Daikon, fresh and fun!

In adding a new page, WHAT IS? to my website, Vegetable Alchemy I kept thinking of how I best explain the wealth of health in self care with the the right, fresh fun food. Taking a minute to grab a copy of Jean Carper’s Food Pharmacy, you will be amazed at the scads of fab reading. A couple of her key statements from years of research are:

1) Foods are full of pharmacological agents

2) Foods do act as drugs in the body

3) Which foods you eat do make a health difference at the cellular level.

4) You can direct your own health taking advantage of the new scientific information about the therapeutic powers of food.

5) By making small changes in your diet---by deliberately eating more of foods known to have positive health effects, you may prevent and alleviate both acute and chronic maladies.

Now HOW GOOD IS THAT! I don't understand why we don't just start at life day one and change the way we eat from the start! Let’s put it to task with this fabulous daikon soup of Chinese origin I urged from my friend, The Web Goddess! Care free, easy cooking.

Daikon Soup

1 ½ lb white daikon, peeled, and cut into 1-1 ½ inch cubes

2 qts. vegetable or chicken stock, could be low sodium stock in the box

½ cup dry rice cooking wine (a very lightly flavored wine)

2 (4 oz) pork shoulder or blade, on the bone, (could be optional)

1 teas sea salt

¼ cup cilantro, chopped coarsely, leaves only, save stems for other uses

Method

Place stock in three quart sauce pan. Add pork and bring to simmer. Skim.

Add wine, daikon salt. Cook slowly until meat is tender, about 50 minutes, slowly.

Turn off the heat. Remove meat and cool slightly, covered. Cut meat from bone into 1 inch cubes and return to daikon broth. Bring back to light simmer. Reseason if necessary adding a little finish of fresh black pepper. Ladel into bowls topping with fresh cilantro.

Voila VegetableAlchemy! Hello Winter! Hello good body! Good bye opportunity for sniffles!