The summer is the season of the heart and small intestine, according to the practitioners of Chinese medicine. They called it the fire season, when nature is ablaze with its many fruits, vegetables, and flowers.
The following foods and recipes can support and strengthen your heart and help you experience more of the blessings from the fourth chakra – greater capacity for courage, love, and a deeper awareness of who you are and what you want in life.
Try these foods and recipes. And enjoy the summer season all the more.
Grains that strengthen the heart and small intestine.
Amaranth
Quinoa
Corn
Popcorn
Sorghum
Beans for the heart and small intestine.
Red Lentils
Chickpeas
Vegetables:
Asparagus
Arugula
Red Bell Pepper
Boy Choy
Broccoli Rabe
Brussel Sprouts
Chicory
Chives
Collard Greens
Dandelion
Endive (Belgium)
Escarole
Kale
Mustard Greens
Okra
Snow Peas
Scallions
Swiss Chard
Fruit:
Tomato
Apricot
Guava
Kumquat
Persimmon
Raspberries
Strawberries
Seeds:
Sesame Seeds
Sunflower Seeds
Pistachios
Fish:
Shrimp
Drinks:
Beer
Coffee
Chocolate
Red Wine
(Food list adapted from John Garvey, The Five Phases of Food)
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Ingredients
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- Cut the corn kernels off the cob and place the kernels in a bowl.
- Put the corn cobs into a pot (you can break them in half) and cover with approximately four cups of water. Bring cobs to a boil and simmer for about 10 minutes. Remove cobs, add oats and wakame, and simmer for an additional half hour.
- Add onion, carrot, celery, and corn kernels to the soup. Simmer for another 20 minutes.
- Dissolve miso in a separate bowl, using some of the broth from the soup. Then stir miso into the pot and simmer for 5 – 10 minutes. Garnish with chopped parsley or scallions.
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- 1 cup quinoa
- 2 cups vegetable stock or water
- 3 tablespoons sesame oil, toasted
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
- 5 scallions, sliced
- 2 cucumbers, peeled and diced
- 2 stalks celery, diced
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 1 clove garlic, crushed
- 1 teaspoon ginger, grated
- apple cider vinegar, to taste
Ingredients
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- Boil quinoa in two cups of vegetable stock or water. Simmer until the quinoa is translucent, approximately twenty minutes. Drain excess water and fluff quinoa with a fork.
- Mix (or shake up in a closed jar) toasted sesame oil, lemon juice, and sea salt. Pour mixture over the quinoa.
- Toss with vegetables. Sprinkle some apple cider vinegar on top. Serve at room temperature or slightly chilled.
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- 1 bunch of arugula, cut into small pieces
- ½ can chickpeas, or cook your own
- 1 red onion, diced
- 2 tablespoons olive oil or toasted sesame oil
- 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
- 1 tablespoon tamari
Ingredients
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- Toss arugula, chickpeas, and red onion in a bowl. Mix olive oil, vinegar, and tamari and pour over the salad.
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- 1 pound brussel sprouts
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 3 tablespoons brown rice syrup
- Juice of ½ lemon
- 1 tablespoon tamari
Ingredients
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- Mix brussel sprouts with olive oil, brown rice syrup, and tamari. Place in a baking dish, cover, and bake until brussel sprouts are tender, approximately an hour. Squeeze the lemon juice on top when you take the brussel sprouts out of the oven.
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- 2 cups apple juice
- 2 tablespoons agar agar
- 1 tablespoon kuzu, dissolved in a little cold water
- 2 cups fresh strawberries
Ingredients
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- Combine apple juice and agar agar in a pot, and bring to boil while stirring continually. Turn flame down, add strawberries, and simmer for a few minutes longer. Dilute kuzu in cold water, add to the pot, and stir for ten minutes. Place mixture in the refrigerator for a few hours until it sets.
