Since Spring is a time for renewal, I thought you might be interested in some of my favorite Springtime things:
My favorite yoga pose, Spring food recipe, my favorite natural cleaning product you can make yourself, and my favorite way to take care of myself in the Spring. The interesting thing is they are all free besides the ingredients of course.
Self-care Activities
Walking outside. This gets my heart pumping, keeps me in shape, I enjoy the sights and even a nice chat with a friend.
Dry brushing my skin in the morning. I use a loofah, a natural hair brush or a washcloth. This removes dead skin, stimulate circulation and promotes smooth supple skin.
Eating fresh local veggies. This helps me to feel light, promotes digestion and gives me awesome nutrients.
Cleaning Product
Natural Lavender Vinegar
Collect lavender stems, leaves and flowers at the end of the season. Store in a paper bag. I have lots of friends who offer me theirs.
I start with distilled white vinegar and a large glass jar. Fill it with as much lavender as possible. Fill the jar with the white vinegar. Cover the jar with plastic wrap and then the lid (this prevents the lid from corroding). Place the jar in a cool dry place. Within a few weeks, you’ll have the best smelling vinegar and it’s great for cleaning windows, mirrors, NON-stone counter tops and other things you’d use your glass cleaner on. Vinegar, being acetic acid, will over time break down granite, marble and other porous stones. I water it down 1/2 vinegar to 1/2 water, but you could dilute yours as much as you’d like.
Food Recipe
SPRING ROLLS WITH THAI GINGER SAUCE By Raw Chef Wendy
For Spring Rolls
16 – 8 ½“ round rice paper skins from any Asian market
½ pound mixed lettuce greens (spring mix, romaine, green or red leaf lettuce, etc.) or Napa cabbage
2 carrots, peeled and julienned
½ cucumber, peeled and julienned
¼ cup scallions, julienned
1 bunch cilantro, washed
1 bunch basil, washed
2 avocados, sliced in thin strips
1 red pepper, sliced in thin strips
Celtic salt & fresh ground black pepper to taste
Thai Ginger Sauce [recipe below]
Instructions:
Wash lettuce and tear into small pieces.
When all vegetables are prepared and laid out in front of you, fill a shallow cake pan with warm water.
Put three rice paper circles in water. They will become soft, but don’t allow to stay in water too long as they will get too soft. Work quickly.
Pull out 1 rice paper circle and put it on a cutting board. On the bottom 1/3 section place 4-5 leaves of cilantro and 2-3 leaves basil. Ontop of these leaves, lay a couple of slices of avocado, red pepper, cucumber and 2-3 carrots.
Add a handful of lettuce and roll up the spring roll.
Lift the bottom edges up over the pile with one hand, and hold the vegetables in place tightly with the other.
Fold the left side over, then the right and tightly roll the rest of the spring roll until everything is enclosed.
Continue with all of the rice papers and vegetables.
Eat them as soon as possible with the delicious Thai Ginger Sauce or refrigerate until your guests get there.
THAI GINGER SAUCE
Yield: 2 cups
Equipment: Food processor or high-speed blender
Ingredients:
½ cup almonds, soaked overnight
½ cup sesame seeds, soaked 1 hour
¼ cup olive or grape seed oil
¼ cup Bragg’s® Liquid Aminos or coconut aminos
¼ cup raw honey or organic maple syrup
1 ½ teaspoons or 2 cloves garlic, minced
¼ teaspoon ginger, grated
1 ¼ cups water (or more for a thinner consistency)
½ teaspoon fresh lemon juice
½ teaspoon curry powder (recipe below)
Instructions:
Blend almonds in food processor or high-speed blender until flour-like, if possible. Scrape away from the sides.
Add all other ingredients and blend until smooth. It needs to be a sauce consistency for dipping so a little more water may need to be used.
Serve with Spring Rolls. This recipe is also excellent over noodles or rice, as a sauce in stir-fry, as a dip for vegetables, or as a salad dressing if thinned out a bit more.
This recipe comes from Chef Wendy’s new recipe book Beautifully Raw on pages 57-58. You may find more recipes and information at www.rawchefwendy.com
CURRY POWDER*
Yield: ½ cup
Equipment: Coffee grinder, bowl
Ingredients:
½ teaspoon mustard powder
2 Tablespoons cumin powder
1 teaspoon coriander seed powder
¼ teaspoon cayenne powder
½ teaspoon ginger powder
Instructions:
Grind all seeds in a coffee grinder until powdered.
Mix all ingredients together and put in a spice container with label and date.
*Recipe from Bridget Mars’ book, “Rawsome”
Favorite Spring Yoga Pose
Halasana-Plough this pose is wonderful for digesting, changing perspective, and loosens up the neck and shoulders. Be sure to get instruction with this one if you haven’t done it before.
What are you up to this Spring? I’d love to see pics of you doing your favorite Spring pose, a recipe or something else on YOUR list.
