Fall into cooking class

One of the main things I am trying to do in life is to build up strength so I can deal with the ups and downs of living with an unpredictable and invisible disease. Eating in accordance with the seasons is one way to help that process, because it builds a natural immunity. Going to cooking class this week gave me some great recipes that use seasonal ingredients. Warren also talked about what else you can do to build a strong immunity.

Warmth

As the weather changes it’s best to focus on cooking to create more warmth. The class was held on an 80 degree day, but three days later there was a frost advisory in the area, so it shows how quickly fall arrives. I am sure you have been feeling it too. This change is represented by the Metal Element in the theory of the five transformations. The recipes in the class included elements of the energetics of metal. Not only ingredient choice can strengthen you, but cooking style also imparts an important warming energetic to food at this time of year too.

Ingredients that support internal warming and settling include white beans, more root  and round fall vegetables, and include pungent greens for example horseradish, mustard greens, ginger, mustard. All open up the lungs, but don’t need a lot, you can add black pepper to soup to open lungs too.

To maintain warming the body move away from the raw salads of summer and start making pressed salads. The pressure and the effect of the salt  ”cooks” the vegetables without using heat as energy. Simple citrus dressings can be used as well as toasted nut cream dressings.

Bring in baked vegetables once or twice a week. One inch cubes of parsnips and sweet potatoes mixed with herbs and olive oil make a delicious warming side dish.

The kinpira style of cooking (sautéing then simmering) can also be used to strengthen the lungs and the large intestines.

Start to pressure cook again

Start using short grain brown rice and sweet rice.

Our fall dinner looked like this, rice & millet patties, turnip, carrot and lotus root kinpira, pressed salad with mustard greens and baked sweet potatoes and parsnips. Delicious and warming!

Other Seasonal Adjustments

I wrote about winter foods here

I wrote about summer foods here

I wrote about late summer strengthening health here

Spring?, here is a good article about all the seasons

Kabocha Squash (in the photo above) is my favorite fall vegetable, sublime. What gets your kitchen warmed up in fall?