Healing Squash & Sweet Potato Soup

What could be better in the cold winter months than the rich, flavorful goodness of butternut squash and sweet potato? Even better when they are paired together in what will soon become a new favorite!

Ingredients:

1.5 c cubed butternut squash (fresh or frozen)

3 medium sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into chunks

1 granny smith apple, peeled and chopped

4 c chicken broth (use vegetable broth for vegetarian option)

1 T EVOO

1/2 tsp cinnamon

6 slices of fresh ginger (peeled)

3 cloves garlic, peeled

3/4 c full fat coconut milk

1/2 c water

2 T lemon or lime juice

sea salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

In a large soup pot, saute garlic and ginger in EVOO for 2 minutes. Add squash, sweet potatoes and apple to pot. Add cinnamon. Saute 3-5 min., stirring frequently. Add broth. Bring to boil. Reduce heat to simmer. Cover and cook for 15 minutes or until mixture is tender. Remove pot from heat and take out ginger and garlic pieces. Using an immersion blender, blend until smooth. Add in coconut milk, water and lime/lemon juice. Return pot to burner and cook on low heat until heated through. Stir and season with salt and pepper.

To serve, set out bowls of toppings to choice from. Try chopped pistachios, pumpkin seeds, fresh herbs, shredded coconut, or raisins. Get creative and enjoy!

Healing Golden Milk

Golden milk is a traditional Ayurvedic beverage with many health benefits. The ingredients have antibacterial and antiviral properties and the antioxidants help strengthen your immune system. Golden milk is simple to make at home. For a single serving of golden milk or about one cup, simply follow this recipe:

Ingredients:

• 1 c of an unsweetened milk of your choice (I used almond milk)

• 1 t of turmeric

• 1 small piece of grated fresh ginger or 1/2 t of ginger powder

• 1/2 t of cinnamon powder

• 1 pinch of black pepper

• 1 t of raw honey or maple syrup

Directions:

Mix all ingredients in a small saucepan and bring to a low boil. Reduce heat and simmer for about 10 minutes or until fragrant and flavorful. Strain the drink through a fine strainer into mugs and top with a pinch of cinnamon and/or drizzle with honey. Enjoy hot or at room temperature! Especially good as a bedtime drink!

Grain-free Ginger Spice Cookies

The holiday season is upon us and in our home we are counting the days until Christmas! Although our holidays look different this year due to the quarantine, we are using this special time to seek joy in new hobbies as well as old traditions. One of the ways we find joy during the Christmas season is creating fun treats through holiday baking and fragrant spices!

One of my favorite varieties from childhood are my mom’s snickerdoodle or ginger/cinnamon spice cookies, simply for the wonderful aroma that permeates my home when I bake with these spices. When I started eating a gluten free, grain free diet, I missed my old standby favorites. Although we have made many good varieties using the typical almond flour or coconut flour, I love to vary up the flours we use to incorporate different nutrients and tastes into our diet. This recipe utilizes tiger nut flour, which is actually a small tuber, and not a tree nut at all so perfect for your nut-free friends as well.

Tiger nut flour is high in beneficial prebiotic fiber that feeds good bacteria in the gut through the resistant starches found in tubers, root vegetables, legumes, plantains, and other plant foods. The bacteria then release, through their own digestion, short chain fatty acids to nourish the gut lining, B vitamins, tryptophan, and digestive enzymes to break down food more easily. Beneficial gut microbes regulate immune cell function to help soothe and calm your immune system. So, as you enjoy these treats, remember you are not only nourishing your body with better foods, but also your microbial colonies that live in your gut. Remember to nourish your microbes today and each day! Enjoy these cookies warm or cold.

Ingredients:

8 pitted medjool dates (about ½ c)
¼ c virgin coconut oil
1 legg
1 tsp vanilla
1 c tigernut flour (packed)
1 ½ tsp cinnamon
3/4 tsp ground ginger
½ tsp baking soda
¼ tsp sea salt

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper. Place the dates, oil, egg, and vanilla into a food processor and pulse until the mixture is very smooth and pureed. Then add the remaining ingredients and process again to combine.

Drop cookie dough by the heaping tbsp onto cookie sheet. You should have 12 to 14 cookies. Using wet hands, gently flatten each cookie. Bake for about 10 min. Let cool for 5 to 10 minutes on the cookie sheet before placing onto a rack to fully cool (unless you want to grab them warm off the sheet and eat like I do). Enjoy!

Shrimp and Veggie One Pan Sheet Dinner

What’s for dinner……..that notorious question we are asked, often daily, by our family members and sometimes ourselves! It can feel downright overwhelming at times. In moments like these, when I need something super simple to get on the table in record speed, I turn to one-pan sheet dinners in my oven!

This recipe is super customizable- the variations I have tried are listed, but they are truly endless. It’s the mildly spicy and savory sauce that makes this a hit for all in my home!

INGREDIENTS

• 1 lb. asparagus, broccoli, broccolini, or zucchini, cut into bite-sized pieces

• 1 tbsp olive oil or refined coconut oil (so no coconutty taste!)

• 3 tbsp soy sauce or coconut aminos if soy free

• 1 tsp grated or minced fresh ginger

• 1 tbsp sriracha or other Asian chili-garlic sauce

• 2 tsp sesame oil

• 1 lb. uncooked peeled and deveined medium shrimp

• Sea salt

• Freshly ground black pepper

• Cooked white or brown rice, for serving (omit for paleo)

• one lemon or lime, cut into wedges

• 1/4 c thinly sliced scallions, for serving (optional)

• 1/2 c grape tomatoes (optional)

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Arrange a rack in the middle of the oven and heat to 400°F.

2. Place the veggies on a rimmed baking sheet, drizzle with oil, and toss to evenly coat. Spread into an even layer and roast for 10 minutes. Meanwhile, whisk the soy sauce or coconut aminos, ginger, chili-garlic sauce, and sesame oil together in a small bowl; set aside. Season the shrimp with salt and pepper.

3. Add the shrimp and soy sauce/coconut aminos mixture to baking sheet, toss with the veggies, and spread back into an even layer. Add citrus wedges around the shrimp and veggies. Roast again, stirring halfway through, until the shrimp are just opaque and the broccoli is tender, 6 to 8 minutes more. Serve in bowls over rice if desired, sprinkled with the scallions or cut grape tomatoes. Enjoy!

RECIPE NOTES

Storage: Leftovers can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.

Chicken Pot Pie with Almond Crumble Topping

Hello friends! I haven't posted a recipe in a while as I've been focusing mainly on my one on one nutritional therapy clients and my group RESTART classes (see more in the Services section of my site). I have missed sharing what's going on in my kitchen and hope you enjoy this recipe, which is my healthier-version of a classic comfort food, chicken pot pie!

It has been raining nonstop in my area all week, which inspires me to turn on the oven and create some love in the kitchen for my family. I tend to want to stay inside and snuggle up on the couch with a cuppa tea and a good book during rainy weather, and this is a simple but scrumptious recipe that warms you inside and out. 

Ingredients:

3 cups cooked chicken, diced

2T butter + 3T separated  (I prefer Kerrygold grass fed)

1 yellow onion, diced

3 stalks celery, diced

3 carrots, diced

1 small pkg. mixed frozen veggies (about 1.5 cups- I prefer Cascadian Farms)

4 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 cup chicken bone broth

1/4 cup coconut milk

1 tsp arrowroot flour

sea salt and pepper to taste

1/2 tsp oregano

1 T parsley

1/2 tsp tumeric

1.5 cup almond flour

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large skillet, melt 2 T of butter. Add celery, onion, carrot and garlic and saute until slightly tender. Add chicken, broth, seasonings and cook 3 minutes more. Add coconut milk and frozen veggies and cook 2 minutes more. Pour filling into a greased 9x13 glass baking dish. In a saucepan, melt 3 T butter, then add 1.5 cup of almond flour. Stir until small clumps form. Crumble with fingers and sprinkle mixture over filling in baking dish. Bake uncovered for 20-30 minutes, until topping is golden. Enjoy!

GF/DF Mac and Cheese

I don’t know what food screams comfort to me more than a creamy, warm, savory bowl of mac and cheese! Alas, for many including myself, processed gluten and dairy-containing foods no longer serve my body well. So, what’s a girl to do?

I experimented with a few combinations and possibly a few mishaps and have FINALLY created a winner recipe for a creamy mac and cheese dish that hits the comfort food spot and is completely gluten AND dairy free! For those who may wonder, even my gluten and dairy loving friends have enjoyed this dish! To your health!

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 c raw cashews

• 3 Tbsp lemon juice

• 3/4 c water

• 1 1/2 tsp fine sea salt

• 1/4 cup nutritional yeast

• 1/4 teaspoon chili powder

• 1/2 tsp garlic powder

• 1/4 tsp turmeric

• pinch of cayenne pepper (optional)

• 1/2 tsp spicy brown mustard (or dijon works here)

• 16 oz Elbow or shell pasta of choice (gluten-free, if needed)

• freshly ground black pepper

• paprika , for garnish

Instructions

1. Prepare the pasta according to package directions. (I use Tinkyada Joy rice pasta)

2. While the pasta is cooking, combine the cashews, lemon juice, water, salt, nutritional yeast, chili powder, garlic, turmeric, cayenne (if using), and mustard in a high speed blender and blend until silky smooth. If the mixture is too thick, add 2-4 more tablespoons of water and blend again.

3. Once the pasta is tender, drain and rinse it, then return the pasta to the pot and stir in the cheese sauce. Season to taste and serve! Enjoy!

Asian Lentil Soup

I don't know about you, but in the summer months (especially here in Texas!) I don't always want meat for my protein source. Although I eat primarily a primal-type diet which typically excludes all legumes (beans/peas), I do seem to tolerate these protein-packed vegetarian options well when I spend the time to properly prepare my legumes beforehand. Soaking and sprouting beans and lentils in a nutshell helps to increase digestibility for most people and allows more of the nutrients within to be utilized, and is what all traditional cultures did when consuming their legumes. I would much rather spend the time ensuring my food doesn't hurt my digestive system, especially with an autoimmune disease linked to leaky gut.  This being said, I don't always have the time to soak and sprout my lentils, so I was super excited to see pre-sprouted dried green lentils in the bins at my local Whole Foods! If you can't access this store near you, try these from Amazon (see below). Here's my summer pureed soup which combines tasty lentils with some of my favorite Asian-inspired flavors for a meatless, one-pot, easy dinner. Enjoy!

Ingredients:

2 T coconut oil

1 onion, chopped

3 cloves garlic, minced

3 T ginger, peeled and minced

1 t red curry paste (or more to taste)

1 T ground coriander

1 T cumin (or more to taste)

2 c full-fat coconut milk

2 c green or French lentils

2 qt chicken or vegetable broth (plus a bit extra if needed)

optional:  top with fresh cilantro, limes, or chopped pistachios

Directions:

In a large dutch oven or soup pot, heat the coconut oil over medium-high heat. Stir in the onions and saute until translucent. Next, stir in the garlic and ginger, and stir. Then, add curry, cumin and curry paste. Mix well. 

Reduce heat to medium and add coconut milk and broth. Let cook for 5 minutes. Next, add the lentils and stir. Further reduce heat to medium-low and cook for around 30 minutes, stirring frequently to prevent sticking. As more liquid as needed. 

When lentils are thoroughly cooked and tender, use an immersion blender to puree until smooth. Use extra broth as needed to thin. Check seasonings to taste. Garnish and serve!

Creamy, satisfying lentil soup!

Red, White and Blue Cheesecake Bars- (raw and vegan)

The dog days of summer are here for sure and in the U.S., we are getting ready to celebrate our Independence Day on July 4th! This holiday always holds much nostalgia for me, from the grand fireworks display with family and friends, to the bbq'd meats and veggies, and, of course, the patriotic-filled red, white and blue desserts! I've always been a fan of cheesecake, but after going primarily dairy-free, I thought my love of this creamy dessert had to end. I was totally wrong! My version of a patriotic raspberry vanilla cheesecake is inspired by a dessert I had at a vegan restaurant in Montreal called Crudessence (you must try if you are in Quebec!). There, I enjoyed a chocolately-mousse type cheesecake that was dairy free featuring cashews as the cream filling of choice. After successfully using cashew cream as a base for my enchiladas and other savory dishes, this creation is my first to use them in a dessert recipe. Of course, since this is a July 4th themed dessert (or any time!), I chose to make a vanilla cheesecake filling, topped with a red raspberry layer, and garnished with fresh blueberries. Feel free to substitute any berry flavor for the top layer and have fun experimenting!

Ingredients:

1 c gluten-free chocolate granola (I used Kind brand)

1 c pitted medjool dates

1 T cacao powder

4-6 T unsweetened vanilla almond milk

1.5 c raw cashews

1/3 c pure maple syrup, (plus 1/4 c maple divided for top layer)

2 t pure vanilla

10 oz organic frozen raspberries, defrosted

1/4 c chia seeds

Directions:

Place the cashews in a glass jar or baking dish and cover with boiling water. Soak for 1 hour. Drain the water and set aside. Place granola in a food processor with dates, cacao powder and 2 T almond milk. Pulse to combine until mixture forms a thick paste. Line a loaf pan with parchment paper and press cashew mixture into bottom of pan to form the crust layer. Place pan in freezer for one hour.

In food processor, combine drained cashews with 1/3 c maple syrup, vanilla and 3 T almond milk (more if needed). Pulse until mixture is smooth and creamy. Spread this "cheesecake" layer over crust and freeze an additional hour.

To make topping, place defrosted raspberries, chia seeds and 1/4 c maple syrup in food processor. Pulse to combine. Spread on top of cheesecake to form the final layer. Freeze for at least one more hour or until set. 

To serve, cut, cheesecake into squares and top with blueberries or additional raspberries if desired. Enjoy!

Raspberry and Vanilla Raw Cheesecake Bars!