Think because you’re poor you must be deprived of seafood? Think because you can’t buy those fancy supplements you’re doomed to Omega-3 deficiency? Think again. Although you may not be able to afford the slick lemon flavored fish oil from Norway, canned seafood is always an option. Yes, I said canned seafood. It’s not gross. It’s good, and it’s cheap. Try it.
This recipe calls for canned salmon which will run you a mere couple of bucks. Purchase wild as opposed to farmed, water-packed as opposed to oil-packed. Per 3 oz serving, salmon offers 1.1–1.9 grams of Omega-3s. The only fish comparable in Omega-3 content are tuna and herring. Before you start freaking out about mercury, note that salmon’s mean mercury level in parts per million is only 0.01. Even tuna, which has been so slandered, is only 0.12.
The recipe also makes use of smoked oysters. If you’ve never tried these, keep an open mind and pick them up next time you’re at your local grocery. You’re in for a treat. Now, please be careful when purchasing these. Often they are packed in soybean or cottonseed oil which tend to be partially hydrogenated (shorthand: “bad”). Choose olive oil instead. These little nuggets of the sea are incredibly high in Vitamin A, B12, and D, and chock full of minerals, particularly zinc, copper, and selenium. And best of all they taste great.
photo credit: Matt Callow
What’s more evocative of an American autumn than squash? Butternuts, kabochas, spaghettis…In October and November, visions of turkeys, horns of plenty, succotash and pumpkins bring to mind the abundant harvest we reap each year. Native to the Americas, squash were one of the crops so key to the indigenous food system and subsequently to the survival of the Pilgrims. An old colonial recipe for “stewed pompion” calls for a hollowed out pumpkin filled with milk, honey and spices, and baked in the ashes of a dying fire.
The unique, curvaceous shapes and vivid hues of squash stimulate both the eyes and the palate. It’s been proven that we digest better when we like to look at what we’re eating! Their often bright orange color signifies that they are rich in beta-carotene, which is converted to Vitamin A via many complicated enzymatic reactions in the body. They’re low-cal – 1 cup of pumpkin, for example, is only 49 calories. And yes, because they contain seeds, they are a fruit, not a vegetable.
The following recipe can yield up to five servings of an incredibly satiating and delicious stew, and even if you use all organic ingredients, it couldn’t be cheaper to make. I’ve indicated pumpkin, just cause it’s my favorite, but you can experiment with any squash, and a few of the roots too, for that matter! Try it on a Sunday afternoon when the cold wintry wind is howling outside. Try it any time, actually. This might become your favorite soup. It’s definitely mine.
SWEET SQUASH SOUP
1 pumpkin
1 can coconut milk
vegetable or chicken broth
seasonings: salt for sure. If you want sweet, try cinnamon, nutmeg and allspice. If you want savory, try sage and rosemary.
1. Cut out the top of the pumpkin as if you were making a jack o’lantern, and scoop out the guts and seeds with your hands (this is my favorite part). Set aside.
2. Chop the pumpkin into quarters.
3. Peel the tough outer layer of skin from the pumpkin.
4. Chop the pumpkin again into smaller chunks.
5. Place the pumpkin chunks into a pot. Add coconut milk. The chunks will still not be entirely submerged in fluid, so to make up the difference, add the broth until it barely covers the top of the chunks.
6. Add salt and seasonings.
7. Simmer for 20-30 min until chunks are tender. Then remove from stove and allow to cool for ten minutes or so.
8. Pour your concoction into a blender and puree. You’ll probably have to do this in batches. It’s best to taste the result after blending but before pouring out, so that if you need to adjust the seasoning, you can just add it right there and re-blend.
9. Eat, remembering to chew. I know it’s soupy already, but chewing stimulates the digestive process.
Now for the seeds. I am going to share with you my favorite recipe for sweet, sour, spicy and salty pumpkin seeds. The more dimensions of flavor a dish has, the more satisfying the experience. This one should satisfy you.
1. Preheat oven to 350.
2. Wash your seeds off and boil them in a pan for about 10 minutes. Then remove, drain, and cool.
3. Grease a baking sheet with butter, coconut oil, or olive oil.
4. In a bowl, mix: sesame oil, stevia or agave, and cayenne pepper. Taste and adjust seasonings. Toss the seeds in it.
5. Spread the seeds evenly on the baking sheet and sprinkle with dulse flakes (dulse is a seaweed – possibly the most mineral-rich food in existence).
6. Bake for 10-15 minutes. At halfway, open the oven door and try to move the seeds around slightly to prevent burning and encourage even toasting.
7. Let cool and enjoy.
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