Medicinal Green Soup

Food is medicine. I firmly believe in that and if you’re reading this, there’s a good chance you do, too. Even Hippocrates knew food was medicine, way back when.

It’s my goal - personally and professionally - to harness all the medicinal power of food and nourish myself, my clients and those I love with it. It’s my mission and my passion.

One of the most important times to harness the healing properties of foods is when we’re getting sick. Anytime I feel like I’m coming down with something, I focus big-time on what I’m putting into my body. I focus on nutrient-dense foods, herbs and anti-inflammatory and high-antioxidant foods.

Another thing that I think is important to keep in mind is that digestion takes a lot of our body’s energy. When your body is fighting an illness or infection, it needs all its resources. While focusing on nutrient-density of food, I also focus on lighter foods and easy-to-digest foods.

That’s what makes this Medicinal Green Soup so amazing! It’s very simply and easy digest, while also being loaded with ingredients that nourish your body. Let’s look at the ingredients:

Bone Broth - bone broth supports gut health and is anti-inflammatory (for vegans/vegetarians, you can use veggie broth or water in place of this)

Greens - greens have tons of micronutrients to support cellular health. You can use any you like here, I prefer the neutral taste of spinach - which is also high in vitamin C

Garlic - long hailed as a highly medicinal food, garlic is anti-bacterial, anti-viral, and anti-fungal. It’s been known to reduce the duration of the common cold.

Fresh Herbs - herbs are concentrated in antioxidants, support the liver and are anti-inflammatory. You can use any you like here - parsley, cilantro, oregano, rosemary, basil, etc.

Himalayan or Sea or Celtic Salt - real salt contains trace minerals that nourish the adrenals and help support fluid balance.

Avocado - if you choose to include the avocado, it’s fully of healthy fats, fiber and potassium.

Medicinal Green Soup

serves 1 / total time 10 minutes

ingredients
2 cups organic bone broth (chicken or beef)
large handful of greens of your choice (I like spinach)
fresh herbs of your choice (about 1 tbsp of each)
1 clove of garlic
good quality real salt to taste
1/2 avocado (optional)

directions
1. In a small saucepan, gently heat bone broth, greens and herbs until it’s as hot as you’d like it and greens have started to wilt.
2. Add bone broth, greens, herbs and garlic to a blender. Blend on high for 30-60 seconds until greens are fully blended. Taste and season to your liking with salt.
3. Pour into a bowl, over 1/2 chopped avocado if desired, and enjoy!

Blueberry Almond Coffee Cake (Gluten Free + Paleo)

Coffee cake was one of my absolute favorite things when I was a kid. I didn’t eat it all the time, it was more of a special occasion thing - like holidays or brunch events. But man, when I did have it, I would eat A LOT of it. Because it’s soooo good. It’s hard to stop!

Needless to say, I haven’t been hitting the Entenmann’s in quite some time. But I recently came across a recipe for a gluten-free coffee cake that looked promising. It was and I was thrilled! I made some modifications and tweaks and this Bluberry Almond Coffee Cake was born.

It’s nice and moist (sorry, but it’s an accurate descriptor!) on the inside, with a crumb topping and melted coconut butter drizzled on top instead of super sugary glaze. It’s paleo, gluten-free, and low in sugar! And it totally hits the spot.

An egg really helps lift the almond flour, but you could use a flax egg or vegan egg substitute to make this vegan. This may increase the cooking time.

And now, without further delay - the recipe. Let me know what you think in the comments!

Blueberry Almond Coffee Cake
(Gluten Free + Paleo)

makes 1 loaf
prep time 10 minutes / cook time 1 hour

ingredients
½ cup unsweetened non-dairy milk
¼ cup maple syrup
2 tbsp coconut oil, melted
1 egg
½ tsp vanilla extract
½ tsp almond extract (optional)

1 ½ cups almond flour
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp cinnamon
½ tsp salt
1 cup of blueberries

crumb topping
½ cup of almond flour
1.5 tbsp coconut oil, melted
1 tbsp maple syrup
2 tsp cinnamon

for serving
drizzle with melted coconut butter

instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350. Prepare a regular loaf pan (either grease it or line with parchment paper).

2. Mix all wet ingredients together. In a separate bowl mix all dry ingredients except blueberries. Slowly add the dry to the wet ingredients, stirring to make sure it’s well-combined. Then stir in blueberries, reserving a small handful for the top of the loaf.

3. Mix up your crumb topping and distribute evenly on top, then sprinkle with reserved blueberries.

4. Bake for 50-60 minutes, until edges are turning golden and loaf is firm when you press in the center.

5. Remove from the oven and allow to cool in the pan for at least 20 minutes. Then carefully transfer to a wire cooling rack and allow to cool for at least another 20 minutes.

6. When ready to serve drizzle with melted coconut butter. Enjoy! Best enjoyed in three days, after that refrigerate or freeze the leftovers.

Paleo Kimchi Fried Rice (It's Vegan, too!)

My favorite part about cooking for other people is getting out of my comfort zone. We tend to cook what we know or variations of it - over and over again. Which is nice in terms of preserving mental energy and saving time, but can get a little boring when it comes to the food we end up eating over and over.

I had never made kimchi fried rice until I had to for a client a few weeks ago. And when I tasted the end product to make sure it was up to par, I was blown away. I wanted more of it in my life!

I don’t do a whole lot of grains - I find that I feel better when I limit my intake of them. So I wanted to see if making kimchi fried rice with cauliflower rice would still get the job done. (If you’re curious how they affect you, eliminate them for one month and then reintroduce them.)

I must warn you - it of course doesn’t have that same sticky, starchy mouth feel that actual rice has, and you shouldn’t expect it to since cauliflower isn’t starchy. But in terms of flavor and satisfaction? It totally still delivers. I love love love the pungent, spicy flavor burst from the kimchi mixed with the mellow nuttiness of the sesame oil.

While you can totally enjoy this recipe all on its own as a small meal or snack, it’s meant to be more of a canvas. It’s up to you how you want to make it into a full meal - top with a fried egg or scramble some in, serve with chicken or pork, bulk it up with lots of extra veggies. The options are entirely in your capable hands!

A note about kimchi + probiotics - cooking at high heat kills the probiotics in fermented foods (and which is probably why I’ve never made kimchi fried rice before). That’s why I strongly suggest topping the finished product with some fresh kimchi so that you get all the beneficial bacteria to keep your gut healthy and happy!

Paleo Kimchi Fried Rice

serves 1
total time about 15 minutes

Ingredients
1 cup steamed broccoli florets
2 tbsp avocado oil
¼ cup kimchi
1 cup of cauliflower rice
1 garlic clove, minced
¼ tsp smoked paprika

Kimchi Sauce
2 tbsp kimchi liquid
1 tsp coconut aminos
½ tsp sesame oil

For Serving
Green Onions
Fresh Kimchi

Instructions

1. If you need to steam your broccoli, get it started now. Steam for 10 minutes, until tender but still bright green. Set aside. Mix up the Kimchi Sauce in a small bowl and set aside.

2. Heat a large pan over high heat. Once pan is nice and hot add avocado oil, followed by the kimchi. Fry the kimchi for 2-3 minutes, until it starts to dry out.

3. Add cauliflower rice, garlic, smoked paprika and half the Kimchi Sauce to the pan. Quickly stir until everything is incorporated, then let it sit on high heat for another 2-3 minutes. Cooking at super high heat and getting smoky has always made me kind of uncomfortable, but this is what you want for this dish - high heat and fast cooking.

4. After 2-3 minutes, give the mixture in the pan a stir. Let cook for just one more minute.

5. Transfer to serving dish. Drizzle with the rest of the Kimchi Sauce and top with green onions, fresh kimchi and any other protein or veggie you want to add. Enjoy!