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Simple Baby Bok Choy

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This simple baby bok choy is the perfect side dish for everything!

simple baby bok choy

I get yelled at all of the time for not sharing some of my simplest recipes. Okay, yelled may be a bit strong. I get questioned a lot as to why I don’t share some of my simplest recipes.

I’m always so mindful of not talking down to people. I mean, there are just so many things that I don’t do well and I would hate it if someone made me feel bad about those things. So, I don’t post some of my easiest recipes because I never want anyone to feel that I think they are not on the ball.

Anyway, enough rambling… here’s how I make my simple bok choy. And I make it a lot. It’s one of my favorite vegetables. This simple baby bok choy goes so well with so many things. And you can spruce it up any way you like. I love to cover it with sesame seeds. Or sometimes I will drizzle a little toasted sesame oil on it. Or, sometimes I like to pick it up with my hands and dip it in spicy mayo. (I know, it sounds a bit off, but it’s really good!)

Here’s a recipe of mine for Chili With Bok Choy... you’re gonna love it!

simple baby bok choysimple baby bok choy

This really is the perfect simple, healthy side dish:

In Eastern medicine, bok choy is used to quench thirst, aid digestion, prevent constipation and treat diabetes. It is rich in vitamin C, beta-carotene, folate and fiber. And there are only 20 calories in one cup of Bok Choy. So, it’s good for you, it’s easy to prepare, and it tastes good.

Ginger is a Chinese herb (Gan Jiang) that warms the body. It’s especially good during cold weather and also during seasonal changes. So, when it’s winter or when winter is trying to turn into spring, and we (those of us on the east coast) get some of these cold, raw, damp days, ginger will make you feel better and will help boost your immune system. Old folklore shows that ginger was rubbed on scalps to stop baldness. And, in some circles, a ginger paste is still rubbed on arthritic joints to stop pain (don’t try this at home unless you are diagnosed with a cold-condition by an acupuncturist).

I am a big fan of replacing regular table salt with sea salt. Sea salt is not processed very much, allowing the minerals (and there are many) to remain in a state in which the human body can easily process them. Salt actually can help with various skin conditions, is good for your teeth, helps with some painful eye condition and can help stave off muscle cramps. It helps with digestion and it lessens the effects of food poisoning. Salt is actually a Chinese herb called Mang Xiao and is used to treat constipation and eye conditions.

Simple Baby Bok Choy
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Recipe type: vegetables, side dish
Cuisine: Asian, Chinese, Japanese
Author:
Prep time:
Cook time:
Total time:
Just plain bok choy. It's simple and it's deliciously healthy!
Ingredients
  • One huge bag of baby bok choy.
  • 10 quarter-sized slices of fresh peeled ginger
  • sea salt
  • optional toppings: sesame seeds, toasted sesame oil, spicy mayonnaise
Instructions
  1. Add about 1-inch of water to a large pot. Add lots of sea salt and bring it to a boil.
  2. Drop in the bok choy and the ginger.
  3. Give it a stir to make sure it's all wet.
  4. Cover the pot and lower the heat a bit.
  5. Let cook a few minutes, then uncover and stir it up.
  6. Check your bok choy after a few minutes, because as soon as it's how you like it, shut off the heat and drain the pot.
  7. Make sure not to overcook this delicate vegetable!
  8. Top with sesame seeds or drizzle a bit of toasted sesame oil on top and sprinkle more salt as you see fit.
  9. Me, I'm dipping mine in spicy mayo...
  10. Enjoy!

simple baby bok choy

Slow Cooker Vegetable Minestrone Soup

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This slow cooker vegetable minestrone soup is so simple and healing and it makes for great leftovers!

slow cooker vegetable minestrone soup

The slow cooker is an awesome kitchen appliance. Sometimes, however, I shy away from it because I am just not that accomplished with it. I like my food to taste really fresh and sometimes when I use my slow cooker, I feel like the vegetables and other fresh ingredients just don’t seem as crunchy or fresh tasting as when I cook them for less time on top of the stove.

So, believe me when I tell you that this slow cooker vegetable minestrone soup recipe is perfect in the slow cooker. The vegetables keep just the right amount of crunch. And the soup tastes really fresh and healthy. And it requires almost no effort at all! If I can do it, you can do it!

Maybe my slow cooker won’t get the best of me after all…

One of the reasons I like this soup so much is that I held off adding some of the veggies until close to the end. This worked great because all of the great soup flavors melded together, I was able to let my raw Chinese herbs cook for the whole time, but even the delicate asparagus retained the perfect fresh and crunchy texture that makes them taste so good.

Another reason this soup is awesome is that instead of adding pasta, I used buckwheat. Buckwheat mimics a grain in this soup, but it’s really a seed, so if you are trying to eat grain-free, you will love this too!

I made a huge pot of this soup. Okay, I made way too much of this soup… so much that I ended up eating it for breakfast a few times and I even added some to a pasta sauce I made one night. I should have put a few portions in the freezer, but I still haven’t found any good glass freezer containers (and my mason jars have been cracking in the freezer lately)… but If I had some in the freezer, I’d be pulling out a jar for tonight’s dinner because I’m still not sick of it!

If you like vegetable soups, try my recipe for Lentil Vegetable Soup next!

slow cooker vegetable minestrone soup

Here are some of the great ingredients in this oh-so-easy soup:

Scallions, if you know me, are one of my favorites. In Chinese medicine, the root of the scallion is a healing herb (Cong Bai). I always keep scallions on hand in my refrigerator so that I can whip up a batch of cold and flu fighting tea (scallion roots and ginger) the second anyone feels that scratchy throat coming on. It helps the body sweat out toxins. Scallions are antiviral and antibacterial; they are good for the common cold and general nasal congestion — just don’t eat too many if you have a fever.

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.

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.

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…

Buckwheat lowers blood pressure and cholesterol, and it’s high in fiber. And, because buckwheat is also high in magnesium, it is the perfect food to combat heart disease. I’ve been substituting buckwheat groats in recipes that call for pasta or rice… it makes a great risotto, so try it!

Spring is asparagus season. In Chinese medicine, we use asparagus to heal the body from within; it gets rid of excess heat in your body, is good for circulation, can remove plaque from the arteries, soothes constipation and is good for hypertension. Many years ago, doctors used to prescribe asparagus juice to reduce cholesterol. Women can especially benefit from this vegetable’s healing abilities: it helps with menopause and fertility. One of my favorite Chinese herbs is called Tian Men Dong and it’s a form of asparagus. It’s great if you have yin deficiency (like so many woman do…), it can help if you have a dry cough, hot flashes, constipation, or night sweats.

I added a raw Chinese herb to this soup (as I usually do…). This time I used Shan Yao. Shan Yao is Chinese Yam, and it’s great for energy.

slow cooker vegetable minestrone soup

Slow Cooker Vegetable Minestrone Soup
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Recipe type: soup
Cuisine: Italian
Author:
Prep time:
Cook time:
Total time:
Serves: 10
This soup requires no cooking ability at all! It's made in the slow cooker, but the veggies retain their crunch... and it's grain-free because we add buckwheat groats instead of pasta.
Ingredients
  • 5 scallions, thickly sliced
  • 3 carrots, sliced
  • 3 ribs celery, sliced
  • 2 lge garlic cloves, chopped
  • 1 28-oz can diced tomatoes
  • 4-1/2 cups vegetable broth
  • 3 thyme sprigs
  • 2 15-oz cans chickpeas, rinsed and drained
  • 3 pieces raw Shan Yao (an optional Chinese herb)
  • 1 cup raw buckwheat groats, rinsed and drained
  • sea salt and black pepper to taste
  • ¼ tsp dried oregano
  • 10 oz fresh or frozen green peas
  • 1 bunch asparagus, sliced on the diagonal into 1-inch pieces
Instructions
  1. Add all ingredients except asparagus to slow cooker except the green peas and the asparagus.
  2. Cook on low heat for 4-1/2 hours.
  3. Add asparagus and peas.
  4. Cook for an additional 30 minutes.
  5. Ladle into bowls. Enjoy!

 

slow cooker vegetable minestrone soup

Lentil Vegetable Soup

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This lentil vegetable soup is so healing and so comforting!

lentil vegetable soup

I make soup all of the time. I mean All. Of. The. Time. Unfortunately, I’m not quite as organized as I’d like to be, so oftentimes I make a great pot of soup for dinner, we eat it, we love it, and then there is not enough left for me to photograph. This means that some of my best creations never make it to the blog.

I have made a version of this soup at least 3 times already. Each one has been delicious. And, I’m proud to say, that finally, I cooked it during the day, while it was still light enough for me to take some decent pictures.  Yay… here it is!

I love a good lentil soup.

I love a great vegetable soup.

This is a great lentil vegetable soup!

And this version is filled with sliced up collard greens. OMG… it’s so good! And don’t even get me started on the health benefits of collards (really, just look below and I’ll list them for you…).

I also love to freeze some of my soup leftovers so that on a night that I don’t feel like cooking (yes, it does happen…) I can just defrost some and have a great dinner.

This time that didn’t work so well. I’ve been trying not to use plastic anymore; I much prefer glass. I see people freezing things all of the time in glass mason jars. I’ve had it work a few times, but like this time, sometimes the jars crack. Such a waste! It all looked good… I took the filled lentil vegetable soup jar out of the freezer, set it on the counter, and within 10 minutes, an entire side of the jar fell off! I mean, it really just slid away from the rest of the jar!

For those of you who have had success freezing foods in mason jars, will you pleeeeeeeeeeeaaaasssse share your secret with me????????

Anyway, none of this should take away from the deliciousness of this soup. It’s hearty and healthy and warming and yummy…

Just look at the pictures below. The first one shows the beauty of the tomatoes I had and the sliced up collards. The second pic is of my all-time-favorite Chinese herb, Huang Qi (Astragalus). You don’t have to add Chinese herbs to your soup, but I just had to show you these raw Huang Qi sticks. They are like magic; they build qi/give you energy… you can really feel it working while you are eating. Yes, I know, my family makes fun of my excitement for herbs too, but they also are happy to reap the rewards when they eat the soup, so think about trying out some herbs the next time you make a pot of soup…

If you want a soup that’s really really good, but not a lentil-veg soup, try my Hot And Sour Soup recipe.

lentil vegetable soup
lentil vegetable soup
lentil vegetable soup

There are lots of great things in this soup:

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.

Collard greens are great for you. They help build strong bones, lessen constipation, help reduce stress and act as a detoxifying food. They have almost no calories but do have a lot of fiber. They contain vitamins A, C, and K and are filled with minerals like calcium and manganese. One of the best things about collards is that they are great at preventing the buildup of bad cholesterol.

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….

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.

lentil vegetable soup

Lentil Vegetable Soup
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Recipe type: soup
Cuisine: American, Mediterranean
Author:
Prep time:
Cook time:
Total time:
Serves: 6
This soup is the perfect combination of lentil soup and vegetable soup. And it is so healing and delicious!
Ingredients
  • 1-1/2 Tbs extra-virgin olive oil
  • ½ large red onion, chopped
  • 3 celery ribs, chopped
  • 4 carrots, sliced
  • 4 garlic cloves, chopped
  • sea salt and black pepper
  • 2 Tbs tomato paste
  • 1 bunch collard green leaves, sliced into ribbons
  • 1 lb heirloom tomatoes, diced
  • 1 qt vegetable broth (here's one I use)
  • 3 (or more) spicy piquillo peppers, sliced (I used the marinated ones at my local olive bar) (you can buy these)
  • 1 cup brown lentils
  • ¼ cup chopped parsley
  • 2 raw pieces of Huang Qi (Astragalus) (optional)
  • microgreens, for garnish (optional)
Instructions
  1. In a large soup pot, heat the oil over medium heat.
  2. Add the onion, celery, carrots, and garlic. Season with salt and pepper and saute until the veggies start to soften, about 5 minutes.
  3. Stir in the tomato paste and and cook, stirring, for 3-minutes.
  4. Add sliced collard leaves and stir for about 2-minutes.
  5. Add the tomatoes and stir until combined.
  6. Pour in the broth.
  7. Add the peppers and lentils.
  8. Add raw Chinese herbs if using.
  9. Stir in parsley.
  10. Bring to a boil.
  11. Reduce heat to a simmer.
  12. Cover and let cook about 45 minutes, or until the lentils are tender, but not mushy.
  13. Ladle into bowls and garnish with micro greens if desired.
  14. Enjoy

 

lentil vegetable soup

Creamy Broccoli And Mushroom Casserole

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This creamy broccoli and mushroom casserole is vegan!

Creamy Broccoli And Mushroom Casserole

I am not vegan, but I have to say that I love vegan food. I stopped eating cheese a million years ago when i realized how much better I felt without it, but it wasn’t until recent years — when I learned how to make foods taste cheesy and creamy without real cheese and cream — that I became a lover of all things vegan. I’m not a huge fan of meat substitutes, but give me a vegan creamy, cheesy casserole or some non-dairy ice cream and I’m in foodie heaven.

This creamy broccoli and mushroom casserole makes me happy. It’s comforting and warming and smooth and creamy and it’s just plain delicious.

I make it whenever I’m looking for a simple healthy side dish, especially in the cold winter months.

And, in my house, I’m embarrassed to say that even though everyone loves it, but I can’t call it vegan. They scarf it down but for some reason my unenlightened crew thinks they don’t like vegan food…

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 vegan recipe with your name on it…  So CLICK HERE  to be taken directly into my calendar to sign up for your free phone consultation.

I’ve also got a new FREE ebook for you:

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Download your free copy of my Optimized Athletic Performance Food Plan ebook now!

I love to serve this recipe with my favorite simple roast chicken or with this easy Slow Cooker Whole Chicken.

creamy broccoli and mushroom casserole

Here’s some great reasons to make this recipe:

Broccoli has a lot of potassium and is great for brain function; it also has magnesium and calcium to help regulate blood pressure. It’s also good to clear your body of excess heat and it actually can help your vision too.

I love mushrooms. In Chinese medicine, mushrooms ARE medicine. They are herbs. They are one of the most healing foods around. However, I was taught to stay away from the plain white button shrooms that are so readily available. Recently, however, I learned that I was doing myself a disservice by avoiding these mushrooms. It turns out, if you make sure they are organic, there are lots of benefits in button mushrooms! They are detoxifying, can help get rid of phlegm, ease diarrhea, are good for circulation, and new research has shown that if you eat them often enough, they can reduce cancer cells in the body.

Shiitakes are probably the variety of mushroom that I use most. I love the way they taste and they help lower blood pressure and cholesterol. These shrooms also promote healing and have been found to fight tumors. In Asia, shiitake mushrooms are often fed to a patient who has just had surgery to help the healing process. I also added portabella mushrooms here. They too are good for you, and they taste great!

Onions are great for your immune system; they are a natural antihistamine. Several times lately I have recommended that patients with bronchitis or severe colds put sliced raw onions in their socks before bedtime. The onion actually draws the toxins out of the body and in the morning many people feel much better. Onion is a superhero in the food world!

Hemp seeds are a superfood. They are high in protein, easily digestible, and contain a full complement of amino acids. They contain disease-fighting phytonutrients that are good for your blood, immune system, tissues and skin. Hemp contains a specific fatty acid that acts as a powerful anti-inflammatory. It also helps balance hormones, making it a great choice to fight the symptoms of PMS. This super seed is also good for your liver and your brain.

In Asian medicine, we use coconut to strengthen the body, reduce swelling, and stop bleeding. Coconut kills viruses, bacteria, and parasites. It’s good for all types of infections and viruses in the body, including the flu, bronchitis, tapeworms, urinary tract infections, and herpes.

creamy broccoli and mushroom casserole

If you make this Broccoli And Mushroom Casserole 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.

Creamy Broccoli And Mushroom Casserole
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Recipe type: vegetables, side dish, casserole
Cuisine: vegan
Author:
Prep time:
Cook time:
Total time:
Serves: 4
This creamy vegan casserole is so comforting and warming you will want to serve it with everything. Broccoli and mushrooms cook together in a velvety vegan cream sauce to make it the perfect side dish.
Ingredients
  • Florets from 2 heads of broccoli
  • 1 Tbs plus 2 tsp extra-virgin olive oil
  • 1 medium yellow onion, cut in half and thinly sliced
  • sea salt
  • 4 oz sliced shiitake mushroom caps
  • 10 oz sliced white button mushrooms
  • ¼ cup hemp seeds
  • ¼ tsp dried hot red pepper flakes
  • 1 can of full-fat coconut milk (use all of the solid cream on the top and ¼ cup of the liquid
Instructions
  1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Convection setting or 400 degrees regular bake setting.
  2. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.
  3. Add the broccoli to the water for 1 minute. Drain.
  4. Heat 1 Tbs of the olive oil in a medium skillet. Add the onions and saute them, over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, until they begin to caramelize, about 25 minutes.
  5. In a large bowl, combine the blanched broccoli, all of the mushrooms, the caramelized onion, hemp seeds, and hot red pepper flakes.
  6. Grease a large baking dish with about 2-tsp olive oil.
  7. Pour the broccoli mixture into the baking dish.
  8. Stir the coconut cream together with ¼ cup of the coconut liquid and pour this mixture evenly over the broccoli mixture.
  9. Bake about 15 minutes, or until hot and bubbly.

Pin it here!
Creamy Broccoli And Mushroom Casserole

10 Clean Eating Recipes

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These 10 clean eating recipes are one’s you’ll make again and again!

Shredded Kale

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 chickpea salad can be treated like chicken salad, but it’s vegan. Make sandwiches, salads, or eat it plain…

 

Here’s your new favorite breakfast. Switch it up by experimenting with different fruits and berries…

 

This is a genius recipe. Make one chicken and you can eat all week; top your salads, stuff your wraps…

 

You need a dessert, right? This “nice cream” is made with bananas. It’s vegan and it’s amazing…

 

This is my favorite pasta recipe ever! It’s grain-free and it’s fabulous…

 

This is a copy-cat version of my favorite raw foods restaurant’s vegan Caesar salad…

 

The best vegan chili ever! And, it’s filled with superfoods…

 

A pot of healthy and spicy comfort food is just what the doctor ordered…

 

Here’s a seafood salad that tastes great the next day, is so healthy and clean, and tastes amazing…

10 Clean Eating Recipes

Roasted Carrots With Lime Zest

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Easy-peasy… okay, easy-carroty. These roasted carrots with lime zest are the perfect side dish for everything!

Roasted Carrots With Lime Zest

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!

Roasted Carrots With Lime Zest

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!

Roasted Carrots With Lime Zest

Roasted Carrots With Lime Zest
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Recipe type: vegetable, side dish
Cuisine: American
Author:
Prep time:
Cook time:
Total time:
Serves: 6
These carrots are sweet and tangy and so pretty! This is the perfect easy side dish for everything!
Ingredients
  • 1-1/4 lb baby carrots or full-size carrots cut into 2-inch pieces
  • 3 Tbs grass-fed butter or ghee, melted
  • sea salt and black pepper
  • 8 garlic cloves, smashed
  • ½ tsp chipotle chili powder
  • zest of 2 limes
Instructions
  1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
  2. In a large bowl, toss the carrots with the butter, garlic, chipotle chili powder, and salt and pepper to taste.
  3. Spread the carrots on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
  4. Roast in the oven until they start to caramelize and get some brown spots (turn them over halfway through the cooking time).
  5. Remove from the oven and put on a pretty platter.
  6. Sprinkle lime all over them.
  7. Enjoy!

Roasted Carrot With Lime Zest Collage

Stuffed Sweet Potatoes

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Stuffed sweet potatoes are a great go-to last minute dinner — stuff them with whatever makes you happy!

Stuffed Butternut Squast (lr edit)-0126

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…

Butternut squash tomatoes sage on tray (lr edit)-0094

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 Potato (white background)-0149

 

Stuffed Sweet Potatoes With Butternut Squash, Avocado, And Jalapeños
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Recipe type: Stuffed Sweet Potatoes, main course
Cuisine: Vegetarian
Author:
Prep time:
Cook time:
Total time:
Serves: serves 2
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
  1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
  2. 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!)
  3. 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.
  4. 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).
  5. Make the sriracha mayo by mixing together the mayo and sriracha in a small bowl.
  6. 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.
  7. Drizzle with the spicy mayo.
  8. Enjoy!

 

Persimmon Pomegranate Smoothies

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When persimmon season hits you have to try these persimmon pomegranate smoothies — so sweet and so healthy!

Persimmon Smoothie-9957

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.

Persimmons being sliced-9873

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.

Persimmon Smoothie (top)-9961

Persimmon Pomegranate Goji Berry Smoothies
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Recipe type: Smoothie
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Serves: 2 servings
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!
Ingredients
  • 1 frozen banana
  • 2 large Hachiya persimmons
  • 2 Clementines
  • 2 Tbs goji berries
  • 2 Tbs pomegranate seeds
  • 1 Tbs bee pollen
  • 2 tsp maca root powder (here's a good one)
  • ⅔ cup coconut water (I like this kind)
  • 6 ice cubes
Instructions
  1. Put all ingredients in blender (my Vitamix made quick work of this) and blend until perfectly smooth. Enjoy!

Butternut Squash And Apple Soup With Beets And Kale

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I make this butternut squash and apple soup with beets and kale so often — you’ve got to try it!

butternut squash soup w kale overhead (less clarity)-1

Yay, it’s full-blown soup season! I eat soup all year round but now that Thanksgiving’s almost here, I feel better posting my soups because who doesn’t love soup when the weather gets all crisp and chilly?  I know when I post soups in the summer, some people wonder what could possibly be going on in my head… This is the soup I’m going to serve for Thanksgiving. The base of it is an amazingly warming butternut squash and apple soup but it’s kicked up with fresh turmeric. Turmeric makes it so good for you and it gives it a little spice and just look at the gorgeous color!  And the toppings (because you have to have toppings, right?) are shredded beets and garlicky kale… OMG, it’s so good…

This year, we are having Thanksgiving for the first time in our new apartment. I’m used to cooking in a big kitchen, so there are some challenges, but it will be so much fun. I’ve been testing out recipes that are great to make in advance because of working with less stove and oven  space and this one is a big winner — you should try it too. I will make it Tuesday or Wednesday and hide it in the back of the fridge til Thursday.

I make a soup every year for Thanksgiving. I don’t serve it with the meal though. I like to keep it in a pot on the stove all day for those who get hungry before the meal. I keep the soup on the burner and the toppings next to it on the counter with a stack of bowls and people just help themselves. It works out so much better than making separate appetizers and it’s really really delicious.  And, it’s really easy to hold a bowl  or mug of soup (just not those shallow bowls) in your hands while you are screaming at the TV while watching football.

This year, the soup toppings will include shredded raw beets and thinly sliced warmed garlicky kale…
kale and tongs-1

OK, now I have to tell you why this soup is a must; why it is SOOOOOO good for you.

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.

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. When you combine turmeric with cinnamon (yup, another Chinese herb — Rou Gui) the pain relief can be amazing.

It really is true that an apple a day is a good thing. Apples help to strengthen your heart. They are also good for your digestion and they can help eliminate mucus when you have a cold. So, the combination of apples and cinnamon and turmeric together are great for this time of year when everyone seems to be getting sick.

Kale is everywhere these days. It is extremely nutritious, and because it to so popular you can find it already washed and prepared in lots of markets. My cheat for this recipe was that I bought this kale already shredded and washed at the market. If you are using a whole bunch of kale, make sure you clean the leaves thoroughly and remove the center thick stems if they bother you (me… I don’t really mind them if the kale is cooked). This dark leafy green 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.

Beets are SO good for you. I try to find ways to fit them into my meals as much as possible. Really… many times a week. Beets nourish blood and tonify the heart. Athletes are starting to drink beet juice as a form of endurance therapy. They are anti-carcinogenic, good for anemia, and relieve constipation. I also think it’s a great idea to eat them raw sometimes because their amazing goodness is even more pumped up this way.

butternut squash soup side-1

Butternut Squash And Apple Soup With Beets And Kale
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Recipe type: soup
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Serves: 4
Butternut squash combines with apples and turmeric for the most amazing and healthful soup ever. And, as if that wasn't enough... the toppings are garlicky kale and shredded beets!
Ingredients
  • For soup:
  • 1 Tbs ghee or grassfed butter
  • 1-1/2 lb butternut squash chunks
  • 1 med onion, roughly chopped
  • 1-inch piece of fresh turmeric root, peeled and sliced
  • 1 cinnamon stick
  • 1 large apple, peeled and cut into chunks
  • 1 tsp curry powder
  • sea salt to taste
  • 1-1/2 cups vegetable broth
  • 4 large sage leaves, chopped
  • For kale:
  • 1 Tbs extra virgin olive oil
  • 6 garlic gloves, sliced
  • 2 cups finely shredded lacinto (black) kale leaves
  • shredded raw beets (for topping)
  • extra sage leaves, chopped (for topping)
Instructions
  1. In a large soup pot, over medium-high heat, melt the ghee. Add the squash, onion, cinnamon stick, apple, and curry powder. Season with salt.
  2. Season with salt and stir for about 5 minutes, until the veggies start to soften a bit and everything is coated well.
  3. Pour in the broth. Stir. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to a simmer. Cover and let cook about 30 minutes, or until the squash is soft.
  4. Meanwhile, make the kale: In a medium skillet, heat the oil over medium-high heat, and saute the garlic until it is just starting to brown (but don't burn it!).
  5. Add the kale to the skillet, Raise the heat to high and with your tongs, toss the kale continuously until it's all coated with the garlicky oil. Then turn off the heat. This should only take about 1 minute. Season with salt.
  6. When the soup is done cooking, discard the cinnamon stick and transfer the soup to a blender (my Vitamix made this soup like velvet). I did this in 2 batches so as not to overfill the blender with hot soup. Cover the blender tightly with a clean dish cloth and whiz it up until it's velvety smooth. Use a dish towel instead of the blender cover, so the steam can escape.
  7. Transfer the cooked soup back into the pot.
  8. Ladle the soup into bowls or mugs.
  9. Put the kale and beets in separate bowls.
  10. Put a big dollop of beets in the center of each bowl and sprinkle with extra sage.
  11. Serve the kale alongside and let people choose whether to put in in their soup or eat it on the side.
  12. Enjoy!