In addition to doing acupuncture and herbal medicine, I love to cook. This is a recipe I adapted from a few that I found on-line and really enjoyed. It’s really simple and requires no cooking; just dump everything into a bowl and stir, then add to some stir-fried veggies and protein and serve over rice or noodles. Yum! It’s equally good with chicken, beef or tofu. I usually use veggies like onion, carrots, broccoli, green beans, and baby bok choy (sauteed in that order) and cook up the protein separately, combining it all at the end (even the noodles) before adding the sauce. Sometimes I garnish the dish with raw, thinly-sliced carrot and cucumber sticks, and/or raw or lightly cooked chopped scallions. This is also a great way to use up leftovers from a whole, roasted chicken.
Peanuts are good for strengthening the body’s Yin, Blood, and Qi. They can lead to phlegm, so pass on the peanuts until your cold is over or if you have a productive cough. The chile paste, garlic, and ginger in this recipe all act to alleviate phlegm production. It’s important to use only organic peanuts or peanut butter, as they easily soak up pesticides. They are also highly susceptible to fungus when grown conventionally. If you’re allergic to peanuts, you could try this recipe with a different nut butter, such as almond.
1/2 cup organic creamy peanut butter
2 tablespoons hoisin sauce
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 small garlic clove, mashed to a paste (about 1 tsp is plenty; remember, it will be raw!)
1-2 tsp fresh ginger, peeled and grated
1 teaspoon chile paste, opt. (I like Sriracha)
1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil
Juice of 1 lime (this can be omitted or you can substitute lemon juice)
1/4 cup water (you might use a touch more or less to achieve your desired thinness)
a few dashes of fish sauce, opt.
This recipe makes about enough peanut sauce for a dish that serves 4 people. I tend to have most of these things in my fridge already and simply omit one here or there if I’m missing it. Eat in good health!
Check out the short video below for tips on how to change your diet this season for better health! Susan Scott and I discuss some simple ways to avoid this fall’s colds and flus.
Fresh Ginger Tea is a simple solution for mild digestive issues, including nausea, infrequent vomiting of clear fluid, stomachache, and indigestion. It’s easy to make, has no side effects, and works naturally with your body to soothe your belly. Ginger Tea is non-toxic and safe for both pregnancy and breastfeeding. It even has an anti-toxin property and has been used in East Asian Medicine for thousands of years to help detoxify other herbs.
Shēng Jiāng 生姜
Fresh Ginger Tea is best for stomach conditions that come from cold. How can you tell?
Does your stomach feel better with the application of warmth (from your hands, a heating pad, a hot water bottle, etc)?
Does your stomach feel better when you gently press your hands over it?
Cold conditions improve with heat and often with pressure as well. How does one end up with a cold condition? Over-consumption of cold, raw foods and drinks is the main culprit, according to East Asian Medicine. One might also have had a prolonged exposure to cold or a draft which resulted in cold invading the interior of the body.
How to brew Fresh Ginger Tea:
Slice up fresh ginger root, about 2 inches’ worth of root the diameter of your thumb.
Add to 3 cups of cold water.
Bring the water to a boil, then simmer for 15 minutes.
Serve warm, with honey if sweetener is desired. Store leftover tea in the fridge and reheat to serve.
You can adjust the strength and spiciness of the tea by increasing or decreasing the amount of ginger root. You can also cook with fresh ginger root if you have chronic digestive issues. It is traditionally used in many East Asian cultures as a spice as well as a medicinal to improve overall digestion, not to mention flavor.
If you are experiencing severe symptoms of abdominal pain or vomiting, please contact a healthcare professional. Here’s to your digestive health!
