Recipe: Jackfruit Peanut Noodles

Our first instinct was to call this recipe “Jolly Jackfruit” for two reasons: the red and green vibrant colors are reminiscent of the holidays AND it’s a meal that promotes feeling jolly afterward, fueled with plant-proteins and bright vegetables. It doesn’t hurt that the peanut sauce is to-die-for delicious. Use this meal for your new year’s resolutions of eating healthier and/or more plant-based. Enjoy!

Prep time: about 20 minutes

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Ingredients

2 cans of young jackfruit

2 tbsp olive oil (coconut oil works too)

6 cloves of garlic, minced

2 cups kale, chopped

1 cup full-fat coconut milk

2 Tbsp coconut aminos (or use soy sauce or tamari)

2 tsp toasted sesame seed oil

1 Tbsp fresh ginger

1/2 cup peanut butter

1/4 cup fresh lime juice (1-2 limes needed)

1/2 Tbsp maple syrup (optional, to help provide a multi-dimensional flavor to the peanut sauce)

8oz rice noodles, prepared according to package instructions

Instructions

Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat then add garlic, kale, and red bell pepper to cook for 4-6 minutes. Stir regularly. Drain the jackfruit and remove hard core. Use your hands to pull, or ‘shred’ the jackfruit. Add it to the skillet and cook for about 4 minutes.

Now it’s time to prepare the peanut sauce. In a blender, add the coconut milk, peanut butter, coconut aminos, lime juice, maple syrup, toasted sesame oil and ginger. Blend until smooth then taste and add seasonings or spice until it’s to your liking.

Bring a medium pot of water to a boil and then add the rice noodles and cook according to the package instructions While waiting, pour the peanut sauce into the skillet to coat the jackfruit and veggies with the peanut sauce. Stir and cook for about 2-3 minutes before removing mixture from heat. Serve by placing noodles in a bowl and topping with the jackfruit and veggies. Add cilantro, peanuts, or red pepper flakes for additional flavor and garnish, if desired. This dish is best served fresh but can be easily heated up the next day for a delicious lunch.

If you are allergic to peanuts, take heart – almond butter worked just as well for this recipe.

Recipe: Savory Tahini Sauce

Savory Tahini Sauce

Tahini, made from sesame seed paste, is a surprisingly versatile condiment to have in the kitchen. You can often eat and use it the way you would peanut butter – right out of the jar or with celery sticks. This five-ingredient savory sauce an be drizzled on top of salad, falafel, soup, roasted veggies or any number or dishes.

Prep time: 5 minutes

Yield: ~1 cup

Ingredients

1/2 cup tahini
1/2 cup water
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
3 cloves garlic
1/4 tsp sea salt

Instructions

Combine tahini, water, lemon juice, garlic and salt in blender or food processor. Pulse or blend until smooth. Enjoy it fresh though it does keep for about a week in the refrigerator.

5 Immunity Boosters: Foods & Herbs

Herbs and spices have been used since antiquity and are time-tested natural remedies for a variety of illnesses and diseases, including viral infections. There are therapeutically active constituents of these plants which exhibit anti-viral action and protection.

Sometimes science takes awhile to catch up with proving the healing benefits of plants. A simple example here is that cranberry juice helping urinary tract infections was considered an “old wives tale” until scientific research a couple decades ago found it to be true – cranberries have a property that prevents the adhesion of pathogens (e.g. E. coli) to the bladder wall.

Because of lack of interest in funding research on non-patentable compounds, be aware that the research on benefits of some herbs may be scant and have limited human research.  On the other side, many of these herbs and spices have been studied for a few millenia (far longer that most pharmaceuticals) so…

Do your due diligence. Research and consult with your healthcare provider as certain health conditions and potential drug-interactions need to be evaluated. And now, without further ado…

Garlic

Garlic has a special place in our hearts. Ever since we were broke college students, we have relished the power, ubiquity and inexpensive nature of this plant. It has antibacterial, anti-viral, and anti-parasitic properties (to say nothing of its ability to ward off vampires). It also acts as an anti-inflammatory agent. Garlic a common ingredient and easy addition to a variety of dishes. For about a cost of only fifty cents per bulb, it’s a worthy purchase.

Elderberries

The plant family ‘elder’ is also known as sambucus. Native American tribes and even ancient Egyptians used this plant to treat infections and heal the skin. Today these elderberries are most often found available in the form of syrups and lozenges and are used to ameliorate cold and flu symptoms. A mouse study published on PubMed found that concentrated elderberry juice exhibited a “beneficial effect by the stimulating immune response and preventing viral infection” while in a review of human studies, “supplementation with elderberry was found to substantially reduce upper respiratory symptoms [emphasis added].” Is anyone else Team Elderberry right now?

Ginger

Zingiber officinale, also known as ginger, is found in its whole form and in products such as teas, lozenges, and tinctures. Being helpful to pregnant women experiencing nausea is just one of ginger’s impressive resume qualifications. Its potent plant compounds, including gingerols and zingerone, contribute to ginger’s impressive antiviral activity. If ginger were a person, we wouldn’t let this coronavirus-related recession stop us from hiring him/her as an essential employee of our anti-viral unit.

Licorice

Whether you love or hate the taste, licorice has some tools to help keep you safe from viral infection. Used in traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) and elsewhere for hundreds of years, licorice root contains active antiviral compounds called glycyrrhizin, liquiritigenin, and glabridin (say those three times fast, geez). In vitro (test-tube) studies show licorice root’s effectiveness against herpes virus, HIV, respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), and, wait for it……..SARS-associated coronavirus infection.

Echinacea

Very popular in herbal medicine, Echinacea is one of the best all-around plants because of its extensive healing properties. The entirety of the plant is used – roots, leaves, flowers- in a variety of natural remedy preparations. It’s also a beautiful, purple plant that you may see roadside or in a metro park. Another trusted and time-tested plant used by Native Americans, it has been used to allay a number of conditions, including viral infections, and is immune-modulating. Several in-vitro studies found that a variety of types of echinacea plants (including E. pallida, E. angustifolia, and E. purpurea) effectively knock-out herpes and influenza viral infections.

Remember, these foods and herbs can only really work their ‘magic’ within the context of a body otherwise supported by good nutrition. A diet high in added sugars, mucous-producing foods, and low in vitamins and minerals won’t help your immune system power-up and effectively take on coronavirus or any other infections.

Ready to talk more to a nutrition expert and lay firm foundations for your health for the short- and long-term? Schedule for your complimentary 20-minute Discovery Call and take control of your health and wellness.

Recipe: Rainbow Chili

It’s the slow-cooker time of the year and we are using the Crockpot on the regular. It’s easy to make a basic chili or a fancier one with this beloved piece of kitchen equipment. We bought some rainbow carrots and decided to make our chili a bit fancy for a recent date night but it’s equally good to casually and lovingly feed yourself or a whole, hungry family.

Prep time: 15 minutes

Servings: about 8

Ingredients

3-4 rainbow heirloom carrots. sliced
2-3 ribs of celery, chopped
1 jar organic tomato sauce
5 fresh tomatoes, chopped
1 can black beans, drained & rinsed
1 can pinto beans, drained & rinsed
1 can chickpeas
6-8 cloves garlic, chopped
2-3 bay leaves
1 tbsp cumin (with all these beans, you’re gonna need it :D)
1/2 tbsp dried oregano
1 tbsp chopped parsley for topping

Omnivore option: add 1lb cooked ground turkey

Instructions

Chop all vegetable ingredients and add to slow cooker container, along with tomato sauce and rinsed cans of beans. Add bay leaves, cumin, and oregano. Optional: add 1 lb cooked ground turkey for omnivore option. Add water as needed so slow cooker is halfway to two-thirds full. Cook on low for 8 hours. Remove bay leaves, scoop into bowls, top with fresh parsley and enjoy this colorful, plant-based meal!

Recipe: Lemony Kale & Almond Salad

We’ve tested it thrice so far with the crowds at Thanksgiving, a holiday party, and recent Friendsgiving with rave reviews. Here we share the zingy, tongue-tingling Lemony Kale & Almond Salad! May it serve you and yours well during holiday celebrations, potlucks, a light dinner, and even just for a mid-day snack. The dressing’s simple ingredients become something greater when combined, like when the Mighty Morphin Power Rangers connected their rings. Also, *voice lowers* it’s gluten-free and vegan…not like anyone will hold it against you :).

Yields: about 12-15 servings

Prep time: about 25-30 minutes

Ingredients

1 lb kale (we’ve used a clamshell of baby kale)
2 cups almonds, chopped
1 cup olive oil
1/2 cup fresh lemon juice
6 cloves garlic, crushed or finely chopped
1 tsp sea salt
Optional: pepper to taste

Instructions

Let garlic steep in olive oil. Toast almonds in pan until golden brown, then set aside to cool. During garlic-steeping and toasting of almonds, cut small batches of kale into thin strips and place into a very large bowl (with lid, for transport to holiday gathering). In a separate bowl, put dressing together by adding lemon juice, salt, and garlic-steeped olive oil. If you don’t want garlic in the end-product, remove crushed garlic from oil and discard. If you are a garlic-lover, use the finely chopped garlic, without sieving, in the dressing. Combine almonds and dressing into larger bowl with kale and toss with tongs. For best results, serve within about 1 hour. Note: the more oil used, the heavier the kale leaves will be and it will reduce volume of salad within the bowl.

Recipe: Avocado Egg Salad

We’re celebrating National Egg Salad Week by sharing two delicious recipes – Avocado Egg Salad (made without mayonnaise!) AND an egg-less, vegan version with chickpeas. Pull those leftover, hard-boiled eggs from the fridge and let’s get started!

Avocado Egg Salad (vegan optional)
Serves 2-3
Prep time: 8 minutes

4 organic large eggs (substitute a 15oz can of drained chickpeas for eggs to make vegan)
1/2 avocado, pitted and chopped
1 tsp mustard
1/8 cup green onions, chopped
1/8 cup fresh parsley, chopped
1 tbsp of apple cider vinegar or lime juice (helps prevent browning of avocado)
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp dill weed
Pinch of paprika
Salt & pepper to taste

Instructions

Mash avocado in a medium bowl then repeat mashing when you add the hard-boiled eggs (or chickpeas) to the bowl. Mix all other ingredients into the bowl, except paprika.

Egg salad is best served chilled. Stick mixture in the fridge for at least 1/2 hr before garnishing with paprika and enjoying on your favorite bread, on top of a bed of greens, or in a wrap.

Garlic Basil Spaghetti Squash

With the super-bugs going around and infecting people with flu/cold and coughs that linger for weeks, we thought it was high-time to bring in some garlic. Other than the folklore surrounding its ability to keep vampires at bay, did you know that garlic has anti-bacterial, anti-fungal, and anti-parasitic properties? This vegetable from the lily family has a well-deserved space on our plates this season.

Ingredients

1 medium spaghetti squash
25oz jar of tomato sauce
1 bulb garlic, peeled and minced
6oz white button mushrooms, sliced
5oz shredded green cabbage
1oz fresh basil, chopped
1/2 tbsp olive oil

Instructions

Carefully cut spaghetti squash in half lengthwise, scoop out the seeds, and place cut side down on baking sheet into pre-heated oven (400 degrees) and cook for 45-50 minutes.

Prep all other ingredients with knife and cutting board. Put garlic and mushrooms in large pan over low-medium heat for about 5 minutes, then add cabbage, tomato sauce, and fresh basil and simmer until done.

After spaghetti squash has cooled a bit, use oven mitt to hold while scraping out ‘spaghetti’ with a fork. Top with tomato sauce mixture and enjoy!

Cashew & Chickpea Korma

Our favorite Indian food delivery service stopped. Rather than languish, cry, and starve, we  put on our big kid pants and decided to channel our inner Indian cooking guru. The result? Almost unbelievable but it’s way better than what has been arriving at our door steps.

This is a quick prep but slow cook meal (the longer you can wait, the better!). If you don’t know us by now, let us explain that we are pretty experimental in the kitchen, rarely is anything measured before we add it, but we’ll recount the end result in the recipe below. May your autumnal evenings grow warmer and your taste buds do a dance of joy!

Prep time: 20 minutes

Serves 4

Ingredients

1 cup cashews
1 can chickpeas
1/2 tbsp olive oil
1 jar tomato sauce (we used fire-roasted tomato sauce)
1 red bell pepper
1 carrot
1 baby bok choy
1 onion, chopped

Herbs & Spices
1″ ginger
1″ tumeric
1/3 bunch of cilantro
1 tsp coriander
2 tsp cumin
2 tsp harissa
1 tbsp garam masala

Instructions

Heat cashews and chickpeas in a pan with olive oil for about 10 minutes, stirring often. Prep other vegetables – chop carrot, red pepper, cilantro, and bok choy. Transfer chickpeas and cashews to a pot to rest and now heat the vegetables in the pan with jar of tomato sauce for 10 minutes. Add vegetable mix to pot with the nuts and chickpeas along with spices and 1/2 liter of water. Simmer for as long as you can stand or about 45-60 minutes. Serve with blend of wild rice if desired.

National Hot & Spicy Day

National Hot & Spicy Day

Adrienne Raimo, RDN, LD of One Bite Wellness is featured on the WBNS 10tv website about hot and spicy foods as well as their benefits.

http://www.10tv.com/article/hot-and-spicy-food

Recipe: Turkey Breakfast Sausage

Oh my, how savory the turkey sausage patties! A perfect pairing with a over-medium egg and hot sauce. At this point, you have two choices: devour with your eyes or get cooking so you can devour them with your mouth.

Bonus: no scary ingredients from typical store-bought sausages with their nitrites and other questionable agents. We also added tons of garlic for the health properties related to winter wellness!

Prep time: 10 minutes
Cook time: 15 minutes

Ingredients:
1 lb ground turkey (ours from MKM family farms at farmers’ market)
2 tbsp coconut oil (feel free to substitute olive oil)
4 cloves garlic
1 medium onion, chopped
1 tbsp oregano, parsley, and fennel seeds
1 tsp salt & pepper
2 tbsp balsamic vinaigrette for de-glazing pan
hot sauce

Instructions:
Heat oil in saucepan over medium heat and cook onion and garlic until golden-brown. Remove from heat and add onion to mixing bowl along with turkey and combine. Then add the oregano, parsley, fennel seeds, salt & pepper and mix thoroughly by hand. Form patties by hand to be about 3 inches in diameter and about 1/2″ inch thick. Cook in skillet about 5 minutes on either side or until inserted meat thermometer registers 165°F and meat is fully cooked. Add balsamic vinaigrette to de-glaze the pan and cook on a lower temperature so meat soaks some up.

Happy breakfast-ing!