Get Your Spring Energy On -Grow a Sprouted Lentil Salad

Dear Friends  -  A Delicious Spring Greeting to You All!

As the last of the ice melts on the beaten path in the woods and the mossy undercover shines bright, I am looking at a new dawn of discovery and excitement as I find the energy to wash windows, clear clutter and feel renewed.  Part of that renewal has me starting a gentle spring cleanse with yummy steamed veggies and rice and a little avocado and lime, seasoned with circulation boosters of ginger, cumin, cayenne and tumeric.  I am sprouting alfalfa and lentils to add to the mix and have discovered a great spring salad recipe to renew my spirit and 'sprout' more energy for raking the yard, clearing debris, and planting seeds.  What about you?

SPROUTING FOR SPRING!

WHY SPROUT?

Kids love to see the magic of it and you will too!  Besides that and most importantly, they nourish your winter body with tons of vitamins, minerals, proteins, and enzymes in an easy bio available quick energy way.   Excellent for immune building and strengthening the whole body too!  And guess what, they don't cost much to make!  Really great on wraps, any salad or as snacks on their own.

 HOW TO SPROUT LENTILS

Ingredients

• ½ cup lentils ( I use brown lentils)
• 2 cups water 

Directions

1. Place lentils in a quart ball jar and cover with 2 cups water .
2. Cover the top of the jar with cheesecloth and secure with a rubber band or use a fine mesh screen cut to fit inside a ball jar top (sold at food coops).
3. Let sit in water overnight(12 hours).
4. The next day drain off water.
5. Rinse and drain once or twice daily and keep out of sunlight.
6. On the third day (some people wait till the 4th) you will have sprouts with about a 1/4-1/2" tail on them. They are ready!
7. Place in glass jar or plastic jar or bag.
8. They shouldn't be too wet. I use the jar that I used to sprout with.
9. Keep in fridge.
10. Use on salads, as a snack, in stir fries, ground up in spreads. 
11. Start a new batch when half way through the jar.

TASTY SPROUTED LENTIL SALAD
A deliciously mildly spicy ethnic-inspired salad that's very healthy as well. A nice crunchy twist on UNsprouted lentil salads."  From all-recipes.com

Ingredients:

2 cups lentil sprouts 1/2 cup seeded, diced cucumber 1/2 cup seeded, chopped tomato 1/3 cup chopped green onions 2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro 1/2 cup thinly sliced radishes (optional) 1 tablespoon olive oil

2 tablespoons lemon juice 1 tablespoon white wine vinegar 1 1/2 teaspoons dried oregano 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder 1 1/2 teaspoons curry powder 1/2 teaspoon dry mustard 1 pinch salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

1.	In a medium bowl, combine the lentil sprouts, cucumber, tomato, green onions, cilantro and radishes. Toss lightly.
2.	In a smaller bowl, whisk together the olive oil, lemon juice, white wine vinegar, oregano, garlic powder, curry powder, mustard, salt and pepper. Drizzle the dressing over the salad, and toss lightly to coat. Chill for 20 to 30 minutes to allow the flavors to blend before serving.

Food Facts: Lentil sprouts contain Vitamins: A, B1, B2, B3, B5, B6, B12, B15, B17, C, K, choline, folic acid, inositol, PABA Minerals: boron, calcium, chlorine, copper, iron, magnesium, molybdenum, phosphorus, potassium, selenium, sodium, sulphur, zinc .
  
More Resources on Sprouting:

Sproutpeople.org

sprouting.com/homesprouting.html

Be YOUR Own Valentine- Move to the BEET of your Lymph!

Happy Valentine's Day!

A time to be your own Valentine too.. with a healthy valentine treat making my Valentine Bon Bons (shared on WCAX this week) and moving your lymph with red foods, especially beets, a blood-building root vegetable that detoxifies blood and renews it with minerals and natural sugars.  I have only recently acquired a taste for beets and now I could eat them every day.  Steamed, raw, roasted, boiled and mashed - so many ways to cook them but my favorite right now is mashed with sweet potatoes or juiced with carrots and kale. All perfect seasonal mineralizing pick-me ups!

Move to the BEET of Your Lymph: Ginger and Rosemary Mashed Beets with Sweet Potatoes

Kids will love this naturally sweet recipe - a pretty pink - perfect for LOVE!

3 medium beets
2 medium sweet potatoes
1 cup Cabot Farmer's Greek style yogurt (low fat available)
Fresh Rosemary sprig
1/2 inch of grated Ginger
Small bunch of green onions
1T Butter or Olive Oil
Salt and Pepper to taste

Cut up sweet potatoes and beets, steam with Rosemary and grated ginger for 20 minutes. Place beets on bottom and sweet potatoes on top as they soften faster. If you prefer, you can also roast for 45 minutes at 375 F with the same spices. When ready, put potatoes and beets in a bowl and mash with a potato masher using some of the steamed water, reserve the rest for a beverage. Stir in the Greek style yogurt.

Chop the green onions and lightly sautee with the olive oil or butter in a small pan. Taste and adjust seasoning with salt and pepper, if necessary. Top mashed sweet potatoes and beets with green onions. Enjoy the sweet steam bath water as a nutritious beverage to go with a meal. 

Ways to MOVE your Lymph
A stagnant lymph can create all kinds of havoc with your body especially stiffness and pressure in your shoulder area.  The blood has a pump (the heart) to keep it circulating but the lymph does not.  The only thing that keeps it moving is YOU.  Stress, anxiety and lack of exercise can congest the lymph and cause sinus trouble, pressure headaches, mucus build up and reduce immunity in general. Through moving your body via exercise, muscular activity, massage, hydration and deep breathing you can relieve this congestion.   Using a mini trampoline, or rebounder can help provide an alternative indoor option especially during these icy winters.  Jumping up and down for 3 minutes on a mini is equivalent to walking one mile! And let's talk about massage - get a great recipe for a muscle rub with buds of the balsam popular tree shared in this wonderful folk herbalist 2012 calendar for planting by the moon - awesome photos too by Sandra Lory - contact her at her website - www.mandalabotanicalsvt.com.  

February 27th - Getting to an Anti-Infammatory Diet at Tusli Tea Room, Elm Street, Montpelier - 6:30-8PM Pre-register before Feb 20th with me at MarieFrohlich@gmail.com.
Please share this with your friends.  Find out more about health coaching, other upcoming workshops, recipes and more  at  my website: www.MarieFrohlich.com

Winter and Moving WithYIN - Walnut Pancakes & Tumeric Latkes

Woodland wonders and magic meadows sparkling with snow crystals and long shadows urging us to take a walk and go withYIN.

The Yin and Yang symbols are based in Chinese philosophy.  It is a system designed to highlight opposites and can be used to describe almost anything. 

YIN qualities are: cool, dark, moon/night, intuition,sensitive, expansive, future. Winter is YIN - a time to get slow, be sensitive to ourselves, expand our minds -take time to read more, explore our passions and plan for our gardens and/or design and create projects for the year ahead.  Give yourself permission to hibernate a little, take stock, nurture yourself. Take just one day all for you. Do one thing that gives you that inner YIN time.  It might be yoga, meditating, cooking, or just napping.

I love Sundays for “me” days.  One day of the week to relax, take a bath, light some candles or incense, cook leisurely, read and enjoy the beginning of these longer winter days. Take a foot bath or a luxurious body bath with this easy recipe. I use lavender essential oil for a soothing, stress-releasing soak.

Easy Bath Salt Recipe

• Mix: 16 ounces all-natural bath salt or use Epsom Salts (good magnesium)
• with 15-30 drops of essential oil
• Use 1/3 to 1/2 cup of the scented salts to a bath.  Store in glass jar.

Sundays are great for cooking too - here are few fun recipes for you both easy, delicious and full of anti-inflammatory ingredients. ENJOY!

www.walnuts.org

WHOLE WHEAT WALNUT GOOD-FOR-THE-WINTER-BRAIN PANCAKES    I have been looking for ways to get more Omega 3’s in my diet and discovered this great recipe using walnuts - a real brain food- for a nutritious Sunday breakfast.   For gluten free options, substitute with buckwheat/rice or other flours.

12-14 servings

1 cup whole-wheat flour

2/3 cup finely chopped walnuts

3 tsp baking powder

¼ tsp baking soda

¼ teaspoon salt

2 eggs

1 cup plus 2 tablespoons milk (more if needed, can sub with almond milk too)

2 tablespoons unsweetened applesauce – I substituted frozen blueberries in mine

1 Tbls Maple syrup

Vegetable oil, butter or coconut oil for cooking 

Instructions:   Combine dry ingredients plus 1/3 cup walnuts and whisk.  In separate bowl, combine eggs and milk and beat until blended. Add in applesauce and maple syrup and stir til smooth.   Add to dry mixture and stir til moistened. Use about 3 Tbls for each pancake in a 12 inch skillet or per your pleasure.  Enjoy with maple syrup or try a pumpkin yogurt sauce. www.walnuts.org  for more detail

GOLDEN TUMERIC LATKES 

Great for Morning Noon or Night

I substitute sweet potatoes in this recipe for an added nutritional boost  (great for soothing the digestive tract too!). Turmeric helps fight against the common cold and respiratory problems -  from EatingWell.com

Upcoming Events- Pre-register with Marie

Building Your Immunity for Winter! with Marie Frohlich

Tuesday, February 7, 2012  5:30 -7pm

Learn how to make an Immune building soup ("Immunestrone") with warming herbs and spices. Receive herbal, food and energy medicine tips and tools for keeping flu and cold free.

Hunger Mountain Coop - Montpelier. VTpre-register at coop 223-8000

HERBS, FOOD AND FEBRUARY FUN SERIES

All workshops below at Tulsi Tea House in Montpelier, VT on Elm Street

6:30-8:00 PM -Mondays in February, register with Marie Frohlich

pre-register with Marie by email MarieFrohlich@gmail.com

Feb 13th: GOT THE SUGAR BLUES? We will learn how to create delicious, sweet snacks and desserts without using typical processed sugar recipes just in time for Valentines day!  Marie Frohlich

Feb 20th: CREATE YOUR OWN FIRST AID TRAVEL KIT!  All you need is just a few perfect herbal essentials.  Marie Frohlich and Joann Darling

Feb 27th:  HOW TO CREATE AN ANTI-INFLAMMATORY DIET -- learn more about digestive health and probiotics.  Tips from kitchen, garden and herbal apothecary.   

Marie Frohlich and Sandra Lory

If you would like to be removed from my list: please send me an email and put remove in subject line.  THANK YOU.  MarieFrohlich@gmail.com