Inside HBC

Chicken Soup

Seems like everyone I know has a cold right now, including me! One thing is for sure, I don’t want to give up my healthy eating habits when my energy plunges, so when I decide I need to make chicken soup, I always make extra to hide in the freezer for sick days. As I start to feel better, I make sure to take some time to replenish that stash. I wonder if the smell of soup simmering on the stove helps us feel better, too?

• 2 TBS light oil (olive, vegetable, coconut) (sweet)
• 1 medium onion, chopped (sweet, pungent)
• 1 TBS fresh ginger root, chopped (pungent, sweet)
• 2 carrots, chopped (sweet)
• 4 celery stalks, chopped (bitter)
• 6 cups of chicken broth (sweet)
• 3 cups of shredded, or cubed, cooked chicken (sweet)
• Kosher or sea salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste (salty, bitter)
• Rosemary twig (pungent, bitter)

1. Heat the oil in a deep soup pot, then add the chopped onion and ginger with a pinch of salt. As the onion begins to soften, add carrots and celery and cook for about 3 minutes, stirring occasionally.
2. Once the vegetables are bright and beginning to soften, add the broth, shredded chicken, and season with salt and pepper. Add a twig of Rosemary if you have it. Bring soup to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for about 25 minutes, or until the vegetables are cooked through.

If you have a “cold”, you might want to heat up this soup with hot sauce, red pepper flakes, or a little cayenne. You can add other vegetables, herbs, and spices depending on your TCM diagnosis (check in with the doctor for this). Of course, you might want to make your own chicken broth, and you can do that easily by setting aside the bones from a whole chicken (I sometimes break them up, bag them and freeze them for later) or by asking your butcher for soup bones. You might get some feet, so be prepared.   Just throw all of those in a big pot with plenty of water to cover them all, plus an inch or two, with a couple of bay leaves and an onion. Let it boil, them simmer for 45 minutes. Strain and discard everything. If you are freezing the broth, you might want to cook it a little longer so it reduces and can be stored in smaller containers. When you are ready to use it you can add water, if you like.

Greek Salad for a summer day

Summer started here in Virginia a few weeks ago, with temperatures soaring into the 90s and plenty of humidity. If you are outside for part of your day, you know by now that staying hydrated is really important. Now that summer is officially here, try adding more foods that hydrate and keep you cool, vegetables like cucumbers, tomatoes, and green peppers in this simple Greek salad. It calls for dried oregano, but if you have fresh, so much the better. Your taste buds will be delighted with  the 5-Flavors, and your body will thank you.

• 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil (sweet)
• 1½ tablespoons lemon juice (sour)
• 1 clove garlic—minced (pungent)
• ½ teaspoon dried oregano (bitter, pungent)
• ¼ teaspoon sea salt (salty)
• ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, and extra for garnish (bitter, pungent)
• 3 tomatoes—cut into wedges (sweet, sour)
• ¼ red onion—sliced into rings (sweet, pungent)
• ½ cucumber—sliced into thick half-moons (sweet)
• ½ green pepper (capsicum)—julienned (sweet, pungent)
• 4 oz (120g) feta cheese—cut into small cubes (pungent, salty)
• 16 kalamata olives (salty, sweet)

Whisk together the olive oil, lemon juice, garlic, salt, pepper and oregano in a large salad bowl. Add the rest of the ingredients and toss gently to cover. Garnish with fresh ground pepper.

Flatbread with Leeks, Capers, and Asiago Cheese

In the springtime, add leafy greens, onions, leeks, and other early vegetables to your meals. Looking at Food as Medicine in Traditional Chinese Medicine (and maybe just by common sense?) eating seasonal foods is the way to go! The foods that arrive in the spring, tender green vegetables and herbs, provide energy as directly from the sun as possible and support us as we become more active and the days get longer.

Here’s an easy recipe for flatbread that can be adjusted to use your favorite seasonal toppings all year long.

• 2 cups GWF Baking Mix (sweet, salty)
• 1/2 cup water
• 1/4 cup olive oil (sweet)
• 1 medium leek, white and light green parts, cut into long thin strips (pungent)
• 3 oz cheese, shredded or cut into 1/4 cubes (sour, salty)
• 2 TBS capers (salty)
• Freshly ground pepper (bitter)
• Olive oil

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
2. Place 2 cups of GWF Baking Mix in a large bowl and add water and oil.  Mix well.
3. Press dough onto a lightly oiled baking sheet to about 1/4 in thick.  Drizzle about 1 tsp olive oil over top of dough and spread leeks evenly over the top. Generously spread cheese and capers over the leeks.  Sprinkle with freshly ground pepper, and drizzle again with olive oil.
4. Bake in oven for 25 minutes.  Remove, slice and enjoy!

Mini Lamb Burgers with Feta

Lamb is considered “hot” in temperature, according to TCM. These little lamb burgers are perfect for chilly, rainy days when you just want to curl up with a good book and a good meal.

• 1 ½ pounds ground lamb (sweet)
• ½ C. minced fresh mint (pungent)
• 2 garlic cloves, pressed (pungent, sweet)
• 1 tablespoon paprika (pungent, bitter)
• 1 teaspoon salt
• ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper pungent)
• ¼ teaspoon cinnamon (pungent, bitter)
• 1 tablespoon olive oil (sweet)
• 1 8-ounce block feta cheese, sliced (sour, pungent)
• Slices of tomato, onion and lettuce (optional–sweet, sour

1. Mix first seven ingredients in a bowl; shape into four 4-inch in diameter patties.
2. Heat olive oil in a large, heavy skillet and cook over medium to low heat until bottoms are well browned, about 4 minutes.  Turn patties over and top with feta cheese.  Continue cooking to desired doneness, about 3 minutes longer for medium rare
3. Place patties on a serving tray. Top each with slices of tomato, onion and lettuce.

Wasabi Crusted Chicken Tenders

The Pungent flavor can also be described as “hot”.  I prefer calling it pungent because not everything that falls into this flavor has heat in the traditional sense, but many things do.  Garlic, jalepeno peppers, ginger and cinnamon all share the pungent flavor, but so do parsley, cilantro, and peppermint.  I like to describe pungent as a “burst” of flavor.

The following recipe is very simple, and combines all of the flavors at once.  All you need is a nice salad or a dark green vegetable side.  Broccoli is my favorite!

• 1 cup of almond flour or *GWF Baking Mix (sweet, salty)
• 4 tsp wasabi powder (pungent)
• 4 skinless chicken breasts or 8 chicken tenders (sweet)
• 4 TBS peanut or coconut oil (sweet)
• 4 tsp soy sauce (salty)
• 4 tsp mirin (rice wine vinegar) or vinegar (sour)
• 3 TBS Sake (sweet, bitter)
• 3 green onions, thinly sliced (pungent, sweet)

1. Combine flour and wasabi powder in shallow dish.  Rinse chicken, then pat dry.  If using breasts, slice into three strips lengthwise to resemble tenders.  Dredge through wasabi flour.
2. Heat 2 TBS oil in large skillet over medium heat. Saute chicken until golden brown and cooked through, 3-5 minutes each side depending on thickness.  Transfer to a platter, and repeat with remaining oil and chicken.
3. Once chicken is finished, add soy sauce, vinegar, and Sake to the pan and bring to a boil, scraping any browned bits from pan.  Drizzle over the chicken and sprinkle with green onions.  Serve with a side of dark green vegetables.  Enjoy!

*GWF Baking Mix is a grain-free, high protein mix that can be purchased exclusively at the Heavenly Bodies Clinic and website.  It is extremely versatile, and can be used to make sweet and savory baked goods like pancakes, waffles, muffins, breads, and crackers.