Healthy Recipes

I use extra virgin olive oil the most for cooking. It is generally agreed to be the healthiest cooking oil. If an oil is solid at room temperature, that's an indicator that it is probably bad for cardiovascular health. And of course hydrogenated or trans fats are bad. I recently began using small amounts of coconut oil. I was scared of it since it's saturated and solid at room temperature, but my cholesterol stayed down while I've been cooking with it. Coconut oil also tastes great. If I want to give a little Asian flavor, I will use small amounts of toasted sesame oil (or red pepper toasted sesame oil if you like heat) along with the olive or coconut oil. Regular sesame oil is a good cooking oil but imparts only subtle flavor. I substitute almond oil for butter tablespoon for tablespoon in recipes. If you still want some buttery taste, use half butter.

Fish is a great source of protein and oils that are very good for your body and brain. Certain fish are more polluted than others. Here is a great site to guide you to the most healthy choices when buying fish. There is even a little pocket guide to print out and reference at the grocer or restaurant.

Fish doesn't need to be cooked very long or on very high heat.

Ingredients
- fresh filets...frozen ok (enough to feed everyone)
- olive (XVOO) or coconut oil (around 2 tbsp)
- lime or lemon juice or white wine (around 2 tbsp)
- fresh or dried rosemary (to taste)
- fresh chopped garlic (1 to 3 cloves to taste)
- pepper (1 tsp)
- paprika or chili powder (optional)

Steps
- put oil in fry pan on medium low heat
- rinse fish and put in pan
- put chopped garlic on top of fish
- gently pour juice or white wine over fillets
- shake rosemary and pepper over fillets
- cover and let cook for 3 minutes
- check progress and turn heat up or down as needed
- cover and let finish for another 5 or 10 minutes

Cook time is governed by fillet thickness. If you like you can garnish with parsley, cilantro, fennel, dill or another dainty green that you like. You can even lay a few leaves of kale, chard or spinach in the pan with the fish while it cooks. Greens are good for you and impart a nice flavor.

You can serve this dish with a green salad, steamed or lightly stir fried asparagus, broccoli, squash, rice, or quinoa.

Tofu tastes like whatever you cook with it. It is versatile and you can flavor it to your tastes. I like to eat tofu scramble for breakfast while sitting in a sunny spot with a piece of toast and butter and a cup of good coffee.

Ingredients
- 1 block extra firm or firm tofu
- 3 or 4 celery stalks
- 2 or 3 carrots
- 1/4 to 1/2 of a small red cabbage (optional)
- fennel stalk (optional but yummy)
- onion and garlic...scallions work too
- 7 leaves greens: chard, spinach, or kale
- 2 tsp toasted sesame oil
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tbsp soy sauce (or a few shakes)
- 2 tbsp citrus juice
- ground turmeric (optional)
- chile powder to taste
- ground cumin powder
- ground fennel seed
- fresh or ground ginger root
- thyme dried or fresh

Steps
- open tofu package and drain water
- cut the block of tofu into 1/2" slices and lay on/wrap in a dish towel to dry a bit while you...
- put in olive and toasted sesame oil and get a frying pan or large sauce pan warming
- chop the onion and garlic and put in pan
- sprinkle a little thyme on the onions as they cook
- wash and chop carrots and put in pan
- pour citrus juice over the carrots and cover
- wash and cut celery, cabbage etc and put in pan
- crumble tofu into pan with hands
- sprinkle cumin, turmeric, ground fennel over tofu
- cover and let simmer (make sure there is enough liquid in the pan)
- wash and chop greens (remove the stem if it is fibrous and compost or chop into small pieces for the scramble)
- put greens in pan and sprinkle with soy sauce and grate fresh ginger root
- let cook
- towards the end stir more, add any fresh cilantro or parsley you may have, additional juice, cayenne if you like heat or pretty much any other flavor you want to try.

If you are cooking early or need to wait for folks to gather it is easy to just turn down the heat to low on the pan once you're pretty much close to done and let it simmer.

Variations
Consider altering this dish as vegetables are seasonally available. Broccoli works really nicely. In the summer you could add lots of peppers and tomatoes and fresh basil and oregano instead of carrots or fennel. If you want something more egg like, just crumble the tofu with some turmeric and butter, onions, garlic, salt and pepper. Tofu is forgiving and versatile, so experiment.

This is a general recipe that can be used for many kinds of cooking greens: kale, chard, beet tops, collards, spinach, bak choy, etc. This recipe uses a few oils for the flavor but other oils can be substituted depending on availability and taste.

Ingredients
- 1 bunch washed greens
- 1 tbsp coconut oil
- 1 tbsp sesame oil
- 2 tsp tamari (soy sauce)
- 1 tsp toasted sesame oil
- chopped onion and garlic
- grated ginger to taste(optional)
- 2 tbsp lemon and/or white wine and/or rice vinegar

Steps
- get a sauce pan warm with oil in it
- place onions and garlic in and let them start cooking
- chop greens...if the greens have big stems like collard or beet tops, separate the leaves and stems, chop stems into small pieces and cook with onions and garlic
- roll the big greens leaves up like a cigar and cut sections...this cut is called a chiffonade...very trendy..check below for a video of chopping techniques
- place greens in pan
- over greens pour liquid (wine, vinegar, lemon juice, tamari)
- cook for 10 mins or more until tender...over cooking is undesirable

These are a good side for many of the meat dishes here. There are really delicious served with seaweed gomasio (seaweed, sesame seeds and salt) sprinkled on top or in the pan for the last couple of minutes. Seaweed is very nutritious and a source of iodine which is very important for glandular health.

Ingredients
- 6 or 7 beets
- 4 or 5 carrots
- 1 or 2 burdock root (optional)
- 1 apple (optional)
- 2 tbsp olive or almond or coconut oil
- 1/8 cup white wine and or lemon juice
- 1 tsp each ground cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger

Steps
- preheat over to 325 degrees Farenheit
- cut tops from beets and use to Glorious Greens recipe
- cut carrots into 2 to 3 inch segments
- cut apple and burdock into chunks
- put beets top side down into a baking dish
- drop cut carrots and burdock around beets
- sprinkle apple chunks around
- drizzle oil over beets and carrots (or melt coconut oil in bottom of pan
- sprinkle ground spices over top
- pour lemon juice and white wine
- cover and put in over for 1 hour

If you like spicy flavors you can add some chipotle or other chile power. This is really good on a cooler day or when you are feeling overwhelmed and scattered. Be sure to save and use the beet greens.

We choose free range turkey because it's lower in fats than red meat and a generally healthier bird.

Ingredients
- 1 lb of lean (6% fat or so) ground turkey
- 2/3 cup oatmeal (a little more if mixture is wet or you want to stretch the meat...too much dries them out)
- 1 squirt ketchup (more ketchup can help remoisten in the event there's too much oatmeal)
- 1 tbsp fennel seeds (more if you like the flavor)
- onion and garlic (fresh is best dried/powder ok)
- 1 egg
- salt and pepper to taste
- chile powder (chipotle, paprika, go easy on cayenne)
- dried basil
- molasses

Steps
- thaw the turkey
- break egg over thawed ground turkey
- finely chop fresh onions/garlic and pour over meat
- squirt in ketchup
- dump in oatmeal (you should be eating this for breakfast)
- season with remaining dry ingredients
- set a 9' frying pan with a little olive oil on medium low heat (warm enough it barely sizzle water drops)and while it warms up...
- mix with hand or other method
- form 1 inch meatballs (I use my hand...a spoon would work too) and toss into oil
- roll meatballs in pan until all sides are done
- drizzle molasses over meatballs when they are closer to done
Serve with a starch (sweet potatoes, carrotbeetbake, quinoa or other grain, and greens (beet tops, chards, kale)

This baked chicken recipe is really good any time of year though I find it especially satisfying in cooler weather.

Ingredients
- whole chicken
- 3 potatoes or sweet potatoes
- 5 stalks celery
- 4 carrots
- 1 medium onion
- 1 cup cabbage
- 1 tbsp each thyme, basil, rosemary

Steps
Preheat oven to 375 degrees Farenheit. Remove chicken from packaging and rinse under water in sink. Be sure to remove giblets if they are in the cavity. Place breast side up in a baking dish large enough to hold chicken and other ingredients. I use a glass casserole dish covered with tin foil. Cut potatoes into little chunks and place around chicken in bottom of pan. These will soak up some good juices. Chop remaining veggies and mix the with your hand in a bowl with the spices. Then stuff that mixture intothe bird cavity and dump all around the bird. Cover the dish with its top of tin foil. Place dish in middle rack of oven and cook for 60 minutes. The juices in the bottom of the dish will be percolating with little bubbles for a while when done.

Use Carcass for Chicken Stock
After you've devoured this dish, save and boil the carcass to make a really good chicken stock that you can eat directly as chicken soup and use in other recipes. You can store this in the freezer if not using it in short order.

Baking breads is a time to be specific with amounts in the recipe. The baking chemistry works best that way. Here is a recipe for yummy Autumn apple muffins.

Ingredients
2/3 cup unsweetened applesauce (make this with apples fresh from the tree this time of year)
1/2 cup flour (brown rice flour works well)
1/4 cup ground flax seeds
1 egg
1 teaspoon baking powder (non-aluminum recommended)
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 cup raisins
2 tablespoons honey or agave
1 tablespoon cinnamon or to taste
1/2 tablespoon ground clove or to taste
1 teaspoon ground nutmeg or to taste
dash of cayenne

Steps
Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Mix everything in a large bowl until smooth. Grease large muffin tin. Fill each tin about 1/3 full. Bake for 12 to 15 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean.

Delicious for brunch, snack or desert.

Ingredients

- 1/3 cup agave syrup and honey mixed (you may also try molasses)
- 1/4 cup turbinado sugar or substitute with other sweetener from above
- 3/4 Teaspoon Ground Cinnamon
- 1/2 Teaspoon Ground Ginger
- 1/4 Teaspoon Ground Nutmeg
- 1/4 Teaspoon Ground Cloves
- 1/2 Teaspoon Salt
- 2 Large Eggs
- 1 15-ounce Can Pumpkin Puree
- 1 Teaspoon Vanilla Extract
- 3/4 Cup Regular Coconut Milk - not light, heavy in can used for Thai cooking
- 1 1/2 tsp white flour to thicken it a little
- 1 Unbaked Pie Shell

Steps
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees Farenheit
- Combine the sugars, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg or allspice, and cloves in a small bowl.
- In a large bowl, beat the eggs.
- Beat in the sugar mixture, pumpkin, and vanilla until smooth.
- Fold in the coconut milk.
- Pour the filling into the unbaked pie crust and bake for 15 minutes.
- Reduce the temperature to 325ºF and continue to bake for another 50 minutes, or until a knife inserted comes out clean. It may be a bit wobbly still, but it will firm-up as it cools.

Allow the pie to cool on a wire rack for 2 hours (Be patient! This is important). Serve or refrigerate until ready to serve.

Ingredient
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup coconut oil or almond oil or butter or any combination
1/4 cup brown sugar
2 eggs, beaten
2 1/3 cups mashed overripe bananas or however many you have that you want to use
cinnamon, nutmeg, clove and vanilla extract to taste

Steps

- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Lightly grease a loaf pan.
- In a large bowl, combine flour, baking soda and salt and any other dry spices
- In a separate bowl, cream together butter and brown sugar and any other wet ingredients.
- Stir in eggs and mashed bananas until well blended.
- Stir banana mixture into flour mixture; stir just to moisten. Pour batter into prepared loaf pan.
- Bake in preheated oven for 60 to 65 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into center of the loaf comes out clean. Let bread cool in pan for 10 minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack.

These ingredients are probably on hand and inexpensive. The simple recipe works and easily better for your than store bought pancake mixes. Don't use bleached or aluminum based flours or baking powders or soda. Aluminum is a neurotoxin thought to contribute to diseases like Alzheimers.

The dry mix can be stored in your pantry in a glass jar or plastic airtight container.

4 cups all purpose flour
3 tablespoons baking soda
1 tsp salt

...that's it.

When you want pancakes here's the recipe:

1 cup mix
1 egg
1/2 cup milk
1 tablespoon oil (I like almond oil as a substitute for melted butter)
2 tablespoons sweetener (I recommend a liquid sweetener like agave syrup or maple syrup or honey or molasses) but sugar crystals would do in a pinch

Whisk until the batter is a good consistency. Thinner yields crepes and thicker yields pancakes. Feel free to add a little more flour or milk to turn the thickness dial to your liking.

Pour the batter onto a griddle aka frying pan...whateveryou use and have. I use a well-seasoned flat cast iron griddle. I like cooking with iron because it doesn't have teflon and is thought to impart make some iron nutritionally available in your food.

Spices
- salt
- pepper
- basil leaves
- rosemary leaves: good with fish
- chipotle chile powder: good in beans and soups
- ground or whole fennel seeds
- thyme leaves: great with onions
- bay leaves: good in soups
- oregano; good with tomato
- ground cumin: indispensable with beans
- ground cinnamon: warming
- ground nutmeg: warming and tasty
- Spike: no salt seasoning
- seaweed gomasio: (seaweed, sesame seeds and salt) Seaweed is very nutritious and a source of iodine which is very important for glandular health.
- tamari sauce

Produce that keeps for long time
- celery: imparts savory saltiness
- carrots: sweet
- onion: pungent
- ginger root: sweet and pungent
- small head of cabbage
- garlic: pungent and immune booster
- winter squash (butternut, spaghetti, acorn): orange is beta carotene
- lemons (for zest and juice)

Dry Goods
- rice
- quinoa
- lentils (or canned)
- masa corn flour
- black beans (canned ok too)
- black eyed peas (or canned)
- chick peas aka garbonzo beans (dried or canned)
- aduki beans (canned or dried)

Cook Tools
- wide flat knife
- small pearing knife
- grater
- wooden or bamboo cutting board

Mealtime is fun and relaxing. It's a time to catch up with friends and family and enjoy each others' company. I believe that it's really important to be relaxed and ready to eat. Relaxation aids digestion and nutrient absorption. Traditionally, a prayer offering gratitude for the meal and companionship provided a moment to calm down, breathe deeply and relax. Amen. These days many families I have the honor to dine with have gotten away from the practice. I am not a religious person, but I do think that this can be a useful tactic to aid health via improved absorption of the nutrients in this simple healthful food you'll be preparing. You could offer thanks to the produce person at the grocery store. You could express appreciation for the family bond and togetherness. The point is to take a minute to have a deep breath and slow down all together.

I cook with the seasons and use ingredients that are as fresh and locally produced as you can get without undue expense or hassle. Organic produce is desired because it is better for you and the dirt. We don't think about it, but fertile dirt is a precious resource. Without it, we don't eat. Perhaps the meal grace prayer could simply thank the dirt.

My impression is that industrial agriculture is more about corporate profit than providing healthy food for our families. Downer cows, terminator seeds, growth hormones and chemicals...oh my! I try to buy organic produce whenever possible. Organic Consumers Association has an informative, up-to-date list of which common fruits and veggies have what levels of pesticides. Good information to consider at the grocer or restaurant.

I recently went to a local screening of Food Matters. It got me thinking about our over-consumptive American lifestyle and the generally accepted attitudes towards health in America. The cure? Stop drinking sodas, stop eating fast food. Eat lots more organic fresh fruit and vegetables. Destress through meditation. Turn off your television. Program yourself and your family with your own set of values. I recommend this film to everyone. It should be mandatory viewing in 8th grade health classes across the nation. I hear lots of talk about fixing health care in America.....let's make it so fewer of us even need the health care system in America. Check it out.