I know I have been posting a lot of soups lately! I love soups because they are a simple way to get complex, nutrient density from whole foods into your life. October is a good time to start giving your immune system a little TLC. And this immune support soup recipe contains some of the best sources for key immune supporting nutrients. And, it is free of any inflammatory foods that might bog your body down or tamper with your digestion. Read More
13 Bean Soup with Garden Chard
The chard in the food garden is making gigantic leaves right now. They are so big I am tempted to preserve them and use them as shoe leather, or a hand fan, or something practical. Since those wild ideas are probably ultimately not as practical as one would hope, I opted to put together this 13 bean soup, and just enjoy the chard in its glorious, minimally processed form. That’s actually my favorite way to enjoy nutrient dense greens! My partner Ricky bought a bag of 13 bean soup mix a while ago, and has been nudging me to make soup out of it. So here is one more hearty soup to get into your belly before the seasons completely change over. Or enjoy it all spring and summer using a variety of different seasonal greens and fresh vegetables. The key is to put the greens in at the end, so they are super fresh, vibrantly colored and retain as much of their living nutrition as possible.
Fig & Shiitake Bacon Bites
Here is a fun and extremely easy variation on the bacon-wrapped fig. Actually, I wanted to see if I could wrap a fig in a shiitake bacon, but the bacon pieces aren’t quite big or flexible enough. Next time I will try making a portobello bacon. In the meantime, this is what I ended up with, and to my delight, it came out very tasty. Try this as a snack, or a vegan and Paleo-friendly summer hors d’oeuvre, if you go with the vegan cheese, or I would imagine that goat cheese would be equally amazing. You can google shiitake bacon recipes and experiment, or just use the one I came up with here. Making shiitake bacon is much easier than it sounds if you use this quick method.
Buckwheat Ramen with Shiitake Mushrooms & Vegetables
I’ll be frank: I love buckwheat!!! I have always had a fond place in my heart for buckwheat. I honestly can’t remember where in my childhood buckwheat took its place, I think an aunt used it, or maybe my mom. I just remember it being there somewhere. When I started pursuing this healthier cooking thing, I was delighted to discover the nutritional benefits that buckwheat has to offer. Buckwheat is not actually wheat at all. It is a seed that comes from a sorrel-like flower. This makes it, in my view, a superfood, not to mention gluten free, plant based, and other great qualities many are looking for today. Unfortunately, buckwheat flour doesn’t behave quite the same as wheat flour, so its uses tend to be more limited, but you can find some good products that use pure buckwheat in simple and nutritious ways. You can also use it in recipes here and there, in baking, and always be confident that you are adding amino acids, fiber, and other essential nutrition to the dish. Here is a fantastic and quick way to enjoy ramen without the toxic craziness of the ubiquitous instant ramen. And, it is great on a detox! This recipe can be ready to eat in 20-30 minutes from start to finish. Read More
Roasted Zucchini with “Creamy” Mushroom Stuffing
I think at least a few of my friends are scratching their heads at my new obsession with vegan cooking. Here is the truth; it isn’t exactly the vegan I am obsessed about, but more just having an in-depth go at figuring out how much essential nutrition I can get from a vegan meal; the kind of nutrition that one would normally think can only be obtained from an animal. And then there is another fascination that comes with vegan cooking- to see where you can find the essential “comfort” ingredients. That brings me to my current dating spree with nuts, especially the rich, oily ones. I am about a recipe away from being convinced that nuts take the healthy lead in providing the comfort essentials we all love and our tastebuds count on. Move over butter, cheese, and cream, because I just made an entree that takes the “comfort” of creamy mushroom ravioli filling, and turns it on its gluten free, dairy free, vegan ear. Read More