Tahini Kale

This is a power-packed side dish or salad.  The nutrition in this dish is out of this world and so is the taste.  This is a great recipe for people new to kale, even for those who say they don’t like it.  You can customize it to your taste and it is great for packing on the go.  Kale is a superfood loaded with fiber, vitamins, minerals, is loaded with anti-oxidants, is anti-inflammatory, and is a great detox food.

Core & Advanced Plan

Serves 4-6

tahinikale• 2 bunches kale, stems removed and chopped
• 2-3 cloves garlic, minced or pressed
• 3-4 tablespoons of tahini (sesame paste) or almond butter
• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
• 1 teaspoon liquid aminos or tamari
• juice of 1 lemon

Optional add-ins:  nutritional yeast, chickpeas, raw cashews, slices almonds, sesame seeds, chopped red onions, hemp seeds, etc.
Depending on the size of your kale bunch, you can adjust the quantities.  Feel free to add more or less of any of the ingredients – just do it to your own taste.

Put all ingredients in a large bowl and massage the kale with your hands, really working the mixture together and breaking down the kale.  It should reduce quite a bit.  Serve immediately or store in the refrigerator.

tahinikaleingredients

“Almond Joy” Cookies

This recipe came from a patient of ours (April Hulsey) who likes to experiment in the kitchen.  These hit the mark when it comes to a sweet, satisfying dessert or snack.  You won’t believe how great they taste and how easy they are to make.  I dare you not to try the batter before you cook them 🙂

photo3 cups almond flour
1/2 cup coconut oil, melted
2 large organic eggs
1/4 cup cocoa powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 cup erythritol (like Swerve), xylitol, or stevia to taste
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
1/4 cup unsweetened shredded coconut
1 teaspoon vanilla

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Combine dry ingredients and set aside.  In a separate bowl combine eggs, sweetener, and vanilla using an electric mixer.  Pour wet ingredients slowly into dry ingredients and beat with mixer on low until combined and then blend in melted coconut oil.  Roll a tablespoon of batter in your hand and place on a parchment lined baking sheet.  Press down slightly and dip the tops into more shredded coconut if desired.  Bake for 8-10 minutes.

Chocolate Chip Cookies

Core & Advanced Plan

Too many people think you have to be deprived to eat well and that is just not the case.  While we don’t recommend “treats” as a staple of any diet, healthy or otherwise, an occasional indulgence is perfectly acceptable.  With ingredients like this that are actually packed with nutrition, you can’t go wrong.  This is a new spin on a classic cookie.  Consider it health-i-fied chocolate chip cookies.

Makes about 24 cookies

IMG_25172 1/2 cups Almond Flour (pictured with regular almond flour but can also be made with blanched almond flour)
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 – 3/4 cup erythritol (like Swerve), xylitol or stevia to taste (stevia is not a 1:1 conversion so you have to add to your taste)
1 organic egg
1 tablespoon vanilla
1 stick (8 tablespoons) organic butter
1 bar sugarless chocolate bar like Simply Lite (Trader Joe’s) or Coco Polo or Lydia’s OR make a batch of chocolate bark from the book and chop into chunks

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Combine all the dry ingredients in a medium sized bowl.  Melt the butter gently in a saucepan.  In a separate bowl, mix the butter with the egg and vanilla.  Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and mix well.   Chop the chocolate bar and mix into the batter.  Drop about a tablespoon of batter an inch apart on a baking sheet.  Bake until slightly brown around the edges.

 

Easy Tex-Mex Soup

Core & Advanced Plan Options

Serves 4-6 depending on serving size.

This is a great go-to dish that is so flexible and easy to make.  You can pretty much use any veggies you have on hand and spice it up however you please.  Please don’t limit yourself to just the ingredients listed below.

tortilla soup3 – 4 cups organic, free-range chicken broth (preferably homemade)

1 roma tomato or 1/2 regular tomato

1 rib organic celery

1 carrot (core plan only)

1 slice onion

1 garlic clove

1/2 organic red, yellow or orange bell pepper

small slice of cabbage (green, savoy, napa)

1-2 mushrooms

Handful of organic yellow squash or zucchini

1 teaspoon chili powder

Sea salt and pepper to taste

1/8 teaspoon cumin

1/2 fresh jalepeno pepper or 2-3 slices jalepeno pepper (add more for a spicier taste)

1/2 cup organic cooked chicken (for a shortcut you can get the canned organic chicken)

1/4 cup black olives

Handful organic, non-GMO corn (core plan only)

1 organic sprouted grain tortilla (found in the frozen section of health food stores), (core plan only)

Garnish:  avocados, cilantro, organic sour cream

Using a high-powered blender like a Vita-mix, place all ingredients except chicken, olives, corn (core plan only), and tortillas (core plan only) and blend on high until everything is liquified.  Turn off blender and add chicken, jalepenos, olives, corn, and tortilla (torn into pieces).   Put your blender on low speed and blend for 10-20 seconds.  You will want the last batch of ingredients to remain in small chunks.  Transfer to a saucepan and heat.

Bean Threads with Vegetables

mung bean threads1 package bean threads (also called mung bean threads)  Pictured here – you can find these in the Asian or Ethnic food section of most grocery stores.   These are a great noodle alternative and acceptable in moderation on the Advanced Plan.

2 tbsp coconut oil

3 tbsp tamari or liquid aminos

1 tbsp sesame oil

1 clove garlic, pressed or minced

1 oz fresh ginger, peeled and grated

1 small onion, chopped

3 cups spinach

Soak bean threads in filtered water for 10 – 15 minutes and drain.  Meanwhile, heat 1 tbsp of the oil and stir fry the ginger and garlic for about a minute.  Add onion and cook for another 5 minutes.  Add spinach and 1 tbsp tamari, sautee for about a minute and transfer to a dish.  Heat another tablespoon of the oil along with the rest of the soy sauce and sesame oil and drained bean threads.  Stir fry for about 5 minutes and fold in the vegetable mixture.

Snickerdoodle Cookies

Makes about 24-30 cookies cookies

Advanced & Core Plan

This is a recipe I developed for our annual Santa Day/Patient Appreciation Day.  I wanted something that would be great to leave out for Santa on Christmas Eve and good enough for the whole family to enjoy.  They look beautiful and taste pretty darn close to the original snickerdoodles that everyone loves.

photo1 stick organic butter

1 teaspoon vanilla

2 eggs

1 cup garbanzo bean flour

¼ cup coconut flour

¼ teaspoon cinnamon

2/3 cup erythritol (swerve or zero) or xylitol (pulverized)

1/8 cup arrowroot powder

½ teaspoon sea salt

½ teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon baking powder

Topping:  1 teaspoon cinnamon + 2 tablespoons erythritol or pulverized xylitol

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  In a bowl, mix flours, cinnamon, arrowroot powder, salt, baking soda and baking powder.  In a separate bowl, cream butter with the sweetener then add vanilla and eggs.  Add flour mixture and blend well (dough will be sticky).  Shape into silver dollar sized discs and dip into topping then put on parchment lined baking sheets 2 inches apart.  Bake for about 12 minutes or until slightly browned.