Eating Your Way (Well) to Ease Anxiety & Grief
engaging food as a radical act of resistance // + spiced lamb, pumpkin & kale shepherd's pie for comfort
Like many of us, I am slowly resurfacing from the deep, dark trashy pit of last Tuesday’s election. The results of which were not necessarily unexpected, but still unbelievable enough to make you want to curl up in the fetal position and lay your head upon this billowy pillow of salty mocha whipped cream pictured above for a shred of comfort amidst a mountain of potential despair. Though I’m not technically living in the US at the moment, the waves of anxiety leading up to January 20th (and the 4 years after), are strong and fierce across oceans over here in Denmark. After a few nights of a few (many) drinks and volleying between barely having an appetite to eating whatever felt remotely comforting (umm..nothing), I finally gained some ground and regrouped. Food after all — and feeding ourselves with nourishment and intention, is one of the most basic, most radical forms of resistance. In taking care of ourselves, we are able to think and act clearly and strategically, we’re able to care for others and to engage with our communities in order to release grief, address challenges, and do whatever work is necessary to actively resist, dissent and collectively create change for the better. Self-care obviously covers a big umbrella— meditation, exercise, sleep, breathwork to name a few…and eating—which we do multiple times a day. So with that in mind, here’s a few easy and accessible ways to actively resist and hopefully release a bit of anxiety and grief via what’s on your plate. Plus, read on for a bonus recipe — Sunday Nite Spiced Lamb, Pumpkin & Kale Shepherd’s Pie (yes, I whipped it out just last night in a flurry)—and it really gave the gift of stabilizing comfort in these teary-eyed times (stabilize your mood and stabilize your blood sugar in one fell swoop).
Find comfort, stability & be kind to yourself - whatever that might mean for you in terms of food, try to pair something grounding and relatively healthful along with your plate of comfort. When I say “stability,” I mean aim to keep your blood sugar stable so you don’t crash…that’s when emotions and anxiety really can rollercoaster. Eat with comforting balance in mind = (some good protein + some good seasonal veg + some comforting healthy carbs all together)…see the shepherd’s pie down below as an example.
Caffeine & alcohol - thank god for both of them, but also know your limits and perhaps tread lightly at the moment. Both will deregulate your blood sugar very quickly and can make cortisol spiiiike (that’s your stress hormone and we sure as hell don’t need to exacerbate it). That blood sugar spike and resulting crash can cause emotional lows which would be nice to avoid as much as possible these days.
Hydrate - antidote to #2 above. It might sound obvious, but also, when you’re still in shock from last week’s headlines (and no doubt future headlines), remember to drink and eat all the hydrating things. This situation is already toxic enough, keep your body a detoxified temple, that’s serious resistance in itself.
pretty pickles Eat some kimchi (& other fermented pre-biotic foods & pickles) - what’s good for our gut health is good for our brain and our mental and emotional health, oh, and it can aid sleep too (which, I don’t know about you, but it’s been rough the past few days). Grab a jar of kimchi from the store (or make some :) ), as well as whole-fat plain yogurt, miso, sauerkraut, other fermented foods and you can throw pickles in there too….
beautifully brined purple Napa cabbage ready to be kimchi-ed Saute up some dark leafy greens - which contain a nice dose of magnesium which calms the central nervous system, reduce anxiety and relaxing tense muscles. In season at the moment you’ve got all sorts of dark leafy greens to choose from - kale, swiss chard, mustard greens, escarole and more…a little garlic, some olive or sesame oil, and salt. Honestly, a bowl of greens is one of the most satisfying, reviving (and shockingly comforting) things I can think of.
Smell & sip all the calming herbs — nothing new here, but worth mentioning…lavender, chamomile, passionflower, and lemon balm can help relax and promote sleep or a sense of calm and ease. Smell them fresh or dried or in a oil blend, sip a cup of chamomile or passionflower tea…do what you’ve gotta do.
Crawl up under a blanket (of good fats) - proverbial blanket, or could you always eat a bowl of Thai coconut curry literally under a blanket, which sounds pretty freaking great right now. Healthy omega-fats are great for quieting anxiety and at this time of year when the weather is cold and dark, my automatic go-to and typical recommendation is coconut milk. It’s velvety, flavorful, sumptuous and…well, it’s blanketing like a warm hug. Coconut curry or Thai coconut-based soup, coconut red lentil stew, coconut milk in your morning oatmeal or porridge…just a few thoughts I’ll leave you with.
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8. And now for comfort. I jammed this little winner of a recipe out last night in just around 20 minutes (active cooking time) before it went into the oven (for another 30 minutes). A very well-timed dish for a lazy Sunday evening. And now, I am eating next-day leftovers as I write this. It’s warming, balanced, comforting and rich in magnesium (kale!), antioxidants (pumpkin!), protein, fiber and comforting, calming carbs (mashed potatoes & celeriac root). Freeze any leftovers (it makes a good amount) and if you’re vegan, swap the lamb for mushrooms or beans. If you’re dairy-free, you probably know what to do already, swap the milk for oat milk and butter for vegan butter. It’s worth noting that this photo was taken at 4:30pm / 16.30 just as the last rays of Copenhagen grey light were being lost - getting a good shot was not an easy task.
Spiced Lamb, Pumpkin & Kale Shepherd’s Pie
Firstly, I have to say that I literally never make shepherd’s pie. Or pot pie or cottage pie or honestly, really any kind of savory pie for that matter. But I think I’m a full-blown convert now. For whatever reason, the image of a shepherd’s pie came over me as I was shopping the greenmarket yesterday morning. Copenhagen’s fledging greenmarket system is only about 4 years old and small but pretty mighty, so my options for pie fillings were somewhat slim. But as we learned in 2016 / will likely learn yet again from last Tuesday, the deepest times of adversity are when the most cohesiveness and action can arise. It’s kind of the same (very loosely) with your fridge and whatever ingredients you’ve got lying around. I took initial inspiration from both “keema” which is a Pakistani spiced curry dish with minced meat and vegetables and from more traditional British shepherd’s pies. Little note of interest, shepherd’s pie is made is ground lamb, cottage pie with ground beef and pot pie typically has a pastry crust rather than a topping of mashed potato.
So here it is…I hope it brings you even the smallest amount of both comfort and resistance.
2 medium onion, diced
1/2 small pumpkin or squash, seeded and diced (I used a honeynut squash, but butternut or delicata would work nicely as well)
1-1 1/2 tbsp or so neutral oil or olive oil
1kg / 2 pounds ground lamb
1/2 bunch of kale, stems stripped and leaves finely chiffonade (cut into thin ribbons)
1 1/2 teaspoons vaduovan curry powder
*and/or a mixture of other spices about 1 1/2 -2 teaspoons worth (turmeric powder, coriander, cumin, cinnamon, ground fennel seed, allspice, pinch of chili powder, black pepper — I really love Diaspora spices just fyi)
kosher salt / sea salt to taste
a splash of apple cider vinegar , about 1-2 teaspoons worth
perhaps a splash of leftover white or orange wine (like a few tablespoons)
1/4 cup or so of beef or chicken stock (if you’ve got it lying around, otherwise a little water)
throw in about 1/2 cup of whatever herbs you’ve got lying around that will pair nicely (I had some fennel fronds, cilantro, mint and 1 stray scallion)
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700g / 1 pound potatoes, peeled
300g / about 1/2 of a celeriac root, peeled and cut into large chunks (or sub for all potatoes)
250g / about 1 cup whole-fat milk
a good knob of unsalted butter, about 80-100g grams (like 6-7 tablespoons)
more salt and pepper for the potato-celeriac mash
I went over the top comfort and used up a bit of nice tangy goat cheese on top of the potato-celeriac mash…highly recommend
Place potatoes and celeriac root in a good-sized pot of well-salted water (meaning it should taste like the ocean) and bring it to a boil. Reduce to a very gentle boil and cook about 15 minutes until potatoes and celeriac are soft. Combine the milk and butter in a small saucepan to lightly warm. When potatoes/celeriac are tender, drain, cool with cold water just enough to touch and ***THIS IS IMPORTANT***while potatoes / celeriac are still quite warm, but cool enough to touch, put them through a potato ricer or grate them on the large setting of a box grater. Then slowly pour milk-butter in stages while mixing the mash and working it through a sieve (or just use a spatula if you’re not worried about super smooth and velvety mash — this isn’t Thanksgiving after all and the mash is gonna get baked anyway. Clumps are the last thing this week you want to stress about. Season with salt and pepper. That said, note to self - I really need to buy a potato ricer. Alas, I had to resort to the box grater…it’s not ideal especially when you only have potatoes on hand that are really meant for roasting…which means the potato for gluey mash is high, if not inevitable. Stay calm, even if it’s a little clumpy and slightly gluey, add milk and butter to anything and you’ll still be very happy in the end.
Meanwhile, a slight rewind…while potatoes/celeriac are cooking, saute onion and pumpkin in oil about 6-7 minutes over medium-high heat. Add spices and stir. Add ground lamb and cook another 6-8 minutes. Add kale and cook another 4-5 minutes. Salt to taste and add in vinegar, wine, broth etc. Remove the pan from the heat and mix in whatever herbs you wish. *side note: it’s worth noting, I added the spices in with the onion/pumpkin before the ground lamb because I wanted the get the spices to bloom a little in the oil and release their fragrance…mixed just with the onion and pumpkin, ground spices are close to the oil and they’ll release quickly.
Ok, back to the recipe. You’ve got your filling ready to go and your topping. In a circular baking dish or a 9x9 dish, spoon lamb-veg filling on the bottom. Top with potato-celeriac mash and any random bits of nice cheese if you’re feeling it. Bake for about 30 minutes in the oven at 350F / 175C until golden and lightly crispy on top. Enjoy with or without a blanket.
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Loved this!