Recipes For Longevity — Part 3B — A Gift From Tibet Goji Berry: RECIPES

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:

Goji Berry recipes

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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Northern Naturals Goji Recipe

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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(c)2007 Em https://diabetesdietdialogue.wordpress.comIf you want to use or quote this article, please include the full copyright citation and website address. Thank you! “Everyone knows someone who needs this information!” (TM)

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Recipes For Longevity — Part 3 — A Gift from Tibet

 

Have you heard of Goji Berries? These power-packed morsels may provide you with a much longer, healthier life. Do you want a tasty way to accomplish that? Of course you do, and goji can deliver it. They are one of the top 3 greatest source of Vitamin C in food (2,500mg in 3 ozs, 100 grams)* and have the highest ORAC value for anti-oxidant activity (25,000 units)**. Goji berries taste like a mix of raspberry, cranberry, cherry  and strawberry. 

And, they are wonderful to aid your complexion and collagen synthesis. From the inside out, Timeless Beauty. Isn’t that a worthy goal?!

Surprisingly, goji berries are a good source for essential fatty acids. This is highly unusual for a fruit. Essential fatty acids provide most of the nutrients for your brain’s structure. 

Additionally, goji research shows their nutrients stimulate immunity, as well as helping with obesity and diabetes. Wow! What a power-house.

Goji  are also called: China: guq zi, Japan: kuko,  Korea: gugija,  Vietnam: ky tu,  Thailand: gao gee, Tibet: dre-tsher-ma. And, goji berries are Nature’s gift for people living  in the definitely problematical landscape of Tibet and Mongolia — the traditional, botanically-original areas — it’s Tibetan Medicine’s belief that goji may be largely responsible for the amazing longevity and health of the people living in this harshest clime on the planet. If these berries can help people living there, think of how much they can help you! Two thousand five hundred years of use can’t be wrong.

Grown in protected, high-altitude, ecologically-pure Tibetan valleys, goji berries, borne on waist-high vines, are one of the planet’s most-nutritious foods. But, make sure any you purchase are either “wild-crafted” from pristine regions in Tibet or Mongolia, only, OR make sure they are farmed organically there . Use the following website to verify that you have authentic, properly grown Tibetan and Mongolian goji berries: http://tanaduk.com/pages/vendors.html

In other multiple remote areas of China, like Ningxia province, pesticides  are sprayed on most grower’s fields of “wolfberries” and “goji berries”. Chinese “goji” berries are NOT the same as Tibetan and Mongolian originals! Not only are the Chinese contaminated with up to 38 different toxic residues, but they are often a different cultivar, and even when the right cultivar is just being grown beyond the original botanical range of the berry, it is problematical for what beneficial nutrients it actually contains in its “new” home.

Also, goji berries are now grown throughout the world, so understand your source. The unique territory of Tibet (and a small, bordering region in Mongolia), which has the longest history of their use, seem to actually include micro-niche ecological benefits that other places do not have.

Botanically, goji berries are a member of the Solanaceae Family of plants, which also includes tomato, potato, peppers, eggplant, tomatillo and tobacco.

CAUTIONS:

If you are sensitive to any of these Nightshade plants, then discuss with your allergist how, and if, to try goji berries.

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.

British plant purveyor, Thompson & Morgan, do sell the plants on their English website, and some sites are selling seed kits, but, again, be aware that just because a plant can be grown “elsewhere”, that does not mean the plant produces all the same nutrients in its new home!

In Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), goji berries are used for: diabetes, tinnitus, dizziness, blurred vision, improving vision (used for 1,500 years), wet dreams, sexual inadequacy, cough, aching back and joints, tuberculosis, asthma relief and stemming internal hemorrhage.

Modern medical uses have included: counteracting the harsh side-effects of chemotherapy and radiation treatments and helping with burns or wound treatment, as well as using goji for its immune-system modulating effects, lowering cholesterol reducing high blood-pressure and regulating blood sugar.

In our series about longest-lived people (see the Title Archive tab at the top of the page), we did not unearth the history of Li Qing Yuen, a master herbalist born in 1677 in Szechuan, China who is purported to have lived 256 years.

He ascribed his longevity to eating about 2 handfuls of goji berries daily and his ability (via Taoist and Buddhist regimens) to Balance his Life – quietude and exercise; worldiness and spirituality.

His life cannot be authenticated with the same rigor we would apply today, but his long-life was highlighted in the May 15, 1933 edition of TIME magazine when he had finally died on May 6. A Chinese professor did find Imperial government documents from 1827 congratulating Mr. Li on his 150th birthday, at that time, so he certainly was not a Johnny-come-lately seeking global attention for personal gain.

From this 1827 document, the meeting with General Sen mentioned below and interviews of people in his village who had known him all their lives and said their grandfathers’ had known him (and that Mr. Li was “old” then, too), I have included this information as definitely “credible”. Mr. Li is reported to have had 14 wives and 200 descendants.

Most of Li Qing Yuen’s life was spent learning about and gathering the herbs and techniques that resulted in his longevity. He was taught by Taoist hermits about the necessary herbs, and learned their esoteric versions of Baguazhang and Qigong, with breathing exercises, sound therapies and spiritual masteries, too. He faithfully practiced these regimens daily for more than 120 years.

At 250 years old, a meeting and official report about Mr. Li was made by General Yang Sen who described Yuen as 7 feet tall, with a ruddy complexion, excellent eyesight, brisk stride and very long fingernails. Li Qing Yuen taught General Yang his “Eight Brocade Qigong“, so the Master shared just a tiny portion of what he knew. He is not known to have shared his herbal knowledge, but is known to have also used fo-ti-tieng (in the West called Gotu Kola).

From French studies, Gotu Kola is known to rejuvenate the ductless glands and may be the source of a new vitamin, filling an important missing link in human Health. So, Li Qing Yuan used 2 essential plants which extend longevity, to the extreme for him, at least at that time and place. What they can do for modern people, with our excess of stress, remains to be seen, but the science is promising so far.

As far as diabetes is concerned, goji berry seems to have a mechanism which helps our body utilize fat storage for energy more readily and modifies our insulin needs.

However, my mentor, Dr. Robert O. Young, PhD, DSc, ND says that the goji berries he tested were pH acidic and was not going to recommend them as a healthy tonic to be taken in quantity, especially daily.

My view is that:

1) with what has been stated above, the samples Dr. Young had may or may not have been “real” Tibetan goji berries

2) we eat many other healthful foods that are “acidic” foods e.g. carrots 

3) healthy pH acidic foods are “balanced” by eating pH alkaline foods like potatoes with skins, sweet potato, lemons and limes (which are alkaline in our body, but test “acid” with litmus paper in a chemistry lab kit), mango, pineapple, burdock root, persimmons, nectarines, parsley, kale etc.

4) goji berries, as grown and harvested by the natural methods only, and in their native botanical range are a healthful tonic as used for 2,500 years by Tibetans and they are used extensively in Tibetan Medicine as they are an effective treatment.

With so many network marketing companies “pushing” goji berries and sometimes their marketers are making outlandish  statements – I will be happy when more scientific studies are done, but, again, the researchers will need to get the original strain of Tibetan berries grown in the traditional way. So far, the science has generally borne out their usefulness.

For recipes, of the ones I found on the web, I think the most useful were using goji berries to top buckwheat “cereal” (it is NOT a grain). Rather, buckwheat is a fruit body of the plant, so it is compatible to eat fruits together (except melons, should be eaten alone). FOR THOSE WITH CHRONIC AILMENTS AND POOR DIGESTION OR ASSIMILATION, THE RECOMMENDATION IS NEVER TO EAT FRUITS WITH OTHER FOODS. Separate their use by eating fruits 20 minutes before any other types of food.

The other interesting recipe I have is one for a goji berry, coconut smoothie.

 I’ll try to post some recipes next time.

Best to all — Em

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* Only Australia’s Billy-Goat plum and South America’s Camu-Camu berries have higher Vitamin C ratings.

** ORAC value measures anti-oxidant abilty to scavenge harmful free-radicals in your body; it stands for Oxygen Radical Absorbance Capacity. Goji is the best food on the planet to do this and thereby protect your DNA from harmful mutations. This action also explains why it is an effective cancer treatment. An orange has 750 ORAC units, by contrast to goji’s 25,000!

(c)2007 Em https://diabetesdietdialogue.wordpress.com
If you quote my article or use it, please include the complete copyright citation and website address. Thank you. “Everyone knows someone who needs this information!” (TM)

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Recipes For Longevity – Part 2

  

Mmmm! Make this a meal. Here’s a great, alkaline fruit salad that uses grapefruit! Why is grapefruit so vital?

 My mentor, Dr. Robert O. Young, Ph D, D Sc, ND, reports:

In a study of 100 obese adults, who were divided into 3 groups during a clinical trial, researchers found the group which ate 1/2 of a grapefruit 3 times a day, before each meal, lost 7 times as much weight as those who did not. Fresh grapefruit juice did nearly as well for the third group, as the fresh grapefruit did. Some particpants lost as much as 10 pounds during the 3 month study, just from using grapefruit, as the only dietary and life-style change they made. The rest of the diet for the three groups was similar.

The grapefruit groups also had reduced insulin and glucose levels. The researchers believe compounds in grapefruit prevent the ability of excess blood sugar being  stored as fat in our fat cells. They say grapefruit may even act preventatively to help obese people stave-off diabetes for a longer time.

As grapefruit is quite an alkaline pH food, all of this makes sense. Alkaline foods are very protective on a cellular and blood level. Our body uses fat cells to wall-off excess acids,  when our elimination pathways / organs are overwhelmed. These acids accumulate  daily, from natural results of normal metabolism and even moreso from a life-style of choices which create too much acid in our tissues – poor food, all kinds of body and psychological stress, incomplete metabolism or digestion, lack of enough movement etc.

If we help our body become more alkaline, our body can release the toxins and then the fat from fat-cell storage safely, and dispose of it, so we “lose weight”. If we become and maintain pH alkalinity, body-wide, there will be less chance of our body gaining excess weight, unless we eat too many calories.

Naringine, a helpful compound found in grapefruit, is also attributed with the successful increase in blood iron for those with anemia, preventing cancer (along with another accompanying compound, limonene), helping to better blood circulation (while pectin, a soluble fiber in grapefruit and apples, unclogs arteries).

WARNING: Please check with your pharmacist, as grapefruit is not compatible with some common prescription drugs!

Tip: It is best to eat fruits alone, and wait 20 minutes before eating anything else, especially if you have impaired or fussy digestion or are chronically ill in any way. This technique encourages more complete absorption of the nutrients you have purchased for your well-being.

Also, please do not use canned fruit. It becomes very acidifying to your tissues. Only use fresh fruit, in season for your locale. Don’t get tempted by out-of-season imported fruit.

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Em’s High Anti-Oxidant Fruit Salad

2 cups fresh grapefruit sections

OR 1 cup fresh ripe pineapple chunks + 1 cup fresh grapefruit sections

 OR 2 kiwi fruits, very ripe, cut in small dice + 1 cup fresh grapefruit sections

2 avocados*, organic, seeded, peeled and sliced then spritz with lime or lemon juice

1 cup fresh raspberries in season, blueberries or dried goji berries

4T Bragg’s or Spectrum organic apple cider vinegar**

2T organic extra-virgin olive oil or organic hemp oil***

tiny pinch of organic Celtic sea salt (it brings out sweetness)

pinch of cayenne pepper

1/8t honey mustard

1/8t agave nectar

optional: 8 pieces of sushi ginger slices, slivered

___ Make the vinaigrette dressing by gathering all the ingredients except the oil, in a bowl. Slowly drizzle in the oil and whisk it periodically as you add it.

___ Prepare the grapefruit sections using a grapefruit knife to easily draw the segments out of the cavities. Use as the foundation of the salad in the center of each plate. Make sure to squeeze out the “extra” juice to drink separately.

___ Arrange lime-soaked avocado around edges and berries, kiwis on top of center fruit. Sprinkle with dressing over all.

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* Avocados are fruits, botanically. A member of the Laurel Family, they have been cultivated for 8,000 years and there are more than 1,000 varieties, although just a few are commercially produced. To tell if an avocado is ripe, it should “give” when held in both hands under gentle pressure OR it should have about the same “feel” as the area at the end of your nose has when you push on it gently.

Avocado gives the highest-temperature cooking oil and it can be found in gourmet or natural food stores. It is mostly mono-saturated oil, like olive oil is, and is therefore very heart-healthy.

Store avocados at room temperature in a paper bag, along with a whole apple, until the avocado is ripe. Check daily. Use the day they are ripe. If you must, you can refrigerate them for a day or so after ripening, but do not freeze avocados.

** Only use these brands of apple cider vinegar, and get the version that has the enzyme “Mother of Vinegar” included. Heinz apple cider vinegar and other commercial, industrial-type brands are not live, enzymatic foods and are truly acidic. The aforementioned organic brands are actually metabolized to produce alkaline end-products.

 *** hemp oil is extremely delicate and must be refrigerated at all times and never cooked with. Just use this excellent vegetarian source of Omega-3 essential fatty acids in salad dressings, smoothies and dips.

 Enjoy!

And, keeping you informed, dear Reader, I’ve had to make a change in plans. So, I’m off on an out-of-state trip. I’ll try to post in the next few weeks, but we’ll see how it goes. I’ll aim for recipes, as I don’t have time for the other research right now. Still juggling my seminars / classes along with the trip. Thanks for understanding. I’ll try to add some tasty tantalizers, meanwhile, along the way.

 Best to all — Em

(c)2007 Em at https://diabetesdietdialogue.wordpress.com

If you desire to quote or use my article, please include the full copyright citation and my website address. Thanks!

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Recipes For Longevity – Part 1

 

These recipes should help you increase your longevity. They really are Recipes For A Long Life (TM). Periodically, I’ll include more of them as follow-up to my just-completed 7 part series on secrets and experiences of our most long-lived and accomplished elders.

The ingredients in these recipes have known potential for aiding your body, mind, immunity, metabolism or cleansing — each of which is necessary for a long, quality-filled life. They are diabetic neutral or actually positive for diabetics, as most utilize low-glycemic foods.

Also, dear reader, as I am taking several classes and seminars for the next 6 weeks, I will write any of my articles about the scientific aspects of Longevity in shorter pieces than this last series of 7 about our oldest people on the planet.

I will also write the scientific-oriented articles only periodically, so you will only find the whole series by using the Title Archive tab at the top of this page, as they are to be written one by one only when, and if, I have time to do the research before mid-September.

Now, Food From The Ancients (TM):

Okinawa (Ryukyu) was a separate kingdom, with separate culture and traditions and has only been “incorporated” into Japan for about 100 years (but that’s another story).

The Okinawans who keep to their traditional diet and life-style are the longest-lived group of people on the planet. Dr. Craig Wilcox, PhD and his brother, Dr. Brad Wilcox, MD and also Dr. Makoto Suzuki, MD have been studying the Okinawans, in depth, for 25 years. Learn more at www.okinawaprogram.com   and www.okicent.org

The United States maintains several military bases in Okinawa, and the Okinawa Study has utilized this to see if the Okinawan Traditional Diet (OTD) can immediately benefit Westerners who adopt it.

The physicians contacted the United States Marine Corps who became the Western participants in the Chample 3 study. Even these “best of the best”, fit Marines benefited from changing to the Okinawan diet.

Chample (pronounced “champuru”), in its infinite-variations, is a daily, staple, low-temperature, stir-fry recipe for traditional Okinawans.

Easy Okinawan Chample for 4

6 oz firm tofu
(squeeze extra water; place between 2 plates + paper towel wrap 15 minutes)
1  1/2 C    sliced green beans, in 2″ pieces
1/2           small cabbage, chopped small to medium squares

1/2 C        soy “bean sprouts” (or other sprouts … broccoli  is the best)
1 pinch    sea salt (best: use Celtic sea salt, NOT regular table salt)
1/4 t        freshly ground black pepper
                 canola spray or cold-pressed, organic canola oil

Optional to cook:

___ leeks, onions or green onions sliced finely

___ garlic cloves, as desired

Optional garnish:

A free-range, organic egg (cooked as desired).

1. Coat a large wok or skillet with nonstick canola spray. Bring to medium temperature while watching the pan.

Meanwhile, cut the previously-pressed, drained tofu into 1-inch cubes and then place all of the cubes in the pan. Toss. Cook over medium heat for 3 to 4 minutes or until lightly-golden. Set aside.

2. Away from the heat, off the burner, coat the same pan with more canola spray and stir-fry the green beans and cabbage. Cook over medium heat until tender, 4 to 5 minutes.

Only at the very end of the time add the bean sprouts. Other sprouts should just be added to the warm dish after the burner is turned off, after all steps are completed.

3. Return the tofu to the skillet and toss with the vegetables. Season to taste with sea salt and black pepper. (Add the more delicate, tiny sprouts now, if you used them.) Evenly divide and serve. Top with the egg, if used.

Nutrition per 1 serving:
Caloric density 0.24
47 calories (kcal)
4g protein
7g carbs – 2.9g dietary fiber = 4.1 carbs
1g total fat, 0g saturated fat, <0.1g monosaturated fat, <0.1g polyunsaturated fat
81mg sodium
60mg calcium
1.4mg iron

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Fauja Singh, the elder Sikh marathon running champion, at 94 years old, loves his native Punjabi Ginger Curry. Fauja has not told his recipe. But, this one is probably a lot like it. I have used black-eye peas instead of beans or lentils. Those could have been used to, but the times to cook them may be different. Ginger is incredibly healthy and is a natural anti-inflammatory and black-eye peas are a very under-utilized legume, which helps to control blood sugar by a slow, steady release of complex carbohydrate and lots of good fiber. Coconut cream has medium-chain fatty acids which are essential for immunity and for hormone regulation, even though it is a saturated, vegetarian fat, it has other important healthy compensations. Onions supply sulfur to help make potent anti-oxidants. Garlic is a potent ant-viral and natural antibiotic. Cilantro is an excellent detoxifier. Tomatoes provide lutein which helps to protect eyesight. And cayenne has all kinds of health properties including increasing metabolism.

Em’s Punjabi-Style Ginger Curried Black-eye Peas

1 ½ C dry black-eyed peas, washed *
5 C filtered, spring water (only if dry peas are used)
1 (2 inch) piece ginger, scraped and coarse chopped
7 garlic cloves, coarse chopped
5T extra-virgin olive oil

2 onions, medium chopped
2t coriander, ground
1t cumin, ground

1 lg tomato, chopped
1/3C coconut cream, canned – added 1T at a time
1/4t cayenne (or more)

1 1/4t sea salt
2T cilantro, fresh, chopped

1. Drain the washed peas, cover with 5 cups water and bring to a boil. Cover and reduce the heat. Simmer gently for 2 minutes. Turn off heat and let the peas sit in the warm pot for 1 hour. This saves energy and you do not have to attend the pot. Meanwhile …

2. Chop the onions.

3. Then, in a blender, combine the ginger and the garlic with 1/3 cup water. Blend this into a paste.

4. To cook the onions, be sure to use a heavy fry pan. Heat the oil slowly on medium-high; never let any oil “smoke”.

When the oil is medium-hot, add onions. Stir-fry until a medium brown colour. Add the garlic-ginger paste and cook for 1 minute.

Add the coriander and cumin. Stir for another minute before adding the diced tomato. Stir fry till tomato is soft.

5. Add 1 T coconut cream and stir until it is well incorporated into the vegetables. Continue adding the rest of the coconut cream this way. Continue cooking for 2 to 3 minutes.

6. Next, add the black-eye peas and their liquid, plus sea salt and cayenne. Stir and bring back to a simmer. Cover, and simmer for up to 40 minutes. At that time, if there is a lot of liquid left, raise the heat a little, but watch the pan. Cook for another 10 minutes. Garnish with chopped cilantro.

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* If you do not want to start with dry peas, substitute canned, organic black-eye peas (probably up to 3 cans worth). With the canned peas, include the liquid and see if you must add a little filtered water. Bring to a boil; reduce to a strong simmer and cook 10 – 15 minutes minimum after simmer starts.

At that time, again, if there is a lot of liquid left, raise heat and cook it off, making sure the peas do not burn. Stir! Garnish with chopped cilantro.

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I hope you enjoy these 2 Longevity Recipes(TM), and that you begin to research and share some of your own. I’ll bring you more next time.

Best to all,
Em

(c)2007 Em at https://diabetesdietdialogue.wordpress.com
If you desire to use or quote my article, please include the complete copyright citation and website address. Thank you.

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