Local food served up Southern style...

Yum! We had an awesome dinner! Cora helped so much and....as a result...ate it ALL GONE! Which is not what I would have expected if she had not had such a big part in preparing it! She washed the Crossroads Garden's new potatoes, helped make the Cajun walnut cakes (she formed her own cakes too), and she mixed the coleslaw up! She learned about where the food came from, and how to cook it. She also learned about dill as we made the dill sauce for the cakes.

We had....
Roasted LOCAL broccoli, LOCAL baked new potatoes, Local napa cabbage and carrot slaw, and Cajun Walnut cakes with LOCAL fresh dill sauce. The walnut cakes were an experiment that turned out wonderful! yay!

Cajun Walnut Cakes (makes 6-8  1-1 1/2" cakes)

1 cup walnuts
1/2 cup cooked brown rice
1/2 cup bread crumbs
1 tablespoon flax meal with 1 tablespoon water
1 tsp gumbo file (I know! It's not how file is traditionally used, but it worked!)
1 tsp dried thyme
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon fresh parsley

Add all ingredients to a food processor, and process into a dough. Form into cakes, and pan fry!

Good Morning Mountain Home's Farmer's Market!

Or, I guess, it's the Baxter county Market. Either way, I found some AWESOME greens! And, at a GREAT PRICE!!! No, seriously, I should have told the farmer he was under selling himself! I bought over 3 pounds of broccoli for.....$2.00. It's LOCAL, and all natural. (it's organic, but he can't say that for 'legal' reasons, sheesh.) AND, a HUGE head of Romaine lettuce....for $1.00

I also got a pound of asparagus....it was $5.00 but, I couldn't resist. It's was just shining yumminess at me!

So, the good news is IT'S FARMER'S MARKET TIME!!!! The bad news is....I bought the last of the broccoli! But, look for it again on Saturday! Along with some of the Farmer's Market All Stars like Crossroads Gardens and Jersey Knolls Farms!

What will I do with all this broccoli?

A simple and colorful dinner worth sharing...

Tonight we had 'Garden Hand Rolls' inspired by Koriente a Korean restaurant in Austin, Texas. Anyone can make this! All you need is.....

Full color spectrum of vegetables such as:
Red Cabbage
Red Bell Pepper
Yellow Bell pepper
 Avocado
Cucumber
Carrots

and, homemade hummus. Tonight we had chipotle hummus!

Cut the vegetables into thin matchsticks, and assemble on a plate.
Next, take one package of nori sheets and cut each sheet into 4 squares.

Make a simple dipping sauce of equal parts shoyu, lime or lemon juice, and water.

Serve! You eat these by taking one of the small squares of nori and adding a spoon of hummus, a couple of carrot sticks, a few bell peppers, some shredded cabbage, and a slice of avocado. Hold it like a taco, and dip in the shoyu/citrus dip. You will be surprised at how tasty and satisfying these are. Not to mention, you are eating all the colors of the rainbow!

If you're kid is weird enough...they will love them too!

Spring is the season of the LIVER! Do ya feel it?

According to Traditional Chinese Medicine and the 5 element theory, Spring is the season of the liver and gallbladder. See figure. Now, yes, I see that it looks like a star with a circle around it, but don't worry Each element has a color too. Spring is Green! You could figure that one out, huh? Each season also has an emotion, as well. Any guesses? Answer: frustration and anger! Really? Dang, that doesn't sound very fun. But, don't worry. Once you associate that emotion with you liver, and know that in spring your liver is trying to cleanse itself, you can start to help it and let go of some toxins and anger and allow your body to change. So, here's some spring time tips:

Eat more GREENS! Eat a blanched salad and/or a raw salad everyday and you WILL start to see a difference in your body. If it's hard at first, don't worry. You will start to crave your greens. Squeeze some lemon juice or make a tangy, oil free vinegarette for a sour taste! Sour is the FLAVOR of spring! The greens combined with the sour flavors will help your liver cleanse.

Do some side stretches. Your liver meridian (which is kind of like a dotted line that connects all of your acupuncture points) runs along your side. Stretching your sides will help move your Qi (chi) and break up some stagnation. Try it! See if you start yawning! If so, you are moving some liver Qi stagnation, and you will feel better immediately.

Deal with some unresolved anger. This is hard. But look at it this way, it's spring and it wants to come out anyway! So instead of having an episode of major road rage, dig deep and find a HEALTHY way to cope with your anger and get it worked out. Kind of like an emotional cleanse.

Get your hands dirty. It's time to come out of the house and reconnect with the dirt! Plant some plants! Anything, even just a few flowers.

Last, if you have been putting off starting your 'lifestyle' make over...start. Now. There's a lot of new and fresh energy out there this time of year. Grab it! Need help? Ask! You can always call us, and schedule an appointment. Coming to our office is life changing for most people. We will work you up and down, and send you home with homework. Ready? Set? Go!!!!

www.ozarkacupuncture.com

Gumbo z'Herbes already is vegan!

Yay! 'Green Gumbo' already is vegan, and VERY satisfying with its super rich texture and flavors. It's a great way to get some awesome greens in too. I made a pot today, and my tummy has that wonderful warm, happy feeling now. Here's a recipe! Enjoy!

Make a roux! Using about 4 tablespoons of olive oil and 1/4 cup of flour in a cast iron dutch oven. Heat the pot on medium low and whisk constantly until the roux starts to smell toasty and turns a very light peanut butter color.

1 sweet onion, diced

3 ribs of celery, diced

1 green bell pepper, diced

3 cloves of garlic, minced

Add diced 'trinity' and garlic to the roux and saute until veggies start to sweat and become slightly tender.

3 bay leaves

1/2 teaspoon dried thyme

1/2 teaspoon dried basil

1/4 teaspoon paprika

dash of white pepper

salt

Add spices and salt.

Clean and chop 1 bunch of greens. I used some mixed kale today and it works out awesome. You can use collards, carrot greens, and parsley too. Toss em in the pot!

Add 3 cups of vegetable broth, and a tablespoon of apple cidar vinegar. Stir well and allow to simmer until all veggies are tender.

Add 1 tablespoon of file powder, and serve with rice. *Hot sauce it and add sweet pickled peppers as a garnish with some scallions! Wooooweee!

Fe's Pickled Papaya

I LOVE this recipes that Fe shared at my last cooking class. This is a traditional recipe from her home country in the Philippines. I love how it is sweet and tangy and goes well with a stir fry or even a heavy curry where it cuts the fat. Here's a pic I stole from Fe's Facebook! See how finely she cuts the vegetables? Thank you, Fe!

Ingredients:

3-4 lbs green papaya, Julienned

2 medium carrots, julienned

1 large onion, sliced thinly

10 cloves garlic, sliced

2 tablespoons peppercorns

1 large red bell pepper, thinly sliced

1" of ginger, sliced very thin

1/4 cup of salt

2 cups white vinegar

1 1/3 cup sugar

1/2 cup of raisins

Cooking:

1. Place the julienned papaya in a large bowl and combine 1/4 cup of salt and mix until salt is well distributed.

2. Place the papaya in a colander and and rinse with water.

3. Using a cheesecloth, or clean dish towel, wrap the papaya and squeeze off extra liquid.

4. Put the papaya back into the large bowl, and add carrots, garlic, ginger, onions, peppercorns, bell peppers, and raisins.

5. Heat vinegar in a sauce pan until it boils.

6. Add the sugar and 1 1/2 tsp of salt and cook until dissolved.

7. Turn off heat and allow the syrup to cool until the temperature is low enough to handle.

8. Place the combined vegetables and spices into a sterilized jar and pour in the syrup.

9. Seal the jar and place inside the refrigerator for a week or 5 days minimum to achieve the expected texture and flavor.

Watching people change their lives is what it's all about!

It's been really exciting watching people become aware of their bodies, and realizing that they are in charge! I love seeing people take the information we give them, and run with it. When someone is ready, they have the willingness, and that's all it takes to make changes. Imagine being able to freely make food choices that make you happy and healthy. Life is so sweet when you get to the point that you can sit down with a bowl of rice and vegetables and smile. Everyone who makes the connection between their food and their health AND emotions, almost never go back to eating the foods that tore them down emotionally and tore them up physically.

Eating healthy is an exciting adventure as you watch your body change to look younger, slimmer, and have more energy and tone. Eating well changes your brain, as well. People feel a sense of pride and satisfaction when they realize that their head feels clear, and focused. You also start to think about how 'green' you are just by eating great food! It's becoming more popular too! You start to feel you like you fit in at your local health food store, and most stores have events and classes where you can socialize with others who are trying to do a little better too.

And, then there's the needles!!! Erik's technique is so gentle that all of our patients leave with a smile and a relaxed vibe. I love how our patients tell us they make taking their herbs part of their routine and enjoy what they are doing for them, because they don't have any nasty side effects and don't leave you with that feeling in the back of your head that you some how took a little

dose of poison like some pills do!

Great Job Mountain Home! I'm so proud of our community growing in such a clean and positive way!