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!

Instant Pot Cube Steak With Gravy

What says comfort food better than tender cube steak with a delicious gravy in the winter time? I used round steak to make my own cube steak chunks, and I chose to keep the gravy Paleo and gluten free compliant for all to enjoy. In my version, I cook the steak with sliced onions and peppers, but feel free to experiment with different vegetables such as cubed sweet potato, zucchini or even jicama chunks. Let me know what you like best!

Ingredients:

1 lb. beef cube steak (or make your own like I did- see picture below)

2 T oil, I used avocado oil

1/3 c arrowroot or cassava root flour (may substitute rice flour if eating grains)

2 cloves garlic, minced OR 2 t garlic powder

1 t sea salt

1 t ground black pepper

1 onion, sliced into thin rings, optional, add sliced peppers as well if desired

1 c beef broth or 1/2 c beef broth mixed with 1/2 c red wine

Directions:

!. Preheat Instant Pot to saute function.

2. Mix the flour and spices together and coat the beef cubes with this mixture.

3. Add oil to pot and saute beef cubes in batches on each side until brown.

4. Pour in broth or broth/wine mixture. Add onions. Set Instant Pot to manual for 15 minutes and lock lid.

5. Use quick release to release pressure cooker.

6. Remove meat and onions. Set Instant Pot to saute function once more.

7. Whisk 2 T of flour mixture with cold water. Add to heated broth in pot. Stir until sauce is thickened.

8. Serve sauce over meat.

9. Optional: serve cube steak over rice, cauliflower rice, or potatoes. Enjoy!

Round steaks, pounded thin and cut up make excellent cube steak!

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!

Paleo Fried Rice

I have always loved Asian food of all types, a trait that started when I lived abroad in Asia for four years as a child. Whether a steaming bowl of Vietnamese pho noodle soup, a rich, creamy Thai curry, or a simply satisfying bowl of Chinese stir fry, I truly enjoy it all! But, for those of us who have embraced a grain-free diet for healing, one might think these rice-based dishes are off limits. No more! If you haven't embraced the paleo world's number one rice substitute yet, please welcome cauliflower. Now, I know what you're thinking....cauliflower, no way. I felt the same way until I tried it at home with my own creation. The key to a delicious riced cauliflower, in my humble opinion, is to utilize it in foods with a spicy flavor or sauce so that the flavor of the cauliflower doesn't overpower. My paleo fried rice is the perfect blend of flavors and textures to please even the pickiest of eaters. The best part is that riced cauliflower is now available in the freezer section of many stores, including some Whole Foods Markets and Trader Joes.

Ingredients:

1 head of cauliflower, "riced" by hand grater or food processor, or 2-3 c of pre-diced bag

1 medium onion, chopped

3 scallions, thinly sliced

1 carrot, chopped

1/2 c frozen peas

1 c diced, cooked chicken, ham, sausage, or shrimp

gluten free soy sauce (or coconut aminos for soy free)

5 eggs, scrambled with soy sauce or coconut aminos

1 c frozen peas (omit if legume free)

2 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 inch ginger, minced

sea salt and pepper to taste

coconut oil for cooking

Directions:

In a large wok or skillet, heat coconut oil on high heat. Add riced cauliflower to pan and season with garlic, ginger, salt and pepper. Stir fry for 4-6 minutes. Next, add 1/2 c of water, reduce heat to medium low, and cover. Cook for 5 minutes, until softened. Next, in a smaller pan, saute carrot, onion and additional garlic if desired in oil until starting to brown. Add eggs to smaller pan, pushing vegetable mixture to the side. Stir until scrambled eggs are done. Add smaller pan contents to larger skillet, along with the cooked meat and frozen peas. Add 2 T of soy sauce or coconut aminos and stir to toss. Dish is ready when peas are warmed through. This is so delicious you'll never miss the rice and it's family friendly to boot!