Nothing balances all the beautifully rich and savory foods of Thanksgiving like a naturally sweet and tangy cranberry sauce. Not only are they rich in anthocyanadins (a type of anti-oxidant), vitamin C, vitamin K, manganese, and even vitamin E, but they are praised for their association with supporting cardiovascular health by reducing LDL cholesterol, and preventing urinary tract infections (UTIs) and maybe even kidney stones. Recent research has shown that it's not the acidity of the cranberries,
but the unusual nature of their proanthocyanidins (PACs) that is related
to prevention of UTIs. The special structure of these PACs acts as a barrier to bacteria
that might otherwise latch on to the urinary tract lining. But enough of that aspect.
I am most interested in the anti-oxidant/vitamin C aspect. We do a lot of talking about anti-oxidants because they fight inflammation, but isn't it curious that God packaged it with an inflammation promoter: Vitamin C. Now don't wave that carving knife at me just yet, hear me out! We love to encourage anti-inflammatory foods because our modern diet has led us to so much chronic inflammation which translates to chronic joint pain, gut pain, auto-immune type diseases and so on. But if you want to heal injuries, build muscle, repair damage internal tissues, etc. normal inflammation is part of that process and rather than getting it from high doses of processed food, I recommend vitamin C.
Think of it like how both heat and ice on sore muscles pump blood, fluids, and lymph in and out of tissue, so both anti-oxidants and vitamin C are needed. Please keep in mind that true vitamin C that is prized for its tissue repair is not the ascorbic acid you get from your typical vitamin tablet... the real stuff is what will actually heal you.
So go enjoy your cranberries!
Warm Cranberry Sauce
15 oz fresh cranberries
Zest and juice of 2 large oranges
1/2 c raw local honey
In a medium saucepan, add all ingredients, cook on medium heat until cranberries begin to pop continue to cook for 10 minutes or until the sauce thickens. Refrigerating will thicken further, but we enjoy this warm at the table.
You know when something has hit critical mass when it has reached the Mid-West. Kombucha is one of those things. I had not sooner posted that Aldi was carrying it, than they had sold out of their limited supply. Last spring I set out to try my hand at this probiotic drink.
Kombucha is a type of probiotic tea, usually black or green, that is fermented using a SCOBY or "symbiotic 'colony' of bacteria and yeast". It feeds of the sugar that is added to the tea and forms many of the lovely beneficial bacteria we look for to nurse our tummies to their optimal health. It can be an acquired taste at first, considering it is the same acidity as cider vinegar, which in it's unpasteurized form is used to help "start" the growth. You can learn how to make it here.
While I love to incorporate lots of fermented foods into our diet, I've sadly had to say good-bye to this fizzy, tart drink... today's topic is about a few things you should consider before you embark on your home brew.
1) Acidity. While there are plenty of naturopaths that recommend a shot of unpasteurized cider vinegar daily for its health benefits especially toward digestion, there is such a thing as too much of a good thing. Since we flavor these so nicely we tend to ingest much more than 2 ounces. High oral consumption of acidic foods can lead to gastric reflux, esophageal erosion, stomach ulcers and/or stomach pain. Continued consumption over time can alter your systemic pH in many people and while a low (acidic pH) does help you fight bacterial infections, it is a beneficial environment for fungi and yeast. Which leads me to my second warning.
2) Wild cultures. A SCOBY, unlike many purchased cultures, is growing as it's fermenting your tea. It is acquiring bacteria, yeasts, and fungi from the air and your kitchen environment. While this is not always bad, many people have great sensitivities to yeasts such as Candida albicans which is notorious for overgrowth in the intestines and other mucus membranes. If you shuddered at that word, you know this baddy is to be avoided.
So, that said, if these two things are not a problem for you, then brew away, but monitor your consumption and the good outcomes we always look for with probiotic foods.
I initially thought of doing a paleo pumpkin pancake recipe for a nice fall recipe, but frankly, my recipe is a type of a custard-in-a-pan and not what you might think you're getting. So to keep it in its purest form, I'm going with it's unashamed version today: a fall treat, not too sweet, nutrient dense with a luxury feel.
Pumpkin itself is high in the carotenoids and when combined with the fat of the heavy cream, according to some studies, you'll absorb more of them. The star of the show for my purposes today is going to be molasses.
Molasses is a little used powerhouse of minerals like much-needed magnesium, calcium, potassium, iron, copper, and manganese. Oh, and it's also a tasty sweetener. Its potent taste is a better inhibitor of over-consumption so I'll go with Mark Sisson's take of a worth-it-for-paleo stance and according to Rhonda Patrick sites data that shows that 54% of Americans are deficient in magnesium. Magnesium is important for proper sleep, proper blood sugar control, and mitochodrial function (think metabolism). A chronic deficiency can lead to elevated c-reactive protein, hypertension, cardiovascular disease, osteoporosis, diabetes mellitus, headaches, muscle aches, asthma, and pre-eclampsia-eclampsia.
The final color of the custard shows how much the dark tones of the molasses overtakes even the original pumpkin color... and it's as rich and decadent as it looks!
I topped the final product with pecans I toasted in some grass-fed butter. I hope you enjoy this as much as we did!
Pumpkin Molasses Custards
2 eggs
2 t cinnamon (or more)
1/4 t ginger
1/4 t clove
2-3 T molasses
stevia to taste
15 oz pumpkin
1 c heavy cream
Beat eggs with spices, add molasses and stevia. Wisk in pumpkin and heavy cream until blended. Add more cinnamon and sweeteners to taste.
Bake at 350 with a hot water bath for 50 minutes or until a knife comes out clean
I don't know about you, but I get a little nauseated over the buzz-words that flood the internet and media for years on end. In the fitness world, the word is "core". Enough with the planking already! Unless you have to hold up a dam, your deltoids will never need that much static strength! But that's really my husband's department... I'll let him get to that one on his own blog. In my world of nutritional reading, that word is "processed".
What this word intended to describe are foods that are overly processed and in so-doing they were stripped of their nutrients or their very chemical bonds were distorted or oxidized. This is a valid concern because the grocery store shelves are lined with such items. There are flours that have had so much of the nutrients stripped from them, they have to add vitamins just to call them food. Not to mention the oils that are often chemically altered to extend their shelf-life or add some texture to the lifeless things.
But let's be honest, almost all food, from the moment you cut it off it's stalk, tree, plant, etc. is processed. When you process something you change or preserve it so that you can eat it. So...Churning butter: processed. Took a cow to market: processed. Chopping broccoli: processed. But, remember kids, never eat any processed foods. Lean down and eat foods directly from the bush.
