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Raw Zucchini Noodles With Pesto And Tomatoes

This recipe for raw zucchini noodles with pesto and tomatoes is one of the simplest ways to turn your food into medicine. The whole recipe takes only a few minutes and it’s so healing and fresh tasting — it’s a keeper!

raw zucchini noodles with pesto and tomatoes

I have always wanted to love zucchini noodles/zoodles/zucchini spaghetti — whatever you want to call it. I really really really want to like this ever-so-healthy veggie noodle as much as I like every type of pasta on the planet.

Well, I’ve finally figured out how I like zucchini noodles! And I even like them raw now!

Here’s my secret: lots of high-quality olive oil. I marinate my zoodles in a great tasting olive oil (my favorite right now is Kasandrinos Extra-Virgin olive oil), Himalayan salt, and freshly ground black pepper. The noodles, even though not cooked at all, end up having the best texture and taste. And, after they have marinated a bit, then I top it with whatever I’m feeling at the moment.

Olive oil is one of the world’s healthiest fats! Read my article on The Healing Power Of Olive Oil to learn more about this — believe me, you’ll be using this healing oil on everything!

The pesto in this recipe is vegan and it’s made with arugula, basil, and garlic, and of course olive oil!

This marinating step was an epiphany for me — I really do like zoodles! I know I’m a bit late to the party, but better late than never…

Here in New York City, where we are lucky enough to be able to walk a few blocks and find every type of pre-cut vegetable noodle, it was just sad that I wasn’t out there grabbing these beauties every time I saw them. And, as a wellness consultant in Manhattan, my clients were buying up the stock of these grain-free pastas and asking me how to prepare them. Everyone seemed to love them but me… well, it’s nice to be one of the crowd now!

I love to customize recipes for specific health concerns. So, when my clients ask me to put on my health coach and chef’s hat, I often customize faux pasta recipes for their specific needs.  Let me customize a grain-free pasta recipe for you that will work for whatever’s going on in your body now… I’m such a geek that I really do get excited about doing this. So CLICK HERE to be taken directly into my calendar to sign up for your free phone consultation… I’d love to create a vegetable noodle recipe that addresses your specific needs!

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Yes, you can stay healthy when everyone else is sick, so download my free Boost Your Immune System ebook.

I urge you to try the many types of vegetable noodles available. If you live in a city like I do, you can walk into Whole Foods or go to the local farmers market and grab a container of them. If not, you can purchase a spiralizer and make them pretty easily yourself.

Another trick I love, is to mix vegetable noodles with buckwheat noodles. This creates a dish that really has the bite of a traditional pasta. You can try this technique in my recipe for Szechuan Zoodles. And, for another great take on a simpler noodle, try these Zoodles With Raw Tomato Basil Sauce.

raw zucchini noodles with pesto and tomatoes

Here are some of the great healing ingredients in this Raw Zucchini Noodles With Pesto And Tomatoes recipe:

Zucchini cools your body off and makes you feel better during those hot days of summer. It helps your body release excess heat and it will make your mind feel more calm.

Garlic is amazing in its antiviral and antibacterial capabilities. Garlic is actually a Chinese herb (Da Suan). It’s used to kill toxins and parasites and also to reduce swelling in the body. It’s what I call a great “A” herb: anesthetic, antibacterial, anti fungal, antioxidant, antiviral, etc….

Arugula has a good amount of calcium and it also contains vitamins A, C and K. It is rich in potassium and it’s extra beneficial in the summer because it actually cools the body down. This delicious peppery green is also believed to be a libido booster. One of the first things I learned when I started really taking care of my health through proper nutrition, was to substitute dark greens for lighter greens whenever possible. One of the easiest, tastiest, and healthiest switches you can make is to swap out some of your lighter salad greens for peppery, dark arugula.

Basil has anti-viral and anti-bacterial capabilities. It also is good for settling your stomach, and it’s good at lessening the symptoms of the common cold and its accompanying cough. Basil is a spiritual herb — the scent actually calms you; you can boil some in a pot and let the aroma fill the air, you can just leave some around the house, you can toss a bunch in your bath water (I love to do this), or you can use an essential oil with basil to get some great calming effects.

In Chinese medicine, we use tomatoes to aid in digestion and to help detoxify the body. They are also good to combat excess cholesterol, lessen inflammation and curb asthma. Tomatoes can also quench thirst, and they can help fight some kidney infections.

raw zucchini noodles with pesto and tomatoes

If you make this Raw Zucchini Noodles With Pesto And Tomatoes recipe, please be sure to let me know in the comments below. I love hearing how you like a recipe, and I love to answer your questions! If you make it, be sure to take a photo and tag me and post it on Instagram.

Raw Zucchini Noodles With Pesto And Tomatoes
Print
Recipe type: paleo, whole30, grain-free, dairy-free, gluten-free, raw
Cuisine: vegetable noodles, faux pasta
Author:
Prep time:
Total time:
Serves: 4
This recipe for raw zucchini noodles with pesto and tomatoes is so simple and it's one of the nicest things you can do for your body! Got 10 minutes? You've got dinner!
Ingredients
  • 3 cups zucchini noodles (store bought, or made with a spiralizer)
  • ½ cup good quality extra-virgin olive oil, divided
  • Himalayan salt and black pepper, to taste
  • 2 cups packed arugula
  • large handful fresh basil leaves (anywhere from about ¼ cup to 1 cup, depending on your taste)
  • ¼ cup vegan Parmesan cheese (optional)
  • 1 cup grape or cherry tomatoes
  • dried hot red pepper flakes, to taste (optional)
Instructions
  1. Place the zoodles in a shallow pie plate or a dish with sides.
  2. Pour ¼ cup olive oil on top.
  3. Season with salt and pepper.
  4. Toss gently and set aside.
  5. Make the pesto: In a food processor, combine the arugula, basil, ¼ cup olive oil,and optional Parmesan cheese.
  6. Process until combined well, but not totally smooth.
  7. Season with salt and pepper.
  8. Transfer the marinated zoodles to a platter.
  9. Scoop the pesto on top of the zoodles.
  10. Arrange tomatoes all around.
  11. Enjoy!

raw zucchini noodles with pesto and tomatoes

Cold Cucumber Herb Soup

This Cold Cucumber Herb Soup is filled with healing superfoods and greens. Make a pitcher and keep it in the fridge for the hot summer days ahead! Read more

Chickpea Penne With Arugula Pesto

Arugula can help cool your body down while giving you a good dose of calcium!
chickpea penne with arugula pesto

Is there anything more comforting than a big bowl of pasta? Nope. There’s not. At least not in my book. And this chickpea penne with arugula pesto doesn’t disappoint.

This recipe is great on 2 different fronts. First, there’s the pesto. OMG — this is sooooooooo good! And, it takes only 5 minutes to make. Next, there’s the beauty and deliciousness of the grain-free pasta made from chickpeas. Well, this is nothing short of genius!

I would serve this to a crowd of eve the pickiest eaters. But, truth be told, the last time I made this, it was all for me. Yes, it’s a really big bowl, I know, but I was home all by myself and I felt like I deserved the queen’s treatment. And this did the trick. And no, I didn’t eat the whole bowl. Well, at least not in one sitting… This was a totally decadent treat for me. A night home alone. A hot bath. A big bowl of this chickpea penne with arugula pesto. A nice glass of Sauvignon Blanc. Yup, certainly queen-like!

Basil pesto has always been a go-to for me. But recently, I started experimenting with pestos made from different herbs and greens and other interesting veggies. I can honestly say that this arugula pesto is amazing. I have started to like it even better than my traditional beloved basil pesto.

As soon as I admitted my love for all things pesto, I started seeing recipes all over the place. I just want to give a shout-out to Emily at A Nutritionist Eats for opening my eyes to arugula pesto.

chickpea penne with arugula pesto

chickpea penne with arugula pesto

Here are some of the great healing ingredients in this chickpea penne with arugula pesto:

Arugula has a good amount of calcium and it also contains vitamins A, C and K. It is rich in potassium and it’s extra beneficial in the summer because it actually cools the body down. This delicious peppery green is also believed to be a libido booster. One of the first things I learned when I started really taking care of my health through proper nutrition, was to substitute dark greens for lighter greens whenever possible. One of the easiest, tastiest, and healthiest switches you can make is to swap out some of your lighter salad greens for peppery, dark arugula.

Chickpeas actually help calm the spirit. They relieve anxiety and soothe irritability… it kind of makes you realize why hummus is so popular…

Lemon peels contain calcium, potassium and vitamin C. Lemons are good for your stomach, they help detoxify your body, they balance your pH and they act as an antibacterial. If you have a sore throat or a cough, go for lemons to make things better. Lemons are great for quenching your thirst, and, in China, many years ago, hypertension was treated by drinking tea made from lemon peels. This recipe uses zested lemon peel and lemon juice.

Garlic is amazing in its antiviral and antibacterial capabilities. Garlic is actually a Chinese herb (Da Suan). It’s used to kill toxins and parasites and also to reduce swelling in the body. It’s what I call a great “A” herb: anesthetic, antibacterial, anti fungal, antioxidant, antiviral, etc….

Cashews are really a multi-tasking nut. I use them all the time so I say it all the time: Cashews have a lower fat content than most other nuts. Most of the fat in cashews is unsaturated and is made up of oleic acid; this is the same acid that is found in olive oil, making these nuts a heart-healty choice.

chickpea penne with arugula pesto

Chickpea Penne With Arugula Pesto
Print
Recipe type: simple, pasta, comfort food, pesto
Cuisine: pasta, American, Italian, grain-free, dairy-free
Author:
Prep time:
Cook time:
Total time:
Serves: 3
Arugula pesto is even better than basil pesto! This is awesome. And it takes only 5 minutes to make it. Use grain-free pasta like I did, or substitute your own favorite pasta!
Ingredients
  • ½ lb grain-free chickpea pasta (or use your favorite pasta), cooked al dente, and drained (SAVE ABOUT ⅓ CUP OF THE PASTA COOKING WATER FOR THE PESTO!!!)
  • 2 cups arugula
  • 3 Tbs extra-virgin olive oil
  • Juice and zest from one lemon
  • ½ cup raw cashews
  • 2 garlic cloves, chopped
  • 2 Tbs vegan Parmesan (or whatever Parmesan makes you smile)
  • Sea salt to taste
  • pinch of dried red pepper flakes, or to taste
Instructions
  1. Put the cooked pasta in a large bowl. (Be sure to reserve about ⅓ cup of the pasta cooking water, and set that on the side in case you need it for the pesto.)
  2. Put all remaining ingredients in a food processor and process until finely minced. Add as much of the reserved pasta cooking water as you need to make it a creamy pesto-y consistency.
  3. Toss the pesto with the pasta.
  4. Enjoy!

chickpea penne with arugula pesto

Buckwheat Sweet Potato Arugula Salad

Sweet potatoes are great for your digestive system!

buckwheat sweet potato arugula salad

In my mind, the best salads have 5 components: fresh greens, something chewy and substantial, something sweet, something tangy, and something unexpected. This Buckwheat Sweet Potato Arugula Salad has got ’em all!

When I lived in the suburbs for many years, I would go to the supermarket and stock up for the week. I was always a pretty good planner and I would have some idea of what I would need for the whole week and I would make a list and go buy those very things. That kind of planning was a necessity then. I mean, I had kids, a full-time stressful job, a long commute… it was the only way to get it done.

Oh, how things have changed. Now, I live in the very city I used to spend hours commuting to. I have a small kitchen, and, my kids are out of the house. Now, when I go to the market, I like to buy just what I feel like cooking and eating in that moment. Well, plus whatever unnecessary items catch my eye… This feels like such a luxury to me and I love it!

I very rarely crave salad for dinner. I just don’t think most salads are satisfying enough to be a good dinner. But, one day last week, I was craving salad. But I knew that I wanted some of it to be warm. My fav salad of all times is from an Italian restaurant that puts steaming hot veggies on top of ice cold greens… that’s what I wanted. But, I also wanted it to be vegan and to be filling at the same time. Oh, and I didn’t feel like eating too many beans. Wow, I can really be difficult at times…

Let me tell you, rather immodestly at that, that this salad is incredible. It hit all it’s marks. The buckwheat is chewy. The sweet potatoes are warm and sweet. The tempeh tastes like unexpected little pieces of smoky bacon. The spinach and arugula are refreshing.  The cherries are tart. The dressing is tangy. The pecans are crunchy. Okay, enough praises. But you’ve got to make this!

And, if you are looking for another great salad, try my recipe for Paleo Vegan Caesar Salad.

buckwheat sweet potato arugula salad

buckwheat sweet potato arugula salad

Here are some great reasons to make this buckwheat sweet potato arugula salad:

Sweet potatoes are good for your digestive system. They can be good for both constipation and diarrhea. These orange gems also help rid your body of excess water, are good for breast health, help people with diabetes and actually can help ease night blindness. In olden times, it was common in China to rub mashed sweet potatoes on poison insect bites to remove the toxins. I haven’t tried this, but if you see me looking a tad orange, this will be why…

Buckwheat is a seed, not a grain. It is great to eat if you have diarrhea. It also helps lower blood pressure, stops some types of sweating, and has a good amount of vitamin E, and has antioxidants that can help fight cancer and heart disease.

Arugula has a good amount of calcium and it also contains vitamins A, C and K. It is rich in potassium and it’s extra beneficial in the summer because it actually cools the body down. This delicious peppery green is also believed to be a libido booster. One of the first things I learned when I started really taking care of my health through proper nutrition, was to substitute dark greens for lighter greens whenever possible. One of the easiest, tastiest, and healthiest switches you can make is to swap out some of your lighter salad greens for peppery, dark arugula.

It is true that spinach contains iron, but it’s this vegetable’s lesser-known qualities that really hold my admiration. Spinach contains a substance that helps eliminate prostate cancer. It’s also great for your bones and also for memory loss. Diabetic patients may find that eating spinach helps combat excessive thirst and can even be good for night blindness. Spinach can inhibit the body’s ability to absorb calcium, so calcium-rich foods should be avoided when eating this leafy green.

In Asian medicine, nuts are known to be good for your brain, heart, skin and reproductive system. Almonds are particularly nutritious. They are a good source of protein and they give you energy. And, they are gluten-free. Almonds will help relieve a cough and asthma and are also good for constipation. Pecans are good for energy and they can also help you get rid of a cough. They are also good to help combat constipation, lower back pain, low libido, and erectile dysfunction.

Cherries are one of the best foods to combat many types of arthritis and joint pain. Also, because cherries help improve circulation, they can be helpful for post-stroke patients. In Chinese medicine, we also believe that cherries help to maintain the body’s “essence” or life-force. I always keep a bottle of organic black cherry juice in the fridge and I often drink a few ounces before bedtime or put a little in my smoothies. I also keep bags of frozen cherries in the freezer. And when fresh cherries are in season, you can always find a big bowl in my kitchen. This recipe uses tart dried cherries — I love them and use them as a substitute for raisins in many recipes.

buckwheat sweet potato arugula salad

Buckwheat Sweet Potato Arugula Salad
Print
Recipe type: salad, buckwheat, sweet potatoes
Cuisine: vegan, vegetarian, salad, side dish, main course
Author:
Prep time:
Cook time:
Total time:
Serves: 4
This salad has everything you could ever want. It's filling and tangy and sweet and just so delicious! And it has so many healing ingredients!
Ingredients
  • 1 cup raw buckwheat, cooked according to package directions, then drained and rinsed with cold water (you should end up with about 2 cups of cooked buckwheat), and then immediately tossed with 2 Tbs extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 medium sweet potato (I used a purple one), washed and cut into 1-inch pieces
  • 1 Tbs coconut oil, melted
  • sea salt and black pepper
  • 1-1/2 cups fresh arugula, chopped
  • 1-1/2 cups fresh baby spinach, chopped
  • ⅓ cup pecans, chopped
  • 2 Tbs dried tart cherries
  • 3 oz Facon Bacon tempeh, cut into pieces (or substitute another cooked flavor of tempeh or whatever other meat substitute you like)
  • For the dressing:
  • ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
  • 2 Tbs balsamic vinegar
  • sea salt and black pepper, to taste
  • 2 tsp Dijon mustard
  • 2 tsp coconut sugar
Instructions
  1. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees.
  2. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
  3. Spread the sweet potatoes onto the sheet and toss them with the coconut oil and some salt and pepper.
  4. Roast in the oven for about 20 minutes, or until the sweet potatoes are done.
  5. Meanwhile, make the dressing by whisking all of the ingredients together. Set aside.
  6. In a large bowl, combine the buckwheat, pecans, arugula, spinach, Facon Bacon, and cherries.
  7. Gently stir in the cooked sweet potatoes.
  8. Add as much dressing as you like and gently toss.
  9. Enjoy!

buckwheat sweet potato arugula salad

Roasted Red Pepper Pasta Bowl

Pasta rules! And this roasted red pepper pasta bowl is awesome!

roasted red pepper pasta bowl

Yay! Another great, fantastic, awesome, deliciously healing, yet paleo AND vegan pasta dish that tastes like real, classic, homemade Italian pasta. Wow, that was a mouthful! But I honestly don’t know how to accurately describe the awesomeness of this dish without using so many adjectives…

If you know me at all, you know that I will try any and every pasta that I see if it’s paleo. Some are truly awesome. Some… not so much. This lentil pasta is one of my favorites. (See the recipe below for where you can buy it.) It really has the texture and taste of traditional whole wheat pasta. For real — no one will know.

I made this dish a few days ago and I got to do one of my favorite things — feed an unsuspecting guest… My daughter’s boyfriend was here and I was in the kitchen experimenting and I made these pasta bowls. You know young men — they are always hungry… So, he gladly accepted a pasta bowl and ate it. Now, he knows my bent toward all things healthy, so after he ate half of it, he looked up and asked: “Is it real pasta?” I just smiled. He knew the answer, but continued to eat with gusto. Success! After that my daughter ate it and also loved it. The list continued from there. So, to Sam, my willing taste-tester, you are welcome in my kitchen any time!

This pasta is made so amazing by the delicious (and oh-so-easy) creamy roasted red pepper sauce. And then, a few drizzles of pesto and a dollop of cheese (I used a great vegan creamy cheese) and some crisp fresh arugula and fragrant basil. Really, this roasted red pepper pasta bowl is the complete package! I have to send an shoutout now to one of my favorite blogs: Half Baked Harvest, because she came up with the original recipe that inspired me to create this version — ingenious!

If you are looking to try another paleo pasta recipe, try my Vegan Fettuccine Bolognese.

roasted red pepper pasta bowl

Here are some of the amazing ingredients in this roasted red pepper pasta bowl:

Bell peppers help with indigestion. If you are feeling bloated and full from over-eating a lot lately, consuming bell peppers will help reduce this feeling. They are also good for blood circulation and research has shown that they are good for people with a low appetite or anorexia. It used to be common in China to use bell pepper tea to soothe indigestion.

Lentils help lower cholesterol, manage blood sugar levels, are high in vitamin B and protein, and have hardly any fat. They are a good source of long-term energy and are very high in fiber. These tiny legumes also help with digestion and they are the perfect protein to eat in the summer because they actually clear the body of excess heat; long ago, cold lentil soup was prescribed for patients with heatstroke or fever.

Cashews are really a multi-tasking nut. I use them all the time so I say it all the time: Cashews have a lower fat content than most other nuts. Most of the fat in cashews is unsaturated and is made up of oleic acid; this is the same acid that is found in olive oil, making these nuts a heart-healty choice. The cashews give this sauce a velvety, creamy texture.

Basil has anti-viral and anti-bacterial capabilities. It also is good for settling your stomach, and it’s good at lessening the symptoms of the common cold and its accompanying cough. Basil is a spiritual herb — the scent actually calms you; you can boil some in a pot and let the aroma fill the air, you can just leave some around the house, you can toss a bunch in your bath water (I love to do this), or you can use an essential oil with basil to get some great calming effects.

Garlic is amazing in its antiviral and antibacterial capabilities. Garlic is actually a Chinese herb (Da Suan). It’s used to kill toxins and parasites and also to reduce swelling in the body. It’s what I call a great “A” herb: anesthetic, antibacterial, anti fungal, antioxidant, antiviral, etc….

Arugula has a good amount of calcium and it also contains vitamins A, C and K. It is rich in potassium and it’s extra beneficial in the summer because it actually cools the body down. This delicious peppery green is also believed to be a libido booster. One of the first things I learned when I started really taking care of my health through proper nutrition, was to substitute dark greens for lighter greens whenever possible. One of the easiest, tastiest, and healthiest switches you can make is to swap out some of your lighter salad greens for peppery, dark arugula.

roasted red pepper pasta bowl

Roasted Red Pepper Pasta Bowl
Print
Recipe type: pasta, paleo, vegan, Italialn
Cuisine: recipe adapted from: Half Baked Harvest
Author:
Prep time:
Cook time:
Total time:
Serves: 4
This pasta is paleo, vegan, creamy, and healing! Oh, and did I mention it is awesomely delicious and so easy to make...
Ingredients
  • 16-oz jarred roasted red peppers
  • 10 sun-dried tomatoes, packed in oil, drained
  • 2 large garlic cloves
  • ¼ cup raw cashews (you can buy them here)
  • ½ cup packed fresh basil leaves (plus more for serving)
  • 12 oz pasta -- I used a paleo, lentil pasta (you can buy the lentil pasta here)
  • a few handfuls of fresh arugula
  • small jar of vegan pesto (whatever kind of pesto you like will be great)
  • 4 dollops of a creamy cheese (I used Kite Hill's vegan cream cheese with chives and it was perfect)
Instructions
  1. Boil the pasta al dente.
  2. Put the red peppers, sun-dried tomatoes, garlic, cashews, and ½ cup basil into a blender (I used my Vitamix, so it was really quick). Whiz it up until smooth and creamy.
  3. Drain the pasta.
  4. Toss the pasta with as much sauce as you like.
  5. Divide the pasta between 4 bowls.
  6. Top with pesto, arugula, cheese, and extra basil leaves.
  7. Enjoy!

roasted red pepper pasta bowl

Sweet Potato Strawberry Arugula Salad

This sweet potato strawberry arugula salad has everything your body needs to feel awesome!

sweet potato strawberry arugula salad

We are in the process of trying to sell our house so there are strangers walking through at all times. It’s hard to keep the house perfectly clean for all of the potential buyers stopping by! Especially the kitchen! Now, when I cook I try to be mindful of the cleanup, which is a real challenge for me because I use a lot of equipment and ingredients when I create recipes.

I went to the market the other day with absolutely no idea of what i was going to prepare when I got home. So many things looked so good… this might have been because I was hungry when I got there, which is probably not the best time to food shop…

It’s much more of a challenge to put my food together into a cohesive meal if I’ve shopped before breakfast. If I shop hungry, everything looks great. I feel like I get one of those cartoon bubbles above my head with experimental recipe ideas written out. Sometimes when I unload the bags at home, I can’t imagine what I was thinking. But sometimes, it just works.

So, I bought a bag of produce filled with beautiful colors. I bought beautifully orange sweet potatoes, huge firm strawberries, perfectly ripe avocados, fresh arugula and spinach, and oranges the size of your head.

When I got home I was starving! And, I still hadn’t eaten breakfast. And, let me tell you, this NEVER happens — I always eat breakfast. But, the fridge was bare… even my smoothie ingredients were severely lacking.

I heated the oven and put the sweet potatoes in to roast. Then I layed out all of my other ingredients on the counter. The colors were beautiful, but they didn’t seem to be conducive of a cohesive meal.

Salad to the rescue! Sometimes beautiful fresh ingredients come together in the most unexpected ways, like in this colorful, sweet potato strawberry arugula salad. I don’t want to call this a breakfast salad, because I’m well aware that a lot of people don’t like salad for breakfast, but if you’re game, you should try it because this is an awesome breakfast!

If you like salads with out-of-the-ordinary ingredients, try my Tomato And Herb Salad With Roasted Lemons too.

sweet potato strawberry arugula salad

This salad is delicious and so good for you:

Sweet potatoes are good for your digestive system. They can be good for both constipation and diarrhea. These orange gems also help rid your body of excess water, are good for breast health, help people with diabetes and actually can help ease night blindness. In olden times, it was common in China to rub mashed sweet potatoes on poison insect bites to remove the toxins. I haven’t tried this, but if you see me looking a tad orange, this will be why…

Strawberries help get rid of excess alcohol in your body and they are good for your heart. They even help reduce plaque in your mouth and can make you feel better if you have an annoying dry cough or if you feel bloated from eating too much. So, if you’ve overindulged, strawberries are great for you.

Avocados are one of my favorite foods, both for their health benefits and because they taste great. In Chinese medicine, some practitioners recommend avocados to raise the sperm count. I like them because they are good for anemia, dry skin, palpitations and hot flashes due to menopause.

Oranges will help boost your levels of vitamins A, B and C. In Chinese medicine oranges have been used for many years to help coughs, colds and anorexia. Lately, oranges have been widely touted for their ability to help heal colon cancer. I peel my oranges and lay the rinds in the sun to dry, and save them for tea or for cooking because the rinds are an actual Chinese herb. I dry out the peels of oranges, tangerines, clementines… whatever I have. Dried tangerine peel, or “chen pi” as it’s known in Chinese medicine, is one of the greatest and most easily accessible herbs around. It’s especially good for digestive issues like abdominal discomfort, distention, fullness, bloating, belching, and nausea. It’s also great if you have a cough with a heavy or stuffy chest.

Arugula has a good amount of calcium and it also contains vitamins A, C and K. It is rich in potassium and it’s extra beneficial in the summer because it actually cools the body down. This delicious peppery green is also believed to be a libido booster. One of the first things I learned when I started really taking care of my health through proper nutrition, was to substitute dark greens for lighter greens whenever possible. One of the easiest, tastiest, and healthiest switches you can make is to swap out some of your lighter salad greens for peppery, dark arugula.

It is true that spinach contains iron, but it’s this vegetable’s lesser-known qualities that really hold my admiration. Spinach contains a substance that helps eliminate prostate cancer. It’s also great for your bones and also for memory loss. Diabetic patients may find that eating spinach helps combat excessive thirst and can even be good for night blindness. Spinach can inhibit the body’s ability to absorb calcium, so calcium-rich foods should be avoided when eating this leafy green.

Basil has anti-viral and anti-bacterial capabilities. It also is good for settling your stomach, and it’s good at lessening the symptoms of the common cold and its accompanying cough. Basil is a spiritual herb — the scent actually calms you; you can boil some in a pot and let the aroma fill the air, you can just leave some around the house, you can toss a bunch in your bath water (yes, really), or you can use an essential oil with basil to get some great calming effects.

sweet potato strawberry arugula salad

Sweet Potato Strawberry Arugula Salad
Print
Recipe type: salad
Cuisine: American, vegetarian, vegan
Author:
Prep time:
Total time:
Serves: 2
The colors in this salad are beautiful and the taste is even better! This salad is filled with ingredients that will heal you and make you smile!
Ingredients
  • 1 cup arugula
  • 1 cup baby spinach
  • 8 basil leaves, torn into large pieces
  • 1 orange, peeled and sliced, slices cut in half
  • 6 large strawberries, sliced
  • 1 large roasted sweet potato, roasted and then sliced
  • 1 avocado, sliced
  • For Balsamic Vinaigrette:
  • ¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
  • 2 Tbs balsamic vinegar
  • 1 tsp Dijon mustard
  • 1 tsp coconut sugar (or other healthy sweetener)
  • sea salt and black pepper to taste
Instructions
  1. Arrange all salad ingredients on a large platter.
  2. Whisk all dressing ingredients together and drizzle onto salad.
  3. Enjoy!

sweet potato strawberry arugula salad

Lemon Pesto Fish Fillets

Dinner doesn’t get easier than these lemon pesto fish fillets!

lemon pesto fish fillets

Sometimes I want to make fish but I don’t want all of the fuss that sometimes comes with some of my seafood creations.  I don’t know what it is about fish that triggers something in my head that says I have to make a sauce or lots of sides, but it really doesn’t need to be that way. I created this recipe  on one of those nights that I was hungry and wanted to eat fast. It was mid-week and the cod at the market looked really good, so I bought it. When I was deciding what to do with it, I stood in front of my open fridge and peered inside. This is a bad habit of mine — I just stand there hoping for ingredients that don’t exist to appear…

But, on this particular day, I saw a container filled with a beautifully green fresh pesto that I forgot I had. Two days earlier, I was at the farmers’ market and there was a vendor selling all different kinds of the most amazingly delicious fresh pestos. I bought it thinking I was really going to use it as a dip, but when I saw it, it was like a lightbulb went on over my head and this simple recipe jumped into my brain.

The pesto I used was a vegan kale, arugula, and basil pesto, but you can use any kind of pesto you like.

The bright flavor of the pesto and the lemon juice and grated lemon peels make this dish taste like spring.

So, don’t wait until you feel like cooking to make these lemon pesto fish fillets! They can be made any night you have 15 minutes to spare!

And, for the next time you want an easy fish recipe, try my simple Perfect Baked Fish recipe.

lemon pesto fish fillets

Here are some nutrition facts for this recipe:

Fish is great to eat if you feel like you need more energy. It’s also helps with diarrhea and hemorrhoids. I used cod for this recipe, but almost any fish would be delicious with this preparation and creamy mustard sauce. Red Snapper, like many fish varieties, is good for the cardiovascular system; it helps protect against heart attacks and strokes and can help regulate blood pressure. It’s also very low in calories… so have a nice big piece! (Please, avoid farm-raised fish and those varieties with a high amount of mercury.)

Kale is everywhere these days. I kind of got a little tired of just eating it in salads, so I now use it inside of different dishes, like here in this pesto (if you make your own pesto, just toss some kale leaves in with the basil). It is extremely nutritious, and because it is so popular you can find it already washed and prepared in lots of markets, and it’s in so many prepared dishes now, like pestos, salsas, and sauces. I bought my pesto for this dish already made and packed in a container; it seems to be the in-thing at farmers’ markets this season! Kale is a great source of fiber and calcium. It’s also rich in many minerals, including magnesium, iron and potassium. One serving contains 200% of the daily requirements of Vitamin C and 180% of Vitamin A.

Basil has anti-viral and anti-bacterial capabilities. It also is good for settling your stomach, and it’s good at lessening the symptoms of the common cold and its accompanying cough. Basil is a spiritual herb — the scent actually calms you; you can boil some in a pot and let the aroma fill the air, you can just leave some around the house, you can toss a bunch in your bath water (yes, really), or you can use an essential oil with basil to get some great calming effects.

Arugula has a good amount of calcium and it also contains vitamins A, C and K. It is rich in potassium and it’s extra beneficial in the summer because it actually cools the body down. This delicious peppery green is also believed to be a libido booster. One of the first things I learned when I started really taking care of my health through proper nutrition, was to substitute dark greens for lighter greens whenever possible. One of the easiest, tastiest, and healthiest switches you can make is to swap out some of your lighter salad greens for peppery, dark arugula.

Lemon peels contain calcium, potassium and vitamin C. Lemons are good for your stomach, they help detoxify your body, they balance your pH and they act as an antibacterial. If you have a sore throat or a cough, go for lemons to make things better. Lemons are great for quenching your thirst, and, in China, many years ago, hypertension was treated by drinking tea made from lemon peels.

lemon pesto fish fillets

Lemon Pesto Fish Fillets
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Recipe type: fish
Cuisine: American, Mediterranean
Author:
Prep time:
Cook time:
Total time:
Serves: 2-3
All you need is 15 minutes to make this easy fish recipe; it will be your go-to on a busy week-night... and it tastes so fresh and bright!
Ingredients
  • 1 lb fish fillets, cut into 4 pieces (I used cod, but use whatever looks fresh at the market)
  • 2 tsp extra-virgin olive oil
  • sea salt and black pepper
  • 2 lemons: 1 juiced and zested; the other sliced
  • about ¾ cup pesto (any variety you like -- I used a vegan kale, basil, arugula pesto)
Instructions
  1. Preheat the oven to 400°F.
  2. Grease a baking sheet with the oil.
  3. Season the fish with salt and pepper.
  4. Lay the lemon slices on the bottom of the baking sheet.
  5. Arrange the fish on top of the lemon slices.
  6. Spread the pesto over the fish fillets.
  7. Squeeze the lemon over the pesto.
  8. Roast the fish in the oven until the centers flake easily with a fork (mine took 15 minutes, but yours may be different)
  9. Remove the fish from the oven and sprinkle the lemon zest over.
  10. Enjoy!

lemon pesto fish fillets