Recipes

6/8/2018 0 Comments

Herbed brown rice medley

This is a complex, interesting dish.

Photo by Arria Belli (CC BY-SA 2.0)

Visually stunning, it also provides a wealth of textures and health benefits. Brown rice is rich in manganese, which is a powerful antioxidant. Manganese also helps in the synthesis of fatty acids, which are critical for a healthy nervous system. For those who are avoiding grains, feel free to substitute roasted sweet potato or a winter squash of your choice. Pumpkin seeds are a fantastic source of zinc, which supports immune function and skin health.

Prep
1 cup brown rice
1½ cups vegetable broth
¼ cup pumpkin seeds
⅓ cup cilantro
1 cup spinach
1 clove garlic
½ cup celery
½ lemon

Cook rice in a medium saucepan with broth, according to package instructions. Allow to cool.

Toast pumpkin seeds in a dry skillet over medium heat, stirring occasionally.

Finely chop cilantro, spinach and garlic. Slice celery and lemon.

Assemble
3 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon walnut oil
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon ground pepper
¼ cup feta cheese
¼ cup dried cranberries

In a small bowl, combine oils, salt and pepper, whisk gently. In a large bowl, combine cilantro, spinach and garlic. Toss with oil mixture. Stir in celery, salt, pepper, and pumpkin seeds. Stir in rice. Sprinkle with feta and cranberries. Toss again right before serving.

Serve
Serve with a squeeze of lemon.

Preparation: 45 minutes
Serves: 4

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5/4/2018 1 Comment

Beef stir-fry

Have you ever eaten a cooked radish?

Photo by jules (CC BY 2.0)

They are a surprising addition to this stir-fry, which also uses the often-overlooked radish greens. As members of the cruciferous vegetable family, radishes protect against cancer by providing phytonutrients, fiber, vitamins and minerals. The sweetness of the onion is a nice balance to the peppery radishes. Stir-frys are great, because they are unendingly versatile and cook up rather quickly. Chopping the veggies can take some time, but if you plan ahead you can chop extra veggies for another meal, and keep them in the fridge ready for stir-fry any time!

Prep
2 cups sprouted rice or quinoa
1 bunch radishes
½ inch fresh ginger
2 cloves garlic
½ cup yellow onion
½ pound sirloin
½ teaspoon curry powder
⅛ teaspoon Himalayan salt
⅛ teaspoon black pepper
½ teaspoon turmeric

Cook rice or quinoa according to package directions.

Cut radishes into quarters or eights if they are large. Save greens, rinse well and set aside. Peel and thinly slice ginger and garlic. Finely chop onion. Thinly slice sirloin.

In a medium bowl, mix curry powder, salt, pepper and turmeric. Toss with sirloin, mix well to coat evenly.

Stir-fry
2 tablespoons butter
1 tablespoon honey
2 tablespoon tamari
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
1 cup snow peas
¼ teaspoon salt

Heat 1 tablespoon butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add sirloin in an even layer and cook, undisturbed, until browned on bottom, about 1 minute. Flip and cook for an additional 30 seconds. Remove from skillet and set aside.

Add another tablespoon butter to skillet, reduce heat to low and cook ginger, garlic, onion and radishes, stirring frequently, until onion is soft, about 6 minutes. Add 1 tablespoon honey and increase heat to medium; cook until radishes are glazed, about 2 minutes. Add tamari and balsamic vinegar and simmer until thickened, about two minutes. Add radish greens, snow peas and ¼ teaspoon salt. Continue to cook, stirring frequently, until greens are wilted. Toss in beef to rewarm.

Serve
Serve over a bed of sprouted rice or quinoa.

Preparation: 30 minutes
Serves: 4

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2/10/2017 0 Comments

Salmon with Lemon Relish

This is a lovely way to prepare salmon, the pan of water creates a moist environment, and the low baking temperature allows the salmon to cook slowly, virtually ensuring success. The lemon relish is a tasty complement to salmon’s natural sweetness. Salmon is prized for its high levels of Omega 3 fatty acids, but it has many other benefits as well. Salmon has bioactive peptides that provide support for joint cartilage, insulin effectiveness and control of inflammation in the digestive tract. Salmon is rich in vitamins D, B3, B6 and the minerals selenium and phosphorus, as well as protein.

Prep
1 medium shallot, minced
1 tablespoon champagne vinegar
½ teaspoon Himalayan salt
2 lemons
sprouted brown rice

Peel and mince shallot, mix with vinegar and salt, set aside. Slice lemons into sixteenths and remove core and seeds. Slice wedges into very thin triangles.

Make sprouted brown rice according to package directions, enough for four servings.

Preheat oven to 200°.

Salmon
2 pounds salmon filet
¼ cup olive oil
1 teaspoon Himalayan salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground pepper

Place a baking dish with water in the lowest rack of the oven. Rub salmon with oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Place on a baking sheet and bake, uncovered, 45 minutes to an hour, or until the fish is firm to the touch and juices start to bead on the surface.

Relish
¼ cup olive oil
2 tablespoons chopped cilantro
¼ teaspoon freshly ground pepper

Add lemons, olive oil, cilantro and pepper to the shallot mixture. Mix well and refrigerate until salmon is done.

Serve
4 cups mixed greens

Serve salmon on a bed of mixed greens, with a side of sprouted brown rice and a heaping spoonful of relish.

Preparation: 15 minutes active plus 1 hour to bake
Serves: 4

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1/20/2017 1 Comment

Festival Chicken Stir-Fry

The secret to a good stir-fry is preparation!

Have all of the ingredients chopped and measured and at the ready when you begin heating the oil. This recipe uses pre-cooked chicken, so you don’t have to worry about timing the cooking of the raw meat. I like stir-frys because they are an easy way to incorporate beneficial spices that taste good. Plus, kids like it and it makes for great leftovers. Coconut aminos are a product made from the sap of the coconut tree. They are a sustainable, soy-free alternative to soy sauce for those who prefer to avoid soy. This recipe is packed full of turmeric, which is a potent anti-inflammatory. It has been used in Chinese and Indian medicine for centuries, and growing evidence demonstrates that turmeric offers protection against neurodegenerative diseases.

Prep
Sprouted rice or quinoa
1 shallot
2 cups shiitake mushrooms
2 cups broccoli florets
3 large carrots
6 cloves garlic
1½ inch piece ginger
2 cups chicken, cooked
1 lime

Cook quinoa or rice according to package directions, to make 2 cups cooked grains.

Finely chop shallots. Roughly chop mushrooms, and broccoli. Thinly slice carrots. Mince or finely chop garlic, grate ginger. Shred or roughly chop chicken meat. Slice lime into wedges.

Stir-fry
2 tablespoons coconut oil
½ cup coconut aminos
½ teaspoon Himalayan salt
1 tablespoon turmeric
½ cup sugar snap peas

Heat coconut oil in a wok or large skillet. Add shallots and cook 1 minute, stirring frequently. Add mushrooms; cook 2 minutes, stirring frequently. Add garlic and ginger, then carrots and broccoli; cook 3 minutes, stirring frequently. Stir in coconut aminos, salt and turmeric. Add peas and chicken; cook long enough to warm chicken.

Serve
Serve over rice or quinoa with lime wedges.

Preparation: 45 minutes
Serves: 4