!Sautéed Leafy Greens Serves 4 2 Tablespoons sesame oil 2 cloves garlic, minced 4 scallions, sliced Pinch sea salt 5 leaves kale, washed, de-stemmed and chopped or ripped into bite-size pieces 1 small head broccoli, cut up into florets Tamari soy sauce Deglazing liquid: Either water, vegetable broth, white wine or miring rice wine 1 small head bok choy, washed and sliced Wash and slice all of your vegetables. Heat a skillet or wok over medium high heat. Add the sesame oil, scallions and garlic. Stir lightly and add a pinch of sea salt. Cook for a few seconds, then add the kale and broccoli on top. Stir quickly. Add a splash of soy sauce and a few tablespoons of your deglazing liquid. Cover and let steam for 3 minutes. Add the bok choy and another splash of water and soy sauce. Cover and steam another 2 to 3 minutes, or until desired tenderness. Serve hot.
Red Lentil Soup Serves 6 Red lentils are low in fat and high in protein. This warming, hearty soup helps to relax the stomach and digest the meal. The rich taste will help you to feel satisfied and nourished on chilly winter days. 1 tablespoons olive oil ½ cup green cabbage, small dice 2 cups squash or sweet potato, peeled and de-seeded (if using squash), small dice 1 cup carrots, small dice Pinch of sea salt ½ teaspoon dried thyme ½ teaspoon dried marjoram ½ teaspoon dried oregano 2 cups red lentils, rinsed (You can also pre-soak the lentils 6-8 hours if you wish, to make them more digestible. Green spilt peas can also be substituted.) 3 bay leaves 2-inch piece kombu, soaked in water for 10 minutes and drained Vegetable broth or spring water to cover ingredients 2 teaspoons sea salt, or to taste Black pepper, to taste Optional: 2 tablespoons white cooking wine or mirin rice wine 1-2 teaspoons vinegar of your choice (balsamic, brown rice or apple cider vinegar) Garnish: ¼ cup parsley, minced Heat oil in a large pot over medium high heat. Add the cabbage, squash or sweet potato, carrots, pinch of sea salt, thyme, marjoram and oregano. Sauté for 10 minutes or until vegetables are tender. Add a little vegetable broth if needed to prevent sticking. Add the drained red lentils on top of the sautéed vegetables, and tuck the kombu and bay leaves underneath the vegetables. Cover with broth or water. Bring to boil uncovered. Cover, reduce heat to low and simmer for one hour, or until the red lentils are completely soft. Occasionally check water level, and add more liquid if needed, to achieve desired consistency. Red lentils should look creamy, thick and smooth. Add sea salt, black pepper and optional wine. Simmer an additional 10 minutes. Stir in balsamic vinegar, shut off heat and serve garnished with parsley.
Steamed ABJ Sandwich 4 slices sourdough bread (If using gluten free bread DO NOT steam it, but toast it instead) 4 teaspoons coconut oil 4 tablespoons sprouted almond butter 4 tablespoons no sugar apple butter Place the bread in a steamer basket (stainless steel or bamboo) above a small amount of water. Steam it over medium high heat, boiling the water, covered for a few minutes. The bread should be very soft. Arrange the bread on a plate or cutting board. Spread with the coconut oil while the bread is still warm. Then spread a tablespoon of almond butter on one slice and the tablespoon of apple butter on the other slice. Make into a sandwich and enjoy! *My favorite wheat free bread: (It s not technically gluten free but close if you don t have celiac) Sami s Sourdough Bread: https://samisbakery.com/product/millet-sourdough-bread/
Christine's Favorite Trail Mix 1 cup almonds (I like to use sprouted almonds) or walnuts 1 cup tamari roasted pumpkin seeds 1/2 cup sprouted sunflower seeds 1 cup currants 1 cup dried mulberries Mix everything together and store in a glass jar or portion out into small snack containers to make it easy to grab and go!
Udon Noodles with Peanut Sauce & Veggies Peanut Sauce: 1/4 cup creamy peanut butter, or almond butter 1/3 cup apple juice or water 2 tablespoons maple syrup 2 tablespoons shoyu or tamarin soy sauce 1 1/2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar 2 teaspoons peeled, finely minced fresh ginger 2 cloves garlic, pressed or finely minced 2 teaspoons toasted sesame oil 8 ounce package of udon noodles, cooked according to package directions 1 cup shredded carrots 1 cup steamed broccoli florets 1 cup sliced scallions Place all peanut sauce ingredients in a saucepan and bring to a gentle simmer, while whisking. Stir for a few minutes until thickened. Place the cooked noodles, carrots, steamed broccoli and scallions in a big bowl. Add the peanut sauce and mix well.
Lentil Walnut Sliders with Apple Chutney Ingredients For the sliders: 1 cup walnuts 1 cup cooked lentils 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning 1 teaspoon garlic powder 1/4 cup minced fresh parsley 1/4 cup sliced scallions 1 teaspoon organic tomato paste Breadcrumbs as needed 1 teaspoon tamari or shoyu soy sauce Additional sea salt and black pepper Coconut oil For the Apple Chutney: 1/2 cup no sugar apple butter 2 teaspoons prepared mustard 2 teaspoons shoyu or tamari soy sauce 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar Pinch ground cloves 1 tablespoon maple syrup 8 mini slider buns (can be brushed with coconut oil and grilled lightly) Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Place the walnuts in a food processor and blend into a coarse flour. Add the lentils, Italian seasoning, garlic powder, parsley, scallions and organic tomato paste. Transfer the lentil mixture to a large mixing bowl and add enough breadcrumbs to achieve the right consistency. You want to be able to form the mixture into little patties. Adjust seasonings to taste.
Form the mixture into eight little patties and place them on the lined baking sheet. Brush the patties generously with coconut oil. Bake them for 15 minutes, then turn them over. Brush the other side with coconut oil Bake for another 15 minutes or until golden on both sides. While the sliders are baking prepare the Apple Chutney by placing all ingredients in a saucepan and warming for a few minutes until thickened. Serve the sliders on the buns with the Apple Chutney.
Spiced Poached Pears Serves 4 I can think of nothing better than poached pears for dessert. The wine and cranberry juice stains them a luscious shade of crimson. 4 whole bosc pears, peeled, with stems still attached 1/3 cup no-sugar cranberry juice, or tart cherry juice 1/3 cup maple syrup 1/3 cup red wine 1 cinnamon stick ½ tsp. whole cloves Pinch sea salt 1 Tbsp. kudzu, diluted in ¼ cup cold water GARNISH: 2 tsp. fresh lemon zest Slice a very thin piece from the bottom of the pears. Using a large enough pot, arrange pears standing upright. Separately, in a bowl, combine the juice, maple syrup, red wine, cinnamon stick, cloves and salt. Pour over the pears and bring to a gentle boil over medium heat. Reduce the heat to simmer on medium-low, covered, for 20 minutes or until the pears are tender. During cooking, occasionally spoon sauce over pears. Remove pears and transfer to serving plates. Using a slotted spoon, remove spices from cooking liquid. Add diluted kudzu to cooking liquid. Whisk over low heat until thickened. To serve, drizzle syrup over pears and sprinkle with lemon zest.
Pressed Salad Makes about 4 cups 8 cups kale leaves, de-stemmed and shredded 1 cup shredded red cabbage 1 cup green shredded cabbage ½ cup thinly sliced red radishes ½ cup thinly sliced celery 1 cup matchstick carrots 1 teaspoon sea salt, or more as needed 1-2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar Optional: fresh orange juice (1/2 orange) Mix all ingredients together in a large glass bowl. Massage the salt and vinegar into the veggies until the water gets released from them when you squeeze it. Let sit for several hours, then squeeze off all the liquid with your hands and transfer to a new bowl. Add fresh orange juice if you wish or serve with your favorite dressing.
Magical Miso Soup Serves 4 One of my all time favorite soups! Try different combo s of root, round and leafy green veggies. Miso is a source of the beneficial bacteria, which aid digestion. 2-inch piece wakame, soaked 10 minutes & drained 4 shitake mushrooms, soaked in 1 ½ cups water, then drained (SAVE SOAK WATER) 3 cups vegetable broth or water ½ cup daikon root, cut into flower shapes ½ cup carrots, cut into flower shapes ½ cup leafy greens, finely sliced 4 tablespoons sweet white miso (*or chickpea miso for gluten free) Garnish: 2 tablespoons thinly sliced scallions Finely chop the wakame and shiitakes, reserving the shiitake soaking water. In a medium saucepan, bring the shiitake soaking water plus 3 cups vegetable broth or water to a boil uncovered over medium high heat. Add the wakame, shiitakes, daikon and carrots. Cover and simmer for 5 minutes. Separately, in a small bowl, dilute the miso with a few spoonfuls of the hot broth and blend until smooth. Add the diluted miso and leafy greens to broth. Simmer for 3 minutes. Serve soup in individual bowls garnished with scallions. OPTIONS: * Grate a 1 piece of fresh ginger root and squeeze a few drops of juice into soup at the end of cooking. * Occasionally add small cubes of fresh tofu or pan toasted mochi. * Occasionally add ½ cup of leftover beans, grains, or cooked noodles to soup.
Walnut Miso Pesto 1/2 cup parsley, finely chopped 1 cup chopped basil 2 cloves of garlic, minced 1/4 cup chopped walnuts 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil 1 Tbsp. white miso Place all ingredients in a food processor and process until desired consistency. If mixture is too thick add a little more oil or a touch of water.
Adzuki Bean Tea Remedies This tea is great for tonifying kidney and urinary functions. Goodbye to under the eye bags! For chronic conditions, take daily or every other day, for about three weeks. 1 cup adzuki beans, rinsed 2-inch piece kombu, soaked 10 minutes and drained 4 cups spring or filtered water Place the adzuki beans and kombu in a sauce pan with water. Bring to a boil, uncovered, over medium heat. Lower flame, cover and simmer for 30 minutes. Strain out beans and drink liquid while hot. Save beans to use later to make a soup or stew. * Note: Black Soybeans can be substituted for adzuki beans, creating a warming, relaxing tea good for female reproductive problems, kidney and bladder problems, promoting mother s milk and alleviating dry coughs. Makes 3 cups
Carrot Daikon Drink This is a macrobiotic remedy that can help with weight loss. Don t take it too long as it is cleansing and you could feel weak. Drink/eat one cup every day for 10 days or every other day for 3 weeks. 1/2 cup finely grated carrots 1/2 cup finely grated daikon 1/3 sheet nori seaweed (ripped or cut into very small pieces) 1/2 an umeboshi plum Soy sauce (organic shoyu or tamari) Place the grated carrot and daikon in a saucepan. Do not let gratings sit for a long time. Add 2 cups of water and bring to a gentle boil. Add 1/3 of a sheet of nori and 1 2 of an umeboshi plum; cook together with the grated vegetables. Simmer for about 3 minutes and add a few drops of shoyu toward the end. Eat and drink the vegetables and the broth.
Home Spa Treatments The Body Rub A general way-of-life recommendation for everyone, but especially those who are weak or stagnated, and for many health conditions A body scrub will help activate blood circulation and promote the physical and mental energy flow of the whole body. It will also help to clear and clean the skin, discharge fat accumulated under the skin, and open up skin pores to promote smooth and regular elimination of any excess fat and toxins to the surface of the body. Usually recommended every morning and every evening, twice a day, before or after a shower or bath, but apart from it. Dip a small cotton cloth in hot water. Wring out excess water. Gently rub the whole body, dipping the cloth into the hot water again when cool. Include the hands and feet, each finger and toe. The skin should become pink or slightly red. This result may take a few days to achieve if the skin is clogged with accumulated fats. * A ginger body rub may be more effective for certain conditions.
Ginger Kidney Compress A Ginger Compress is used to dissolve stagnation and tension, and to stimulate blood circulation. Fresh ginger root, grated (enough to equal the size of a tennis ball) 1 gallon water You will need: Cheesecloth A large pot A medium size hand towel 2 large towels A friend to help you! In a large pot, bring water to a boil. Reduce heat to low. Place the ginger into a double layer of cheesecloth. Tie the ends together and squeeze the ginger juice from the cheesecloth sack into the water. (The water at this point should be just below the boiling point). Place the sack into the pot and allow it to steep in the water without boiling for about 5 minutes. Lay on a large towel. Have your friend dip a medium size hand towel into the ginger water, wring out tightly, and apply it over your lower back. Cover with a large, folded dry towel to hold in the heat. Change the towel every 2-3 minutes, replacing it with a fresh, hot towel. This can be done by using two towels and alternating them so that the skin does not cool off between applications. Continue the applications for about 10-15 minutes, until area becomes pink. Important Note: For people with a serious illness such as cancer, do not use a ginger compress, especially over a tumor or growth.