Inspired Edibles

~ wellness, wonder, words ~

Homemade Apple Tea (Tisane)

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Well friends, the days are getting shorter, the heating pad’s been dusted off and I’ll soon be digging into the Christmas box for the fairy lights (I especially like them on those dark mornings when we’re up before the sun – I hang them on the fireplace mantel for a little twinkle and cheer).

Inching our way closer to the season of cozy with this warm cup of homespun tea by our sides.  It’s incredibly simple, beautifully aromatic and a great way to use up those apple peels (and cores) that would otherwise get discarded this time of year making sauces, preserves and pies, etc. …

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Overnight Breakfast Muesli

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The dog days of summer have quickly settled in and if you’re looking for a cool and refreshing way to start your day, this recipe is for you!

Muesli – the original overnight oats – was first introduced in the 1900s by Swiss physician and pioneering nutritionist Maximilian Bircher-Benner as a way of supporting the health of his patients (my kind of renaissance man). The original Bircher Muesli contained raw oats and grated whole apple (skin-on) together with some variation of nuts, seeds, lemon, milk/cream….

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Minted Rice Pilaf

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I keep a binder of recipes.  I started it about 25 years ago before the age of the internet and never stopped adding to it.  It holds some of my favorite stuff — handwritten recipes from my mother-in-law, articles written by Joe Schwarcz (food chemist) that my Mom saved for me from the Montreal Gazette, gardening diagrams made by my father-in-law and a bunch of four-leaf clovers gathered by my youngest over the years (I can still see him running full tilt towards me with cupped hands in the kitchen of our Ottawa home).

Of course much of my life is now cataloged on the web, stored in some soulless cloud, but that’s not my preferred resting place.  I like paper, always have, and every time I open the pages of my now tattered, gravy spattered binder, it brings me back to some of the people and memories I love most. …

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Spinach & Mushroom Egg Bake

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There’s a small park about a 20 minute walk from our home.  It’s easy to miss, tucked off to the side of a quiet road without the usual attractions. I stumbled across it one day with my four-legged companion and discovered pretty quickly how different I felt there.  There’s a stream that runs along the right side of the walking path and some heritage oaks lining the left.  Those big old trees with their noble moss-covered trunks (I love running my fingers along their spine) — it’s hard not to feel awed by their visual beauty but it’s their smell that really sets my senses on fire….

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5 Strategies to Ease Constipation & Restore Balance

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While it may not make the best cocktail party conversation starter, if you’ve ever suffered from a bout of constipation, you know how uncomfortable and frustrating it can be, and how welcome effective solutions are.

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Many factors can influence bowel function beyond diet and exercise, including: hormonal fluctuations (pregnancy/menopause/underactive thyroid), stress and medication.  And while there is no one size fits all when it comes to addressing bowel concerns, (particular conditions may require specific protocols), here are a few strategies I have found particularly helpful for easing constipation and restoring regularity: …

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Spring Carrot Cake

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A short list of things that will forever remind me of spring….

 finding toy trucks, random socks and maybe a coin or two under the melting snow (it’s a bit like lifting the sofa cushion, it’s anyone’s guess what’s lurking under there);

 spring skiing and the smell of bain de soleil;

 running streams breaking the long, deep silence of winter;

 daffodils and tulips;

 flowering peach trees (that’s a new addition);

 frittata & carrot cake! …

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Eggplant Lasagna

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I prefer winter and fall, when you feel the bone structure of the landscape — the loneliness of it; the dead feeling of winter. Something waits beneath it, the whole story doesn’t show – Andrew Wyeth

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I like the idea of embracing the season of frost, storm and cloud while the story of spring unfolds.

Whether that means hibernating under a pile of blankets to watch the winter Olympics (we’ve been staying up way too late catching the live action); hanging out in the fresh mountain air (hello motherland); or dinner by the fire in the comfort of home (and maybe the promise of something warm, bubbly and delicious baking in the oven). …

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Thai Green Curry with Chickpeas, Cauliflower & Spinach

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Well the good news is that the summer solstice is now only 5 months away.

(Right around the corner, really).

In the meantime, anyone care to join me in my flannels for this mood boosting, winter blues busting, bowl of goodness?  The combination of coconut milk, ginger, lemongrass and coriander is an aromatic feast for the senses – you will love the complexity of flavor, ease of prep and beautiful warming properties as you hear the call of tropical birds singing yonder.

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