Roots Remedy

Huge, sticky snowflakes are falling as I write this, yet I still managed my usual Saturday morning stroll to the local farmers' market.  The selection hasn't diminished all that much since the chill has settled in and I was happy to see plenty of the heartier greens and root vegetables.   After the wintry walk home I piled on more fleece, cranked up the heat and dug into my bounty to cook up some nishime with red onion, carrots, daikon and burdock (I mixed in some steamed baby kale for a little extra color and nourishing oomph).

This has become a favorite dish/remedy for when I'm feeling a little off.  It's very simple and adaptable; I work from the recipe in The Kind Diet, using whatever fresh vegetables I have on hand.  Here's the gist of it:

1. Cut up 2 to 5 different types of veggies (larger chunks in colder months, smaller pieces in warmer ones).
2. Put a small (about 1-inch) piece of kombu seaweed in the bottom of a pot.
3. Layer the veggies in the pot with the quicker cooking ones on the bottom (e.g., red onion, daikon, carrots, burdock)
4. Add about a 1-inch layer of water to the bottom of the pot
5. Cover and bring to a boil, then lower heat some and simmer until the veggies are soft and sweet (this will depend on the exact vegetables used but usually takes at least 20 minutes)
6. Sprinkle soy sauce or tamari over the vegetables, stir, cover and cook for at least 5 more minutes.
7. Lift the vegetables out with a slotted spoon; discard the kombu.
8. If there is still a layer of liquid left in the pot, you can make a gravy by dissolving some kudzu root (about 1T) in a little bit of water and adding this to the liquid in the pot.  Cook over low heat, stirring constantly, until it thickens some (if it thickens too much just add some more water).  Pour the gravy over the nishime and enjoy!

I didn't have enough liquid to make the gravy today, but here's a photo from a dinner of nishime (with gravy) and baked tofu over greens and grains (probably millet and quinoa or barley and brown rice, my two favorite combinations):

That wine reminds me...I stumbled across a new (to me, that is) organic wine last weekend:

The label also states that it was made without using any animal products-- hurrah!  Nice to have an alternative to the wines from Orleans Hill.   I'll certainly be enjoying a substantial glass later, but for now I'm off to brew yet another cup of tea for a much-needed infusion of warmth...