhaps you reach for a zinc supplement when you feel a cold or flu coming on?
If you think your pancreas is not particularly important, think again. A healthy pancreas is essential for a healthy digestion; so here’s what to eat to make your pancreas function at its optimum…
If you frequent Japanese restaurants as much as me, you know how delicious miso soup is. If you want to save a buck, or eat at home for a change, this is the recipe for you. It should make about 4 servings and will literally take 15 minutes to make. You never want to cook miso soup too long because otherwise the seaweed will turn to mush. Also, feel free to double or halve this recipe to make the desired amount you're looking for. Don't feel bad about making or eating too much though: This recipe is only around 22 calories per serving!
Ingredients:
Stir fried foods make great lunches: They're so easy to whip up in a moment’s notice! If you want to give your stir fry a slight Asian twist, try this easy recipe. It should be enough to make two servings and tastes fantastic. If you don't have the exact vegetables I list, that's okay, too: You can substitute them with your favorites and keep the seasoning the same instead. You can also pair this recipe with noodles or quinoa instead of rice, if you so choose. It's all a matter of preference and availability.
Base ingredients:
As children, we were all guilty of slipping the family dog(s) some table scraps when nobody was looking. It’s harmless, right? Wrong. I know they’re your best friends, but you cannot let those big ol’ puppy eyes get to you. Many common foods that may be somewhat healthy for us can actually send your pets to the vet (or worse, unfortunately). You may be tempted to share the wealth of food with your furriest family members, but it’s in the best interests of all parties involved to just toss them their favorite dog treats.
Looking for a gluten-free quiche crust recipe? Search no further and file this gem away for safe keeping, but don’t forget to share it with your friends first. No matter what the filling, this flavorful crust will be a welcome complement to any savory egg custard you can imagine. Using what is on hand this winter season, I wanted to combine the sweet taste of sautéed leeks and shallots with the more robust flavor of Roquefort bleu cheese. It is a match made in heaven. This hearty vegetarian quiche will be the hit at your next brunch!
Dough
½ cup Oat Flour