As promised, here are recipes for Goji Berries, the miracle food from Tibet and China. Some recipes are new, from me, others are tasty internet recipes. You want an easy way to regain your health, don’t you? Goji can make a real difference, but as in my previous article, (see Title Archive tab, above), it is necessary to know how and where the Goji’s have been grown!
The Chinese berries can be VERY POLLUTED, even those with “Green Certification”, which is NOT equivalent to the stringent European and American “organic standards”.
I found that the large American company called Dole, www.dolegoji.com says it’s Goji’s are sourced properly, so check them out as well as asking staff at the official entity set in place by the Dalai Lama, to protect the integrity of Tibetan berries — that site is at the end of the article.
2011 Update: The Seattle-based major importer of Chinese goji berries says ‘the majority of goji berries sold in the USA are his, repackaged as “Tibetan” gojis’. If this is the case, and you want only Tibetan goji, then follow-up on the suggestions in the paragraph above.
Tibetan goji are not from huge commercial farms, so most labeled as Tibetan probably are not. And, of course, the whole mess is complicated because the Chinese have taken-over Tibet, and are in the process of making it as Han-Chinese as possible by overwhelming Tibetans in every way.
Although the Chinese berries are also farmed in remote areas, according to the owner of gojitrees.com, pollution from China’s massively unregulated industry is polluting around the world. I doubt it has an easy time crossing the Himalayas into Tibet, but it all depends on the wind patterns — for any berries from Tibet or China.
I do not knowlingly eat any agricultural products from China, because when tested, even their “organic” label, is NOT good enough for that certification anywhere else in the industrialized world!
Mr. Tompkins at gojitrees.com generously is offering the best solution if you are in the right ecological niche — grown your own! He’ll even send you 15 free seeds. Thanks! Read more on his site.
Here, without more teaching commentary, due to my recently hurt wrist, are my adapted recipes and a couple of Internet originals, verbatum.
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Ariel’s Birthday Smoothie
1/3C Dole Tibetan dry goji berries
1 organic banana, medium to large size, quartered
1C fresh or frozen raspberries
4 oz pineapple juice
1/4C coconut cream or coconut milk
tiny pinch Celtic sea salt
1 – 2t agave nectar
1t fresh lemon or lime juice
Optional: 2t milk thistle seeds, ground and soaked in a little water overnight.*
Soak the goji’s 15 minutes.
Combine all the fruit in a food processor or blender, along with the liquids and spices.
Cover the mixture and blend on high-speed. Drink immediately.
Serves 2
* Milk thistle helps support your liver. As liver cells live about 18 months, it takes about 2 years of daily use for milk-thistle to rebuild damaged or malfunctioning livers and rebuild blood. Get the seeds from a natural health store or a herbalist OR use milk thistle extract as directed on the bottle for 1-2 doses.
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Meg’s Elemental Energy Bar
1C Dole Tibetan, Organic Goji berries
5T organic almond butter
1/4C organic raw pepitas (pumpkin seeds) (Trader Joe’s) OR 1/8C pepitas + 1/8C Nutiva hemp seed
2T organic, coconut strips
1T organic butter or ghee
1/8t ground ginger
small pinch of Celtic sea salt
Process the first 4 ingredients in a food processor or blender.
Add the butter, ginger and salt. Mix briefly. Press the mixture into a prepared metal or glass 9 x 5 inch loaf pan which has been lightly-covered with a pump pan spray.
Chill at least 2 hours. Then, cut into 12 – 15 bars.
Re-wrap or bag separately. Keep refrigerated until use. Then they are already to take with you!
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Em’s Traffic-Light Salad
1/2C Dole organic Tibetan goji berries
1 lg pineapple, peeled and quartered
1 lg English cucumber, washed, unpeeled
1/4C Bragg’s or Spectrum’s organic apple cider vinegar with enzyme “Mother”
1T premade pesto sauce
2C fresh red bell pepper, finely diced
1/8 C shallots, fresh leek OR green onion, finely sliced
1-2t hemp oil (always keep refrigerated; great source of Omega-3s; never heat this oil)
Italian dressing, as needed
1 fresh garlic clove, minced
Garnish: sprinkle on Nutiva organic hemp seed
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Soak the goji for about 30 minutes. (You can drink the soaking water as juice.)
Meanwhile, prepare the pineapple and chunk to desired size.
Combine all the ingredients. Add extra Italian dressing, as needed.
Cover and chill overnight in the refrigerator. It can be chilled as little as 1 hour, but longer is better.
Serve, with each portion garnished with hemp seed.
Serves up to 10.
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Other goji recipes from the Internet:
Eric Rivkin, “Living-Foods Health Chef and Instructor” —— erivkin@mindspring.com.
Eric’s Goji Power Juice / Jam
1/4 cup Tibetan Goji berries, soaked. Use soak water (drink it as juice)
1/2 tsp orange zest
1/2 tsp grated fresh ginger
1 pitted date or 1 t raw honey or 1t agave nectar
Mash the goji and mix everything in a blender. Keep chilled.
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Cream of Buckwheat with Goji Berries
“For people who struggle with wheat allergies and gluten intolerance, buckwheat is an ideal food. Many people who are having physical and emotional challenges find that removing wheat and other gluten containing foods from there diet makes a profound difference in how they think and feel. Buckwheat has plenty of protein and B vitamins, and is rich in phosphorus, potassium, iron, and calcium. Although buckwheat has many grain-like characteristics, it is from an entirely different botanical family, and is actually a fruit. Since buckwheat is unrelated to the classic cereal grains, those who are allergic to wheat can tolerate buckwheat. It is also delicious!”
To make a serving for 2 people:
Bring 2 ½ cups of water to a boil, slowly stir in ½ cup of Cream of Buckwheat, return to boil. Add a handful of Goji Berries per person. A dash of good quality (Celtic sea) salt is optional. Reduce heat to low, simmer 10 minutes stirring frequently.
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Em’s Vegan Sunshine Soup with Goji
1 T organic, extra-virgin olive oil
2 T organic coconut oil
2 leeks (include some of the tender green portions), thinly sliced
1/2 Belgian endive, thinly sliced (or use 1C thin sliced frisee endive OR kale)
3 carrots, about 1/2 lb, scrubbed, unpeeled and thinly sliced
1 sweet potato, about 1 pound, peeled and ½” diced
1 1/2 t peeled and minced or grated fresh ginger
5 C vegetable stock
1/2C fresh orange juice
2 t grated orange rind “zest” (optional)
1/2C Tibetan organic Goji Berries
Celtic sea salt and freshly ground white pepper, to taste
Garnish: Fresh slice of avocado
Over medium heat, warm the olive and coconut oils in a large saucepan. Add the leeks and sauté until just slightly softened, about 3 minutes. Add the carrots, sweet potato and ginger and sauté until the vegetables are just softened, about 5 minutes more. Add the veggie stock, cover partially and bring liquid to a simmer. Cook until the vegetables are completely softened, taking about 20 minutes. Remove from the heat and add the Goji Berries and finely sliced endives or kale.
Puree the soup in batches in a blender or you can use a food processor. Be careful, it’s hot! Leave some texture, if desired. Next, return the soup to the pot. Alternatively, you can process with an immersion stick blender in the pot, but keep the blender submerged the whole time it is turned on!
Set the pan over medium heat and stir in the orange juice and zest. Season with Celtic sea salt and white pepper. Ladle the soup into warmed bowls and then garnish each serving with an avocado slice OR a sprig of mint.
Serves 4 to 6.
Serving Tip: As an alternative garnish, top the soup with chopped crystallized ginger OR fried ginger.
To fry ginger: Peel a 5″ piece of ginger and slice it into a very fine julienne strips. In a very small fry pan over medium-high heat, pour in extra-virgin, organic olive oil OR a couple of tablespoons of organic coconut oil. Depth of the oil should be about 1/4″ -1/2″ when heated. When the oil is hot, fry the ginger until just crisp and golden brown; this takes 20 to 30 seconds. Using a slotted spoon or skimmer, transfer the ginger to a paper towel-lined plate. When cool, divide into portions to garnish each serving.
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From the Dalai Lama’s group:
To authenticate products using the real Tibetan Goji Berry please email your questions to info@GojiBerry.com .To find a vendor selling authentic Tibetan Goji berries in your area please call or email The Tibetan Goji Berry Company at Toll Free 1-866-328-4654 or 1-360-376-8272.
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Best to all,
Em
PS
CAUTIONS:
If you are sensitive to any of the following Nightshade plants, then discuss with your allergist how, and if, to try goji berries: potato, tomato, tomatillo, all peppers, eggplant —- as well as drugs, tobacco and belladonna — they are all Nightshade family plants.
If you are taking blood thinning medication like Coumadin or Warfarin, consult your physician before using goji berries, as they have such high Vitamin C content, normal-size portions will affect your blood status.
Other commercial names for the plant include: wolfberry, bocksdorn. matrimony vine, cambronera, barbary matrimony vine, Duke of Argyll’s tea tree, Lycium fruit.
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