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Category: Recipes

  • 24 Springtime TCM Recipes

    24 Springtime TCM Recipes

    When focusing on whole-body health in my acupuncture practice, this time of year (especially in Duluth) calls for some beneficial spring TCM recipes to give us a boost during the change of seasons. In Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), spring is associated with the Wood element and the Liver and Gallbladder. Like a tree that grows upward and outward, Liver qi rises and spreads throughout the body. When this energy flows freely, we feel motivated, adaptable, and ready to embrace new opportunities. The muscles and tendons remain flexible, supporting smooth and comfortable movement.

    However, when Liver qi becomes restricted, the body’s natural detoxification and circulation processes can slow down, leading to a general sense of sluggishness. This imbalance may also affect the eyes, muscles, and tendons. Emotionally, it can show up as stress, irritability, impatience, or anger.

    One of the key strengths of TCM is its focus on prevention—addressing imbalances before symptoms arise. Eating in alignment with the seasons is one of the ways this balance can be maintained.

    Get the recipes here

    More TCM Posts
  • Winter Congee Recipe

    Winter Congee Recipe

    a winter TCM recipe to warm and heal your gut.

    Ingredients:

    • 1 cup of jasmine rice
    • 8 cups of chicken stock, vegetable stock, or bone broth (this makes a medium consistency congee, for a more soup-like consistency, use 10-12 cups.
    • pinch of salt
    • pinch of white pepper (warming herb)
    • 1-3 inches of chopped ginger
    • 3/4 cup of enoki mushrooms
    • 3/4 cup of thin slicked shiitake mushrooms (dehydrated work nicely)
    • 3/4 cup of thin sliced woo-ear mushrooms (dehydrated work nicely)
    • Optional: Shredded chicken

    Option ingredients to top at the end:

    • Splash of soy sauce
    • a few drops of sesame oil
    • thinly sliced scallions
    • cilantro
    • chili flakes

    Preparation:  

    Rinse the rice and soak in water for 30-45 minutes. This allows the rice to break down easier during the cookie process. (you can forgo this step if you’d prefer to just rinse)  

    Add all the ingredients to a large pot over medium-high heat. Bring to a boil then simmer on low heat, with the lid half covered for 2-3 hours. Stir occasionally to avoid sticking to the bottom.

    Congee is done when the grains disintegrate into the liquid to reach a uniformly dense texture. (You can also use a slow cooker or instapot. Instapot has a porridge setting!)

    Congee can thicken a little as it cools. Add optional ingredients from the topping list above.

  • Winter Digestive Cleanse

    Winter Digestive Cleanse

    Winter digestive cleansing is something that many people want to do to start the new year fresh. The tendency is to want to juice fast; however, in the winter that is very hard on the body—especially in Northern Minnesota. My suggestion has always been to do a kitchari cleanse to give your digestion a rest while nourishing your body in a gentle way. Kitchari is an Ayurvedic Indian recipe that uses split lentils and rice to make a complete protein. Spices are balanced between all five tastes: sweet, spicy, salty, pungent, and sour. If you are feeling the desire to fast this winter, try kitchari cleansing. Here is a great recipe to get you started: Kitchari Recipe 

  • TCM warming broth

    TCM warming broth

    Cold and cough season has arrived. In Traditional Chinese Medicine, the lungs, which open to the nose and mouth through the respiratory passages, are considered the most delicate of the five yin organs and the easiest for external influences to affect. These external factors are described as six types: 

    • Wind
    • Cold
    • Dampness
    • Dryness
    • Heat
    • Fire

    Coughs are most often linked to Wind, though Wind frequently combines with other influences such as Cold, Heat, or Dryness, depending on seasonal conditions. Wind enters from the back of the neck and ankles. Wrap up in a scarf or buff to keep your neck ‘wind gate’ covered!

    Here is a quick and easy recipe to nip that cold in the bud:

    • 1 green onion, white portion, thinly sliced
    • 1 clove of garlic, sliced thinly
    • 1-2 thin slices of fresh ginger, unpeeled
    • 1 to 1.5 cups of bone broth or water

    Bring the water or broth to a boil, add ingredients and turn down to a simmer after a few minutes. Strain and cool a few minutes to a comfortable temperature. Serve in a mug or bowl.

    This may induce a slight sweat which helps expel dis-ease from the body. Snuggle up in some blankets, but if you feel damp rinse off and put on dry clothes.

  • Drink and eat your electrolytes!

    Drink and eat your electrolytes!

    When the weather heats up and we sweat more, we tend to rehydrate with plain water. While this generally a good practice, it is also good to remember to replace the minerals that were lost with sweat and flushed out with our increase in water consumption. This gives the kidneys a break and also keeps your muscles from cramping up.

    My favorite way to rebalance:

    My favorite way to rebalance is with a nice bowl of miso ramen (or soba). I start with homemade bone or veggie broth, grate in ginger, finely sliced Brussel’s sprout (just one), one or two sliced shitake mushrooms, a dash of soy sauce, and a dash of rice vinegar. Add a tablespoon of miso paste in at the end. Delicious and nourishing and comes together very quickly for days when heating up the kitchen seems like a terrible idea.

    Alternatively, muddle some mint into a lemon or limeade and add a pinch of sea salt; sprinkle a tiny bit of sea salt on your watermelon; eat a crunchy whole pickle. There are a ton of fun ways to rehydrate with food and fresh fruit in the summer when everything is so fresh! Get those electrolytes!