Ginger Tea

it's warm in Toronto for the next few days, but the cold weather is coming; here is a tea i love to make

ginger lemon rose hip tea

piece of ginger (about the size of your thumb)
2 cups water
agave or honey
a couple of teaspoons of rose hips or rose hip tea in tea bags
1 lemon

slice the ginger and put the water and ginger in a pot; bring to a boil then reduce and simmer for 20 minutes; if you have rose hips add them too, or you can add rose hip tea bags near the end to give the tea a pretty colour; strain the ginger and rose hips and add the juice of the lemon, 2 large teaspoons of agave or honey; in the summer i let stalks of fresh mint infuse in the hot tea in a large mason jar and then cool the tea for a nice pink ginger lemonade (pink from the rose hips:); adjust the lemon and agave/ honey to taste; you can also use a hibiscus tea or berry tea for colour

ginger is perfect for cold weather as it helps with circulation and warms the body, it is also good after the heavier meals of winter as it aids in digestion; rose hips are high in vitamin C ~ if you are sick and feeling brave add crushed shredded raw garlic to your tea, or try adding some crushed flax seeds when the tea is simmering for a soothing drink (more info here)

Peasant-y Soup

I'm slowly working on such things as a business plan and vision for The Green Hearth. Till I am ready to launch, I thought I would fill this blog with recipes, links and information that I find yummy or interesting.

I LOVE this soup. I don't make it the same way twice, but every time I make it it comes out even better than the time before.

Peasant Soup

Cut up & saute some onions, carrots, celery, a medium butternut squash, 2 sweet potatoes with some olive oil and add spices such as mustard seeds, coriander, cumin, turmeric, anything you have around that you like. The mustard seeds and coriander seeds can be toasted first in the olive oil to bring out their taste. I recently tried not peeling the squash and once cooked and blended it is just fine.

Add 1-2 cups red lentils and enough soup stock to cover everything, bring to a boil, add some kombu (a hard seaweed that adds a saltiness and helps with gas).

Cook until all soft, remove kombu if you like, blend with a hand blender and then add thinly sliced collard greens (I like lots), kale or chard and simmer until still green but cooked. Season with salt, cayenne pepper, garlic, ginger and add a splash of apple cider vinegar to round out the taste. Fresh chopped parsley and cilantro are great. A variation would be cooking everything with a can of organic tomatoes or tomato paste (add a teaspoon of honey or sugar to balance the acidity of the tomatoes).

Perfect autumn/ winter food served either on it's own, with rice or grain, yogurt on top or with a rye or pumpernickel bread. Yummy.