It has sure felt like fall outside the last few days! October is in the air, and while Halloween and Thanksgiving are on the horizon, the next holiday coming up is a disputed one. Monday October 9th is on most calendars as Columbus Day: but some places are beginning to replace the holiday dedicated to this dubious historical figure with a day to celebrate the traditions and cultures of the Indigenous Peoples of North America.
So in the spirit of the season, here are some (gluten free!) recipes from several native cultures to bring some health to your hearth.
- Dream of Wild Health’s Gitigan Salad.
As part of a project called Roots for the Home Team encouraging local youth groups to start their own entrepreneurial projects, six native youth came up with this interesting and unusual dish using ingredients from their heritages that they grew on their Minnesota farm. This recipe is naturally gluten-free, and you can easily forego the cheese for a dairy-free version. I’m definitely going to try this one!
For the salad:
- 4 sprigs fresh thyme1
- 1½ cups whole wild rice
- 3 cups low-sodium vegetable broth
- 1 cup cooked black beans (if using dried beans, 1/3 cup dried yields 1 cup cooked)
- 2 bunches (about 8 cups) kale
- 1 cup baby tomatoes or ground cherries, rinsed and halved
- ½ cup grated pecorino Romano cheese or parmesan cheese
For the dressing:
- Juice of 1 lemon (about 2 tablespoons juice)
- 1 tablespoon fresh grated lemon zest
- ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
- ¼ teaspoon salt & freshly ground black pepper
- Cook the black beans. Either soak beans overnight or use the quick-boil method. Then, add beans to a pot of fresh water, and boil until done, about 1-2 hours. Set aside to cool.
- Meanwhile, cook the wild rice. Rinse the rice well in a bowl of cold water and drain. Add rice, vegetable broth, and thyme to a pot and simmer for 20 minutes. Remove from heat and let the rice stand in the pot, covered, for 5 minutes. Remove the thyme stems and fluff the rice with a fork. Set aside to cool.
- Wash the kale and remove the ribs. Thinly slice the kale into ribbons. Using a salad spinner, spin until most of the water is gone.
- In a large serving bowl, add the kale, a drizzle of olive oil, and a little salt. Massage the kale until it starts to soften and wilt, about 2 to 3 minutes. Set aside while you make the dressing.
- To make the dressing: In a small bowl, whisk together the lemon juice, lemon zest, salt & pepper, and ¼ cup of olive oil.
- To serve, add the wild rice, black beans, tomatoes or ground cherries, and sprinkle with cheese. Drizzle the dressing over top and toss to combine.
2. Three Sister’s Soup from NativeTech
This hearty, healthy soup sounds so amazing for cold weather. This is another naturally gluten-free recipe that can be made vegan!
Ingredients
- 5 cups prepared white corn
- 3 cups prepared kidney beans
- 1 cup cooked pumpkin/squash
- 1 smoked turkey thigh
- 3 quarts/litres water
- several fresh sage leaves
- 1 tbsp/ 15 ml salt add tsp at a time to taste
- 1 small onion
Directions
Boil gently a smoked turkey thigh in 3 quarts of water for about 1 hour until the meat comes away from the bone. Leave the bone in take the meat out to cool. Add 5 cups prepared white corn, 3 cups prepared kidney beans rinsed and small onion minced. Boil gently for 15 minutes and then add chopped sage leaves, salt, and squash for another 15 minutes. Add more water and or vegetable stock if it is too stew-like rather than soup.
3. The American Indian Health and Diet Project’s Prickly Pear Cactus Pads
Looking for a unique side dish? This native plant is high in calcium, fiber, and vitamins A and C. This dish can be prepared by frying, pan-searing, baking, or boiling the broad flat paddle or pad of the cactus.
Ingredients:
3-4 prickly pear paddles. You can buy these at many grocery stores but be careful of spines when you pick them up. You also can pick them in the wild, but don’t take too many. Chose the greenest, most unblemished pads. Watch out the long spines; grocery stores often get rid of those, but the smaller, almost fuzzy spines will remain. If you manage to get a spine in your finger, tweezers are helpful. But if they are too small, spread some Elmer’s glue over the area and peel off after it dries. You also can try tape.
2 T vegetable oil
Salt, pepper, garlic, onion powder to taste
Use a fork to keep one end of the pad still while you use a knife or potato peeler to scrape off the spines and “eyes.” I usually trim off the rough edges.
After peeling, chop or slice the pads into stripes or into small chunks. If you don’t like the slimy texture, you can boil the cactus in heavily salted water for about 15 minutes or until tender. Rinse with cold water.
Put in a sauté pan with the oil, and then add spices you like. Sauté at medium/low heat for about five minutes. If you don’t boil the cactus, then you will need to cook them in the pan until tender.
You can serve this as a side dish, or mix with scrambled eggs, blend into salsas, top on a baked potato, add to tacos, or any number of possibilities.
I’m definitely going to try out some of these dishes that were truly born and bred in America this holiday season. Happy Indigenous People’s day!
