Roast Vegetable Risotto (with or without chicken)

Ingredients

300g Arborio Rice

Chicken or vegetable stock cubes (I use Massel because they are larger and vegetarian, even the Beef ones)

200g pumpkin, cut into pieces

1 carrot, cut into large chunks

1 small zucchini, also cut into chunks

6 button mushrooms on the largish side or 1 field mushroom

*optional is 1 skinless chicken breast, diced

About 1Lt of water

½ cup of white wine

Salt & pepper to taste

2 cloves Garlic, minced

1tb olive oil for roasting

1tb olive oil for frying the rice at the beginning

150g baby spinach leaves

1 fresh tomato, diced

4 basil leaves or dill leaves, shredded./chopped.

Method

Preheat oven to 200C

Place veggies on a tray in the oven with olive oil, salt & pepper.

Roast for ½ hour or until done.

20 minutes into roasting the veg, fry chicken pieces in 1tb olive oil until mostly cooked through. Add 1 clove garlic and toss through chicken. Remove from heat.

In the same pan, add Arborio rice and toss until coated with oil. You will hear a popping sound when it’s ready for the water to be added. Start adding the water a bit at a time, until the rice is covered, stirring continuously. As water absorbs add stock and wine and stir until further absorption occurs. Once you can scrape the bottom of the pan and the liquid parts it’s time to add more water. Keep adding water gradually and stirring for 15 minutes or so until it all absorbs. Taste the rice to make sure it’s not crunchy. If it’s still a bit hard, keep adding water gradually until it softens. Once the rice is ready, turn the heat down very low. Make sure there’s not too much water in with the rice as if there is it will go gluggy and become glutinous. It should be dry but not hard, moist but not gluggy.

Remove veggies from oven and add to rice, stir in. When combined add chicken, remaining garlic, herb(s), spinach and tomato.

Serve. Save some for later or take it to work for lunch the next day =)

Winter, complete with a recipe!

As the Huang Di Nei Jing (Yellow Emperor’s Classic of Internal Medicine) says; “Therefore, the change of Yin and Yang through the four seasons is the root of life, growth, reproduction, aging, and destruction. By respecting this natural law it is possible to be free from illness. The sages have followed this, and the foolish people have not.”

WINTER

As mentioned in the last blog entry, Winter is the time of year where Yin flourishes the most. All the Yin aspects of life are abundant – water, stillness, cold, and holding within. A valuable example of this is seen in nature when the seeds of the year to come are concealed within the Earth, sleeping and preparing to wake with the coming of Yang in the Springtime. Animals hibernate during Winter and it’s easy for us humans to forget that we, too, are animals. Sure we are mostly removed from nature but when we remember that we rely on nature for food, breath and life everything seems a lot more simple.

Element: Water

Organ: Kidney

Emotion: Fear

Prevailing Environmental Factor: Cold

Colour: Black

Flavour or Taste: Salty

Common ailments: Colds and flu, arthritis, muscle and joint pain (especially Lower back and Knees), stomach problems

Things to do during Winter:

Get up later, go to bed earlier

Keep warm, stay out of the wind and rain

Preserve Yang by eating warm (temperature) and warming (energetically) foods.

Rest more, thus preserving Yang and supporting Yin

Things not to do during Winter:

Wear midriff tops or low-cut jeans

Expose yourself to the elements

Excessive exercise

Consume raw or cold foods or liquids directly from the fridge

All of the suggestions above are aimed at the preservation of Yang – the Movement energy, warmth, potential for growth and Qi – and the encouragement of healthy and flourishing Yin. Ideally this would all make perfect sense, and in a way it does. If you already have an abundance of something (in this example, Cold, which is outside us) it stands to reason that it would not be the brightest idea in the world to *overdo* the Cold by continuing to add to it. This means that we should keep what Yang we have warm, to avoid its dissipation, and don’t put out the fire by drinking cold liquids, eating cold foods or hanging around outside in the cold for too long! Think of it like saving up for a holiday, or preserving your energy before a big day ahead. Spring is, indeed, the “big day” of the year and we need to keep all the growth potential, warmth and fiery energy that we have in order to sustain the burst of Yang that it will bring.

So, folks, try and keep your Yang safe for the Winter season, and support your Yin by eating stews with bones in (Lamb Shanks are fantastic, as they contain lots of Yin but are Yang in nature) – if you are vegetarian go hard on the lentils and beetroot, and eat lots of the wonderful things that contain large amounts of iron to nourish and support the blood.

Lamb Shanks with Lentils and Cabernet Merlot

1 Lamb Shank each, frenched (ask the butcher)

2 whole, fresh baby beets each

2 small potatoes each

1 small carrot each

1 stick celery each

1tb olive oil

1/4 cup kalamata olives, chopped, per person

1 anchovy

½ cup Lentils (those yummy little tiny green French ones are great) per person

½ cup Cab Merlot per person

½ tsp brown sugar

1tb balsamic vinegar

Black pepper to taste

Sea salt to taste

2 bay leaves per person

Flour for coating the shanks – gluten free folks may do without

Parsley seeds for flavour

Oregano – dried or fresh

3 cloves garlic each (reserve one for the end)

About 500ml water each.

1 small onion each

1 vegetable or beef stock cube (I use Massel so they are huge, one for two people.)

Normally this dish is made for at least two people but if you’re on your own you can cook it up in advance and have a meal for the next few days – this type of dish is always better a day or two after it’s been cooked.

Preheat oven to 150c

Coat shanks in flour

Heat oil in the base of a flame-proof casserole and place shanks in, on moderate heat until browned. Turn and repeat.

Remove shanks.

Add chopped onion, garlic (reserve one for Ron, as I said before)

celery, parsley seeds, pepper, salt, oregano and sugar.

Caramelise ingredients and add more olive oil if necessary.

Place shanks back in, arrange vegetables around the edges.

Add lentils then pour over the liquid ingredients*

Add olives and anchovy (mashed together) for extra salty goodness.

Put on the lid and place on centre rack of oven. Cook for 3 hours, stirring occasionally. If liquid reduces too much as a result of cooking, add more water but don’t let it overflow.

Remove from oven, add 1 clove of minced garlic per person and stir in. The liquid should be relatively thick by now, what with all the lentils and juice from the meat and veg so you probably don’t need to reduce it. If there’s too much fat, skim it off. If there’s too much liquid (ie it’s runny), either pop it back in the oven for 10 minutes or so with the lid off, or put it on the stove and keep an eye on it whilst the water evaporates.

Serve it up and enjoy!

Think about how you are nourishing Yin and preserving Yang, and directing the nourishment toward the Kidneys, all with one bowl of delicious food =)

*Please note that quantities of liquid ingredients are relative to size of cooking vessel. If anything add less water.

SEASONAL CHANGE

Seasons each have different environmental energies which are discernable when we look at nature - the way plants grow, the behaviour of animals, and weather changes. In the Traditional Chinese Medicine philosophy the seasons and changes in nature impact directly upon human health and wellbeing.

Excess of anything at all can be damaging. This includes exposure to the elements, overindulgence in particular types of food, alcohol, recreational drugs, exercise, sex, sleep, staying awake, work and everything else humanity likes to get up to in its daily life.

Deficiency of many things can also cause big problems in life, spirit, mind and health.

Throughout the seasons the energy shifts and changes to allow the Earth to sprout, grow, fruit, harvest, die and be reborn on a yearly basis. We little human beings, as part of the greater ecosystem, need to take these changes into account when living our daily lives. This way we can flourish and keep our health up to scratch, allowing us to live full, happier lives.

Before explaining exactly *how* seasonal energy is more likely to affect us as it flows through its cycle, it’s first important to discuss the meaning of Yin and Yang.

In Chinese Medicine philosophy the Sun is said to be Heavenly Yang as its warmth provokes movement, fire and potential for growth (the sprouting seed, or the embryo at the point of conception). The Earth itself is said to be Earthly Yin as it is a solid mass, holds us in with its gravity (the Yin principle is “to hold”), grounds us and provides nourishment in the form of substance (food) and fluid (water).


To put this into perspective, currently it’s just past the Winter Solstice – the 27^th June. It can be said that now the light (Yang) is still hiding within the Earth (Yin) and that the new seasonal year is at its turning point. From here there is only growth ahead for the next six months as the Sun starts moving closer to the Earth as part of its ordered Universal cycle.


During the month or two surrounding the Turning Point (Yi Jing Hexagram 24) it’s worth stemming that inner voice that says, “Come on Yang, wake the hell up!” and conserving our energy for the upcoming Spring. If we were looking at seasonal energy as a shape that we could draw, it ends up kind of similar to a leaf, or an eye - thin at either end (just before and just after the Winter Solstice), round and full at the Summer Solstice. The point which we are at right now in that shape is the *beginning*. The shape itself makes it easy to understand the passage of Yang through the seasons. Right now, Yang is hiding and we are all a bit flat. And so we should be. We still have a few months yet before we can plant the Spring beans, tomatoes and sunflowers – all those things that are ripe in Summer. Now it’s time to back off a bit, sleep a bit longer, rest up, look after ourselves, hibernate like the animals and KEEP WARM.

The more detailed Winter Post (with Recipe) will follow next week!

Chinese Medicine for Fertility and beyond!

Yesterday I heard from a fertility client who has successfully become pregnant for the second time, using acupuncture and Chinese herbs. "Excellent!", I thought. It gives me a warm fuzzy feeling when I learn that the effort put in by not only myself, but the client and their partner too, pays off.

This led me to think about ongoing treatment throughout a pregnancy. Any number of issues can arise, from simple to complex. Many women have trouble free pregnancies, but some of the things that can occur during pregnancy include gestational diabetes, morning sickness, varicose veins, oedema, stress and anxiety. All of these problems may be rendered more manageable with Chinese medicine, and with the assistance of other modalities including pregnancy-specific massage.

Many women don't wish to take herbs when they are pregnant, which is perfectly understandable. Acupuncture offers a drug free alternative to herbs and conventional medicine and has been shown in clinical trials to reduce the symptoms of morning sickness. For further reading go here.

Other than pregnancy related issues, mothers to be may continue to present with constitutional problems that were present before the pregnancy and require treatment to manage these existing conditions. Whilst it is unwise to self-medicate with herbal medicines at any time and especially during pregnancy, herbal treatment under supervision of a qualified, registered practitioner can be very helpful. Practitioners know about safe and unsafe substances to prescribe during pregnancy and tailor their prescriptions to individual people and situations to offer relief.

At about week 32 of a pregnancy it's reasonable to begin acupuncture treatment for birth preparation. During the last 6-8 weeks of term, acupuncturists ensure that the body is prepared for the mammoth task that lies ahead by helping to nourish energy and blood, support the tendons and relieve anxiety and frustration. Once Week 38 arrives we can begin labour induction treatment and help the body to holistically prepare for labour, and assist with cervical ripening.

I'll be starting in Spring with a new workshop - Natural Fertility Awareness. It will comprise of two sessions and explain the use of natural fertility indicators, supplements, dietary and lifestyle considerations and some interesting advice from practitioners from other modalities about their ideas of how to improve chances of conception using natural methods. Contact the clinic for more details, or call me directly on 0410 605 797.

The Well is being relined. No blame.

First, let me explain. "The Well" I refer to is Hexagram 48 of the Yi Jing (I Ching), an ancient Chinese fortune telling oracle, otherwise known as the "Book of Changes". The title statement comes as Line 4 of the changing lines. For more info on the Yi Jing, visit Wikipedia's Yi Jing page or do a Google search.

Definitively speaking, the Well refers to our basic source of nourishment, the place we get water. Water is the element in Five Element Theory that governs the Kidneys, or the seat of energy (Qi) for the whole body. The Kidneys contain the body's Essence, or Jing. This is the finite source of energy that we all inherit from our parents - kind of like DNA inheritance of familial traits, strengths and weaknesses. The essence is combined from both our parents and has the inherent traits of both combined together, hopefully in the best way possible to ensure long and healthy life. As previously mentioned, our Kidney energy is finite, and when it runs out we die. For this reason, the key to much ancient Chinese Daoist alchemy was focussed on that which preserved the Kidney essence. From here developed the phenomenon of QiGong - The Way of Qi.

Following this description, it stands to reason that Kidney energy is the first place we look when assessing a person's fertility.

Kidney Yin and Kidney Yang are the two balanced sides of the Kidney energy. Kidney Yin represents the water in the body - that is, fluids, blood and the ability to contain these. Kidney Yang represents the movement within that water. Imagine a stream with rapids, moving quickly along. Kidney Yang is similar to that which drives the movement and keeps it flowing. Both are incomplete without the other. Not enough Yin will result in a stream which is dry and stagnant, not enough Yang will result in a stream which is wet and stagnant. Stagnant water is really not much good to anyone but the bugs it accumulates. The two are both best described when connected with each other, infinitely.

There are several ways by which Kidney energy can be depleted, and several pathologies which can present when either Yin, Yang or both, become out of balance.

So now we are a bit more clear about the energy that the Well distributes.

The cistern or fountain of life. The basics that we need for survival.

Line 4 of Hexagram 48 refers to the Well being "Lined" - the Well is being re-laid with the stone that keeps the water in place, fresh and clean.

This refers to a time when we must recharge, consolidate and refresh ourselves, our spirits and our sources of energy. Sometimes it comes when we don't necessarily want it to - we may be powering ahead with a project or idea and all of a sudden feel the need to retreat, go inside ourselves and discover why we are doing this in the first place. This can come at a time when we have forgotten the purpose, the true meaning of the situation we are in, our reason for being there and our place in the Universe. Or we can just have been burning the candle at both ends for a while, neglecting our food and sleep patterns, or trying to do too much.

Five ways we can preserve our Kidney - or Water energy are:

1. Get enough sleep. Our bodies resonate most with the cycles of sunrise, sunset, days and nights. In winter, especially, because the days are shorter approaching the Winter Solstice, it's important to make sure we preserve Yin by going to bed early and waking up after the dawn.

2. Eat nourishing, tonifying foods. Foods that nourish Yin and Blood include jelly/gelatin, beef bone stews, beetroot, sweet potato & other root vegetables. Avoid pungent cold foods, like mint and miso, that open the pores. When the pores are open the Cold has a chance to get in.

3. Eat mild curries and drink Chai to keep circulation of Yang going throughout the Winter and stop the Cold getting in.

4. Avoid the cold and keep the body warm. To prevent colds and flu and remain healthy throughout the winter, rug up when it's cold and try to keep out of the wind.

5. Have a warming massage to keep the blood flowing and prevent Cold stagnation in the muscles.

If you do somehow manage to come down with a cold, go and see your Chinese Medicine practitioner immediately when you start feeling the symptoms! Chinese medicine treatment can relieve the symptoms of colds and flu, and in many cases shorten the duration of the illness.

A recipe from Confucius Institute Online

http://www.confuciusinstitute.net/tcm/en/article/2009-09/09/content_52255.htm

Autumn Wilds

Hey.. it's pretty crazy out there!

First, it gets cold.  Then, it gets windy.  After that, warm again, like it was in the end of Summer. Yesterday we had a huge lightning storm that went on all night. 

Good way to confuse homeostasis in a body whose job is to maintain an optimum temperature?

You bet.

Seasonally, this is the time of year when annual plants die, trees defoliate (how's about those huge piles of orange maple leaves along the roads on the CBD outskirts?), the days get shorter and the Sun starts to go into hiding for the Winter.

From the TCM perspective, Autumn is the time of year when the body has  the most vulnerability to *dryness*.  When Dryness presents itself the obvious happens - we get thirstier, our skin feels dry and can be itchy, lips feel dry and may crack.. All these things are common and happen to many of us from time to time.

Autumn is the season associated with the Metal element.  Metal's corresponding emotion is Grief, its colour is white (the colour of mourning in China),  its flavour is Pungent (like Garlic or Ginger) and its biological affinity is with the Lung, which is said to "open" to the nose.  This means that Autumn is the time when we are more likely to contract diseases associated with the Lungs and breathing apparatus (although Spring is another important time for Lung issues, but we'll discuss that in September =).

One of the Lung's main functions is to nourish the skin and control the opening and closing of pores.  The skin and the pores are our immune system's first barrier to assault from outside.  If the Lung energy (Qi) is weak, control of the pores is lost and we sweat a lot.  It can show itself in other ways as well.  If Dryness - which is more often contracted in Autumn - occurs, skin rashes which are dry and itchy become prominent, or a dry cough from insufficient fluids in the Lungs can result.  These are just a few of the ways in which Autumn health issues can manifest.

So, we've talked about the dangers of the season but instead of just putting up with health problems, let's talk about prevention.

Diet is usually the best way to prevent short-term illness.  The first dietary rule for preserving Lung Qi - if you have a long history of Lung problems, or in Autumn particularly - is to avoid excesses of pungent foods like Garlic, Ginger, Galangal, Chilli, Cinnamon, Mint, Coriander, Basil etc.  I imagine now you are starting to get the picture of what Pungent means.  What the Pungent flavour usually does is dissipate things or send them outward.  Many of the aforementioned herbs and spices, if eaten in the appropriate quantities, are capable of opening the pores and inducing a sweat.  Right now, in Autumn, a sweat with open pores is the last thing we need because it leaves us open and vulnerable to environmental factors, and scatters our Defensive energy or Wei Qi (Way Chee).

Secondly, we need to make sure we nourish ourselves to preserve the Yin of the Lung - the natural, freshly flowing body fluids, and the ability to *contain*.  Foods to eat which are useful for preserving Lung Yin consist of meats like chicken and pork, other protein sources like tofu and almonds, fruits such as pears, apricots and other stone fruits, vegetables like sweet potato, white turnips and water chestnuts.  It's always good to remember to *eat what's in season* as well, because if it's actually grown by the Earth in your region at the time, chances are it's going to be the right thing to eat.  Not saying we should all run out and nibble on some Belladonna in the summertime, but you get my drift.

Numerous Chinese herbs are useful for preventing Lung Qi Deficiency and boosting the immune system.  It's reasonable to use some of these in cooking as they make a healthy addition and interesting flavour enhancement for creative home cooks.  Some herbs suitable for cooking that help boost Lung Qi are Chinese Yam - Shan Yao (Shan yow) and Astragalus - Huang Qi (Hwung Chee).  The suggestion is that you don't use these when a cough or cold is in the acute phase, as there is a possibility that they may strengthen the Exterior Defensive layer of Qi and instead of letting the environmental factor out, may instead block it inside the body.

Lifestyle factors to consider are:

Keeping out of the wind; Remembering to breathe consciously (like, who remembers to do that?);  Avoiding saunas or Bikram yoga (just for now, it will be great in a couple of months).

I hope you've enjoyed the first Journey to the West TCM Blog, and would love to see you back for more next time I post.