Pumpkin Puree

If you get this right, tastes like the filling in pumpkin pie!

1 medium sized pumpkin (prefer red kabocha, pictured, as it is more naturally sweet or butternut or acorn squash will also work)
1 Tb olive oil
1/2-3/4 cup almond milk
1/4 tsp sea salt
1/4 tsp cinnamon, cardomom or cloves (to your taste)
Walnuts (garnish)

Heat oven to 400 degree. Cut up squash into sections and remove seeds. Spread oil in deep dish glass pan and coat both sides of pumpkin sections. Roast for 45 min -1hr until the squash is easily penetrated by a fork. Let cool and then remove skin and cut into small chunks. Place pumpkin and rest of ingredients into a blender or food processor and blend until smooth. Reheat in a pot to serve (can add additional almond milk when reheating). Sprinkle walnuts on top and serve warm.  Enjoy!

Orange, Walnut, Date, Cinnamon Salad

This recipe was shared by a friend who works at Kokkari in the city. It is simple, seasonal and yummy! The oil and cinnamon help to regulate the sugars in the orange and dates so it's sweet without the blood sugar spike.

3-4 oranges peeled and cut into bite size pieces (choose a selection of different oranges for color and flavor like blood oranges)
1/2 c walnuts lightly toasted in the oven at 250 degree for 5-6 min
3-4 dates, pitted and chopped
1 Tb extra virgin, cold-pressed olive oil
1 tsp cinnamon
1 Tb rose water (optional - adds an appealing aroma)
1 c baby arugula

Arrange the oranges on a platter. Sprinkle the olive oil, cinnamon and rose water over them. Add the date pieces and walnuts and then the arugula over the top. Toss before serving. Leftovers keep one day in the fridge.

Flavorful Quinoa with Chickpeas

4 servings

Quinoa
1 c quinoa soaked overnight in at least 2 cups water
1 ¼ c broth or filtered water
1 tsp butter or olive oil
1 Tb dulse flakes (seaweed)
Rinse and drain quinoa and place in rice cooker with broth or water, butter or oil and dulse flakes. If cooking in pot then bring all ingredients to boil then lower heat to simmer. Cook time will be about 20-30 minutes until all liquid is absorbed and grain is fluffy.

Sauted Chickpeas
1 c chickpeas soaked overnight in 4 cups water. Can also be sprouted.
1 Tb olive oil
1/2 red onion sliced thin
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp cumin powder
1 tsp fresh lemon juice
3 c filtered water
Rinse and drain chickpeas. Saute onions, garlic and cumin in oil over medium heat until translucent. Add chickpeas and stir for a couple of minutes to coat. Add lemon juice and water and bring to boil. Lower heat to simmer. Cook time about 45 min to an hour. If sprouted will take less time to cook. Optimally, most of the liquid will be cooked off by the end but the peas won't be dry. Add salt to taste.

Toss the quinoa and chickpeas together. Add an additional teaspoon or so of olive oil to the mixture and salt to taste. Serve warm. Keeps well as a leftover and can be eaten cold as a salad as well.

Quinoa is technically a seed related to the spinach and beet family. It has been produced in South America since 3000 B.C. It is a very high protein “grain” and a good source for many minerals. It is probably the least allergenic grain and contains all of the essential amino acids. A great protein source for vegans.

Chickpeas or garbanzo beans are an excellent source of protein, fiber and minerals. Their fiber helps to lower cholesterol and improve blood sugar levels making them an excellent food for diabetics. They also contain the trace mineral molybdenum needed for the body's mechanism to detoxify sulfites.

Cumin is native to Egypt and has been used across the world for thousands of years. It was used as an ingredient to mummify pharaohs. Cumin has a digestive stimulating effect stimulating the secretion of pancreatic enzymes. It is also an antioxidant protecting against free-radical damage in the body.

Winter Greens salad with Oranges & Walnuts

4 servings

4 cups mixed greens (spinach, red romaine, endive, mustard greens)
1 small bulb fennel
2 small blood oranges (or other oranges or tangerines)
1 cup raw walnuts (soaked for at least 3 hours)

Tear or cut up greens, wash and rinse thoroughly to remove all dirt. If using mustard greens, remove stem and just use leafy portion. Cut fennel into small chunks. Peel oranges and cut into bite size pieces. Rinse and drain soaked walnuts and chop coarsely. Toss together all ingredients in a large bowl.

Dressing
3/4 c olive oil
2 Tb fresh orange or lemon juice
1 tsp honey
2 tsp fresh shallots, chopped finely
1 tsp miso paste
½ tsp salt
Dash pepper

Whisk or shake in a jar olive oil, orange/lemon juice, honey, miso, salt and pepper. Add shallots and stir in. Leftover dressing can be stored in the fridge for up to 3-4 days.

Mustard greens are the same family as broccoli. Their seeds are used to make Dijon mustard. They are native to the Himalaya and have been cultivated for over 5,000 years. They are an especially good food choice for women going through menopause for their protection against breast cancer and heart disease and high content of nutrients that support bone health (calcium, magnesium, folic acid).

Fennel is in the same family as carrots, celery, parsley. Revered by the Greeks for its medicinal qualities it has primarily been used as a digestive aid. It contains phytoestrogens which make is a useful remedy for female complaints especially menopausal symptoms. It is also high in anticancer compounds which reduce inflammation.

Walnuts are considered the oldest tree food known to man (7000 B.C.) Their life span is several times that of a human. High in monounsaturated fats and arginine (an important amino acid that plays an important role in wound healing, detoxification, immune function and insulin production), they are considered “food for the brain”. Although nuts are high in fat, a large population study in the US found that the people who consumed the most nuts were the least obese. Perhaps because they produce a sense of satiety. Walnuts in particular have also been shown to lower cholesterol and protect against cardiovascular disease.

Broccoli & Cauliflower with Coconut, Turmeric, Dill Sauce

Recipe from “Eat, Taste, Heal”
4-6 servings

1 medium stalks broccoli
1 small head cauliflower

Sauce
¼ c coconut milk (organic, full-fat)
¼ c filtered water
1 tsp maple syrup or honey
2 Tb fresh dill or 1 tsp dried
¼ tsp turmeric
Salt to taste

Mix ingredients for sauce and refrigerate for at least 1 hour. Bring water to boil in a steamer pot. Trim and cut the broccoli and cauliflower into bite size pieces. Add to the pot once the water is boiling. Steam for 10-12 minutes until the broccoli is bright green and the vegetables are soft but not mushy. Remove from the stove and arrange on a platter. Pour the sauce over them and serve immediately. Stores well for leftovers – flavor from sauce will sink into vegetables. Can be eaten warm or cold.

Broccoli & Cauliflower are some of the most nutrient dense foods and have powerful anti-cancer properties: sulforaphane which is an anti-oxidant which protects against free-radical damage; and Indole-3-carbinol which has been shown to arrest growth of cancer cells, increases the liver's ability to detoxify toxic compounds.

Coconuts are one of the oldest food plants – mentioned in the Vedas (c. 1500 B.C) Thailand where coconuts appear in virtually every dish, has the lowest cancer rate of the 50 countries surveyed by the NCI. While a saturated fat, it has been shown to increase beneficial HDL cholesterol and enhance the immune system. High in Lauric Acid which has effective antiviral, antibacterial and antimicrobial properties. Coconut also protects against heart disease and promotes weight loss.

Turmeric root is a member of the ginger family and is the color that makes curry yellow-orange. It has been used for thousands of year in both Chinese and Indian systems of medicine as an anti-inflammatory. Curcumin, the yellow pigment has been show to have anti-inflammatory effects comparable to hydrocortisone and ibuprofen without the toxic side effects. It is also an anti-oxidant which protects the body from free radical damage which can lead to cancer. Turmeric helps protect against heart disease by lowering cholesterol.

No Sugar Valentine's Treats

Try these delicious sugar-free treats for Valentine's day this year. The really are good! And coconut oil is an amazing fat that actually boosts your metabolism and your immune system!

1/2 cup Raw Coconut Oil
2 Tb Raw Carob powder
2 Tb Raw Tahini
1/4 tsp cinnamon
Handful goji berries
Ice cube tray

Place coconut oil jar in a pot filled with water with the water level up to one inch below the top. Heat the water but not above boiling. Monitor the coconut oil until it begins to melt. Pour off the melted oil into a measuring cup to 1/2 cup. Add the carob powder, tahini and cinnamon and stir until completely dissolved. Pour into an ice cube tray and top each square with 2-3 goji berries. Place in the refrigerator until hard. Use a butter knife to pop each square out of the ice cube tray. Voila! You can also use other molds for fun.

I got this recipe from my teacher Laura Knoff: http://www.labryshealthcarecircle.com/

Roasted Root Vegetables

Any root vegetables can be used in this recipe. I have included a medley of both common root vegetables and others that you may not have used before. Root vegetables are high in minerals as well as vitamins.

1 medium turnip (½ c chopped)
1 medium parsnip (½ c chopped)
1 medium red onion (½ c chopped)
1/2 medium celery root (½ c chopped)
1 medium beet (½ c chopped)
2-3 medium sweet potatoes (¾ c chopped)
3-4 sunchokes (¼ c chopped)
1 sprig fresh rosemary (leaves separated from stalk and chopped coarsely)
1 sprig fresh thyme (leaves separated from stalk)
1 Tb coconut oil and 2 Tb olive oil
½ tsp salt

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Put half of the olive oil on the bottom of the medium to large size baking dish. Cut all of the vegetables into roughly the same size pieces and put in the baking dish. Pour the remaining olive oil and sprinkle the garlic, rosemary and thyme over the top tossing with your hands to coat evenly. Crumble the coconut oil over the top.

Put the baking dish in the preheated oven and cook, stirring the vegetables occasionally, until they are tender and golden brown, about 45 minutes. Serve warm.