Cabbage Pasta Recipe - Delicious!

Some of the most important vegetables to add into our regular diet are:

• Cabbage
• Cauliflower
• Broccoli
• Brussel Sprouts

When eaten on a regular basis and in sufficient quantity, it can be difficult to have certain cancers in our digestive system.  These incredible veggies just keep our system too clean and detoxified, and also very importantly help to cleanse our blood.

From a Chinese medicine point of view, our blood is a highly spiritual aspect of our physical body.  It is the substance ruled by our Heart – the special place that “houses our Spirit”. I like to think of it as the messenger that carries divine insight to every cell of our entire being.

When our blood is abundant and pure it is very easy for us to experience deep happiness and joy, regular belly laughter, and an intense satisfaction and wonder with life.

When our blood is deficient or impure we can find ourselves overly tired, stressed out, agitated, and restless. It’s very difficult to feel happy and full of life in this state.  Going even further, too many toxicities in the blood can engender states of cruelty, violence, and extreme acts of hate.

Here’s a very easy cabbage recipe I’d like to share.  (I’ll add a picture next time I make it).  I like to use the Juniper Berries because they go great with cabbage, and they help to heal our hearts.  The medicinal mushrooms are included because they have an amazing effect on our blood, immune system,  AND they are delicious.  Enjoy!

Cabbage Pasta

1 head green cabbage, sliced into thin strips

1 Maitake mushroom, or 8 shiitake mushrooms (reconstituted if dried), chopped

2 cloves garlic, chopped

1 Tbsp olive oil

1-2 Tbsp Soy Sauce

1 Tbsp freshly ground juniper berries

hot pepper to taste (optional)

2 cups cooked whole grain spaghetti noodles (break the noodles into 2-3 inch pieces before cooking)

Directions:

In a frying pan (cast iron works great), heat the olive oil and when hot sauté the cabbage, mushrooms, and garlic.  When almost done (about 10 minutes) add the spaghetti noodles, stir, then add the soy sauce and sauté about 2 minutes longer.  Turn off the heat and add the juniper berries and hot pepper.

Use this as an alternative to regular spaghetti and top with your favorite sauce, meatballs, or other veggies.

Medicinal Mushroom Risotto

 

This recipe is from my 5-Element Nutrition workshop on Medicinal Mushrooms. It wonderfully boosts your immune system, is anti-viral, increases circulation, and makes your Spirit happy. Enjoy!

Ingredients:

2 Tbs Olive oil

2 Tbs Butter

1 shallot, chopped

2 cloves garlic, chopped

1 Tbs fresh lemon zest, chopped (about ½ lemon)

8 Shiitake mushrooms, de-stemmed and chopped (ok to use fresh or re-constitute dry ones)

1 Maitake mushroom, chopped (ok to use fresh or re-constitute dry one)

4 cups Arborio rice (rinsed, uncooked)

1 cup dry white wine (optional - if you leave out increase water by 1 cup)

2 cups mushroom broth (OR chicken or vegetable)

5 cups water

dash of salt

fresh juice of ½ lemon

1 cup fresh parsley, chopped

1 cup pecans or walnuts, chopped

black pepper to taste

1. Heat the olive oil and butter in a pressure cooker.

2. Sautee the shallot and garlic. When browned, add the fresh lemon zest and stir around until you smell the lemon.

3. Add all of the mushrooms and sauté until starting to brown.

4. Add rice and stir.

5. Add all of the liquids (white wine, broth, water) and stir. Add a dash of high quality sea salt and lemon juice.

6. Close the pressure cooker. When ready, pressure cook for 7 minutes. (NOTE: I really like to make risotto in a pressure cooker, but if you don’t have one it’s fine to make it in a large pot – you just have to stir about 1 cup of liquid in at a time and keep stirring for about 35-40 minutes.)

7. When done, open the pressure cooker and add the parsley and nuts.

8. Sprinkle with black pepper to taste. For an added bonus, serve with a glass of water containing 8-10 drops of Reishi (Ling Zhi) Mushroom Tincture.

Recipe: Medicinal Mushroom Chutney with Coconut Curry Leaf Rice

Several people asked me for the recipe of the potluck dish I brought to the very fun Chinese Trip photo sharing gathering we had tonight, so here it is. It’s awesome for your immune system, and yes, I really eat like this – I just made this up for my own breakfast one morning. I don’t measure my spices, so I’m guessing at the amount.

Ingredients:

Rice:
2 cups sweet rice, uncooked and rinsed
3 ½ cups combined mushroom soaking water plus extra water
¼ cup unsweetened coconut flakes (I use Bob’s Red Mill brand)
1 Tbsp. dried curry leaves
5 cardamom pods, cut open

Mushroom Chutney:
8 dried Shitake mushrooms
1 large dried Maitake mushroom
6 fresh Crimini mushrooms (or other of your choice)
¼ cup chopped walnuts
1 shake cumin seeds
sprinkle of turmeric
sprinkle of curry
olive oil for sautéing
sprinkle of soy sauce
1 fresh roma tomato, chopped
2-3 fresh garlic cloves, chopped
2 Tbsp. flax seed oil

Directions:

First, place the dried mushrooms in a bowl and cover with boiling water. Cover the bowl and let soak for about 20 minutes. Meanwhile, chop the fresh mushrooms, tomato, and garlic cloves, and rinse the rice well.

Once the mushrooms are re-hydrated, take them out but keep the soaking water to use as part of the liquid to cook the rice in. Chop the mushrooms, discarding any tough stems.

Combine all ingredients for rice and cook until done. Remove the cardamom pods when the rice is finished cooking (it’s ok to eat the round black seeds in the middle, so leave them in if you want!).

For the mushroom chutney, heat the olive oil in a frying pan over med-high heat. Sprinkle the cumin seeds in, and when they start to sizzle a little add all the chopped mushrooms and walnuts. Sprinkle on some turmeric and curry spices. Stir fry until the mushrooms are slightly browned. Then pour a little soy sauce over the mixture, give it a few stirs and turn it off.

In a bowl, stir together the cooked mushroom mixture with the fresh tomato, fresh chopped garlic, and flax seed oil. Use this as a topping for the rice. Enjoy!!

~Cynthia
Instructor for Taoist Five Element Nutrition Program