Hello,
Keeping the letter short this week, because my son and husband went to the beach and I sorta want to really cherish all the extra minutes I have alone. And by cherish, I mean watch Good Girls while drinking a green juice all by myself. Gonna do it!
The fun stuff is below.
Stay safe.
See you in August!
Love,
Jessica
Lemongrass Spring Rolls with Tempeh from Root & Nourish: An Herbal Cookbook For Women’s Wellness
This recipe comes from the new book Root & Nourish by Abbey Rodriguez and Jennifer Kurdyla. The book is plant-based with herbalism and Ayurveda at its core and is organized into three areas: digestion, mental health, and hormonal health. Jennifer was kind enough to send a copy my way and to let me share a recipe from it here!
Jennifer says about the recipe…
Lemongrass releases a fragrance that helps us feel cheery, even as it provides a sense of calm and well-being, due to its nervine and relaxant herbal properties. The process of making the rolls is a practice of mindfulness in and of itself, giving the entire meal from start to finish a zen, yet invigorating, vibe.
I definitely need mindful, zen vibes right now and cannot wait to make this!
You can see more of the recipes from this book and order it here.
Lemongrass Spring Rolls with Tempeh
MARINATED TEMPEH
1 lemongrass stalk
8 ounces tempeh, cut into 1/2-inch-thick slices
1 garlic clove, peeled
1/2 cup coconut aminos
¼ cup apple cider vinegar
SPRING ROLLS
8 rice paper wrappers
1 mango, peeled and cut into matchsticks
1/2 red bell pepper, cut into matchsticks
¼ cup cucumber, cut into matchsticks
1 small bunch green leaf lettuce
Leaves from 1 small bunch basil (about 12)
PEANUT SAUCE
3/4 cup natural organic chunky peanut butter
2 tablespoons grated fresh ginger
1 tablespoon white miso paste
1 tablespoon avocado oil
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
1 to 2 tablespoons pure maple syrup, to taste
1/2 teaspoon reishi powder (I think this can be optional and I don’t have any, so will be making without. I’ll report back!)
INSTRUCTIONS
1. Preheat the oven to 375ºF. Line a baking sheet with reusable parchment.
2. Remove the tough outer layers of the lemongrass stalk and cut off the bottom bulb. Trim off and discard the tougher top portion of the stalk, leaving just the softer white bottom. Mince the lemongrass and transfer to a food processor.
3. Add the garlic, coconut aminos, and vinegar and process on high until smooth.
4. Arrange the sliced tempeh in a single layer in a wide shallow bowl or a rectangular container. Pour the lemongrass marinade over the tempeh. Flip the tempeh until all the slices are thoroughly coated. Set aside to marinate for 20 minutes, flipping the tempeh two or three times to coat in the marinade.
5. Place the marinated tempeh in a single layer on the prepared baking sheet, reserving the marinade remaining in the container. Bake the tempeh for 10 minutes, then flip and bake for another 10 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool on the pan.
6. Make the spring rolls: Fill a large shallow bowl with warm water, about ½-inch deep. Quickly dip 2 rice paper wrappers in the water just to wet. Remove them, letting the excess water drip off, then lay them flat on a clean work surface with a slight overlap (think of a Venn diagram with a very large middle overlapped section).
7. Place 2 or 3 slices of mango, bell pepper, and cucumber in the center of the wrapper. Add 1 leaf of lettuce and 3 or 4 basil leaves, then top with a slice of tempeh. Make sure to keep 1 to 2 inches of the wrapper uncovered around the edges so they can be folded in. Gently pull the bottom edge of the wrapper up and tuck it over the filling, rolling away from you. Next, fold in the sides so the filling is enclosed. Continue to roll the wrapper away from you, pulling and tucking tightly until it is completely rolled. Place the spring roll on a plate and repeat to assemble the remaining rolls.
8. Make the peanut sauce: Combine the peanut butter, ginger, miso, avocado oil, vinegar, maple syrup, and reishi in a food processor and process until smooth, about 5 minutes (or combine the ingredients in a bowl and whisk vigorously with a fork until smooth). Whisk in hot water 1 tablespoon at a time (about 2 tablespoons total), until the desired consistency is achieved. The sauce should be thick but runny enough to pour.
9. Serve the spring rolls with peanut sauce for dipping.
Things That Freaked My Week!
A bunch of things I want to eat, have watched/read, and am currently loving…
• As I began this section, my friend Al text me a link to a site with “Thoughts? What do we know?” It was a link to Stacy London’s brand, State Of. Which is an entire product line for people going through menopause. I had never heard of the brand, so my thoughts were “Wow! I’m intrigued!” Because while I am still in perimenopause land, I love investigating and being ready when the full-on pause hits. It’s so cool that people are talking about this topic more and in such a chic way! Check it out here.
• Every couple of weeks, I wonder if I should join TikTok. It’s not that I really want to be on another social media platform…but could it help me sell more books? Could I raise more awareness for endo there? A lot of authors have had great success on the platform. Yes! Yes, I could! So I download the app, get to the login page, and think “Do you really want to figure out a new app?” and “Will you be consistent with it?” Blerg. No! And delete it. Again. I just can’t commit right now. Until I can finally pull the trigger, please enjoy my friend Morgan’s latest video. She created a recipe from Know Your Endo in her signature empowering and sultry way. I love everything she does and think you will, too.
• My favorite Good Food Cooking School has a new dairy-free ice cream mini-course! 18 recipes for dairy-free (and gluten-free) ice cream, fold-ins, and toppings. Head here to see it all. And as always, founder Heather Crosby has a course tour to make sure it’s right for you + so many ooey, gooey photos! Plus, you can use code GIMMEICECREAM for 15% off.
• I have so many questions/thoughts about the new Gossip Girl. Is the acting really bad or just campy? How do they look even older than the original cast, who were also supposed to be playing high schoolers? Is it just me, or does the Audrey Hope character look just like a blonde Blaire? And does the Max Wolfe character look like a combination of Ryan Seacrest and Chuck? And is he hot? I can’t tell. Is it completely inappropriate what the teachers are doing or sort of amazing? Do I actually like this show?! I can’t tell. But the outfits, NY vibes, and surprise full frontal (a man!) are gonna keep me watching, for now.
CHARLESTON ENDO MEETUP!
I had one of these planned for last March and then you know what happened. I’d really love to plan another one of these (outside) for late August or September. If you live in Charleston, SC, or close by, and want to join, please reply to this email! I’ll find a place where we can all hang, have snacks, talk endo (or not talk endo), and just be with other people who get it. And you don’t have to buy or even read my book to join (I just really liked that photo).
Let me know if you’re down, and I’m going to start planning!
This newsletter is supported by Sakara. I order it once a month to help my brain and stomach relax. There’s something about these meals that helps my gut chill - and not having to think about what to cook makes my brain chill, too. Order it once a week, once a month, or once a year. It’s customizable, so you can do whatever works for you!
It’s totally plant-based and gluten-free, too.
If you want to try it, you can use code XOJESS for 20% off your order, too!
If you’ve read Know Your Endo loved it, please leave a review! It really helps more people discover the book and raise more awareness for endo, too. You can head here to leave one (and you can still leave one on Amazon, even if you bought it someplace else). It helps out authors so much.
And if you haven’t bought Know Your Endo, you can do that here!
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