Curry Ginger Quinoa

I was enjoying this so much that I almost finished it before taking a picture! This yummy recipe is super simple and totally satisfying.

• 2 cups quinoa (rinsed!!!!!!!)
• 3 1/2 cups water
• 1 teaspoon of each: salt, turmeric, curry powder, garam masala, cumin

Bring to a boil and let boil for a minute or two. Turn heat to low/med-low and simmer for 15 minutes. Turn off heat, cover with paper towel, place lid on top and set aside for about 5-10min.

With cooked quinoa....toss with....

• 3 tablespoons of sesame oil
• 3 tablespoons of evoo
• Juice of one juicy lime
• *Microplane or Zester: two cloves of garlic and one chunk of fresh ginger
• Hit with several shakes of red crushed pepper (I like it spicy....)
• A few tablespoons of Coconut Aminos (or Braggs or Soy Sauce)
• Diced scallions
• Chopped cilantro
• Adjust salt to taste.

Yum.

Garam Masala

garam masala in soup....

garam masala in tea....

GARAM MASALA.

Go buy it right now. You can find a big 200g bag in the "ethnic" aisle at any supermarket for about $3. It's the missing piece of the puzzle!!

Since I've arrived home I have been steady recreating the dishes I ate in Southeast Asia. All of my curries were good but they were missing *something. Duh, garam masala. It's the spice mixture that gives Indian food and curries their DEPTH. Mmmmmmmm so good. Go figure, I make this discovery one week before I head back to the Motherland.

Curry Vegetable Masala Soup:
1. Toss a bunch of chopped veggies into a soup pot and sauté (with coconut oil) for a few minutes [I used celery, carrot, zucchini, onion and garlic]
2. Season with salt, curry powder and GARAM MASALA
3. Cover veggies with vegetable broth and let simmer for about 20minutes
4. Top with chopped cilantro

SO DELICIOUS. SO SATISFYING. SO SIMPLE. SO HEALTHY.

Another "Duh": My beloved "Masala Chai"....is tea (called Chai in India) with masala spice!! Putting a half teaspoon of garam masala in your tea or coffee will certainly elevate it! This morning I made a proper chai latte with hemp seed milk, xylitol, and garam masala.

The typical Indian version of garam masala contains:

Black and white peppercorns
Cloves
Cinnamon
Black and white cumin seeds
Black, brown + green cardamom pods

Eggs.

I love eggs.
Love Love Love.
As my dear friend Kelly says, "If you have an egg, you have a meal." Amen sister.

My favorite way to eat them changes about once a month. My new favorite combo is

-kale
-summer squash
-Vidalia onion
-fresh garlic
-quinoa
-salt, pepper, cayenne, cumin

Boom.
I tried to take a picture of it but the photo doesn't do it justice.

This combo was inspired by a bulb of garlic given to me by my student Michael. He brings me the most delicious apples along with other goodies and this head of garlic is exceptionally delicious as well. They say garlic is best for you when eaten raw, so I don't add it in until the last minute.

Sauté diced onion, kale and summer squash (SEEDS REMOVED!). Add in chopped fresh garlic and immediately crack eggs into pan, turn heat on low, and when eggs are nearly finished add in cooked quinoa (which I have usually seasoned with curry, turmeric, cumin, garlic, lemon).

This is so plate-licking good, so prepare yourself!

Almond Bread

This candida friendly, paleo friendly, gluten free bread is to-fucking-die-for! It's nothing crazy exciting for those of you who can eat bread and pastries, but I am over the moon! One of my students made it for me last night and I have eaten the whole loaf...enjoying the slices with everything from almond butter, smashed strawberries, and ghee! It's amazing. And apparently quite easy to make!! I can't wait to bake my own...and perhaps enjoy a bit more slowly next time!

Zoodles!!

This recipe is from a paleo cookbook called Well Fed. It's also candida friendly (yay!) and not to mention TOTALLY FREAKING AMAZING.

Zucchini
Almond meal
Shrimp (optional)
Ghee (make your own! See acorn squash post...)
Salt

Run lots of zucchinis over a julienne-ing tool (be careful not to cut your finger like I did!). After prepping the zucchini you want to suck the moisture out of it, so put it on a towel and sprinkle with salt. Let sit 20minute. Pat, rinse, pat, let dry. In a skillet cook shrimp in some ghee or maybe some coconut oil. Season with garlic, salt and pep. Toss in your "Zoodles" and season to taste (make sure you don't get too salt heavy!!).

As a "Parmesan" toast almond meal in a skillet and hit with a touch of salt. Sprinkle on top your "shrimp scampi".

Celery Root Purée

Boom.
So good.
Kelly and I made this last week when I was visiting.

2 celery roots, peeled and diced
Tossed into a pot and covered with vegtable broth
Boil until soft
Strain and reserve liquid
Purée in a food processor or vitamix with salt, pepper and 1/2 cup organic sour cream (so this is candida friendly). Add in reserved broth as needed for desired consistency.

So. Good. So. Easy.

Acorn Squash and Pepitas

This recipe is my interpretation of a recipe I saw in a magazine. I love squash, but the Acorn variety is one that hasn't wow'ed me yet...so I decided to give it another go. Last night was our "Friendsgiving" (thanksgiving with friends), and my contribution was this and the pumpkin pies. My recipe goes....

-2 Acorn squash
-One cup toasted, salted pepitas
-Ghee
-Smoked paprika, cayenne, salt

Preheat oven to 415.

Slice the acorn squash in half, and then slice half moons using the squashes natural lines as a guide. Lay in baking dish and season generously with smoked paprika, cayenne (just a bit), and salt (being mindful that the pepitas are salted).

Ghee: you can but it, or you can make it. Yesterday, I made it from scratch for the first time. Ghee is simply butter with the moisture and fat milk solids removed. I did one stick of butter in a skillet over medium/medium low heat (you want to cook the butter down but not burn it). It takes about 10minutes for the "crackling" sound to stop and that means that you can take it off the heat. Let it sit and cool a bit for about 10/15minutes. Then pour through a very fine strainer or cheesecloth...which leaves you with clarified butter, or ghee. It's delicious, healthier and has so much flavor!! Also, it's candida friendly! Drizzle this over the squash.

Roast at 415 for 45minutes covered with tin foil. Then uncover and put under broiler for 10minutes to brown it off. Sprinkle pepitas over top and salt to taste.

This got RAVE reviews at dinner. Also, you can eat the skin of the squash because it's so tender, but you can also scrape the squash out and leave the skin be. Diners choice.

The Best Pumpkin Pie Ever.

Okay, maybe not the best in the world, but it's pretty freaking amazing...and WAY healthier than any pumpkin pie you all are eating. This is candida friendly, paleo friendly, and gluten free. I made up the recipe and am happy to stamp my name on it :) I was going for a crunchy, creamy - salty, sweet pie...and I got it.

Here is a recipe that'll make two pies...

Preheat oven to 350.

Crust:
-One cup almond meal
-Two cups raw walnuts
(Soak them and wash them a half dozen times...nuts are filthy. Then rub them with a towel. If you skip these steps you'll have bitter tasting walnuts, instead of sweet and delicious. Don't skip! Put the walnuts in a pan and toast for a few minutes on a medium low heat, seasoning with a touch of cayenne, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt. Let cool)
-Pulse walnuts in food processor until they are a bit chunkier than the almond meal
-In a bowl mix almond meal and pulverized walnuts, add a tablespoon of good chunky sea salt or kosher salt, drizzle with a tablespoon of coconut oil and mix together.
-Press this mixture down into a pie dish...there's no crust up the sides of this pie, just the bottom, so just keep packing it down.
-Bake in the oven on 350 for ten minutes

Filling:
-Two cans pumpkin purée
-One can (unsweetened) coconut cream
-1/2 can (unsweetened) coconut milk
-1 cup Xylitol
-4 eggs
-Lots of cinnamon and "pumpkin" spice, some nutmeg and a pinch of ground ginger
Mix, mix, mix and then pour overtop of your crusts, filling to the brim.
Bake in oven on 350 for 50minutes

Remove from oven and ALLOW THE PIE TO SIT FOR 3 HOURS before you slice it. It needs to set.

This pie is freaking delicious.
Boom.

Autumn Stuffed Squash

A friend posted a picture of a squash stuffed with wild rice on Facebook, and it sparked my interest. I headed to Santoris, picked up some Acorn squash and meditated on it for a bit. I ended up with the following creation....a first attempt that was actually a super success!

Autumn Stuffed Squash (for 4)

-2 acorn squash
-1 cup quinoa (soaked and rinsed)
-2 cups chicken broth or veg broth
-5 spring onions
-1 small zucchini, diced small
-fresh sage
-large handful kale (sliced fine)
-sundried tomatoes
-cashews
-salt, pepper, garlic, red pepper flakes
-tahini
-lemon juice

1. Slice the acorn squash in half. Scoop out any seeds. Place in a roasting dish, face up. Sprinkle with salt, pepper, garlic, and a touch of nutmeg. Drizzle with oil (coconut or olive) and pour 1/2 cup of chicken broth into the bottom of the roasting dish. Cover with tin foil and roast at 250 for about 2 hours. You want the squash to be tender, but not mushy.

2. After soaking (best if soaked overnight, but a few hours will do) and rinsing the quinoa, pour 1 1/2 cups chicken broth into pot with quinoa and bring to a boil. Hit it with salt and garlic. Boil for a few minutes then put it on simmer for 15 minutes with a lid covering it. Take it off the heat, cover the top of the pot with a papertowel, put the lid back on and let it sit for five minutes. Fluff with a fork. Season with some red pepper flakes.

3. In a skillet, sautée diced green onions, zucchini, kale, sundried tomatoes, sage and chopped cashews. Salt, pepper, garlic, red pepper flakes.

4. Toss quinoa and diced veggies together and then use this to stuff the squash.

5. Place this under the broiler or in the oven to warm and bring it all together.

6. The dressing: tahini, lemon juice, hot water (to thin it to right consistency), garlic, and salt.

Hit it with a dash of salt and serve a little salad alongside. Boom.

So damn delicious. Enjoy.

Quinoa Porridge

In the past I had posted a recipe for a lip-smacking quinoa porridge. This recipe I'm posting today is a bit different, made with quinoa *flakes*, and therefore has more of an oatmeal consistency. I was forced to create this because it turns out that I have a stomach ulcer (my nutritionist said that its probably from the emotional stress of this intense 2-year cleanse that I'm on, combined with the stress that the strict change made to my body...also,
Pepper in some stress of every day living...). He recommended that I add oatmeal and okra to my diet...two foods that will help coat and protect my stomach, helping the healing process. Oatmeal is out because I am (mostly) grain free and totally gluten free on this cleanse. So: quinoa (flake) porridge. You can buy these flakes at any health food store or online, and they even carry them at the Shoprite here in Marmora.

One cup hot water
1/3 cup quinoa flakes
Generous sprinkling of cinnamon
Pinch of Celtic sea salt
Drop of vanilla extract (alcohol free...Frontier makes a great one!)
Small scoop of Ghee (the healing properties are endless)
Sweeten with Xylitol

All you have to do is boil the hot water and pour it over top and the mix mix mix. Voila. You like thin porridge? Use more water. Thick? Use less. If you're not on the candida cleanse feel free to jazz it up with dried fruit or fresh fruit and some honey!

Coconut Kefir

Coconut water with kefir starter....

Cover em up with a towel and let them sit...

Coconut water kefir. It is a super important part of your diet if you are suffering from Candida, but even if you aren't - it is an amazing addition to your health regime. Instead of buying the very expensive coconut water kefirs you can find online, I decided to make it myself (thanks to Lorie Rice for the inspiration!). I bought 9 thai coconuts from the asian supermarket for $17, sterilized some mason jars, and busted out my cleaver. All in all, it was a pretty simple process.

Coconut Water Kefir

Ingredients:

• 1 quart Coconut Water
• 3 tablespoons Water Kefir Grains or 1 packet of kefir starter (this is what I used)

Place the Water Kefir Grains in the coconut water.  Cover the jar loosely and allow the Kefir Grains to culture the coconut water for 24-48 hours.  Once the culturing process is complete, remove the Kefir Grains (or if you used kefir starter then this is not necessary). 


Here is an easy peezy way to open your thai coconuts (trust me, its really that easy...)
 

Why coconut water kefir?
 Coconut Water Kefir is a whole food probiotic, rich in vitamins, minerals and natural electrolytes.

This product is brisling with Lactobacillus and Bifidobacteria, which creates awesome intestinal flora, digestion and production of B-6, B12, K, niacin and folic acid. This is a fermented beverage that hydrates, and gently cleanses the intestinal tract, and liver. Throughout time and place, living culture foods have been a sacred key to unlocking the secret of abundant health and longevity.

Cultured Coconut Pudding

Tools

• Blender
• Glass or ceramic container with lid

Ingredients

• Meat from 3-4 young coconuts 
• 1/2 kefir packet (I used yogourmet kefir starter)
• Purified water
• cinnamon or cardamom

Directions

1. Open the young coconuts and conserve most of the the water for Coconut Water Kefir (recipe above). The meat should be white. If it is pink or gray, it should be discarded.
2. Scoop the meat out with a strong spoon or spatula.
3. Rinse any brown skin off the meat.
4. Put the coconut meat in a blender and purée with just enough water to create a pudding-like consistency.
5. Add half a packet of kefir starter culture or a teaspoon of kefir grains. Pulse to incorporate.
6. Transfer the pudding to a glass or ceramic container, making sure there are a few inches of room on the top for the pudding to expand.
7. Cover the container and let it ferment on your countertop or on top of your fridge at about 72-75 degrees for 7-10 hours.
8. After fermentation, add cardamom or cinnamon and nutmeg and stir in.
9. Refrigerate. It will last about 3 days.

In Sanskrit the coconut palm is referred to as “kalpa vriksha” meaning “the tree that supplies all that is needed to live”.

Thai Attack

Thai in the NYC with JamieD @ East Village Thai. SOOOO GOOD.

My sweet love and foodie partner in crime, Ro-Bare.

Venison Larp + Massam Curry.

Boom. I love Thai food...and after spending a fair bit of time in Cambodia, Laos and Thailand, I got a good handle on how to prepare it. While in the city, JamD and I hit up the spectacular-slightly-dirty-hole-in-the-wall-of-a-gem East Village Thai. We had some epic chicken larb (which is actually a Lao dish) as well as a vegetable massam curry. After spending my morning coffee time with Rob back in OC, I declared a recreation - so he headed over to be my taste tester later that evening. I made the larb with ground venison from a friend, and I made the massam curry with shrimp. I'll be posting the recipes later today!

Coconut Chicory Cappuccino

Add caption

Boom.

I have been craaaaaaaaaaaaaving cappuccinos lately, but that desire has been satiated with these delicious candida-friendly recreation....

• 2 tablespoons roasted chicory root grounds
• 3/4 cup hot water
• 3/4 cup unsweetened coconut milk
• 1 tablespoon xylitol
• fresh ground cinnamon

Bring the water and the grinds to a boil. In another pot bring the coconut milk to a boil. Use a milk frother to froth up the coconut milk and then strain the chicory "espresso" into the milk. Sweeten with xylitol and top with lots of fresh cinnamon. SO GOOD. 

Candida Crunch Salad

Candida friendly COCONUT AMINOS (soy sauce substitute)

Carrot, cucumber, green apple, clover sprouts, cilantro, red cabbage, celery, and sprouted pumpkin seeds.

Seared Duck Breast

Lunch of Champions.

This salad is amazing! Not only is it tasty, delicious, and Candida-friendly...but it can be made ahead of time and it doesn't get soggy.

The Salad...

• Red Cabbage
• Carrot
• Cucumber
• Celery
• Green Apple
• Clover Sprouts
• Sprouted Pumpkin Seeds
• Cilantro

The Dressing...

• Coconut Aminos
• Toasted Sesame Oil
• Lime Juice

Pep It Up by Adding....

• Crushed Red Pepper
• Ginger
• Kimchi

Comforting Tastes.

I LOVE BEVERAGES! Specifically warm, creamy, sweet beverages...like lattes, cappuccinos, and chai! Giving up sugar and milk, and caffeine, has been a bit of a challenge - but it's the name of the game on this candida cleanse. I have come up with some delicious alternatives though that I'm excited to share....

Chai :

• 3/4 cup hot water
• 1/4 cup almond milk 
• 1 teaspoon xylitol (made from the pulp of vegetables, super low glycemic index, 9 calories per teaspoon and great for your teeth!)
• 1in chunk of fresh ginger, peeled and smashed
• optional: fresh cinnamon stick, 2 cloves, and/or 1 cardamom pod smashed  *All of these spices are great for digestion! 

Chicory Root "Coffee":

• 1 cup hot water
• 2 teaspoons roasted chicory root granules
• 1 teaspoon xylitol 
• almond milk or coconut milk (unsweetened) to taste
• *The granules partly dissolve, and if you let it sit then they will settle to the bottom. You can strain it if you'd like, but I don't mind the granules. Chicory root is great for the liver!

Candida Alkalizing Lemonade :

• Juice a dozen lemons
• 1/2 cup of xylitol
• 1 quart distilled water
• *Lemons are alkalizing, xylitol is great for your teeth, and distilled water is a great way to stay hydrated. Also, lemon water helps to cleanse the body, cleaning our liver and kidneys (and also helping to assist in your morning bowel movement).

Apple Cider Vinegar Alkalizer:

• 2 cups of distilled water
• 3 tablespoons of Braggs Raw Apple Cider Vinegar
• 1 teenytiny spoonful (the spoon that they give you with it) of Stevia 
• 1 teaspoon of fresh grated ginger
• *Powerhouse, amazing, healing, healthy, nutritious beverage. Sip.All.Day.Long.

CHAI Ingredients: Decaf Chai tea, fresh ginger, xylitol, unsweetened vanilla almond milk

Chicory Root "Coffee"

Candida Coffee!

Candida Kale Caesar Salad

This is so easy and delicious. It is Paleo, Candida, and Vegan friendly!! There are a few variations that can take this salad different places, so here are your options:

Kale Caesar Salad (for 4)

• 1 Head of Kale, de-stemmed, washed, and cut
• 3 tablespoons Braggs Apple Cider Vinegar (or Lemon Juice...if you are on the Candida or Body Ecology Diet though the ACV is better because it has live cultures)
• 1 clove of garlic, pushed through a press or run over the grater
• *good quality* organic unrefined oil, drizzled generously overtop
• Shake, Shake, Shake and Shake some more of Braggs Nutritional Yeast (this is fine for people on Candida or B.E.D. because it is not live active yeast) *the more cheese that you want on your salad, the more nutritional yeast that you'd want...
• Hard boiled egg (optional): to take this salad to the next level you can dice up a hard boiled egg on top. Make sure you do so before you massage it with your hands, so that the cooked egg yolk can act as a thickener for the 'dressing'. 

Massage it with your hands for about 5 minutes, softening up the tough kale and integrating all of the flavors together. Warning: this salad is freaking delicious. And crazy insane healthy. 

Blueberry Ice Cream

I've been craving ice cream lately, and that is a major "no" on the Candida cleanse. So, I froze some blueberries (the only fruit that we are really allowed to eat on this diet).  

• One pint frozen blueberries
• One cup Kefir
• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• Sprinkle of Stevia

Put it in a VitaMix and give it full power. You can eat it with a spoon or put it in a Popsicle tray and freeze it. So delicious, so nutritious. 

What is Kefir?

One dairy product that not only offers a wide range of vitamins and minerals, but also provides a variety of probiotic organisms and powerful healing qualities, is kefir (pronounced /kəˈfɪər/ kə-FEER).The word "kefir" is derived from the Turkish word "keif", which literally translates to the "good feeling" one has after drinking it.

 

Kefir is a fermented milk product that originated centuries ago in the Caucasus mountains, and is now enjoyed by many different cultures worldwide, particularly in Europe and Asia. It can be made from the milk of any ruminant animal, such as a cow, goat, or sheep. It is slightly sour and carbonated due to the fermentation activity of the symbiotic colony of bacteria and yeast that make up the "grains" used to culture the milk (not actual grains, but a grain-like matrix of proteins, lipids, and sugars that feed the microbes). The various types of beneficial microbiota contained in kefir make it one of the most potent probiotic foods available.

Farm Fresh

A huge bag of spinach cooked down with some garlic, cayenne and salt, topped with a venison burger and a farm fresh egg. Side of yummy garlicky zucchini. Boom. (Candida-friendly) Dinner of Champions. Who needs a burger bun? Not this girl.

Crazy for Kale.

I was cruising on InstaGram yesterday and found this under #kale tags. I couldnt help but to crack up. Dream man, with Dream "flowers".

I have been crazy for kale lately! I've always loved it, but recently I've gotten very creative with it as I've had to get creative to cater to all of the limitations on this candida diet. This morning I had a smoothie for breakfast...

• Kefir
• Water
• Small handful blueberries
• A few almonds (soaked and peeled!)
• Cinnamon
• Small sprinkle of stevia
• And a huge handful of kale!

It was full power and delicious fuel to get me through the two classes I had.

Then for lunch I'd prepared some sautéed kale that I simply did in a skillet with some toasted sesame oil, uemboshi plum paste (a little goes a LONG way), a touch of salt and a sprinkle of some sesame seeds. SO GOOD SO GOOD SO GOOD...and so good for you!

Fresh Fish Perfection.

I have FINALLY learned how to cook fish like my Dad. He not only was a Captain (he had a hundred mile hundred ton captains license), but he was also a Cook! My mom and I have tried to replicate how he had cooked fish for many years....without success. This is shocking actually because both my mom and I are kickass in the kitchen. Whenever my dad would cook the fish in a skillet, I'd be yelling at him that he's burning it (he would walk away and putz outside or watch tv), but he always told me to leave it alone, don't touch it, and it always turned out perfect. So last night, I practiced "patience"... I left it alone and didn't touch it. And goddamn, it was perfect and delicious!

• Flounder Filets
• Salt
• Pepper
• Cayenne
• Red pepper flakes
• Garlic powder
• Lemon
• Coconut Oil Spray

Spray the skillet and turn it to a med/med high heat. Rinse your fish and *pat it dry*. Sprinkle with seasonings. Place the fish seasoned side down into the pan. Season the bare side that's facing up. Walk away. For like atleast 5 minutes. Walk outside or into the other room so that you aren't tempted to fuss with it. Then come back and the fish is ready to flip...and it won't fall apart. Again- walk away. Voila. Finish it off with some lemon juice and chopped flat leaf parsley. Bête Avon.