Heal Your Gut With Easy Turnip-Leek Soup

April 25, 2012 By 3 Comments

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I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again -

Your gut is the base of your health. When your digestion works well, the rest of your health will be well too.

This simple soup recipe combines sweet turnips, potatoes, leafy greens and garlic for a powerful digestive aid.

(If you’re having trouble with your tummy, enter to win a Go Stool! on my blog here by April 30th!)

Turnip Leek Soup Vegan Soup Recipe

And it’s a perfect dinner on a chilly spring evening. (I served mine with hot polenta and chickpeas tossed in olive oil, garlic and rosemary.)

Turnips aid the digestion, dissolve mucus, and are good for general detoxification. They’re also high in anti-carcinogenic glucosinolates.

Potatoes nurture stomach functions and help cool inflammation, except arthritic conditions.

Leeks support the movement of energy, or chi, throughout the body and are an excellent source of lutein, which protects your eye and cardiovascular health.

Chard treats the large intestines, stomach and cools overheated conditions. It’s also used to ease constipation in the elderly, and has anti-carcinogenic properties.

This soup is powerful!

Turnip-Leek Soup

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

2 medium leeks, or 1 large leek, tender green and white parts only, cleaned & sliced thinly

3/4 teaspoon sea salt

3 garlic cloves

1 bay leaf

1 teaspoon taragon

1 teaspoon dill

1 pound white turnips, cut into 3/4 inch chunks

1 pound small red potatoes, cut into 1 inch chunks

4 cups chard leaves, trimmed and chopped

Directions

1. In a large saucepan over medium heat, warm the oil. Add the leeks, season with a the salt, and sauté until soft, about 3 minutes.

2. Add the garlic, bay leaf, tarragon, and dill and sauté for 1 minute more.

3. Add 6 cups of water, the turnips, potatoes and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat to medium and simmer, covered, until the vegetables are tender, about 15-20 minutes.

4. Add the chard and simmer until wilted, about 2-3 minutes. Taste and season with salt and fresh black pepper and serve hot.

Filed Under: Natural constipation cure, Recipes

Fruit Kabobs

April 18, 2012 By Leave a Comment
This week I taught over 20 preschoolers how to make a yummy, healthy, high-fiber
snack, fruit kabobs.
But this recipe is great for adults too – the high-fiber fruit and seeds are easy to incorporate
for great digestion.
This hands on class offered the kids lots of different techniques that they
enjoyed. Measuring, mixing, skewering, dipping and rolling! And
they loved the food, too!
easy healthy recipe for kids

Easy fruit kabobs - great recipe to make with kids

Fruit Kabobs rolled in Trail Mix
Cut 2 bananas into 4 pieces each, wash 8 strawberries, dry and de-stem.
Set aside.
4 tablespoons sesame seeds (fill up 1/4 measuring cup)
4 tablespoons pumpkin seeds (fills up 1/4 measuring cup)
4 tablespoons raisins (fills up 1/4 measuring cup)
8 tablespoons unsweetened shredded coconut (fills up 1/2 measuring cup)
Measure and mix all together in a bowl.
Skewer pieces of banana and washed strawberries on toothpicks or popsicle sticks.
Dip fruit skewers gently in a bowl filled with dairy-free yogurt and roll in the trail mix.
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Cornbread Waffles

April 8, 2012 By Leave a Comment

I love cornbread, I love waffles, I love coconut, and I love pineapple.

Why not have everything I love in one magical brunch plate?

Vegan Cornbread Waffles with Pineapple Coconut Sauce

Cornbread Waffles with Pineapple Coconut Sauce

These cornbread waffles were inspired by Isa Chandra Moskowitz’s book Vegan Brunch, and I’ve added my own twists for a healthy, delicious taste sensation. I made up the pineapple coconut sauce on the fly and it turned out pretty spectacular, if I do say so…

Cornbread Waffles

2 cups almond milk or other non-dairy milk

1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar

1 1/2 cups cornmeal

1 cup unbleached white flour

1/4 cup ground flaxseeds

1 tablespoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 cup maple syrup

1/4 cup sunflower seed oil

Pineapple Sauce Ingredients:

1 can unsweetened coconut milk

1 can pineapple chunks, juice reserved

1 tablespoon agave or maple syrup

Directions:

  1. Preheat your waffle iron.
  2. Measure the milk into a large measuring cup and add the vinegar to it. Set mixture aside to curdle.
  3. In a large mixing bowl, mix together cornmeal, flour, flaxseeds baking powder, and salt.
  4. Add the maple syrup and oil to the curdled milk and whisk to combine.
  5. Make a well in the center of the flour and stir in the wet mixture until relatively smooth.
  6. Spray the waffle iron with cooking spray and cook waffles according to manufacturer’s directions.
To make the sauce:
Combine the coconut milk, pineapple chunks and 2 tablespoons of pineapple juice together in a small saucepan. Heat over medium until the coconut milk has melted and combined. Stir well and cook until mixture just begins to simmer. Add agave, stir and serve warm. Spoon over waffles!

Freeze waffles for later!

Waffles freeze for easy morning meals – just pop ‘em in an airtight freezer bag, and reheat in the toaster. Spread them with almond butter and jam for a more substantial on-the-run morning meal.

Filed Under: Recipes

5 Minute “Flat-Belly Lunch” Recipe

March 9, 2012 By 1 Comment

If you’re like me, lunch can be an after-thought…

Oh! It’s 1 o’clock, I’m hungry, and I need to keep my energy up to tackle my to-do list!

Most of my clients and Reboot & Refresh members are super busy, mostly moms with a ton on their plates, and they want healthy recipes that give them energy while being easy and delicious. That’s my speciality!

I’ve created the perfect lunch that’s filled with foods for energy, takes 5 minutes to make, and helps keep my tummy in a happy state (read: no gluten bloating, protein rich, and filled with gut-supportive greens):

Collard Wrap “Sandwich”

Ingredients:

2 big collard leaves

1/2 cup hummus

1/2 avocado, sliced

2 tablespoons olive paste (or chopped kalamata olives)

2 tablespoons raw sauerkraut

2 teaspoons hemp seed oil

Directions:

Wash and dry the collard leaves. Remove the thick stem sticking out below the leaf.

With the shiny, “front side” of the leaf facing up, spread half the hummus on the center of each leaf.

Top with the remaining ingredients and wrap, burrito style.

Serve and eat raw ~

 

Filed Under: detox recipes, gluten free vegan recipe, healthy recipes for kids, Recipes, Weight loss, What's Alex eating?

Chia Seed Pudding with Coconut & Vanilla (Paula Deen – Are You There?)

January 31, 2012 By 10 Comments

Weight loss & energy food tip here – and this food is ch-ch-ch-Cheap!

If you saw my natural energy drink “Chia Fresca” recipe video, you’ll know I’ve been lovin’ my Chia Seeds for a while now.

Used for centuries by native Central Americans, Chia seeds were considered a powerful energy food and provide excellent nutrition.

Chia Seeds

Filled with detox-supportive fiber, chia seeds, which look like little grey, tan or black poppy seeds, provide the best plant source of those fabulous Omega-3s that protect your heart,brain, skin and joint health.

Plus, all that fiber is GREAT for diabetics who need to stabilize their blood sugar and lose weight. Do you think Paula Deen knows about chia seeds? If you know her, send her this recipe – I’d love to be on her show!

(*The extra cinnamon in this recipe helps balance blood sugar levels even more – one of those super ingredients diabetics and border-line diabetics should be using!)

Soak these seeds in liquid for 15+ minutes, and they begin to gel and soften, providing an excellent slow-moving fiber and protein, which helps you feel full and reduces appetite.

Chia also contains protein, calcium, phosphorus, magnesium, manganese, copper, iron, antioxidants, niacin, and zinc.

Now you can enjoy these ancient seeds as a delicious dessert any time - and this recipe only takes about 20 minutes to make!

Chia Seed Recipe - chia seed pudding

 

 

 

Chia Seed Pudding with Coconut & Vanilla

2 cups coconut, rice, or hemp milk

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 tablespoons brown rice syrup or maple syrup

pinch sea salt

¼ cup chia seeds

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

 

 

Directions:

-       Heat the milk over medium in a small saucepan.

-       Whisk in the vanilla, brown rice syrup and sea salt.

-       Once the milk is almost to a simmer, whisk in the chia seeds and cinnamon. Remove from heat and set aside for 15 minutes, or until the mixture gels up to a tapioca consistency.

-       Serve warm, at room temperature, or cool in the refrigerator. Serves 2-3.

 

 

Filed Under: detox recipes, Natural constipation cure, Natural Energy Tips, Recipes Tagged With: , , , , , , , , ,

Win Blissful Bites Cookbook! Comment to enter by 12/2 ~

November 30, 2011 By 28 Comments

“The Blissful Chef” Christy Morgan’s new cookbook offers delicious solutions to the age old problem: what should I eat now?

With clean ingredients, instructional photos, and a genius palate, Christy’s book is a great addition to an experienced cook’s library – or the perfect gift for a new veg-curious home chef!

Cooking in a way that’s good for you and for the environment—not to mention delicious—doesn’t have to be a pain; in fact, it can be sheer bliss. In Blissful Bites: Vegan Meals That Nourish Mind, Body, and Planet, Christy Morgan shows readers how to make healthy, delicious, animal-product free meals without a lot of effort. It’s been long-accepted that giving up animal products also means giving up easy and enjoyable cooking, but that’s just not true. Blissful Bites is a refreshing introduction to the idea that switching to a plant-based diet that uses locally grown and organic products can be easy and rewarding—for both body and mind.

Blissful Bites includes more than 150 recipes that make eating every meal healthier and exciting.

I’m giving away one copy to a lucky reader, so enter by Friday, 12/1!

Just leave a comment here on my blog about why you want this yummy cookbook, and you could win!

(Contest only open to residents of the lower 48 state, please – sorry Canadian, English, Hawaiian, and other readers!)

 

Filed Under: book review, Healthy Holiday Gift Guide, Recipes, Win Free Natural Health Care Products

Making Pumpkin Pancakes Gluten-Free: A Friend Asks

November 8, 2011 By Leave a Comment

My friend Claire, a gluten-free girl, filmmaker and amazing nurse, wrote:

“I found your pumpkin pancakes recipe in your Vegan Cooking For Dummies book and thought YUM!
Now I’m in major pumpkin craving mode, but I have a  couple of questions for the celiacs out there:
1. I have a few GF flour mixes at home but judging from the recipes I’ve looked at I’ll probably have to go buy some xanthan gum and add a little bit of that. Not sure exactly what it does but it’s in all the GF recipes I’ve looked at –  I used to have a collection of flours but they all expired – I don’t bake often enough to make those purchases worthwhile, and there are some good GF flour mixes available (expensive, but available).
2. I have recently switched to almond milk from rice milk (tried hemp milk, not for me; I steer clear of soy milk).
Not sure if I’d still have to curdle it with apple cider vinegar, but I have that in the refrig too…
What should I do?”
Alex Answers: Really – pancakes are really forgiving, so I don’t think you’ll need the xanthan gum. I would try it with a  straight 1-to-1 switch for Bob’s Red Mill all purpose gluten free mix.
If the recipe calls for 1 cup of flour, try 1 cup of Gluten-free mix.
If the batter looks normal after you’ve mixed everything together in this way, go for it. If it looks too thin, add a bit more flour. If it looks too thick or too dry, add a little more rice milk.
I would go ahead and curdle the rice milk with the vinegar ahead of time anyway. I’m not sure it will have the exact same effect as curdling soy milk because there is so much more protein in soy milk, but it can’t hurt. The vinegar is also in the recipe to give the pancakes “lift.”
Let me know how they turn out!
Filed Under: gluten free vegan recipe, healthy recipes for kids, Recipes Tagged With: , ,

Cooking With Kids: Apple Pie "Ice Cream"

November 5, 2011 By 1 Comment

When my son’s kindergarten teacher asked me to come in and prepare a recipe with the class, my mind somehow came up with a healthy, yet fun recipe that the kids could help create:

Apple Pie Ice Cream!

Apple Pie "Ice Cream"

Apple Pie "Ice Cream"

Now, it’s not really ice cream, but I believe anything you scoop with an ice cream scooper can be called ice cream.

Gluten-free, vegan, and mostly raw, this recipe was actually a big hit, and most of the class ate their entire scoop – even some kids who said “Ew, gross!”

Here’s how we made this healthy snack together:

APPLE PIE “ICE CREAM” ~ Serves 4-6

8 Medjool dates, pitted

3-4 Honeycrisp apples, cored

1/2 cup oat bran

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Directions

  1. Have the kids use plastic or kid-safe knives to remove the pits and throw away.
  2. Cut the apples into quarters and remove the seeds and core. Use the grating/shredding blade in your food processor to grate the apples. Scoop into a large mixing bowl.
  3. Replace the grating/shredding blade with the S-blade and combine the apples, dates, oats and cinnamon together. Pulse until the ingredients are well combined.
  4. Scoop the “ice cream” into the mixing bowl and use an ice cream scooper to give each person a share.

 

With all the oats and apples, this recipe will also add a nice dose of fiber for those constipation-inclined readers!

Filed Under: gentle constipation cure, gluten free vegan recipe, healthy recipes for kids, Natural constipation cure, Recipes Tagged With: , , , , ,

Pumpkin Pinto Soup

October 30, 2011 By Leave a Comment

Hearty bean soups are the cornerstone of any healthy winter meal plan. Try this smooth, “creamy”, filling combination of sweet seasonal vegetables and protein rich beans:

4 cups cooked pinto beans, rinsed and drained

2 cups diced tomatoes or 1 16-oz can diced tomatoes

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 cup chopped yellow onion

3 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

4 cups low sodium vegetable broth

2 cups chopped pumpkin or winter squash (hubbard, kabocha, etc)

1 cup diced sweet potato

2 tablespoons sherry vinegar

Directions:

1. Combine beans and tomatoes in the blender or food processor. Add 1/2 cup vegetable broth and blend until smooth.

2. Heat olive oil in a soup pot over medium heat. Add onion, and stir. Cook for a few minutes until it begins to soften. Add garlic, and season with salt and pepper. Cook and stir often for 3 minutes.

3. Stir in the bean puree, remaining broth, pumpkin and sweet potato. Stir well, bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer and cover. Cook for 30 minutes or until the pumpkin and sweet potato are soft to pierce with a fork.

4. Using an immersion or stick blender, blend the soup to a smooth puree in the pot. Alternatively, blend the soup in batches of 2-3 cups at a time in a blender. Be careful to place a kitchen towel over the blender lid to avoid blowing hot soup everywhere.

5. Serve hot.

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Thai Coconut Lemongrass Soup

October 24, 2011 By 2 Comments

This soup hits all the right tastebuds: sweet, sour, spicy,salty, bitter, pungent and astringent.

Vegan Thai Lemongrass Coconut Soup

Vegan Thai Lemongrass Coconut Soup

And when your taste buds are all jumping up and down, you’re more likely to feel satisfied after a meal!

Serves 2-4

Prep & Cooking Time: 30 minutes

Ingredients:

1 stalk minced lemongrass (use the bottom 3 inches, mash with the back of  a knife, and slice in half)

4 cups low sodium No Chicken stock (Imagine foods is best)

1 inch fresh ginger or galangal, thinly sliced into matchsticks or coins

1 clove garlic, minced

3 kaffir lime leaves (available frozen in Indian/Asian/Chinese food stores or online)

1 carrot, thinly sliced into matchsticks

1 jalapeno pepper, seeds removed and cut in 1/2

1/2 package firm tofu, drained

1 cup broccoli florets

3 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce or Coconut Aminos (which are much lower in sodium,

are soy-free & taste excellent!)

1/2 can unsweetened coconut milk

1/3 cup basil  or cilantro leaves, thinly sliced

1 fresh lime

Vegan Thai Lemongrass Coconut Soup

Vegan Thai Lemongrass Coconut Soup

Directions:

1. Place stock in a soup pot with lemongrass, ginger, garlic, kaffir lime leaves, carrots, and jalapeno.

2. Bring to a boil over high heat then reduce to a simmer. Cover and simmer for 5 minutes while you cut the other veggies.

3. Reduce the heat to low and add the remaining ingredients, except the basil.

4. Serve over cooked rice noodles if you like, or serve as is with a slice of lime and a sprinkle of fresh basil.

 

 

Filed Under: Recipes Tagged With: , , , ,
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