Trust Your Gut Nutrition

Citrus Beet Salad- get orangey with it…

Whitney Gerschke Johnson, Nutritionist — Fri, 24 Jun 2011 16:09:49 +0000

Yes, I know, we just talked about beet salads, but this one is SO good too! I made this one up on the fly. It doesn’t have specific ingredient amounts either, but do not fret, it is fool-proof. So, let’s get to it….

Yay for beets- part 2.

Ingredients:

Beets
Basil
Beet greens
Orange-infused olive oil
An orange

To Make:

Cut the greens off the beets. Chop them and the basil finely.
Bake the beets.
Slice the beets into 1-inch size pieces. Place in a bowl with the greens and basil.
Mix the juice from an orange and some orange-infused olive oil together and pour over the beets, greens, & basil.
Top with a touch of salt and orange zest.
Enjoy!

Best Podcast Ever! Check out More Hip Than Hippie

Whitney Gerschke Johnson, Nutritionist — Wed, 22 Jun 2011 22:57:17 +0000

There aren’t many podcasts I am a truly devoted listener to; I am more of a podcast dabbler at heart. Until now This American Life was the exception to that rule, but now I have another one to add to the list: More Hip Than Hippie.

First off, I have to say that this podcast just makes me smile. It is these two women Dori and Val and they give off this fun, shootin from the hip style that I love. It reminds me of chatting with my hilarious friend Heidi.

This is the description from their website “Dori and Val tell you everything you wanted to know about living a green lifestyle that is more hip than hippie. It’s upbeat, informative, and at times rather funny. (Yes, we shave).” The theme song thumbs-down tofu and states “You bought organic sheets, but now you can’t remember why.” This hip chicks, as they self-refer, cover great topics from stevia, microwaves, and soaking nuts and grains. Not only that, they really go the extra mile to answer listeners questions, which I think is really kind & thoughtful. Finally, they rate a beer and chocolate each show- what more could you ask for?

To check it out, go to http://www.morehipthanhippie.com/or iTunes and subscribe. It is definitely worth it.

A Must Listen for those Green & Hip...

Simple Beet Salad

Whitney Gerschke Johnson, Nutritionist — Fri, 17 Jun 2011 21:30:12 +0000

Yay Beets! My dear friend Heidi is a whiz in the kitchen and she told me the best way to eat beets years ago- thanks Heidi. I have been making them the same way ever since.

Ingredients:

Mix up red and golden beets for some extra color. Photo thanks to La Grande Farmers' Market.

Beets
Beet greens
Sunflower or pumpkin seeds
Olive oil
Dijon/brown mustard
Salt & pepper
Feta (optional)

To make:

Cut the greens off the beets.
Bake the beets.
Chop beets to a 1-inch size and finely chop the beet greens.
In a small bowl, mix olive oil, salt & pepper, & the mustard.
Add all of the ingredients together and mix.

Note: I don’t have amounts for this recipe because I eyeball the amounts on this one- so get a little adventurous and give it a try!

Spice Up Salad

Whitney Gerschke Johnson, Nutritionist — Mon, 13 Jun 2011 22:35:14 +0000

There are some really nice additions you can make to salad to give it a little extra punch. My two favorites are watercress and nasturtiums.

Watercress sitting pretty. Photo thanks to nanoew2006.

Watercress is a highly nutrient-dense green (up there with kale) that I usually pair with other greens to mellow out the spice. The spice of watercress has a similar zing to radishes. Often times I will use one part watercress to three parts spinach, baby greens, or arugula. Watercress also goes nicely laid across fish or mixed into soup. To store, be sure to put the root ends into water- this will help it keep for longer. There are other varieties of cresses out there; we grew curly cress on the farm I worked on.

Nasturtiums are another spicy addition to a salad.

Nasturtium flower just waiting to be chomped on...Photo thanks to ms. Tea

They are beautiful flowers and are quite easy to grow from seed. I will pick nasturtium flowers off just before putting on top of a salad. Not only do they make it taste delish, they look so pretty and it is a really nice detail in a salad. Everyone likes to eat pretty salad.

Cleaning Cast Irons & Saving a Rusty Cast Iron Pan

Whitney Gerschke Johnson, Nutritionist — Fri, 10 Jun 2011 17:59:18 +0000

How to clean and season after every use:

A Collection of Cast Iron- the more, the merrier. Photo thanks to Cybrgrl.

Scrub with nylon scrub pad or stiff-bristled non-metal brush
Dry immediately with a towel and rub lightly with olive oil
You may have to soak it briefly to get all food off of the pan
NEVER put in the dishwasher or scrub with metal

What to do if food sticks:

Place the pan on the burner on high heat for a minute or two
Take pan off burner and sprinkle a ½ teaspoon of salt and a teaspoon of olive oil inside of the pan
Cast Irons are the way to go. Photo thanks to Cybrgrl.
Using a rag scrub the inside of the pan
Wipe out any leftover salt and let the pan cool

How to save a rusty cast iron pan:

Scour the pan with a plastic scouring pad
Wash in hot soapy water
Rinse well
Dry thoroughly with a towel or on a burner on low heat
Re-season

Excerpts from The Cast Iron Cookbook

Seasoning or Re-seasoning a Cast Iron Pan

Whitney Gerschke Johnson, Nutritionist — Wed, 08 Jun 2011 22:58:25 +0000

How to first prepare a brand new pan for seasoning:

Cast Iron Filled with some felt bacon & eggs thanks to TinyApartmentCrafts.

Place pan in the sink and fill with boiling water
Allow it to cool
Scrub with a mild dish soap and a plastic scouring pad
Do the same for a lid if it has one
Season the pan following the instructions below

To re-season an old pan or season a new pan:

Dry pan thoroughly
Coat lightly with Crisco shortening inside and out (do not use vegetable or other liquid oils as they will leave the pan sticky)
Place pan on a baking sheet on a rack in the middle of the oven or on a grill outside
Turn on oven/kitchen fan if using oven
Bake for one hour at 350 degrees
The pan will smoke, but it should stop in 20 minutes
Turn off heat and let pan cool completely in oven or grill
First few times it is used, try to cook fattier foods like bacon, as this will help it have a permanent non-stick surface

Excerpts from The Cast Iron Cookbook

Fruit Water: A Refreshing Drink Idea

Whitney Gerschke Johnson, Nutritionist — Mon, 06 Jun 2011 15:05:30 +0000

Fruit water: To make: slice up fruit of your choice (about a cup or less) and a sprig or 2 of some chopped fresh herbs and put in a pitcher or a mason quart jar and add water. Place in refrigerator for cold water or leave out for room temperature water.

Yay fruit water!

Fruits that are delicious for fruit water: any really, but some of my favs are strawberries, cucumber, watermelon, peaches, lemons, and oranges.

Fresh herbs that are delicious for fruit water: again, any will do, but some favs are rosemary, basil, mint, catnip, and lemon balm.

Cucumber Strawberry Water: Combine ½ of a cucumber & as many strawberries as you would like in a big water pitcher. Put it in the fridge & enjoy!

Lime mint cucumber water: Combine ½ of a cucumber, chop a sprig of mint, and squeeze a few lime wedges into a big water pitcher. Put it in the fridge & enjoy!

Subbing in for juice...

Other ideas:

Orange basil
Lemon balm & peach
Catnip lemon
Watermelon mint
Starfruit, orange mint

Plants expanding our gratitude

Whitney Gerschke Johnson, Nutritionist — Fri, 03 Jun 2011 17:07:23 +0000

Gratitude:

When we grow plants, we usually see them everyday. So, we see when they are in their tender youth, just getting to be a strong, hardy plant that can make it through rain and hail. We see them grow into their fullness and ripeness, producing flowers and fruit.

We saw this kale go from seed to beautiful leaves... it was wonderful!

Witnessing all of those transitions is remarkable, and creates a deep appreciation when we eat the plant or its fruits. When we see it grow, we know that it took time, care, and perseverance for that plant to blossom, and that makes me grateful.

Plants expanding our palette

Whitney Gerschke Johnson, Nutritionist — Wed, 01 Jun 2011 17:02:53 +0000

Palette:

I also love bringing plants into our garden because it expands the plant varieties that we are exposed to, both in the garden and in the kitchen. Often in the grocery store, there is just one kind of broccoli, three kinds of tomatoes, certain culinary herbs, but we want more!

Oh green zebra tomatoes, we haven't forgotten about you...Photo thanks to The Marmot.

Ol & I went to our favorite plant sale recently~ the Boulder Culinary Gardeners plant sale~ and we got so many neat varieties. We aim for weird. Like the Black Prince tomatoes. We also aim for delicious, like the Campari tomatoes we got as well. Lots of pepper plants, herbs, and pickling cucs. These are plant varieties you just don’t see in the store (if you don’t garden, go to the farmer’s market and look for variety there).

Get Growing: Plants expand our awareness with a calm presence

Whitney Gerschke Johnson, Nutritionist — Mon, 30 May 2011 22:59:39 +0000

Plants reach and expand us in different ways:

Calm presence:

Spending time with plants is one of my favorite things. Plants make sense. They are so easy to please

with their simple requirements, and when they aren’t happy, they let us know in a clear manner. They

look droopy when thirsty or small when overcrowded and so on. It is nice to be with that simplicity,

that calm openness, and pulled from our over-thinking minds into a easy flow of the plant world.

Lavender is one my favorites among plants, as it abundantly radiates calm joy. Photo thanks to Tanaka Juuyoh..

Stay tuned this week for 2 other ways plants expand our awareness…