Spring Cleaning with Chef Steven

I’m not gonna lie. This winter has taken it out of me and I’m guessing a lot of you feel the same way. So, what do we do when we find ourselves exhausted and in need of a bit of rejuvenation and internal spring cleaning? As a chef,  food is usually the answer!

Comfort foods are what one normally turns to in the winter months, but with spring around the corner let’s look at ways that we can take the spring cleaning ethos internally and help our bodies help themselves. Working at The Sweet Potato means that I am surrounded by an amazing array of items, especially produce, that can help detoxify and strengthen our immune systems, helping to fight off any bug that may be lingering in our midst.

The list of foods that can function as health aids and medicinal supports is a long one, so I want to highlight a few that are not only humble and  powerful but also delicious! It’s like the seasons are anticipating our body’s needs, providing what we may not even know we need at just the right time. These spring vegetables are as impressive on the plate as they are for our health:

• Mushrooms
• Spinach
• Asparagus
• Ginger
• Garlic

Mushrooms

Mushrooms are having a moment, so you’re probably already tired of hearing about some of their truly amazing characteristics, but bear with me for a second. The list of health benefits is extensive and varied depending on the specific variety.

• Lion’s mane are anti-bacterial, anti-inflammatory, anti-tumor and immune enhancers.
• Oyster mushrooms boast cholesterol reducing properties, as well as having antioxidants and anti-viral components.
• Shiitake mushrooms are anti-viral, anti-bacterial and immunostimulating, while providing fortification for the liver.

Something to keep in mind is that while many vegetables provide their peak nutrition raw, mushrooms actually benefit from cooking, assisting the body to access their key nutrients. All of these mushrooms are delicious when sauteed or roasted with a bit of olive oil and garlic, giving your body the power to defend itself! (Pro-tip: Don’t forget about the stems! They contain a significant amount of the mushroom’s powerful nutrients, so steep them for a broth, or dry and grind them to make a delicious and versatile mushroom powder.)

Spring Greens

Spring also provides us with a plethora of green foods. I’m particularly looking forward to local asparagus season, which will be upon us before we know it. Asparagus truly shines when it is sourced locally and produced organically. Its flavor is the perfect distillation of spring sunshine and gives us a ton of vitamin C, folic acid and other anti-oxidants. Eat asparagus raw in a salad or blanched just to the point that it turns intensely green and tossed into a pasta. Nothing tastes “springier!”

Spinach, as well as so many other greens, is abundant year round, but is also one of the first signs that winter has broken and that warmer days will be with us soon. Spinach is chalk full of anti-oxidants, as well as a great source of iron, vitamin C and folate. In order to take full advantage of the nutrients locked in these sweet and slightly bitter leaves, give them a dunk in boiling water for about a minute. This wilts them and removes some of the oxalic acid, which can inhibit calcium absorption, while removing some of the bitter flavours. Then use it as an addition to salads, pastas, stir fries, soups, to name a few possibilities.

 

In addition to these beautiful and powerful vegetables, ginger and garlic are great to fight inflammation, for digestive health, and as antioxidants. These are the bases of so many great cuisines that life would feel much flatter without them. They can take any recipe and elevate it flavour-wise while boosting its nutritional contribution. Ginger can be used raw or cooked, depending on how intense you’d like the flavour to be. Garlic can also be used raw or cooked, but to help unlock its full potential, chop or mince the garlic and let it sit for about 10 minutes to develop allicin, a pungent compound that is a powerful antioxidant only developed within the clove once the cell walls have been broken.

Finally, I would be remiss if I didn’t mention our namesake: The Sweet Potato! Contributing vitamins A and C, as well as antioxidants, sweet potatoes are also great at helping with balancing blood sugar. They are incredibly easy to prepare and much faster to cook than “traditional” potatoes, and are not a part of the nightshade family, which can often exacerbate inflammation. Just give the sweet potatoes a rinse, then roast them for about 45 minutes at 350, or until they feel soft in the interior, and dress them with whatever goodies you like (maybe mushrooms and spinach?). No need to peel, since our sweet potatoes are organic and the skin holds tons of nutrition and dietary fiber. Couldn’t be easier!

Spring cleaning shouldn’t just be housekeeping, but taking care of rebuilding our bodies and providing a foundation for a stronger you. Adding these incredible vegetables to our daily routines can help supplement our immune systems and clean our systems. Delicious food that contributes to our well-being. Quite the win-win, I’d say.

Sources:
MycoMedicinals: An Informational Treatise on Mushrooms by Paul Stamets, 2002, Mycomedia Productions
The World’s Healthiest Foods: Essential Guide for the Healthiest Way of Eating, George Mateljan, 2006, GMF Publishing