Summer Menu Sampler

Dr. Heidi Lescanec, ND

Adzuki Bean Asian Humus

2 cups of cooked beans
½ inch ginger
1 clove garlic
2 T tahini (or almond butter)
1 T olive oil
1 T ume plum vinegar
1 T rice wine vinegar
To cook dried beans:
1 c dried adzuki, soak overnight or 4 hrs.
stovetop: 3 c water 45 mins.
pressure cooker: 2.5-3 c water 30 mins.

11g protein /1/4 cup dry.

Adzuki beans have been called the “Mercedes” of beans- very easy to digest and an excellent form of plant-based protein and fiber!
They are a pretty pink colour, and provide a nice twist to regular old humus. In place of ume plum vinegar (another lovely pink condiment!) you could use lemon or lime juice. Same goes for the rice wine vinegar, if you don’t have this in your pantry, do the citrus substitute Tablespoon for Tablespoon.

Healthnote re Ume Plum Vinegar: you can find this tart and tangy condiment in asian food stores or section of your grocer and healthfood stores. It is excellent for sprinkling a little on greens after cooking (increases absorption of vitamins, minerals (esp iron, calcium and magnesium) and is nice and salty!) and also is the best “flavour enhancer I know, it really kicks up a soup/stew/sauce if it is “missing something”.

Pink Hibiscus Lemonade

A refreshing pretty in pink drink on a hot summer day. This tart and tangy lemonade is a healthier version, naturally pigmented by these vitamin C rich flowers. In Mexico, a delicious drink using hibiscus is called Agua de Jamaica (pronounced Ha-mike-ah).

1 cup water- boiled
2 Tbsp hibiscus flowers or “Alchemist’s Brew” (Silk Road Tea- we sell at Sage) , or 3 teabags of Celestial Seasonings “Red Zinger”
¾ c agave or honey

6 lemons, juiced (to make 1.5 c)
6 cups water-cold
ice
2 lemons, sliced into thin rounds

Pour boiled water over hibiscus or make sun tea* and add sweetener to dissolve.
Once sufficiently infused, strain out hibiscus.

Squeeze lemons to make juice, straining out pulp and seeds.

In a large glass pitcher, combine the hibiscus syrup, lemon juice and cold water
and stir.
Add more sweetener as needed.
Add lemon slices and ice cubes.
Serve cold and enjoy!

Makes about 8 cups.
*SUN TEA

To take full advantage of the warmth of summer sun, try making a fresher tasting version of ice tea using solar energy instead of boiled water.
This gentle old tymey brewing process preserves some of the volatile aromatic oils and delicate flavours that otherwise get burned off when tea is made with the hot water.
A technique that sweetly coaxes out the essence of your tea with the rays of the sun creates a cleaner, smoother more refreshing iced tea.
Method: Use a large glass jar (canning jars or jugs work well).

Place filtered water and loose tea or tea bags* in jar, cover with lid.

Sit it on a sunny window sill or outside in a sunny patch of your porch or deck. Let this sit until the water gets infused, and the colour changes. The timing of this depends on the strength of the sun/heat, but usually takes a minimum of 2 hours, generally when it comes to steeping: the longer, the stronger.

Serve cold over ice.