Parsnips are a fantastic vegetable because of their natural sweetness when cooked. Add lemongrass, kaffir lime leaves, and ginger and you have the perfect balance of flavors!
Tag: healthy eating Page 1 of 2
Tabouli is a fragrant Middle Eastern salad traditionally made with parsley, mint, tomatoes, green onions and bulgur wheat, and dressed with extra virgin olive oil, fresh lemon juice and salt. For those of you on a gluten-free diet, try making it with quinoa instead of bulgur wheat. I love eating tabouli with Romaine lettuce and diced cucumbers! It is also delicious with grilled or broiled wild caught salmon. Yum!
Dandelion greens are one of my favorite bitters! They’re not for everyone, but I enjoy their unique flavor.
On a cold Fall day nothing warms me up like a nice warm bowl of soup! Here is one of my favorite soup recipes.
Ingredients:
- 1/2 Spanish onion (chopped)
- 1 small garlic clove (chopped finely)
- 1 teaspoon curry powder
- 1 large organic sweet potato, peeled and diced (about 1 1/2 cups)
- 1 medium organic butternut squash, peeled, seeded, and cubed (about 2 1/2 cups)
- 3 organic carrots, peeled and sliced
- 1 teaspoon sea salt, or to taste
- 1 tablespoon olive oil or coconut oil
- 1/2 teaspoon cumin
- 4-5 cups vegetable stock or chicken stock (add 2 cups coconut milk/cream if you prefer a creamier soup in place of 2 cups stock)
- 1/2 teaspoon ginger powder
Instructions:
- Sauté the onion, garlic, and spices in olive oil until onion is soft, about 5 minutes.
- Add all ingredients to a slow cooker, and secure the lid.
- Turn it on low, and leave for 6 hours.
- Use an immersion blender to make a smoother texture.
- Garnish with chopped parsley or scallions.
Enjoy!
Jenice
Cooler weather means it’s apple tart time. My favorite gluten-free recipe is this cinnamon-spiked apple tart. The crust is not your typical crust. It is a bit doughy, but still pretty scrumptious. The tart is easy to make, kid-friendly, not-too-sweet and delicious! I hope you’ll try it.
Ingredients
Crust
- 2/3 cup sorghum four
- 1/3 cup arrowroot flour
- 1/3 cup tapioca flour
- 1 teaspoon aluminum-free baking powder
- 1 egg
- 1 tablespoon walnut oil
- 3/4 cup (1 cup if mixture is too dry) seltzer water
- 1/2 teaspoon gluten-free almond extract
- 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
- Round 9 inch glass baking dish
Mix all the ingredients together. Pour into a greased (I used a little of the walnut oil) baking dish and place in a pre-heated 400 degree oven for 5 minutes. Remove from oven and add the filling on top (see below).
Filling
- 4 organic tart apples (peeled and sliced thinly)
- 2 tablespoons ghee
- 1/2 teaspoon gluten-free vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon Vietnamese cinnamon
- 2 tablespoons coconut sugar ( If needed. I don’t add the sugar when I make the recipe because I feel the apple tart is sweet enough.)
Place the filling ingredients in a small pan and slowly heat up until the ghee has melted and the apples are evenly coated in the mixture.
Add the tart filling on top of the crust mixture.
Sprinkle with extra cinnamon and coconut sugar if you like.
Bake on 400 degrees for 10 – 15 minutes.
Cook longer if you like a crisper crust.
Tip – If you are a nut lover, add walnuts or pecans to the filling recipe.
Enjoy!
Jenna
This creamy soup combines avocado, coconut milk, broth, onion, garlic, jalapeño and cilantro. It is easy to make and a sure hit for anyone who loves avocados!
Ingredients
- 2 tsp coconut oil
- 1/2 medium yellow onion, finely chopped
- 1/2 large jalapeño pepper, seeds & membranes removed, and finely minced
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tbsp minced fresh cilantro leaves
- 3 Hass avocados, peeled
- 1/2 tsp sea salt (or more to taste)
- 1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
- 2 1/2 cups organic vegetable or chicken broth
- 1/3 cup coconut milk
Instructions
Heat the coconut oil in a sauce pan set over medium-low heat.
Add the onion and jalapeño pepper, and cook (without browning) until the onion is soft and translucent, 7 to 10 minutes.
Add the minced garlic and cook for 2 more minutes.
Stir in the cilantro.
Cool slightly.
Place the avocados and 1 1/2 cups broth in a food processor or blender.
Pulse until finely chopped.
Add the remaining broth, along with the cooked onion mixture, salt and pepper.
Blend until smooth.
Pour the soup into a bowl and stir in the coconut milk.
Cover the soup and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.
Serve chilled.
So delicious! Enjoy!
Jenna
During the hot summer months I enjoy starting the day with a bright and refreshing smoothie. What do you like to put in your smoothie?
Ingredients
1/2 cup diced mango
Juice of 1-2 small limes
1 peeled cucumber
1-2 green figs (Trader Joe’s has Organic Green Figs in the freezer section)
1-4 cup(s) of liquid: unsweetened almond milk, coconut water or celery water. Adjust amount of liquid to your taste and thickness desired.
Large handful of cilantro leaves (no stems please)
Large handful of baby spinach
Preparing your Tropical Greens Smoothie
Place the cilantro leaves, cucumber, figs, baby spinach and almond milk in a blender or food processor and purée until smooth.
Add the mango and lime juice and purée once more until you get the consistency you like.
Pour your smoothie into a chilled glass and enjoy!
Blessings,
Jenna
One of my clients was kind enough to share this recipe with me. It is delicious! I hope you will give it a try.
Salad Ingredients
- 1/2 cup uncooked quinoa (or 1 1/2 cups cooked)
- 8 ounces kale
- 1/2 cup slivered almonds, very well toasted and cooled
- 1/3 cup fresh pomegranate seeds
- 2 to 3 scallions, thinly sliced
- 2 teaspoons chopped fresh dill
- Few gratings of fresh lemon zest
Dressing
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 1/2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
- 2 teaspoons smooth Dijon mustard
- 1 teaspoon coarse Dijon mustard
- 3/4 teaspoon honey
- Celtic sea salt to taste
Directions:
- Rinse the quinoa to remove the bitterness.
- Place quinoa and 1 1/2 cups water in a small saucepan and bring to a simmer.
- Cover and simmer on low for about 15 to 20 minutes. Cook until tender.
- Drain the cooked quinoa.
- Put the quinoa in a salad bowl to cool (refrigerate if needed).
- Whisk dressing ingredients together in a small dish and set aside.
- Rinse the kale and dry it.
- Remove the rib from each stalk by cutting around the stalk.
- Roll the leaves tightly and cut crosswise into thin strips.
- Add the kale strips to the cooled quinoa.
- Add remaining salad ingredients.
- Pour the dressing over the salad.
- Season with Celtic sea salt to taste.
Enjoy!
Jenna
This tasty dish is easy to make and is a big hit with my children! The combination of tartness from the Granny Smith apple mixed with the chicken is delicious.
Ingredients
- Chicken tenderloins (2 packages)
- Freshly ground pepper, to taste
- Sea salt, to taste
- 2T. coconut oil.
- 1 medium onion thinly sliced
- 1 lg clove garlic, minced
- 2T. coconut aminos
- 1T. minced fresh parsley or 1t. dried parsley flakes
- 1/2t. thyme leaves
- 1 large Granny Smith green apple, peeled, cored and cut into thin wedges
- 4 cups fresh organic baby spinach
Directions
- Season the chicken with pepper and salt.
- Melt the coconut oil in a large skillet that has a cover, and brown the chicken pieces well on both sides.
- Remove the chicken from the skillet and set aside.
- Add the onion and garlic to the skillet and sauté until translucent.
- Add the apples, coconut aminos, parsley and thyme and cover the skillet. Cook for 5 minutes.
- Add the browned chicken and fresh spinach and simmer for an extra 5 minutes.
I hope you enjoy this recipe as much as my children do!
Jenna
A lot of my clients tell me their children don’t like the taste of coconut. One way that I’ve found most children will eat coconut without realizing it is by making coconut rice.
Health Tip
What makes my recipe different from others is that I add an extra step – browning the rice before cooking it. Browning the rice first will burn off some of the carbs and make it easier to digest. Also, it gives the rice a nutty, light flavor which is always a crowd pleaser.
Another reason this rice is healthier than standard rice is because of the added coconut, which is a healthy fat. Coconut fats have special fats called medium chain triglycerides (MCTs). It has been shown that breaking down these types of healthy fats in the liver leads to efficient burning of energy. For more information on the health benefits of coconut click here.
Here is my recipe:
Ingredients
2 cups organic white Jasmine rice
2 cups Native Forest coconut milk
1 cup vegetable broth
1-2 tablespoon coconut oil
Directions
- Add coconut oil to saucepan and heat on med-high setting.
- Add rice to coconut oil, stirring continually, and allow the rice to brown for 5-10 minutes. Keep an eye on it so it doesn’t burn.
- Add the coconut milk and broth and bring to a boil. Stir it occasionally to keep the rice from clumping together.
- Reduce heat and simmer with a tight-fitting lid for 15 minutes or until all the liquid is absorbed.
- Take it off the heat and allow to sit for 5 minutes before serving.
Tip
I like to double the recipe and then freeze half of it for a future meal.