Fall/Winter Nutrition
This post may be a little late for the North Idaho region, as Winter seems to be knocking on the door already. The below recipe, however, can be enjoyed in both fall and winter, as it benefits the Lungs.
The recipe is taken from one of my favorite cook books, “Ancient Wisdom, Modern Kitchen: Recipes from the East for Health, Healing, and Long Life”. This book contains healthy, flavor-packed recipes. Some ingredients may not always be found in your usual grocery store, but can often be found online.
Recipe
Potent Pan-Fried Pumpkin
15-18oz (about 3 Cups cubed) pumpkin, such as Kabocha
¼ Cup Walnuts
10 grams/1 TBSP Apricot Kernel (I personally bought these online and store them in the freezer year-round)
2 TBSP Olive oil
¼ Cup raisins
½ Cup water
Optional: add salt and ground cinnamon
Directions:
1. Seed and chop the pumpkin into 1-inch cubes, leaving the skin on.
2. Crush the walnuts and apricot kernels into small pieces
3. Heat olive oil to medium-high and brown the pumpkin, stirring often.
4. Add the walnuts, apricot kernels, and raisin with just enough water to keep the mixture moist.
5. Cover and cook over low heat until pumpkin is soft (about 20 minutes).
6. Add salt to taste and cinnamon, if desired.
Interesting Food Facts
In Chinese medicine, raisins are thought to strengthen the Liver and Kidneys, while also supplementing Qi and Blood. In Western medicine, raisins have also been found to have antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties.
An interesting note about pumpkin is that it helps to moderate blood sugar. This means pumpkin is especially good for diabetics. Pumpkin is sweet and slightly bitter which makes it a good food to relieve damp conditions. This would include eczema, dysentery, and edema/swelling. It’s also a great food for the Fall/Winter seasons because it can promote discharge of mucus from the lungs, bronchi, and throat. Therefore, it can benefit bronchial asthma.
P.S.
I also wanted to include a link to Real mushrooms because I have recently fallen in love with their product line-up. As we all try to get enough Vitamin D to keep our immunity up, I find using real mushrooms is more fun than just taking a supplement. I add a teaspoon of their organic mushroom extract powder to my roasted grain beverage (Roma) each morning, for an added nutty flavor. They also wrote a beautiful article about the Fall season
If you’re looking for more healthy lifestyle advice, check out some of our other Blog posts. And also, don’t forget that acupuncture can also be of great benefit to boost immunity during Fall and Winter!
Reference
- Wang Y, Sheir W, Ono M. Ancient wisdom, modern kitchen: recipes from the east for health, healing, and long life. C2010. Da Capo Press. (online book) Pg314-318.
- Pitchford P. Healing with whole foods: Asian traditions and modern nutrition (3rd ed.). Pg548. Berkeley, CA: North Atlantic Books. C2002
Photo by Olivia Spink on Unsplash