Marshmallow Root Tea Recipe

By Cecilia Kinzie on 05/13/2013

Marshmallow root tea is great for a variety of ailments and I find that this marshmallow root tea recipe is especially useful for mild heartburn and IC (interstitial cystitis) flare-ups. For this marshmallow root tea recipe you will need:

Prep Time: 4 hours

Yield: 4 cups

Ingredients:

• 1 32 ounce mason jar and lid
• 32 ounces of filtered water (4 cups of water)
• 4 tablespoons marshmallow root (I get mine from Mountain Rose Herbs)
• White stevia powder to taste

Instructions:
I use the cold infusion method which I believe to be a purer extract of the mucilage. I take a 32 ounce mason jar and fill it with filtered water and add 4 tablespoons of the marshmallow root. Then I put it in the refrigerator overnight. The resulting tea is a pale golden yellow, thick and viscous. Strain the tea through a mesh strainer and make sure to press out all the mucilage you can with the back of a spoon for the most benefit. I sweeten my marshmallow root tea recipe with organic white stevia powder (but you could use another sweetener) and sip it throughout the day if I am in the middle of an IC (interstitial cystitis) flare-up or am suffering from occasional acid indigestion/heartburn from overindulging the night before. It may or may not work for you, but I can say that it works for me and brings relief to both IC flare-ups and mild heartburn. The taste is mild and earthy and I actually find it quite pleasant.

Tips:

• If you don’t have time to make a cold infusion overnight you can make the same recipe above using slightly warm water and let the marshmallow root infuse for about 4 hours on the kitchen counter. You can also leave the mason jar (with the lid on) out in the sun for a few hours as well.

• If you want to make less than 32 ounces, the ratio is 1 tablespoon marshmallow root to 1 cup (8 ounces) of water.

Additional Information About Marshmallow Root

Marshmallow root is a herb that is native to Europe and has been used medicinally for over 2000 years. Marshmallow root is a slimy and thick demulcent herb that contains a powerful mucus-like compound known as mucilage which has the ability to swell when mixed with water. The mucilage has the ability to coat and sooth irritated mucous membranes and other bodily surfaces such as the stomach, throat, and even inflamed skin. It can be used as a natural remedy for heartburn, stomach upset/indigestion, ulcerative colitis, Chron’s disease, stomach ulcers, sore throat, and dry cough.

Marshmallow root tea works in complicated ways and is even a suggested remedy for an irritated bladder and especially helpful for those suffering from IC (interstitial cystitis).  Even though the mucilage does not come in direct contact with the bladder, herbalists believe that the ingestion of mucilage seems to promote a systemic moistening of tissues throughout the body. Marshmallow root tea can be also used as a first aid ointment for cuts and burns, a soothing mouthwash, and a great hair detangler as well!

The neat thing about marshmallow root is that it is a mild tasting herb, affordable, fairly easy to find, and is generally considered safe. However, consulting with your doctor is always recommended especially if you have diabetes or hypoglycemia (marshmallow root may interfere with blood sugar levels), are pregnant or breastfeeding, have cancer, or if you are taking prescription medication (because it coats the stomach, it might slow the absorption rate of prescription drugs).

I get my marshmallow root from Mountain Rose Herbs * which is my absolute favorite place to get organic quality bulk herbs and spices.

I hope you enjoyed this marshmallow root tea recipe and please let us know if you have any other uses for marshmallow root in the comment’s section below.

♥,
C

* These are affiliate links.

For my birthday I treated myself to an order of Meguminatto Natto and since then I have been coming up with Natto recipes and recipe ideas that I wanted to share with you. I am not only going to share with you some of my Natto recipes and recipe ideas, but also a full description of Natto, its nutritional benefits, and where to buy it in the U.S.

What is Natto?

Natto is cooked whole soybeans that have been fermented with the probiotic Bacillus Sunstilis. Fermentation enhances the nutrition of the soybeans and develops a unique flavor and texture. Natto has been traditionally consumed in Japan for over 1000 years. Just recently, Natto has been gaining popularity in the United States because of its reported health benefits.

What are the Health Benefits of Natto?

One of Natto’s health benefits is its highly absorbable high Vitamin K2 content. Vitamin K is known for strengthening bones and reducing blood clots by slowing arterial calcification.

*Please note that because Natto contains vitamin K it could conflict with some anti-coagulant medications such as Warafin. Please consult your physician before consuming.

Another benefit of Natto is that the fermentation process breaks down the protein content in the soybeans making the protein easier to digest and more bioavailable.

Below is a list of some of Natto’s Nutritional Elements

Natto Contains:
Protein
Dietary Fiber
Enzymes: Proteinases, Lipase, Amilase, and Nattokinase
Isoflavones
Saponins
Lecithin
Linoleic Acid
Bacillus Natto
Vitamin B2
Vitamin E
Vitamin K2
Calcium
Iron
Arginine
Tryptophane

These days there are Natto derived supplements available on many popular supplement and health information websites. However, some believe that eating Natto fresh is the most effective and potent way to receive its benefits.

What Does Natto Taste Like?

Natto can be an acquired taste because of its gooey texture and its deep woodsy fermented flavor. I can’t really compare it to another flavor, the closest flavor I can think of would be a cross between a blue and a smoked cheese but more mild and less salty. The soybeans are super soft and the Bacillus Natto creates a sticky gooey texture around the soybeans. The gooey “strings” don’t bother me at all and actually remind me of the consistency of honey. In my opinion, Natto is a prized delicacy. Either you hate it or you love it, and I am one of those people that just absolutely loves the flavor and texture of Natto!

Where to Buy Natto in the U.S.?

Up until a little awhile ago the only way to get Natto in the U.S. was to make your own or purchase it at selected Asian markets. However, now a small company called Meguminatto has started making organic Natto in the U.S. with U.S. grown organic soybeans. If you order online they will deliver Natto straight to your home. Once the Meguminatto organic Natto is delivered, it will last over 6 weeks in your fridge.

I highly recommend the Meguminatto brand of Natto. Its organic and has a smooth mellow flavor with hints of sweetness, much less intense than other Natto brands I have tried before.

How do You Eat Natto?

You can eat it straight as is or try different Natto recipes. There are so many Natto recipe ideas out there and you can come up with you own Natto recipes as well. The flavor of Natto particularly lends itself to Asian flavors or you can use it as you would cheese or another type of legume such as garbanzo. The only caution is to not heat the Natto because it will degrade the beneficial bacteria and enzymes.

Natto Recipes and Recipe Ideas

If you decide to try Natto (Meguminatto brand or otherwise) here are some Natto recipe ideas to get your imagination and taste buds jump-started.

Here are a few Natto recipe ideas if you want to try some at home:

1. Traditional Method. Stir Natto into a warm (not hot) bowl of brown rice. Add some miso tamari and chopped green onions to your liking and stir again. Enjoy!
2. My Favorite. Boil up a serving of your favorite noodles (I like to use gluten free brown rice or black rice spaghetti or 100% buckwheat noodles.) Strain and rinse the noodles with cool water. Stir in Natto with chop sticks until the Natto strands make a sauce for the noodles. Finish with sea salt or miso tamari to taste.
3. Mustard. Add your favorite mustard to Natto and enjoy.
4. Sushi. Substitute Natto for raw fish in your favorite sushi recipe. Good with pickled ginger and a dollap of wasabi. Natto is also good in your favorite summer roll recipe.
5. Rice Cake. Spread a layer of peanut butter on an organic brown rice cake (I like Lundberg’s Tamari with Seaweed Organic Rice Cakes) top with Natto and drizzle a layer of equal parts raw honey and miso tamari mixed together for this sweet and salty snack. (For the raw version you can substitute the brown rice cake for a flax cracker and the peanut butter for raw almond butter.)
6. Japanese Sweet Potato. Natto is great over cooked and cooled Japanese Sweet Potatos sprinkled with a little miso tamari.
7. Cucumber Salad. Here is a beautifully presented raw cucumber Natto salad recipe I came up with. To get the full Natto recipe click here.

* If you don’t have miso tamari available you can just use regular tamari.

Don’t be scared to try Natto, you just might love it! It is actually one of my very favorite foods.

Hope you enjoyed these Natto recipe and recipe ideas. Have you tried Natto? What is your favorite way to enjoy it?

♥,
C

Natto Recipe - Raw Cucumber Salad

By Cecilia Kinzie on 05/15/2013

This is a super simple light Natto recipe with spiral cut cucumber and a bright Ume Plum Vinegar dressing.

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Yield: 1 serving

Nutrition Information:

• 178.6 calories
• 4.3 grams of fat
• 22.2 grams of sugar
• 1394.1 milligrams of sodium

Ingredients:

• 1 tablespoon raw honey or more depending on desired sweetness
• 1 teaspoon raw Ume Plum Vinegar
• 1 teaspoon raw miso tamari
• 1/8-1/4 teaspoon finely grated fresh ginger or to taste
• 1 teaspoon chopped cilantro
• 1 teaspoon chopped green onion (green parts only)
• 2 cups spiralized English cucumber noodles
• 3 tablespoons Natto

Instructions:
To make the dressing, mix the Ume Plum Vinegar, tamari, finely grated ginger, and raw honey in a small bowl with a fork until well combined and set aside. Then, using the paderno spiral slicer, spiralize an English cucumber until you get about 2 cups cucumber noodles. (You can peel the cucumber or not peel it depending on the type of presentation you want.) Toss the spiral cut cucumbers with the Ume Plum dressing and garnish with the Natto, chopped green onion and cilantro. Eat with chop sticks for fun.

Tips

• If you don’t have one, you can purchase the paderno spiral slicer here to make the cucumber noodles.
• If you don’t know what Natto is, here is a Natto article I wrote about this ancient Japanese superfood. If you don’t have access to Natto you can use organic cooked edamame instead.
• I get my Natto delivered to my home from Meguminatto, you also might find it in selected Asian markets.
• I get my raw Ume Plum Vinegar from Eden Foods
• I get my raw wheat and soy free Miso Tamari from South River Miso but you could just use regular tamari.
• You can grate the ginger with a microplane or spice grater, but if you don’t like the consistency of raw ginger you can squeeze out the juice between your fingers and discard the pulp.

Hope you enjoyed this simple Natto recipe. Do you have a favorite Natto recipe? If so, please share it below.
♥,
C

Raw Donut Holes - With Ground Golden Flax Seed

By Cecilia Kinzie on 02/06/2013

This raw donut hole recipe with ground golden flax seed is inspired by my Valentine, my sweet husband. He often gets a sweet tooth attack in the evening and I thought I would create something that he would like and I could also sneak in some nutrition as well! Ground golden flax seed is high in Omega 3 essential fats, fiber, antioxidants, and adds a nice texture to the raw donut holes.

Prep Time: 25 minutes

Yield: 16 donut holes (serving size is 2 donut holes each)

Nutrition Information:

• 228.6 calories
• 14.2 grams of fat
• 14.9 grams of sugar
• 1.5 milligrams of sodium

Ingredients:

• 1 Cup Dry Raw Almonds
• 1 Cup Chopped Mejidool Dates Pitted and Packed Tightly
• 1/2 Cup Peeled and Shredded Butternut Squash
• 6 Tablespoons Ground Golden Flax Seed
• 2 Teaspoons Coconut Oil
• 3 Teaspoons Ground Cinnamon Powder
• Seeds from One Vanilla Bean (or 1 Teaspoon Non-Alcoholic Vanilla Extract)
• 1/8 Teaspoon Ground Nutmeg
• 2 Pinches White Stevia Powder or to Taste

Instructions:
Add 1 cup of dry almonds to your food processor with the s blade and process until the almonds are broken down into a course flour. Then add 2 teaspoons cinnamon, 1/8 teaspoon nutmeg, seeds from one vanilla bean, 2 pinches stevia powder or to taste, and the 2 teaspoons coconut oil and process with the almonds in the food processor. Then add the cup of chopped mejidool dates and 1/2 cup of shredded butternut squash and continue to process until everything sticks together. Lastly add 2 tablespoons ground golden flax seed to thicken the batter a bit. Roll into small balls and then roll them in 4 tablespoons golden flax seed powder mixed with 1 teaspoon cinnamon. You can garnish with lemon zest and or choose to glaze them. I glazed them with a quick mixture of 2 Tablespoons melted coconut oil, 1 Tablespoon Maple Syrup (not raw), and the seeds from 1 vanilla bean mixed together and then poured a bit on top of each raw donut hole, but if you have more time you can make a simple date cashew or date macadamia nut cream in a powerful blender that would also make a great glaze as well. Let them set up in the refrigerator or freezer (for a firmer texture) for a few hours before serving.

Raw Donut Holes Recipe Hints

• To create the golden ground flax meal for the raw donut holes you will need a very powerful blender such as the Vitamix or a coffee grinder. Add about 1/2 cup of golden flax seed to your blender and blend on high until the golden flax is turned into a very fine powder. Store in a sealed container in the refrigerator for future recipes.

• If you can’t find golden flax meal you can use brown flax instead.

• I used Trader Joes Organic White Stevia Powder for some extra sweetness,  but it is up to you whether you use it or not. If you don’t live near a Trader Joes you can order Now Foods Organic White Stevia Powder online.

• I made the recipe into about 16 donut holes. The nutrition information is for a serving of two holes not including the optional glaze on top.

• If you do choose to make a glaze for the donuts please be aware that maybe syrup is not raw, but it does have some mineral content, such as zinc and manganese.

Hope you enjoyed this raw donut hole recipe with ground golden flax seed and I wish you a happy and healthy Valentine’s Day!

♥,
C

With Valentine’s day coming up I thought it was only appropriate to use a vegetable that kinda looks like a human heart! Also, fennel is one of my favorite vegetables and my favorite way to eat fennel is in a flavorful raw fennel salad.

Fennel has a texture similar to celery and a sweet licorice flavor kinda like the herb tarragon. It is a good source of vitamin C, potassium, and dietary fiber. Fennel is very popular in Italy, and it can be found in most grocery stores in the states as well. If for some reason you can’t find fennel, you can substitute with the same amount of celery, but you’ll be missing out on fennel’s unique sweet flavor profile.

Raw Fennel Salad With Argula

By Cecilia Kinzie on 02/05/2013

This raw fennel salad recipe is a celebration of flavors. You have sweet from the raw fennel and dates, salty from the olives, spicy and bitter from the arugula, sour from the lemon juice, and the almonds add a bit of crunch. Not your ordinary salad by any means! This raw fennel salad recipe will make one big family style bowl of salad that can serve up to 4 people.

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Yield: 4 servings

Nutrition Information:

• 357.7 calories
• 17.4 grams of fat
• 37.9 grams of sugar
• 177.7 milligrams of sodium

Ingredients:

• 3 Cups Baby Arugula
• 1 Cup Fennel Bulb Thinly Sliced
• 1 Cup Sliced English Cucumber (About 1/2 of an English Cucumber)
• 6 Mejidool Dates Pitted and Cut in Slivers
• 3 Oranges Peeled and Cut into Segments
• 1/4 Cup Soaked Almonds Peeled and Rough Chopped (Soaked for 4-6 hours)
• 1/4 Cup Kalamata Olives Pitted and Roughly Chopped
• 1 Tablespoon Fennel Fronds Chopped (For Extra Flavor and Garnish)
• 1 Shallot Minced (About 2 Tablespoons)
• 3 Tablespoons Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• 2 Tablespoons Lemon Juice
• Cracked Black Pepper to Taste

Instructions:
Make the dressing for the salad by whisking the olive oil, lemon juice, and minced shallots. In another bowl, combine the fennel, cucumbers, dates, olives, almonds, and oranges and toss with the salad dressing. Add some cracked pepper to taste. Serve over a beautiful bed of baby arugula. Toss before serving.

Raw Fennel Salad Recipe Hints

• If possible, soak your almonds in water to cover the night before or at least a few hours before preparing the raw fennel salad. This will give them a lighter texture and possibly make them easier to digest for some. Rinse them well and remove the almond skins by gently pressing them in between your fingers; they should pop right out of the skin easily. This will remove the bitter tannins found in the skin. Then you can roughly chop the soaked almonds and add them to the salad. (If this sounds too complicated for you, just use un-soaked almonds or another nut such as walnuts.)

• To slice the fennel, first I cut off the stems and saved them for juicing at a later date. I also saved a bit of the fronds for the salad and then I cut the bulb in half and sliced it really thinly.

• Because the olives and oranges are quite moist I used very little salad dressing, please feel free to add more lemon juice or olive oil if you prefer more dressing.

• Since the Kalamata olives already contain salt I did not add any extra salt to the salad. Please feel free to season to your liking.

• The nutrition information is per 1 serving out of 4 servings.

I hope you enjoyed this raw fennel salad recipe and I hope it inspires you to fall in love with fennel this Valentine’s Day!

♥,
C