Viva La YOU and a New Years Treat: Rhubarb-Pear Crisp

Viva La YOU!  

I am creating a personal protocol for 2015 and I am really jazzed to map it out for body, mind and soul. I love sharing these ideas and rituals - perhaps one or more will resonate with you.

My New Year's Recipe!   A Perfect Rhubarb-Pear Crisp.. so easy to make, and so delicious with Maple syrup, dates, ginger .. a super food dessert for love.  See below. May your New Year be full of adventure, creative joy and love and seriously good health.

You are Invited to Our  Viva La YOU workshop on January 25th here at my home from 10-4pm.  We will make our own shampoos, facial creams, body butters and more - all for you to take home.  Self-care is health care and such a gift to your soul, bring your mom, your daughter your best friend but register soon as space is limited.  More events coming up can be found here.

My Personal Protocol and Other Ideas
Body! Food!
My partner in health, Dorothy Reilly, sent me a spectacular book on a Perfect Health Diet (PHD).. paleo perfect to try.. and specifically,  to look at how certain foods can effect our brain, and other amazing tidbits, such as foods one should not to eat with alcohol and in general, a deeper understanding of the metabolic process when eating legumes, grains and veggies.

As a health coach, I know synergies of foods but I also know Nutrition is a very young science and there is so much yet to learn about adapting to the food culture we live in and staying healthy to boot.  I highly recommend this 'PHD' read by Paul and Shou-Ching Jaminet, a team of health researchers and a molecular biologist.

Body! Exercise!
Buddy exercise is more like it.  I had a dear friend ask if she could make a proposition with me today and we are meeting this week to map out a calendar to exercise together!  We are both going to be mother of the brides next year and beyond wanting to look good in a dress for the most special of occasions, we both want to feel stronger and more flexible in our lives and make that sustainable by being accountable to each other.  Buddies Rock!  Another partner in health to add to my personal protocol team.

Mind! GOALS.
January is a good time to assess ones diet and set goals.  Andrea Reisen, an amazing herbalist and healer does a vision board party every year with friends and family.  IT is a fun exercise, using cutouts from old magazines and calendars, etc. to cut and paste into a collage highlighting intentions and desired manifestations.  Setting down goals on paper works too... saying it out loud helps too. :)

Spirit Love!
I recently discovered the Herbal Tarot Deck - divination tool for channeling your higher good.  Prayer can do the same thing.. but this gives wonderful specific protocols  It helps me tune in to what herbs will work best for me over the coming year.  I also make a special flower essence for each season and test my various flower essences for what I need most- a fortifying spiritual medicine.  We will make tree essences together during the Tree Medicine workshop here in early March.

Happy New Year!
Follow your intuition.. you are your best medicine. With so much change and shifting in the world on so many levels, it is truly time to take care of ourselves - and put the pieces we left out there back, to be whole again.. to be " brave and inspired for 2015" a great quote from my friend Donna Winston.

A RHUBARB-PEAR CRISP

FOOD FACTS:  Pears, like apples help improve insulin sensitivity and are full of fiber for colon health- huge bioflavonoids. Rhubarb huge for metabolism, packed full of minerals and vitamins and is known to help prevent alzhiemers disease due to the Vitamin K content.  The ginger added to this recipe is anti-inflammatory and supports circulation.   It is a lovely combination of tastes and flavors too.  When I made it over the holidays last week.. the pan was empty within the hour.  Not always the case in my house.  ENJOY!

You will need:

       4 medium Bartlett pears or cooking apples (such as Rome, Braeburn, or Jonathan), cored and thinly sliced


       2 cups sliced fresh rhubarb or frozen unsweetened sliced rhubarb*


       1/4 cup all-purpose flour or gluten free flour from Bob’s Redmill. I sometimes add a teaspoon of adaptogen powders to my desserts.. astragalus, ashwaghanda or Maca would be great in this recipe.  Stay tuned for my adaptogenic blog next month.

       1/8 cup Maple Syrup diluted with 1/8 cup water or use ¼ cup honey instead.

       2 tablespoons cranberry juice or apple juice or cider

       1 -1/4 cup granola with nuts of choice

       2 tablespoons butter, melted


       1 tablespoon honey
infused or sprinkled with 1/4/ tsp dry ginger

             

Your choice of topping.  I used vanilla ice cream, but I can see this pearing well with Cheddar Cheese and or a whipped cream flavored with maple syrup.

Let’s do it:

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. In a large bowl, combine pears or apples, rhubarb, and flour. Add the 1/4 cup maple water or  honey and juice; toss gently to coat. Transfer fruit mixture to a 2-quart square baking dish. Cover and bake for 30 to 40 minutes or just until pears or apples are tender.

Meanwhile, for topping:

1. In a medium bowl, combine granola and nuts. Add butter and the 1 tablespoon ginger honey; toss to coat. Sprinkle over partially baked fruit mixture. Bake, uncovered, about 10 minutes more or until fruit is very tender and topping is lightly browned.

2. Cool on a wire rack for 30 minutes. Serve warm. Top with your desired dessert topping. Makes 9 (2/3-cup) servings.

Note:  
If using frozen rhubarb, measure  and cut while still frozen. Allow rhubarb to thaw in a large bowl about 1 hour or until the fruit is partially thawed but still icy; do not drain rhubarb. Continue as directed.

Adapted from http://www.recipe.com/pear-rhubarb-crisp/

Schedule A free Tele-half hour with me to go over your health history in January. Available  for the first 10 people who email me.  It's fun, informative and you may want to venture into having your very own coach for the new year.  Food and Herbs as medicine wellness workshops available for 2015 too. Email
 In Health and Hugs, Marie

Cod with Capers, Collards and A Crisp Pear Tart

Battle Harbor, Labrador

A perfect autumn dinner for 4

Warm Autumn Greetings Everyone!

This September, I fell in love with Battle Harbor in Labrador – a national historic site where cod fishing reigned supreme for over 100 years until the 1990’s when it was shut down.  The tall schooners and world freighters that entered this tiny beautiful port must have been a site to behold.  The people we met who worked at the old general store, wharf buildings and museums grew up with the industry and had wonderful stories to tell.  We were the very few visiting the island and let it's wistful magic wash over of us for 3 days.  Captain Peary actually told the world he found the North Pole from the radio tower on this island.  Learning about the Cod fishing industry was fascinating. This fish is one of my very favorite fish to cook.. so it was wonderful to learn so much about the value this fish had back then, AND how it was fished and salted to travel all over the world. 

I have been looking for the perfect cod dinner recipe and love Jacques Pepin who recently aired the most delightful recipe, perfect for fall using horseradish, capers, olives and cilantro.. an excellent flavor combo for this fish.   Coupled with sautéed collards or roasted brussels sprouts and an amazingly quick and delicious crisp pear tart dessert (hint, it uses are tortilla for the crust) – it is sure to be a keeper for those special autumn evenings.   All you need to know is below.   Enjoy!

CODFISH IN OLIVE Oil AND HORSERADISH SAUCE

Recipe courtesy of Jacques Pépin.

If cod isn't available, use fillets from another fleshy, white fish in this elegant and easy dish.

4 cod fillets, about 1 1/2 inches thick (5-6 ounces each)
1/2 cup chopped onion
1 cup dry, fruity white wine (such as an Alsace)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
12 oil-cured seedless black olives
1 1/2 tablespoons small capers, drained
2 tablespoons horseradish, freshly grated or bottled
1/4 cup sour cream
3 tablespoons coarsely chopped fresh cilantro

Put the cod, onion, wine, salt and pepper in a stainless steel saucepan. Bring to a boil over high heat. Cover, reduce the heat to low and boil gently 2 minutes. (The cod will be undercooked at this point.) With a slotted spoon, carefully transfer the cod to a platter, cover it and set it aside to continue cooking in its own residual heat.

Add the olives, capers, horseradish and sour cream to the pan and bring to a boil.

Arrange a cod fillet on each of 4 plates and top with the sauce. Sprinkle the cilantro over. Serve immediately.

Makes 4 servings.

Wonderful link to preparation of collards and 7 ways to cook them to your liking.

I prefer an easy sautee with olive oil, garlic, hot pepper and vinegar.

·       http://www.wikihow.com/Cook-Collard-Greens

A CRISP PEAR TART

To make sure the flour tortilla crust is crisp and caramelized on the bottom, butter and sugar the underside before the pears are added to the top. The pears should be firm but ripe.

Some of the butter and sugar may run out from the bottom of the tart, and the tart may burn slightly around the rim, but burnt edges can be trimmed, if desired.

SERVINGS: 4

INGREDIENTS

• 1 7- or 8-inch flour tortilla

• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, at cool room temperature

• 3 tablespoons sugar

• 2 medium Bartlett or Anjou pears, peeled, cored and each cut into 12 wedges (about 3/4 pound total)

• 3 tablespoons apricot preserves

• 1 tablespoon unsalted pistachio nuts

DIRECTIONS

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Line a rimmed baking sheet with a silicone liner or parchment paper.

Place the tortilla in the center of the baking sheet, then spread 1 tablespoon of the butter on the top of the tortilla and sprinkle it with 1 tablespoon of the sugar. Turn the tortilla over so the buttered side is facing down.

Beginning at the edge of the tortilla, arrange the pear wedges in a concentric circle, with the thin edge of each wedge facing the tortilla's center. Create another slightly overlapping circle, working in toward the center. Add more rows with the remaining wedges, ending with a few pear pieces in the center to complete what will look like a large rose. Cut the remaining tablespoon of butter into pieces and use them to dot the top of the apples. Sprinkle with the remaining 2 tablespoons sugar.

Bake for 30 minutes or until the pear slices are tender and the tortilla is crisp and browned. Remove from the oven, set aside for a minute or so, then lift the tart with a spatula and transfer it to a wire rack to cool, discarding any burned bits around it.

If the apricot preserves are too thick to use as a glaze, heat them in a microwave oven for about 10 seconds to liquefy them, then spread or brush them on top of the tart.

Cut the tart into 4 wedges, sprinkle with the pistachios and serve at room temperature.

RECIPE SOURCE

Adapted from "Jacques Pepin: More Fast Food My Way" (Houghton Mifflin, 2008).

Upcoming Events:

You are invited to share a seasonal Sunday retreat October 26, 10-6pm

Herbal Remedies for Building Immunity.  This is a perfect time to learn how to

Stock your pantry with just the right ingredients and do it yourself remedies for

Those winter sniffles, sore throats, colds and flu.  We have it all and can’t wait to

Share the how-to’s , tastes and recipes.  Enjoy a free immune building soup for lunch too.  Register today here 

October Chaga and Chaga Plus SALE

Get free shipping on any product sold through my website (an $8.00 savings) through October 31^st.

Warm Healing and Healthy regards,

Marie