My mother was a firm believer in warm milk and honey. That was a long time ago and the milk was from our own farm. Today after my bout with breast cancer I avoid dairy products but healthy drinks in between meals seems like a good way of boosting our intake of nutrients. I have a jar of shiitake mushrooms on my shelf that I use in soups and sauces. Full of nutrients and protein it has been prized in the east for thousands of years. A great book, Japanese Foods that Heal by Jon and Jan Belleme, has lots of interesting info. on these mushrooms, so I decided to try their very simple recipe for shiitake tea.
Shitake Tea
1 dried shiitake mushroom
2 cups water
Pinch of sea salt
Soak the dried shiitake in the water for 1 hour. My dried mushrooms are sliced so I just took a handful. If you use the whole mushroom then remove and discard the stem and thinly slice the cap. Pour the water and the mushroom slices into a saucepan and add salt. Recently I have been using Himalayan sea salt from Sustainable Sourcing. I used to measure out salt but it is such a pleasure to hold these crystals between your fingers that I now eyeball my recipes and use a pinch or several pinches of salt in my recipes. Many people think salt is salt but I swear that this salt actually tastes better. I used to put salt in everything but now I am more careful. Less sodium is better for your health. Anyway simmer for 10 to 20 minutes over medium heat until the liquid is reduced by half. This tea will keep up to two weeks in the refrigerator. I enjoyed the mushroomy taste and I even ate the mushrooms. I always enjoy their chewy texture; probably satisfying my subconscious meat cravings. A great medicinal tonic and a good way to imbibe extra nutrients.
The following recipe is from The Macrobiotic Path to Total Health by Michio Kushi and Alex Jack . It is a healing drink incorporating many nutrients. Some of the ingredients are a little more difficult to find but they are available at most health food stores. Nori is rich in protein, Vitamins A, B and C and calcium and iron. Umeboshi plums have many medicinal uses and an umeboshi plum a day is considered to be one of the best preventive medicines. British author Robbie Swinnerton considers the umeboshi to be the culinary equivalent to a cold shower. He writes, "The abrupt, searingly tart, tangy, salty taste jolts the eyes open, shakes the stomach awake, sandpapers off any staleness from the taste buds, and gets the day off to an unforgettable start." Daikon radish is a popular Asian vegetable, very low in calories, high in Vitamin C and a great digestive aid.
Carrot-Daikon Drink
1/2 cup carrots
1/2 cup daikon
1/3 nori sheet
1/2 umeboshi plum
Grate 1/2 cup each of carrots and daikon. Add 2 cups of water and bring to a gentle boil. Add nori and the umeboshi plum (minced). Simmer for about 3 minutes. If you want a little more flavor add a few drops of tamari. Drink it while warm and definitely eat all the vegetables.
There are also many invigorating herbal teas. They are great pick-me-ups and you can drink them at any time of the day. One of my favorites is lemon balm tea; probably because it grows wild in my garden so I have a steady supply throughout the summer.
Lemon balm is great for treating colds and flu and is reputed to enhance longevity. Fresh leaves are best but you can also use dried. Steep it in boiling water for 10 - 15 minutes. Experiment with the quantity of leaves. It is a very relaxing drink. Sweeten with maple syrup or agave nectar if you wish.
Following is a link for nettle tea from the adventures of a 21st century forager. I have not tried this myself but in the area of rural Wisconsin that I live in, the Amish are paying $10.00 a lb for stinging nettles. Supposedly, somebody had to crawl through a field of stinging nettles to get home after having hurt himself. Miraculously his arthritis was cured. I cannot attest to the truth of this but if you have arthritis it might be worth a trial.
I think you will be surprised by how much better you feel after trying some of these tonics. Even better, put aside fifteen minutes every day to relax and enjoy them.
1 dried shiitake mushroom
2 cups water
Pinch of sea salt
Soak the dried shiitake in the water for 1 hour. My dried mushrooms are sliced so I just took a handful. If you use the whole mushroom then remove and discard the stem and thinly slice the cap. Pour the water and the mushroom slices into a saucepan and add salt. Recently I have been using Himalayan sea salt from Sustainable Sourcing. I used to measure out salt but it is such a pleasure to hold these crystals between your fingers that I now eyeball my recipes and use a pinch or several pinches of salt in my recipes. Many people think salt is salt but I swear that this salt actually tastes better. I used to put salt in everything but now I am more careful. Less sodium is better for your health. Anyway simmer for 10 to 20 minutes over medium heat until the liquid is reduced by half. This tea will keep up to two weeks in the refrigerator. I enjoyed the mushroomy taste and I even ate the mushrooms. I always enjoy their chewy texture; probably satisfying my subconscious meat cravings. A great medicinal tonic and a good way to imbibe extra nutrients.
The following recipe is from The Macrobiotic Path to Total Health by Michio Kushi and Alex Jack . It is a healing drink incorporating many nutrients. Some of the ingredients are a little more difficult to find but they are available at most health food stores. Nori is rich in protein, Vitamins A, B and C and calcium and iron. Umeboshi plums have many medicinal uses and an umeboshi plum a day is considered to be one of the best preventive medicines. British author Robbie Swinnerton considers the umeboshi to be the culinary equivalent to a cold shower. He writes, "The abrupt, searingly tart, tangy, salty taste jolts the eyes open, shakes the stomach awake, sandpapers off any staleness from the taste buds, and gets the day off to an unforgettable start." Daikon radish is a popular Asian vegetable, very low in calories, high in Vitamin C and a great digestive aid.
Carrot-Daikon Drink
1/2 cup carrots
1/2 cup daikon
1/3 nori sheet
1/2 umeboshi plum
Grate 1/2 cup each of carrots and daikon. Add 2 cups of water and bring to a gentle boil. Add nori and the umeboshi plum (minced). Simmer for about 3 minutes. If you want a little more flavor add a few drops of tamari. Drink it while warm and definitely eat all the vegetables.
There are also many invigorating herbal teas. They are great pick-me-ups and you can drink them at any time of the day. One of my favorites is lemon balm tea; probably because it grows wild in my garden so I have a steady supply throughout the summer.
Lemon balm is great for treating colds and flu and is reputed to enhance longevity. Fresh leaves are best but you can also use dried. Steep it in boiling water for 10 - 15 minutes. Experiment with the quantity of leaves. It is a very relaxing drink. Sweeten with maple syrup or agave nectar if you wish.
Following is a link for nettle tea from the adventures of a 21st century forager. I have not tried this myself but in the area of rural Wisconsin that I live in, the Amish are paying $10.00 a lb for stinging nettles. Supposedly, somebody had to crawl through a field of stinging nettles to get home after having hurt himself. Miraculously his arthritis was cured. I cannot attest to the truth of this but if you have arthritis it might be worth a trial.
I think you will be surprised by how much better you feel after trying some of these tonics. Even better, put aside fifteen minutes every day to relax and enjoy them.
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