Recipes to Balance Your Meridians

Now that you’ve completed the ‘Are Your Meridians Balanced’ Quiz, below are some simple recipes to help you address any imbalances that the quiz highlighted.

Fire Element Imbalance
The Bitter Taste of Power & Creativity
The Fire element is associated with the bitter taste. The bitter flavour is thought to enter the heart, helping to cool it if it has become overheated. Foods that support the Fire element include: slightly bitter greens – endives, rocket, chicory, mustard greens, chives, shallots, Chinese greens, the lighter grains – rice, corn or polenta and fruits such as; apricots, peaches, plums, oranges, strawberries and raspberries.

Chilled Pumpkin and Orange Soup
1 onion – sliced thinly
1 pumpkin – cubed
Sea salt
2 tablesp chopped basil
Juice of 2 oranges
1½ litres water
Bring water to boil. Add pumpkin and cook for a few minutes. Add onions & salt. Cook until pumpkin is soft. Add basil. Puree the soup. Adjust seasoning. Add orange juice and let the soup cool before serving.

Polenta with Olives and Asparagus
1 cup polenta
3 cups water
Sea salt
3 whole corn – cut off the cob
4 asparagus – sliced
5 black olives – cut into quarters, pits removed
Cold pressed oil
Bring water to boil. Add corn kernels, asparagus and salt. Cook for a few minutes. Stir in the polenta. Cover the pot and simmer on low heat for about 10 minutes. Stir frequently. Add olives and adjust seasoning. Put mixture into a greased tray and let it cool slightly. Cut polenta into squares and fry or BBQ on both sides until golden brown.

Earth Element Imbalance
Sweet Foods For Nourishment & Awareness
The Earth element is associated with sweet flavour. This however refers to naturally sweet fruit and vegetables rather than sugar or processed foods that actually cause an Earth imbalance. Great foods that address an Earth element imbalance include; millet, sweet potatoes, apricots, pumpkins, yams, yellow squash, parsnips, apples, chickpeas, cherries, courgettes, cucumbers, dates, lamb, lettuce, mung beans, oats, peaches, pears, plums, pork, rice, spinach and walnuts. These will not only satisfy and nourish you but will also improve your energy levels.

Chickpeas and Vegetable Casserole
1½ cups chickpeas – soaked overnight
1 stick Kombu (from Asian grocers/health food shops)
1 tablesp cold pressed oil
1 onion – finely chopped
1 sweet potato – chopped
2 carrots – chopped
¼ pumpkin – chopped
¼ cauliflower – chopped
½ cup green beans – chopped
Sea salt
Tamari
3 tablesp dry roasted sunflower seeds
Water
Cover chickpeas with water. Add kombu & bring to the boil. Cook on medium heat until chickpeas are almost cooked. In another pan, heat oil, saute onion, add other vegetables. Add ¼ cup water, salt and cooked chickpeas. Cover pan with lid and stew until vegetables are soft. Add tamari and sunflower seeds. Serve.

Crunch Delight
2 cups sunflower seeds
1 cup sesame seeds
1 cup dried apricots & sultanas – chopped (no added sulphites)
1 cup chopped raw almonds
1½ cup rice malt
Dry roast (either in oven or in dry pan), sunflower & sesame sees until brown. Mix in dried fruit and rice malt while hot. Put mixture into a greased tray. Allow to cool and chop into small squares when it has set. Store in airtight container away in fridge.

Metal Element Imbalance
Pungent Tastes For Vitality & Self Expression
The Metal element is associated with foods that are described as ‘biting, hot, pungent, spicy and aromatic’. This means a diet of tougher veggies and longer, more energetic cooking methods like pressure-cooking and heavier soups, stews and curries. Great foods for the a Metal imbalance include; carrots, rice, walnuts, button mushrooms, crab apples, olives, pears, garlic, radishes, wine, chestnuts, tangerines, green onions, peppers, leeks and chives. Dairy foods and orange juice should be avoided.

Baked Brown Rice
1 cup brown rice
½ onion
Few fine slivers of ginger
Sliced almonds
2 cups water
Sea salt
Combine all ingredients and place in a casserole dish. Bake at 180 degrees Celsius for 1 hour.

Oats & Walnut Cookies
1 cup rolled oats
1cup wholemeal flour
½ cup chopped walnuts
½ cup raisins
2 tablesp rice malt
1½ cups boiling water
Vanilla
Sea salt
100% fruit unsweetened jam – no sugar or artificial sweeteners
Combine all ingredients, except the jam. Let mixture rest for 1 hour and then form into round cookies. Place on a greased tray. Press a hole in the middle of the cookie and fill with jam. Bake at 160 degrees Celsius for approx 30 mins. Allow to cool.

Water Element Imbalance
The Salty Taste of Drive & Will Power
The Water element is associated with heat and salt. Long cooked stews, thick soups and heavier grains with sea salt feed your body and help address a Water element imbalance. Great foods for a Water element imbalance include; celery, miso, mung beans, sea vegetables, tamari, trout, adzuki beans, kidney beans, buckwheat, millet, barley, rice, beetroot, cranberries, walnuts, ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg, dill, fennel seeds, lamb, chicken, garlic and onions.

Kidney Bean Stew
1 cup kidney beans soaked overnight
1 onion – chopped
1 cup carrots – chopped
4 cloves garlic
1 teasp mustard seeds
1 teasp cumin seeds
4 cardamom pods
Black pepper
Sea salt
4 cups water
Add beans, onion, carrots, garlic and mustard seeds to water. Bring to boil and simmer for 3 hours. Season with salt and pepper. Serve garnished with chopped chives or shallots.

Rice and Buckwheat Loaf
1 cup brown rice
1 cup buckwheat
2 cups of chopped vegies – celery, pumpkin, green beans
1 onion – finely chopped
Tamari
Sea salt
1 tablesp basil – finely chopped
1 tablesp cold pressed oil
4 cups water
Add rice and salt to 2 cups of water. Bring to boil and simmer on low heat for about 1 hour. In a separate pan, saute onion, buckwheat and vegetables in hot oil. Add 2 cups water & salt and cook on a low heat until soft. Remove any remaining liquid. Combine this mixture with cooked rice, basil and tamari. Put mixture into a greased loaf tin and bake at 170 degrees Celsius for about 20 minutes.

Wood Element Imbalance
The Sour Taste For Vision & Order
The taste for the Wood element is sour. Foods that support the Wood element include; lemons, sauerkraut, pickles, green beans, beetroot, dandelions, endive, fennel, kale, mustard greens, parsley, olive oil, radish, watercress, buckwheat, artichokes, lecithin, sesame seeds, turmeric, amaranth and fatty fish.

Buckwheat Pancakes
½ cup buckwheat flour
½ cup wholemeal flour
Sea salt
Water
Cold pressed oil
Mix dry ingredients. Add Enough water to make a smooth batter. Let mixture rest for 1 hour. Heat up a little oil in a non-stick frying pan. Put in small amount of pancake mixture and brown on both sides. Serve with scrambled eggs and green salad.

Watercress Soup
1 bunch watercress – chopped
1 bunch bok choy – chopped
2 pieces wakame
Sea salt
¼ soy milk
1½ litre water
Bring water to boil. Add watercress and bok choy to water. After a few minutes add salt and wakame. Simmer for 8 minutes. Add soy milk. Puree mixture, adjust seasoning and serve.

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Permission is given to reprint this article providing the author – Rosanna Commisso and website: http://www.chiyolife.com.au are listed.