These 10 clean eating recipes are one’s you’ll make again and again!
Okay, so Day One is here! If any part of your New Year’s resolution involves clean eating, you’ll love these recipes.
Here are 10 of my favorite easy to make clean eating recipes. And, each one can be made in advance, so you can make enough for the week in one batch and store the rest in the fridge for the week.
Make a few of these each week and I promise you will feel better. Really. All that bloat that you have from the holidays (okay… all that bloat that I have from the holidays…) will start to disappear. I mean it.
Are you with me? Click on the recipe links beneath each picture and let’s get cooking!!!
Here they are:
This is the best soup. It’s healthy. It keeps well in the fridge. And you can change it up each night with different toppings…
This raspberry chia pudding is delicious and since you can make it the night before, you’ll be so happy in the morning!
It’s Day One. Again. Almost. Next week is when it happens. Yes, it’s time to stop all of my food and eating madness!!!! I’m usually a really healthy eater. I know what my body feels best eating and that’s what I do. But I’m on vacation. And, oh, all of the glorious food… it’s all sooooooooooooo good… and the margaritas… oh my…
I’m getting my recipes ready for my return to health. Chia puddings are awesome for breakfast.
I’m on a big customized-recipe-creation kick right now (okay… always…), so let me customize a 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. I’ve got a chia pudding recipe with your name on it… So CLICK HEREto be taken directly into my calendar to sign up for your free phone consultation.
Here’s a really good recipe for a great chia pudding. I’m telling you: make it and keep it in the fridge. Make enough for a few days. You’ll be really happy you did. And, if you love your raspberries with chocolate, you should try this great nicecream recipe.
Chia seeds are ancient seeds that got their name from the Mayan word for “strength”. These tiny seeds have the unique ability to turn liquid into a gel-like substance when making puddings and they are great added to smoothies and shakes. They are really good for you because they are rich in omega-3 fatty acids, antioxidants and fiber. They give this pudding the consistency of rice pudding, so it’s a delicious breakfast that your body and your tastebuds will love!
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. Even if you are not on a dairy-free diet, almond milk is the way to go.
Raspberries are an anti-aging fruit. They are great for men who are experiencing frequent urination and for men and women with vision issues. They have anti-cancer and anti-inflammation properties. In Chinese medicine, raspberries are an herb called Fu Pen Zi. This Chinese herb is prescribed for impotence, premature ejaculation, poor vision, and frequent urination. Raspberries are great for you, but if you are experiencing difficulty urinating, that’s when this berry should be avoided.
If you make this Raspberry Chia Pudding 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.
This recipe for raspberry chia pudding is the perfect solution to a healthy simple breakfast. Make it the night before, store it in the fridge and in the morning, you will be so happy.
Easy-peasy… okay, easy-carroty. These roasted carrots with lime zest are the perfect side dish for everything!
Who doesn’t need a quick, delicious, healthy, festive-looking side dish right about now? Even though cooking is truly my favorite thing about all holidays… I love having a few tried-and-true, beautiful-to-look-at, healthy side dishes up my sleeve. This is a great one.
I’m a lightweight when it comes to wine. I love it but I find that when I drink wine while I’m cooking, inevitably I leave out ingredients, or I leave a whole dish in the fridge instead of serving it… stupid stuff like that… but this dish is easy enough that even us lightweights can drink and cook at the same time…
These roasted carrots with lime zest are beautiful. And they are sweet. And they have the tang of lime zest.
And just look how bright and pretty they are.
They are just perfect with everything!
So, here it is, Christmas Eve… this will take you 5 minutes to prep and then you won’t have to touch it while the pan roasts in the oven.
If you have leftover carrots, try this carrot soup tomorrow, just because soup is awesome on family days!
Happy holiday! Enjoy everything and everyone!
Sometimes we forget that simple recipes can be terrifically healthy:
Carrots help strengthen the organs in your body. They also are good for the eyes (this is their claim to fame) and they promote healthy digestion. Many moons ago, people used to make carrot tea to ward off measles and to prevent cancer. Carrots help detoxify the body and in today’s world of Chinese medicine, they are prescribed to ease constipation and tonsillitis.
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…. I always keep several heads of garlic on hand in my kitchen. When I catch a cold, I blend up the cloves from a head of garlic along with some lemon, lime, and honey and I drink it… it knocks those germs to the curb!
What could be easier than a slow cooker whole chicken recipe? Nothing! And it’s moist and delicious!
It seems almost everyone is a huge slow cooker fan.
Even though I completely understand the draw — I mean, they are easy — I never completely jumped on the slow cooker bandwagon (mostly because I don’t feel I’m that good at it…)
But, everywhere I turn, I see recipes for EVERYTHING in a slow cooker.
You know what they say… you like what you’re good at? Well, my slow cooker food is often not my best food. When you see me post a slow cooker recipe, I’ve usually had to test it over and over again to finally get a great result. I think this might be due to the fact that once you put the ingredients in, you can’t fiddle with them and keep tasting it to adjust the seasonings, etc.
But, I am a HUGE fan of cooking a whole chicken. Whole roasted chicken is kind of my signature dinner when I’m having friends over.
During Thanksgiving, I saw recipes for turkey breasts in slow cookers… and they looked good! And I saw whole huge roasts being cooked in them. And big big pieces of everything imaginable.
So, I figured, a whole chicken has to work, right?
RIGHT! 1000 times right! This recipe for slow cooker whole chicken is amazing! The chicken came out so moist! It won’t replace my roasted chicken when I’m in the mood for crispy skin, but for all of my recipes for chicken salad, soup, quesadillas, nachos, pulled chicken, and everything I like to make with shredded chicken or just the meat of the chicken, this is perfect! Pesto Chicken Salad or Shredded Chicken And Cabbage Slaw would be perfect!
All you do is season the bird, put it on top of your veggies of choice in the slow cooker and leave it alone. I wish I could find the words to tell you how easy and how delicious this is and how moist and juicy the meat is…
Feel free to substitute whatever vegetables you like in this recipe, but I used what my body needed at the time. Here’s what was in my slow cooker:
Chicken is something I always buy organic. Organic chicken is a great, healthy protein to give you energy, lessen the pain of some types of arthritis, and boost your system when you are particularly weak — like after surgery or childbirth. People who have some conditions that we consider “excess heat” conditions should limit the amount of chicken they eat. So, if you have an illness that gives you a bright red tongue or severe dryness in your body, check with your doctor first.
Onions are great for your immune system; they are a natural antihistamine. It sounds odd but if you have bronchitis, you can actually put sliced raw onions in your socks when you go to sleep and you will wake up feeling so much better. The onion draws the unhealthy germs right out of your body. Onion is a superhero in the food world! I used red onions in this recipe, but I have to say, I think white or yellow would be better because the beautiful color of the onions gets a bit murky in the slow cooker!
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 can’t say I’ve tried this, but if need be, I’m game!
In Chinese medicine, we use tomatoes to quench thirst and help with digestion. If a patient of mine comes in with hypertension or dehydration, I will often recommend eating tomatoes. In our country, one of the things that tomatoes are touted for is their choline content. Choline helps with sleep, memory and muscle function. So, between the Eastern and the Western ways, tomatoes are awesome!
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….
I also added some raw Chinese Herbs to the pot. My favorite thing about using a slow cooker is that because things cook so slowly, any herbs I add get lots of time to infuse their healing capabilities into my food. I added Huang Qi (Astragalus) and Shan Yao (Chinese Yam) for energy.
What could be better than putting a whole chicken in the slow cooker in the morning and coming home to a delicious moist chicken ready for you? This recipe was inspired by so many of my favorite cooks and bloggers, but I must give a shout out to Heidi at FoodieCrush because her recipe really inspired me!
Ingredients
1 4 lb. whole organic chicken, rinsed inside and out and then dried
sea salt and black pepper
½ tsp paprika
½ tsp dried thyme
1 large onion, cut into large chunks
3 carrots, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 cup grape tomatoes
1 large or 2 sm/medium sweet potatoes, cut into chunks
8 cloves of garlic
Instructions
Season the chicken generously with salt and pepper.
Sprinkle on the paprika and thyme.
Put all of the veggies and garlic in the slow cooker.
Nestle any Chinese herbs you are using in the vegetable pile.
Lay the seasoned chicken on top of the veggies.
Cook on low heat for 9 hours.
Remove the chicken, and do what you want with it: shred it, eat it as is, cut it up and serve with anything you like...
I make a huge platter of this seafood salad with garlic and oil for every holiday!
Ok, so it’s that time of the year when I always feel full. There’s just soooooooo much food everywhere! I’m not complaining; it’s one of the things I love best about the holiday season, BUT I’m like an addict and I. Can’t. Stop. Eating.
This simple seafood salad with garlic and oil is my antidote to all of that heavy food.
It’s so light and clean and satisfying and it feels just a little bit fancy…
Ok, I’m going to fess up here… I actually made a HUGE platter of this and served it at Thanksgiving alongside the turkey and sides. It may not be traditional, but it was goooooood. And, everyone ate it… even the doubters who thought this was too much of a break from tradition… and, because it’s a cold salad, it made for the best leftovers — which was my master plan all along. Having leftovers that are not heavy is a great thing.
One of the greatest things to do with leftover seafood, is to make a lettuce or cabbage wrap with them. These Smoky Shrimp Cabbage Leaf Wraps are awesome and will take you only a few minutes to prepare!
I make this dish a lot. It’s great for a dinner party. Or brunch. Or… just because. And, it’s adaptable to whatever seafood looks freshest when you are at the fish market.
This time, I used a ton of shrimp and squid. I was happy to be able to buy the shrimp already deveined and the squid was already cleaned so all I had to do was slice it…
Not only is this seafood salad delicious and refreshing, but it is really good for you:
Clams, aside from being a favorite of mine, are one of the most nutritious foods around. Anytime you steam clams, make sure you also use the steaming liquid in a sauce of some kind because the water soaks up the benefits of the clam shells. These shells are a Chinese herb (Ge Ke) that’s used to clear phlegm and neutralize stomach acid. They are the “tums” of Chinese herbs and are also good for some coughs and wheezing.
In Chinese medicine, scallops are considered to have some great health benefits. They are great for people who find that they are urinating too often at night and they are also great for the digestion; they are especially good at relieving bloating, constipation, and excessive belching.
Some people used to stay away from shrimp because they were afraid that eating them raised cholesterol levels. Now, research shows that shrimp actually can lower triglycerides because they are rich in Omega-3s. And, they are high in protein and low in calories, so really, they are a pretty good thing. Squid contains lots of great vitamins and minerals, so add that to the shrimp and you are on your way to a healthy meal.
Also, whenever I cook anything in boiling water, I like to add some Chinese herbs for whatever conditions I feel need help at the time. One of my favorites is Huang Qi (Astragalus). It is great for an over-all strengthening of the body and it’s energy. So, when I’m cooking all of this seafood, I keep removing each item as it’s done with a slotted spoon and I keep the water for the next item. The herbs infuse their healing power into each seafood, so it’s a great thing.
Celery actually helps stop bleeding — so if you or anyone you know has just had surgery, start adding celery to your dishes! Celery is also great to help lower blood pressure and it’s been known to help with insomnia.
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….
This is a perfect dish for entertaining, but it's easy enough to make anytime. It's clean, fresh, and delicious, and it will keep you healthy!
Ingredients
1 Tbs white vinegar
sea salt
2 sticks of Huang Qi (Astragalus), if using
2 lb large shrimp, deveined, but tails left on
1-1/2 lb squid, cleaned and bodies sliced into rings (cut up tentacles if you like them)
1 lb sea scallops, halved if very large
2 dozen little neck clams, scrubbed well
8 ribs of celery, chopped
1 small onion, finely chopped
¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 whole head of garlic, cloves minced
dried hot red pepper flakes, to taste (optional)
Instructions
Fill a big pot with water. Add vinegar and a handful of salt and Huang Qi (optional) and bring to a boil.
Add the shrimp and cook just until done, about 3 minutes. Transfer the cooked shrimp to a bowl using a slotted spoon.
Bring the water back to a boil and add the squid. Cook until done, about 3 to 5 minutes. Transfer to the bowl with a slotted spoon.
Bring the water back to a boil and add the scallops. Cook until done, about 5 minutes. Transfer these in the same manner.
Pour most of the water out of the pot, leaving about 2 inches of water in the pot. Add the clams gently, trying to keep them in a single layer. Cover the pot and let the clams cook until the shells are opened, about 10 minutes. Discard any clams that do not open. Drain and transfer to the bowl with the rest of the seafood.
Add the celery and onion to the seafood.
The seafood can now be covered and stored in the refrigerator if you are not planning on serving it right away (I often make this the day before).
Heat the oil in a small pot. Add the garlic and red pepper flakes and simmer, stirring occasionally, just until the garlic starts to brown, being careful not to let it burn.
When you are ready to serve the seafood, drizzle the oil all over the top. Enjoy!
3.5.3208
https://kitchenofyouth.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/Seafood-Salad-With-Garlic-Oil-9738.jpg1000667Stacey Isaacshttps://kitchenofyouth.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/mainlogo@2x-e1524021900779-180x180.pngStacey Isaacs2015-12-11 10:06:062018-05-16 15:55:35Seafood Salad With Garlic And Oil
Stuffed sweet potatoes are a great go-to last minute dinner — stuff them with whatever makes you happy!
I was in the kitchen and I had no clue what to make for dinner. It’s not that I didn’t have any ideas, it’s that I was feeling kind of lazy (OK, more than kind of lazy) and I didn’t want to go to the market. But, as I was looking around, I really felt that everything I was in the mood for required an outing, which required more energy than I was willing to put forth.
I had a few sweet potatoes left over from Thanksgiving. And these were no ordinary sweet potatoes. These tubers were almost as big as my head. I mean, obscenely huge. It was time to get them off of my counter (I mean, they were taking up so much room and I needed the space…), so I poked them with holes and roasted them in the oven. For a long time. They were so big that it took about an hour and a half for them to be done!
While they were cooking, I had a lot of time to create a stuffing. I’ll admit that some my incentive came from my desire to forage within the confines of my kitchen so I could avoid having to put my coat on to go outside… And, let me tell you, this recipe is a keeper. Butternut squash, tomatoes, sage, pomegranate seeds, avocado, jalapeños… sooooooooo good!
Feel free to use creative license with this recipe. Use whatever you have in your fridge. I finished mine off with a drizzle of spicy sriracha mayonnaise… this, I highly recommend…
These stuffed sweet potatoes are delicious and good for you…there are some really amazing ingredients:
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…
Butternut squash is more than just a delicious vegetable; it’s really good for you. It’s a good fever reducer, it can lessen stomach pain and it can be a comfort during pregnancy when the baby feels like she’s doing acrobatics. It’s also rich in carotenoids and Vitamin B6. This means it’s good for your heart and can help lower bad cholesterol. And, because butternut squash can help reduce inflammation in the body, it benefits almost everyone.
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.
Pomegranate seeds nourish the blood. In Chinese medicine, we know that many illnesses and conditions are caused by the body making poor quality blood. Pomegranate seeds are great at helping the body make good quality blood. They are also good to combat diarrhea, anemia and incontinence.
Jalapenos contain capsaicin which has anti-bacterial, anti-carcinogenic and anti-diabetic properties. They are also rich in vitamins A, C and E. In Chinese medicine, we know that eating bitter and spicy foods can keep the body warm in the winter and can help get rid of an infection. Spicy foods can also help tremendously with certain types of arthritis and can benefit heart function.
Stuffed Sweet Potatoes With Butternut Squash, Avocado, And Jalapeños
These sweet potatoes are stuffed with butternut squash, avocado, tomatoes, jalapeños, and pomegranate seeds... they make for an awesome simple and healthy vegetarian meal.
Ingredients
1 large sweet potato
1 lb cubed butternut squash
1 pint grape tomatoes
7 fresh sage leaves
1 tsp extra-virgin olive oil
sea salt
1 jalapeno pepper, sliced
½ of an avocado, diced
14 cup pomegranate seeds
¼ cup mayonnaise
1 tsp sriracha
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
Prick the sweet potato all over with a fork and roast it in the oven until it's done (my sweet potato was so huge that it took 1-1/2 hours in the oven!)
Place the squash, tomatoes, and sage on a baking tray. Drizzle with oil and sprinkle with salt. Toss to combine and spread out in a single layer.
Place this tray in the oven and roast until the squash is tender and the tomatoes start to caramelize, about 35 minutes (depending on the size of your squash cubes).
Make the sriracha mayo by mixing together the mayo and sriracha in a small bowl.
When the potatoes are done, remove them from the oven, scoop out a little of the insides if you like, then fill or top with the squash tomato mixture, the avocado, jalapeños, and pomegranate seeds.
Keep this pumpkin peanut butter fudge in your freezer and you’ll always have an awesome healing dessert ready to grab!
Open your freezer right now. Look in. Is there a healthy grab-and-go bite-size dessert in there? If not, think how happy you would be if a tray of this deliciously creamy no-guilt fudge was starting at you.
This is how it works. I make at least one tray of petite freezer-friendly dessert every week. After dinner or when we are binge-watching TV shows, I don’t have to worry about it when Steve grabs his idea of healthy snacks (which somehow he can rationalize as being fried chips with a whole tub of dip), because I can just open the freezer and grab the best desserts ever.
This fudge is not one of those desserts that “tastes good for something that’s healthy.”
It IS really good… even if it wasn’t healthy you would grab it. I mean it. Really.
With this pumpkin peanut butter fudge in the freezer, the chips in our cabinet went stale. Yup, this one’s a winner and even trumped the chips in flavor.
A great thing about this fudge: you can have 2 or 3 pieces without killing your diet. It’s actually good for you, tastes like a combination of decadent peanut butter fudge co-mingled with an ice-cream bonbon, and no cooking experience is required.
I’ve made many batches of healthy fudge, but this one is my favorite. Here’s what’s in it and why it’s so good for you:
Pumpkin can help reduce pain and fever and can soothe stomach irritations. It’s a great food to treat constipation, allergies and asthma. It’s high in vitamin A and can help protect your lungs and intestines from cancer.
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. For this fudge I used cashew butter and it really is just perfect — I like the creaminess it lends to the fudge and it tastes awesome. I know some of you have a problem finding raw nuts sometimes — I’m happy to try to help you locate them if you need shopping suggestions, so just leave a comment and I will try to help. I buy then whenever and wherever I see them. I’m also lucky enough to live near a Whole Foods, so I sometimes buy them from the bulk bins here.
Dates are rich in potassium, dietary fiber and tannins. Fiber is good for your gut and tannins help the body fight inflammation and infection. Dates are also rich in vitamin A and iron. The most amazing thing about dates is that they can be used to replace sugar in almost anything. I stopped using sweetened protein powders in my smoothies and now I use unsweetened ones but I add a few dates. This fudge requires no sugar because we fill it with dates — amazing, really!
Goji berries are a chinese herb (Gou Qi Zi). They are great for your blood. I prescribe them to some people with chronic pain in the legs and lower back. They are also good for men experiencing impotence and can be used to treat some eye problems. Women who are pregnant and people with intestinal issues should be careful not to eat too many gojis, but the amount in this fudge should be fine for anyone.
Cinnamon is one of the best herbs to warm the body. It’s great if you have a cold. If you are nauseous or have diarrhea, go for the cinnamon. It also gives you energy and helps with menstrual pain. Cinnamon is used in different forms in Chinese medicine: “gui zhi” is the cinnamon twig and “rou gui” is the cinnamon bark. Both are warming and are used for a variety of ailments. In the winter I add cinnamon to all sorts of foods. It helps with the common cold, swelling, various menstrual issues and some aches and pains. Be careful with it if you have a fever because it is so warming.
Maca Root is one of the superfoods I take every day. It has many healthy benefits including increasing libido, helping menopausal symptoms, relieving menstrual cramps, regulating hormones, and increasing energy.
This spicy chickpea turkey and tomato stew is so warming and healing!
Why is it that a big pot of spicy stew makes me smile so much?
Do any of you feel the same way?
Whether it’s chili or hot and sour soup or a spicy meat and veggie concoction, just the smell of it makes me happy. Maybe that’s why a huge pot of chili is often on my stove. Or, maybe it’s because I love football and all of the traditional foods associated with the game. I’m sure it’s partly because a big pot of simmering goodness is the perfect foil for my Chinese herbs.
But it’s mostly because it’s just so yummy! And warming! And filling!
Whatever the reason, this stew came together because I had a hankering for chili, but it wasn’t football Sunday. So, what’s a cook to do? Lots of times, I just make the chili anyway, but this day I felt like something a little different… more like stew I thought… or maybe a touch Moroccan… I just felt like taking regular chili to another level… a little more gourmet if you will (does that sound too snooty???). Since I was only cooking for a few people instead of a regular big football crowd, I figured I’d experiment. And a successful experiment it was!
I love cooking down the aromatic ingredients and then shoving (literally shoving) as many leafy greens as I can into the pot and watching them melt into the gooey goodness in the pot…
“Pots of stuff” or “stews” are great because you can add in whatever you like and whatever your body needs at that point in time. Here’s some of what I put in this gorgeous pot:
Turkey is a healthy meat. Make sure you buy organic, pasture-raised turkey for the highest nutritional benefits. Recent research has shown turkey helps lower the risk of pancreatic cancer; however I did read some research that suggests that if you eat the skin along with the meat, some of this value is reduced, so don’t eat too much skin — this recipe uses ground turkey so it has no skin involved… Turkey also has a great protein-to-fat ratio, so it keeps you feeling full with less potential for weight gain. It’s also rich in vitamins and minerals, especially vitamin B and selenium.
In my acupuncture practice, some of my favorite conditions to treat are stress, anxiety, and depression. I’m also always looking for foods that will add to the effectiveness of these treatments. Chickpeas actually help calm the spirit. They relieve anxiety and soothe irritability… it kind of makes you realize why hummus is so popular…
Most people think of Popeye (am I dating myself??) and iron when they think of spinach. 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 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. This recipe has canned chopped tomatoes and sun-dried tomatoes — double whammy!
Onions are great for your immune system; they are a natural antihistamine. Recently, I recommended that a patient with bronchitis put sliced raw onions in her socks when she went to sleep… she woke up so much better; the onion can actually draw the toxins out of the body!
Chili powder is rich in vitamins A and C and also in essential minerals. Spicy pepper is one of the most nutritious spices available. Consuming small amounts gives you a great source of potassium, iron, zinc, magnesium and selenium. Spicy peppers have been shown to ease the pain of arthritis and muscle soreness.
Turmeric is actually a Chinese herb (Jiang Huang). It is great for reducing inflammation throughout the body. If you suffer from aches and pains in your joints, try turmeric. It can help relieve menstrual pain and some other abdominal pains but, if you are pregnant, ask your doctor before you eat too much turmeric.
I love to add my Chinese herbs to anything that simmers on the stove for awhile. This time I added some Bai Shao. Bai Shao is white peony root and it’s great for yin deficiency (think menopausal symptoms…). If you want more info on this herb, just ask…
When persimmon season hits you have to try these persimmon pomegranate smoothies — so sweet and so healthy!
Here it is the day after Thanksgiving. When I walked into my kitchen this morning and looked around, I saw all of the food that remained staring at me. I’m not talking about leftovers (although there are plenty of those…); I’m talking about the fresh ingredients that I bought with grandiose ideas of preparing so many more dishes than we needed. Or that I had time to make. Or that I was in the mood to make after a few glasses of wine…
So, this morning, on my kitchen island calling out to me were the most beautiful, huge persimmons you have ever seen. Persimmons are amazing. They are in season now and here in New York they are everywhere. The farmers markets have them, the fruit vendors on the street are carrying them, and the supermarkets are well stocked. So, a few days before the big event I bought 4 huge persimmons. I was going to make a salad with arugula, kale, persimmons, cranberries, nuts, and cheese. Well, that never happened. So… what to do with these deliciously sweet and juicy persimmons???? Breakfast smoothies!!!
If you’ve never had a persimmon, this is the time to try them. I was a first-timer up until a few weeks ago and now I’m kind of obsessed with them. I can’t figure out what fruit they are similar to, but they are great. They are really, really sweet and smooth and beautifully orange. They actually kind of taste like they look.
These persimmon pomegranate smoothies are as good for you as they are beautiful:
Persimmons are great for some coughs and sore throats. They can also relieve diarrhea, quench thirst, and lessen the effects of a hangover. The tops/stems of persimmons are a Chinese herb (Shi Di). This herb is used to stop hiccoughs and can be mixed with other herbs to stop vomiting.
Pomegranate seeds nourish the blood. In Chinese medicine, we know that many illnesses and conditions are caused by the body making poor quality blood. Pomegranate seeds are great at helping the body make good quality blood. They are also good to combat diarrhea, anemia and incontinence.
Bananas (I like to use frozen ones that I keep in the freezer all year round) make this smoothie particularly creamy and give it a great ice-cream-like texture. Bananas are good for your intestines (an old Asian remedy was to eat a banana every day to relieve hemorrhoids) and your lungs, and they even help relieve the effects of overindulging in alcohol.
Goji berries are a chinese herb (Gou Qi Zi). They are great for your blood. I prescribe them to some people with chronic pain in the legs and lower back. They are also good for men experiencing impotence and can be used to treat some eye problems. Women who are pregnant and people with intestinal issues should be careful not to eat too many gojis, but the amount in this smoothie should be fine for anyone.
Maca Root is one of the superfoods I take every day. It has many healthy benefits including increasing libido, helping menopausal symptoms, relieving menstrual cramps, regulating hormones, and increasing energy.
Bee pollen is considered one of the most nutritious substances you can put in your body. It is higher in protein than anything animal-based and it contains an amazing amount of amino acids. It’s good for your energy, your skin, your breathing and your allergies. Add a spoonful to whatever you can.
The bright orange taste and flavor of this smoothie is from persimmons, pomegranate seeds, goji berries, clementines, and bananas. It will brighten your day and keep you healthy!
This raspberry lavender cranberry sauce is a great everyday condiment — it’s not just for Thanksgiving!
I was deciding which Thanksgiving recipe to post today, when all of a sudden I was famished. Really hungry. So hungry that I had to stop thinking about food (which I am always doing…) and eat something. So, I opened the fridge, took out some leftover soup, grabbed my just-made cranberry sauce, put a big scoop of it right in the center of my soup and I ate. And I smiled. The cranberry sauce made my delicious soup even better. Cranberry sauce post it is!
Cranberry sauce is an awesome condiment. It’s so much better than ketchup or mustard or mayonnaise on a sandwich. And, I’m not just talking about serving it at Thanksgiving or on those delicious leftover turkey sandwiches. You can put a dollop of a great cranberry sauce on top of your salad. You can’t do that with ketchup. You can stir it into soups — try a big scoop in your next bowl of butternut squash soup…
So many people just make cranberry sauce for holidays. Well, I’m here to tell you to respect the berry. It deserves to be seen all throughout the year. Start by making a bigger bowl than you’ll need for the Thanksgiving table, save the rest in the fridge, and put it on everything all week long. You’ll become a berry-believer, I’m sure of it.
Now, this particular version of cranberry sauce is really special. It’s got the usual amount of traditional tart beautiful cranberries, but it’s also filled with sweet tender raspberries. Then there’s the fresh lemon zest; the tart fresh lemony taste mingles with the sweet raspberries… OMG. But wait, we are not done yet, because we haven’t yet added the lavender. And, the lavender just takes this bowl of berry bliss to the next level.
Cranberry sauce is one of the easiest things to make. You just stir all the ingredient in a pot and cook. And all of a sudden, like magic, you go from the above picture to the finished product. Yum.
This cranberry sauce, aside from being mouthwateringly delicious, is really good for you.
Cranberries are known to most people as being good for the urinary tract and the bladder. They are also good at preventing kidney stones and can be eaten to increase fertility.
Raspberries are an anti-aging fruit. They are great for men who are experiencing frequent urination and for men and women with vision issues. They have anti-cancer and anti-inflammation properties. In Chinese medicine, raspberries are an herb called Fu Pen Zi that’s prescribed for impotence, premature ejaculation, poor vision, and frequent urination. Raspberries are great for you, but if you are experiencing difficulty urinating, that’s when this berry should be avoided.
Lavender and lemon are an amazing combination. They just taste great together. The floral taste of the lavender flowers plays perfectly with the tartness of the lemon zest in this cranberry sauce.
Lavender adds iron, calcium, and vitamin A to your diet. It’s good for eye-health and digestion. I absolutely love the taste of lavender — there’s something so clean and fresh about it.
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. I zest them in lots of foods to brighten the flavors…
This recipe takes gorgeous traditional cranberries and pairs them with sweet raspberries, tart lemon zest, and flowery lavender. It's one you won't want to miss.
Ingredients
1 lb fresh cranberries
½ cup dark cherry juice (here's a concentrate I sometimes use)
6 oz fresh raspberries
zest of one lemon
½- to 1- tsp lavender flowers (you can get them here)(start with a little and add more if you like your sauce very lavender-like)
Put all ingredients in a medium pot. Stir well. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to low and simmer, uncovered, stirring often, about 40 minutes, or until the cranberries have burst and the mixture is the consistency you like. It will thicken up more when it cools. Enjoy it on everything!
