NOURISHING YOUR SPIRIT AND CREATING ENERGY FROM THE FOODS YOU EAT: 5 recipes + tips
PANTRY BASICS
Making our own staples adds great benefits to our health.
It’s so easy to reach for store bought condiments or staples, but not only do store bought condiments, sauces, soups and bone broths cost more, they consistently will take a toll on your health.
Even the healthiest sounding brands still use inflammatory oils like canola and soy or corn instead of a heart-healthy, antioxidants-rich olive oil.
Not only will you be healthier, but there is much to be said about making something for yourself (and other’s) that brings good nourishment, both in nutrients and in feeling good! And mental health is key to your overall health…
So let’s start with the pantry.
I challenge you to change 4 staples that are currently in the pantry or fridge.
Salad dressing, bone broth (for making soups) salsa or condiment
Replace all your salad dressings with made from scratch dressings.
Here is one simple recipe that you can build on, and this one is pretty darn tasty:
1 cup olive oil
1 minced shallot
¼ - ½ lemon- use the skin and all for the best source of soluble fiber!
1-2 tablespoon mustard
1 oz stevia
Basic Bone Broth | Recipe Here
You always want to start with good bones. And if you don’t have bone broth or chicken broth, then you must as this is essential in making good soups!
Bones from animals that are raised on grass (animal that are living outside
getting sun exposure, have higher concentrations of phytochemicals and also have the capacity to synthesize vitamin D and therefore, have the potential to increase the nutrient content in our meat).
…And animals living outside are healthier and happier
And you are what you eat.
Grazing livestock on plant-species diverse pastures concentrates a wider variety and higher amounts of phytochemicals in meat and milk compared to grazing monoculture pastures, while phytochemicals are further reduced or absent in meat and milk of grain-fed animals.
Health-Promoting Phytonutrients Are Higher in Grass-Fed Meat and Milk
Greens and Ginger Broth with Poached Eggs
This is an easy recipe using bone broth and you can build on this recipe with more flavors and more ingredients. As an example I have also shared the Moroccan Flavored Soup Recipe down below, also.
Use a large, wide pot like a Dutch oven as it makes for faster cooking time.. You need the surface area both for a quick cook time for the soup but also the four eggs have plenty of space to poach with space between the eggs.
Consider sliced scallions, cilantro or a sprinkling of Japanese togarashi or furikake or broken seaweed.
1 tablespoon olive oil of ghee
5 (1/4-inch) thick slices fresh ginger
2 cloves garlic, very thinly sliced
6 cups bone broth
2 tablespoons tamari
12 ounces regular bok choy, Shanghai bok choy, or Napa cabbage
4 large eggs (to serve 2)
Thinly sliced scallions, shichimi togarashi, or furikake,* for garnish (optional)
Heat the oil in a Dutch oven or wide pot over medium heat until it shimmers.
Add the ginger and garlic and cook, stirring constantly, until the garlic is soft about 1 minute.
Carefully add the broth and tamari and bring to a simmer. .Meanwhile, trim the stem ends from the bok choy or cabbage. If using Napa cabbage or large bok choy, cut into 1 1/2-inch pieces.
Add the bok choy or cabbage to the simmering soup, stir to combine, and bring back to a boil. Lower the heat to maintain a simmer and crack the eggs into the soup, keeping the eggs as far apart from each other as possible. Simmer undisturbed until the whites are set but the yolks are still runny, 3 to 4 minutes. Serve immediately, topped with scallions, shichimi togarashi, or furikake if desired.
Furikake is a savory Japanese condiment that’s sprinkled on rice, fish, and vegetables. While there are many different types of furikake available, typical blends include ingredients like dried nori (seaweed), toasted sesame seeds, dried fish, dried egg, dried herbs and salt. Look for the Eden brand that is sesame seeds, shiso leaf, ume plum vinegar and seaweed.
Moroccan Flavor Soup using Bone Broth
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 small onion, chopped
2 teaspoons fresh ginger, grated
1 teaspoon cumin
½ teaspoon cinnamon
½ teaspoon ground turmeric
½ teaspoon paprika
¼ teaspoon cayenne
4 cups bone broth
1 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon saffron
1 1/2 tablespoons preserved lemon, minced
4 oz fresh spinach
1 head bok choy
¼ cup flat-leaf parsley
In a medium soup pot, sauté the onion and ginger in olive oil over medium heat, until soft and lightly caramelized, about 5 minutes. Add cumin, cinnamon, turmeric, paprika, and cayenne, saute another minute. Add bone broth salt, saffron, Bring to a simmer and add the preserved lemon, fresh spinach, and parsley, bok choy and crack one egg on top and cover for serve!
You can build on flavor profiles with this bone broth soup
Now Build your Condiment Shelf and consider making one of these amazing salsa at least once per week
GREEN SAUCE Ya gotta have a green sauce in your collection of recipes!
Here are two recipes that are very similar, with just a little variation or tweeking of ingredients. Almost all cultures have a history of a green sauce ( paste or blending of fresh herbs into a sauce or salsa blended or pounded together : Think Pesto, Chimichurri, Salsa Verde, British and Indian Mint Sauce
Green sauce made with parsley, cilantro, mint, basil, arugula, sage and or marjoram. These herbs go back to medieval times of the 14th-century recipe of a green sauce served with a dish of cheese and whole eggs and meats.
SALSA VERDE
Italian Version (not to be confused with the South American which is cilantro and tomatillos )
2 tbsp preserved lemon or ¼ lemon
2 scanned anchovy fillets, rinsed in cold water
2 garlic cloves, peeled
1 bunch of flat-leaf parsley, fresh
1 handful of arugual/ rocket, or 1 handful of basil leaves
¾ cup extra virgin olive oil
Chimichurri
Argentine in its origins, chimichurri is typically made of finely-chopped parsley, minced garlic, oregano and vinegar
1 shallot, finely chopped
3–4 garlic cloves, thinly sliced or finely chopped
½ cup apple cider vinegar
1tsp. Sea salt, plus more
½ cup finely chopped cilantro
½ cup finely chopped flat-leaf parsley
2 Tbsp. finely chopped oregano
1 cup extra-virgin olive oil
Storage: Put in ice cube trays and freeze
Once frozen, pop them out and put them in a zip lock bag.