A Comforting Winter Warmer
With the winter solstice, the nights have reached their longest and the cold is settling in. Here in Byron we’re lucky enough to have mostly sunny and mild winter days, but we still need warming winter dishes to take the chill out of our bones and nourish our bodies as we go through this season.
There is something deeply joyful about cooking up a comforting meal for friends. The pot on the stove, simmering away and filling the room with rich aromatics. The nourishment we get from our meals doesn’t come from the food alone. We give it to each other.
Adzuki beans are loaded with all the good stuff legumes are famous for. They have plenty of fiber, protein, and beneficial plant compounds, and there’s a good reason they’re eaten by some of the healthiest people on the planet. If you want to read about the health habits of the longest lived people in the world, check out Dan Buettner’s Blue Zones solution at https://www.bluezones.com/. He gives a great explantion of why legumes keep us thriving into old age.
The ginger, garlic, and spices in this meal give it a hearty, warming kick, and the carrots add texture and extra veggie goodness.
Winter is a great time to explore the spice cupboard, so feel free to experiment with a mixture of warming spices to suit your tastes.
