Today's Recipe

We finally have some spring-like weather in the northeast.  Although the calendar indicated that spring arrived weeks ago, the climate has remained cold and rainy here.  It has been difficult to shift to a lighter way of eating this spring when my body has been craving heavier foods to deal with the cold weather.

Last night I knew that spring had finally reached us when the menu at the restaurant where we ate featured pea shoots, asparagus, fava beans, and fiddlehead ferns—all delicious indicators of the new season.  It felt as though a huge weight had been lifted from my chest.  This winter was filled with a lot of illness and, although I hate to admit it, I wasn’t able to stick with my eating regime as perfectly as I would have liked.  Today was a beautiful sunny day, and I am eager to get back on track.
When I’ve been less than perfect -- and aren’t we all -- I like to start eating a basic macrobiotic menu for a few days to get back on target.  That usually means miso soup, brown rice, and greens for breakfast.  For lunch I will have some whole grains with beans and veggies followed by tofu or tempeh with an abundance of vegetables for dinner.  In no time at all I will feel “lighter” and more energetic. 

Now that I am back on track, I once again sense an excitement around healthy, locally grown food.  I’m eager to search out new recipes, and I once again find myself browsing the cookbook aisle at Barnes & Noble.  It is fun to take a non-vegan recipe and translate it into something that is appropriate for my way of eating.  Once again grocery shopping has become a joyous endeavor.  I love to shop the outside aisles of the supermarket where I can find all the non-processed foods.  I look for vegetables that are bright in color and filled with nutrients.  To support my liver during this spring season, I emphasize grains such as barley, hato mugi, oats, rye and wheat.  I supplement these grains with lentils, edamame, and peas.  For vegetables, I look for upward growing plants such as celery, chives, spring greens, green beans, leeks, and scallions.  My sea vegetable of choice is wakame, which I normally add to some miso soup.  And a sour green apple helps to round out my menu.

Spring brings with it a myriad of vegetables that help me cleanse and re-energize after a cold and blustery winter.  I am always focused on vegetables and foods that zero in on cleansing and healing my liver which is an especially good thing to do at this time of year.  It’s a good idea to focus on foods that have an upward, growing spring energy such as watercress and shoots.  This week I made a watercress soup that included spring leeks.  A quick sauté of bok choy flavored with some shoyu and served over boiled brown rice contributed to another healthy, cleansing meal.  Think about adding some mustard greens to a bean recipe or parsley to a boiled grain dish and a quick pressed salad. 

According to Chinese medicine, sour taste is also associated with spring.   Sour tasting foods help the liver to cleanse and discharge any excess from winter cooking.  Think in terms of eating some umeboshi plum or lemon to improve the condition of your liver.  Eating in a healthy fashion doesn’t mean it must be boring, and there are so many ways to be creative with spring vegetables.

For me, spring means the end of heavy winter coats, sloshing through the snow and slipping and falling on icy sidewalks.  It means that baseball season has begun (we have already been to two Red Sox games – one victory and one loss) and it also means that I will soon be planting my herb and tomato garden.  The daffodils have bloomed and life is good!