If you’d like to eat less sugar, there’s always the dilemma of what to eat? I have turned over the years to my friend Marcia who suggests delicious, satisfying whole food recipes. Try it for lunch to keep going through the mid-day energy slump! I hope you enjoy getting to know Marcia and her ideas for nourishing meals without sugar. – Karly

Early in my nutrition work, I chose to approach nourishment from the Seasonal Nutrition avenue of Chinese Classical Medicine. This background focuses attention on the essence or character of each food, not on the quantity or volume approach to food.

I’d like to share the concept that good health must be “grown” in our bodies, in the same sequence and style nature uses to balance itself daily.

Our five major organ systems have to manage the same categories needed to raise a good garden:

• a good plan for defending the garden (Immune system);
• adequate sunlight (Endocrine system);
• rich soil (Digestive system)
• clean air (Respiratory system)
• good water (Circulatory system.)

The success of our garden depends largely on supporting and nourishing all these five organ systems equally, leading us to balance and homeostasis through nature’s regenerative cycles of birth, maturation and fulfillment.

This approach to health brings us to a better understanding of our true body, our true self and all others with whom we interact each day. It also helps us stay in touch with the concept that health relies more on re-establishing rhythm in the body, rather than steel willpower – a very empowering thought on its own!

Recipe for a Sweet Potato Burger

(yield: 4-5 patties)

 

Ingredients    

1 1/4  C–  light-colored sweet potatoes
1/2 C – cooked millet
1/2 C – broccoli flowers cut into small bits
1/2 C – chopped water chestnuts
1/4 C – chopped yellow onion
1/3 C – cooked black beans (no bean juice)
1 tsp. – good quality butter (or ghee)
1/4  C -  dried cranberries, fruit-sweetened
2  tsp. – Simply Herbs NuPlus
1 tsp. -  Celtic salt
1 sprig -  fresh rosemary
2 tsp. – Bragg’s Liquid Aminos
1 tsp. – dulse flakes
1/2 tsp. – miso paste
4 slices – Ezekiel bread
1/3 C -  olive oil

Directions:

Cut the sweet potatoes into 1/2″ wide slices.   Steam them until tender.  Mash them well.  Add the 1/2 C cooked millet (cold) and mash in the butter and 1/2 tsp. miso paste. Stir in the chopped water chestnuts, chopped onion pieces and black beans. Then stir in the Bragg’s, the broccoli bits and cranberries.

Next, add all the dry ingredients.  The goal is to keep the mixture sticky and thick enough to be able to form a ball.  Trim the crust off  the edges of the Ezekiel bread and break the slices into small, irregular-sized pieces.  If your mixture isn’t sticky enough, stir in some Ezekiel bread pieces.  Now, form the mixture into several balls, a little bigger than a golf ball.  Roll each ball in the bread pieces until it is well-covered. Push a few needles of fresh rosemary deep into each patty.

Place the bread-coated balls into the skillet with olive oil and use your fingers or a spatula to flatten each ball into a patty.  Fry on a low heat, until each side of the patty is golden brown. As an option, this mixture bakes well in a loaf pan – 375 degree oven for 10 minutes.  Monitor carefully and avoid overbaking.

Serve with a nice salad.  Enjoy!

About Marcia Marie Scully

Marcia Marie Scully is a nutritionist, educator, and intuitive healer with 22 years of experience in the Healing Arts world. She teaches nourishment from the Seasonal Nutrition avenue of Chinese Classical Medicine. You can reach Marcia at 406-522-0722 and marciascully55@gmail.com.