Hello from a snowy April day in beautiful Colorado. Springtime in the Rockies is a special phenomenon, and as much as I want to grumble about the snow, it might be a while until I see it again, so I won’t complain.
I know that I promised Stress Part 2 (it’s almost there!) and a gluten free sourdough primer. But, to be honest, the last couple weeks have kicked my butt. Solo parenting, sick kids, the works. My day job has been a 24/7 job, with very little sleep, and my darling baby can most closely be described as an adorable barnacle. Those posts are coming, but they’re taking longer than planned, so today let's talk about green things.
Spring can be a difficult time for our bodies. After a winter of our circadian rhythms slowing down, our bodies can struggle a bit to “wake up”. Traditionally spring is a time to incorporate bitter and pungent greens, because they support healthy bile flow, which gently supports your liver and gallbladder1. It isn’t a coincidence that the first green things to pop up in the Spring are plants like dandelion greens2, radishes, kale, and arugula. Eating seasonally has so much wisdom, and if you’re like me, you find that after a winter of wanting warm, heavy and comforting, you might be gravitating towards lighter, fresher food or even craving some of these greens.
You’ll know you’ve made it when your children proudly pick you a bowl of dandelion leaves from the front lawn and proudly present them “for your salad.” You really can pick dandelion greens anywhere you find them — I tend to use dandelions as a marker of whether or not I want my kids playing somewhere, and despite the general claims that they ruin lawns, they’re one of the most regenerative plants around. They build up people and soil! And if you’re looking for an herbal tea with some actual body and texture, dandelion root tea makes a great afternoon tonic3.
If you’re not up for picking dandelion greens, pretty much anything dark, leafy and green is going to carry some of the same benefits. If you’re a gardener, don’t throw away your radish tops! My favorite way to prepare most of these greens is to sauté some garlic and onion in olive oil, then add in the greens until just wilted and finish with a dash of balsamic vinegar.
Now, if you’d like to stick to the “normal” herbs you find in the grocery store, parsley and cilantro are my two favorites. I never put in a grocery order without a bunch of cilantro. It’s a key part of the Magic Cabbage Slaw we eat on repeat, and it brightens up so many dishes as a garnish. Parsley is also a winner, and if your green salads are getting boring, adding in parsley for some of the greens and a little thinly sliced red onion is one of my favorite ways to liven things up.
In addition to being delicious, both these herbs are amazing sources of trace minerals and other micronutrients. Cilantro is known for its gentle detoxification abilities4, and parsley is traditionally a blood builder and digestive tonic. In culinary quantities, you don’t have to worry about any contraindications, they’re simply a way to add flavor, color, and nutrients to your food at a time when your taste buds want something fresh and your body needs a little help with spring cleaning.
However, even the best of us sometimes end up with precariously wilty herbs in the crisper, and for that, this green sauce — a sort of chimichurri inspired all purpose sauce — is my favorite way to make sure they don’t go to waste. I use this as a salad dressing, as a dipping sauce for sweet potato fries, or to serve with steak, but the most common use is making what we refer to as, “Green Chicken”.
If I need a really easy dinner, I’ll toss some chicken breasts in the Instant Pot, shred them with a hand mixer (try it!), and then mix half the shredded chicken with green sauce and the other half with BBQ sauce (we use this one). We put the chicken on top of baked potatoes, or in buns for the non gluten free folks, and serve with a salad. All you have to do is scrub the potatoes, bake them and get the chicken going in the Instant Pot. A perfect hands off weeknight meal.
Green Sauce
1/2. c. olive oil (or another neutral oil if you don’t want to taste the olive oil flavor — avocado would work well)
1/4 c. apple cider vinegar (you could also use something like a red wine vinegar)
2 large, or 3 small cloves garlic, peeled and trimmed (if you don’t love garlic, start with one and add more if you need)
1 bunch of cilantro, chopped roughly, leaves and small stems
1 bunch of parsley, chopped roughly, leaves and small stems
salt and pepper to taste
(optional) red pepper flakes
If you’ve got a food processor you can just chuck everything in there and blitz it until it’s smooth. Mine broke, so I use a large wide mouthed Mason jar and a stick blender.
Start by pouring the olive oil and vinegar into the bottom of the jar, then add garlic cloves and about a 1/4 of the leafy greens. Blend until smooth, then continue to add the rest of the green herbs gradually. Two bunches of fresh herbs will condense into less than half a quart jar’s worth of sauce. It’s why this recipe is so great for getting a lot of these powerhouse nutrients into your body.
One Last Soup Hurrah
And, since we’re almost out of soup season, I also want to share one last favorite soup recipe. This Healing Ginger Chicken Soup is absolutely perfect for those weird spring days when you’re craving something fresh, but it’s still a little cold, and maybe you still have a few sniffles hanging around the house. A heavy dose of ginger and garlic, starchy plantains (I can find these in most grocery stores — they’re usually near the bananas and tropical fruit), a perfectly seasoned broth and a hefty dose of cilantro for garnish will leave you with a soup that is both nourishing and healing.
We serve this with plenty of cilantro, avocado and red onions if we have them, and some tortilla chips too5. It’s quick to whip up if you’ve got the chicken cooked already (or rotisserie chicken would work perfectly), and I’ll let you in on a little secret —half the time I make it with broth instead of water and it turns out fine. I add extra ginger, garlic and salt, and no one’s ever complained! Let me know if you try it :)
I hope Spring is treating you well, and I’m hoping to pop back in your inbox with a hefty missal about stress management early next week. But, since I’m trying to follow my own advice, I’m trying to prioritize sleep, sanity and working at a reasonable pace!
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And if you want to leave me a comment, I’d love that. Hearing from readers is what makes this fun for me! Do you use fresh herbs regularly? What are your favorites?
People like to talk about detox. Blah. It’s both over talked about and under talked about. Yes, your liver is still going to do its job if you don’t drink green juice. Most “detox” programs are questionable. However, if the nutrients you need for both phases of liver detox aren’t adequate, it can cause some issues, and depending on your exact genetics, you might struggle more or less with detoxification. If you’d like a simple-ish explanation of what’s actually involved in your liver packaging and excreting toxins, this one is pretty good.
Dandelion root in more potent forms can actually help with liver failure.
I will not tell you it’s like coffee — nothing is like coffee. But, it’s got some body to it and it is in almost every herbal coffee blend because it’s just that good for you. I drink it during pregnancy, whenever my skin is flaring up a little, if my gallbladder is cranky, or if I’m just feeling a little “ick”. This Traditional Medicinals one is my favorite.
I’ve heard in quite a few places that cilantro is especially effective for helping to clear heavy metals. I don’t know how true this is, and I have never tried juicing it or anything like that. I imagine to actually chelate heavy metals you would need medicinal doses. But, it’s really delicious and it certainly can’t hurt, right?
If you’re grain free, I’ve recently found the Siete brand at our Costco and they’re really an admirable replacement. Or plantain chips are great too.
We got snow this week, too! Still chilly today. I'm ready for some sunshine and shorts! :) How much longer until you move?
That green sauce looks amazing! What a great idea. I tried growing a bunch of herbs in the basement this winter (with grow lights) but let’s just say they were a little too out of sight out of mind. 🙃🥲 Will try again during these warmer months. Fresh herbs seriously are underrated