New Mexican Calabacitas

This recipe is
*Vegetarian *Grain Free *Vegan Options
and 100% delicious

Servings: 2

Total Time: 1hr

Ingredients:

2-3 Organic yellow squash

1 cup frozen Organic sweet corn

1/2 cup Organic sweet yellow onion chopped

1/2 cup grated Wainwright Dairy cheddar cheese

1 or 2 cloves of Organic garlic

1 can hatch green chile

1 tbsp butter

salt and pepper to taste

To make this recipe vegan friendly replace butter with Earth Balance vegan buttery sticks, and cheese with Daiya cheddar style shreds.

Ingredient Spotlight: Hatch Green Chiles

New Mexico has a special little pepper called the green chile, but not just any green chile: Hatch green chile. Hatch is a little town in New Mexico that is famous for the green chiles it grows, for most New Mexicans it is considered the only true green chile.

RecipePreheat oven to 350º

Cut squash in quarters lengthwise and then chop in 3/4" pieces.

Melt butter in skillet and the add onions, saute until soft. Add garlic, salt and pepper and cook until fragrant, be sure not to overcook or garlic will burn. Add the squash and cook until they begin to soften, but are not fully cooked.

Add the frozen corn and cook just until it is thawed.

Place cooked vegetables into a casserole dish and mix in one can of Hatch green chiles.

Bake uncovered for 35 minutes. Remove from oven and stir in shredded cheddar cheese until it melts. Serve with tacos, guacamole and chips and salsa.

Roasted Asparagus 

With Ham and Soft Boiled Egg

This recipe is 

*Grain Free *Lactose Free 

and

100% delicious

Servings: 2

Prep: 5 minutes       Cook: 10 minutes

Expert Level: Easy 

Ingredients:

boneless ham steak

4 pasture eggs

roughly 20 organic asparagus spears

2-3 tbsp melted organic ghee

1tsp Herbamare 

Ingredient Spotlight: GHEE 

Ghee is a form of clarified butter. The milk protein and sugar has been removed, therefore it is a casein and lactose free alternative. Purity Farm's Ghee is certified organic and is made from the cream of pasture raised cows. 

Ingredient Spotlight: Herbamare

Herbamare is a natural fine sea salt infused with organic fresh herbs and vegetables. It is one of my favorite seasonings and goes on just about everything. 

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. 

Prepare asparagus by breaking off the tough ends. They should easily snap in the correct place, usually about an inch from the end.

Place asparagus on a baking sheet and top with melted ghee and Herbamare. Toss the asparagus to make sure all spears are coated evenly. 

Cube the ham steak into small pieces and add to the baking dish. Roast for 10 minutes.

A mixture of green and purple asparagus make a beautiful presentation on the plate! 

While asparagus is roasting add 4 eggs to a sauce pan with cold water. Once water boils, turn off heat and cover. Let eggs sit for 3 minutes and then remove them from the pan and rinse with cool water. 

To plate: 

Pile ham and asparagus on plate. Very gently peel eggs (I found it worked best to peel half and scoop the rest out of the shell with a spoon) Place on top of the roasted asparagus and ham. 

Serve immediately and enjoy! 

 Minted Peas with Green Onions

This recipe is 

*Vegan *Lactose Free *No Sugar Added *Grain Free 

and 

100% Delicious

Peas are a wonderful spring time vegetable and taste even fresher paired with mint leaves. This recipe is super easy and quick, making it a perfect side for any week night meal. 

Servings: 2

Cook: 15 min.

Expert level: Easy

Ingredients: 

1 cups frozen organic green peas

1/2 tbs organic unrefined coconut oil

2-3 green onions, cut into 1/4 inch pieces

sea salt and organic black pepper to taste

roughly 6 mint leaves

Ingredient Spotlight: Coconut Oil

There are many options when looking for coconut oil, and almost everyday I have someone ask how to pick one that is high quality. Here are a couple of key words that I think are important to look for on the label. First off, make sure the coconut oil is organic. Secondly, it is important that the coconut oil is "unrefined", this could also be labeled as "virgin" or "extra virgin".  During the refining process of coconut oil, many of the vital nutrients are removed. It is important to note that unrefined coconut oil is not suitable for extremely high heats. 

In a skillet, melt coconut oil over medium heat. 

Add chopped green onions and cook until soft

Add frozen peas along with salt and pepper to taste. Stir frequently and cook for around 3 minutes. It is important not to overcook. Peas should have a nice "pop" when eaten, not be mushy. 

 Remove peas from heat and top with chopped fresh mint leaves. 

Serve immediately and enjoy! 

Recipe adapted from The Good Housekeeping Step by Step Cookbook "Sauteed Peas with Green Onions"
 

Sweet Potato Breakfast Pie

1 sweet potato
10 cherry tomatoes
7 strips of Irish bacon
1/2 cup kale wilted in bacon fat, stems removed

Eggs:
4 super jumbo eggs
2 tbsp fat of canned coconut milk
1/4 cup coconut flour.
salt and pepper

Preheat oven to 400 degrees

Cube one sweet potato and add to an 8x8 baking dish. Slice tomatoes in half and top sweet potatoes. Fry Irish Bacon and cut into small strips. Add about four or five leaves of kale (stem removed) to bacon fat and cook just until wilted. Top baking dish with kale and then add bacon.

For the eggs
Beat 4 super jumbo eggs, 2 tbsp of the fat from canned coconut milk and 1/4 cup coconut flour until well combined. Season with salt and pepper.
Pour egg mixture over vegetables and bacon. Pat down everything with a spatula until the egg mixture rises above the bacon. It is okay to mash the sweet potatoes a bit.

Bake for 15- 20 minutes.

Herbs for Sale

I am refreshing my herbal closet and passing on the herbs that I have had for over a year.  All herbs are organic or wild harvested. Prices are for 1 ounce, supplies are limited. If you have any questions about the herbs, or are looking for herbs with specific actions, please let me know I can help you out. 

Here is a complete list:
*Arnica Flowers                                      $3.80
*Ashwagandha Root Powder                     $.50
Alkanet Root Powder                               $.60

*Basil                                                   $.65
*Bladderwrack                                        $.35
*Blessed Thistle                                      $.45
*Burdock Root Powder                             $.50
Clove Powder                                         $.85
Catuaba Bark Powder                              $.40
*Cayenne Powder                                   $.35
*Comfrey Leaf                                       $.45
Korintje Cinnamon                                   $.55
*Damiana Powder                                   $.55
*Dandelion Root Powder                          $.75
*Epimedium Leaf (Horny Goat)                 $.50
*Echinacea Angustifolia Powder                 $1.12
*Feverfew                                            $.45

*Fennel Seed                                        $.35

*Ginger Root Powder                              $.50
*Goat's Rue                                          $.45
*Ginkgo Leaf Powder                              $.50
Guarana Seed                                       $.75
*Lavender Flowers                                 $.80
*Lemon Balm                                       $.50
*Licorice Root Powder                            $.55
*Linden Leaf & Flower Powder                  $.85
*Milk Thistle Seed Powder                       $.45
*Meadowsweet Powder                          $.60
Muira Puama Bark Powder                       $.40
*Nettle Leaf                                          $.40
Oregon Grape Root Powder                     $.50
*Oatstraw                                            $.35
*Parsley Leaf                                         $.50
*Rosehip Powder                                    $.45
*Raspberry Leaf                                     $.40
*Red Clover Herb                                   $ .45
*Red Roses                                           $.70
*Saw Palmetto Berry Powder                    $.60
*Thyme                                               $.40
*Vitex Berries Whole                               $.40
Usnea                                                  $1.00
*Violet Leaf                                           $.55
Wild Yam Root Powder                            $.65
*Yellow Dock Root Powder                       $.50

*Organic

Salad of the Week: Sweet and Spicy Peanut Butter Salad

Today's salad is delicious and full of fat! 

 This week there is an amazing conference going on about eating real food. The conference is online and it is free so go check it out Real Food Con! Yesterday one of the speakers, Abel James from Fat Burning Man, gave an excellent lecture on why we should eat fat. 

We are going to talk about the importance of good fat, but for today I am going to share with you a fat filled salad. 

Last week I told you why I love homemade salad dressings, and today's dressing is no exception. It is extremely rich and creamy will fill you up to conquer the day! Plus I added some crushed red peppers to this dressing, I love something spicy to heat up my raw veggies. 

Sweet and Spicy Peanut Butter Salad

For the Salad

Kale
Arugula
Apple
Finely sliced carrots
Celery
Any other veggies you have on hand would be great, trying adding snap peas or broccoli

For the Dressing

2 tbsp natural peanut butter
1/2 cup olive oil
crushed red pepper flakes
1-2 tsp coconut aminos, tamari or soy sauce

Trees with Tea and Honey

        As I sat on my back porch today drinking tea with my head buried in my kindle, I searched over all of my herbal eBooks trying to think of one thing to write about today. Day #9 of blogging, and already I was out of inspiration. I was not so sure this blog thing was made for me. In a moment of frustration, I closed my tablet and looked out.

       I saw the sun breaking through the trees and warming my tea, and remembered I use to dream about mornings like this. I had everything I really needed: my pets, my tea and some plants. This is after all why I became a herbalist in the first place. To be one step closer to nature, to be reminded everyday how miraculous of a world we live in where the plants give life. Not to stick my head in a computer.

      I urge you today to go for a walk, for a swim, if nothing else go outside for one minute and breathe deeply. Many people say that we live in a broken world, but I disagree. We live in a healing world, if we would just learn to take it in.