Vegan Caesar Salad

This vegan take on a classic salad is super health-supportive with booster foods like detoxing nori and gut-supportive fermented miso.  Pair with roasted chickpeas, gluten-free croutons, or cubed and roasted tofu.  I buy organic tofu as most non-organic soy tends to be genetically modified. This recipe can be made soy-free by removing the tofu and adding extra olive oil for creaminess, and substituting chickpea miso for white miso.

Serves 4-6

Ingredients:

1 oz soft tofu

3 cloves garlic

1 sheet nori, toasted and crumbled

¼ cup EVOO

2 Tbs fresh lemon juice

1 ½ Tbs balsamic vinegar

1 Tbs white miso

1 Tbs Dijon mustard

1 Tbs capers

1 tsp coconut aminos (or tamari)

¼ tsp white pepper

1 large head romaine lettuce, washed and chopped

optional garnish: nutritional yeast, scallions, gomasio or sesame seeds, toasted chickpeas or cubed tofu

Method:

-Combine all ingredients in a blender, except lettuce, and blend until smooth and creamy.

-At serving time, toss lettuce with dressing in large bowl.  Top with nutritional yeast, scallions, sesame seeds, or toasted chickpeas.

Hearty Lentil Soup

This bone-broth based soup is rich in minerals, soothing to the digestive tract and supports the immune system. Make a big pot of this to have all week or freeze for those nights you don't feel like cooking.  Yield: 4 servings

Ingredients:

1.5 cups lentils, soaked overnight

3 Tbs olive oil

2 medium carrots, small dice

2 medium celery stalks, thinly sliced

1 small onion, small dice

2 quarts bone broth

1-inch piece Kombu

2 sprigs fresh thyme, chopped

2 spring fresh oregano, chopped

2 Tbs fresh parsley, chopped and divided

1 bay leaf

1 cup fresh greens, chopped and loosely packed

2 Tbs apple cider vinegar

salt and pepper to taste

fresh squeeze of lemon juice

Directions:

1. In a large soup pot, heat olive oil on medium.  Add onions with a pinch of salt and sauté for 3 minutes.  Add carrots and celery and sauté for 5 minutes. 
2. Stir in lentils, broth, Kombu, and herbs, only adding half the parsley.  Bring to boil.  Reduce heat and let simmer with lid on for 45 minutes to 1 hour.
3.  Just before serving, stir in greens and vinegar. Remove kombu and bay leaf, if desired.  Season with salt and pepper. 
4. Sprinkle with remaining parsley and a squeeze of lemon. Serve.

Immune supportive chai tea

While everyone is pumpkin-crazed this time of year, I choose to obsess over everything chai-spiced. My chai tea recipe is amazingly healing: it kickstarts the immune system, aids digestion, reduces inflammation, improves circulation, has anti-cancer properties, regulates blood sugar, is high in antioxidants,  and boosts metabolism.  Coconut milk will keep you satiated longer and reduce food cravings.  If you don't have all these deliciously warming baking spices in your kitchen, you can always purchase a quality chai spice blend.  One of my favorite blends is through Savory Spice and can be found here.  I prefer a spicier, cinnamon-y chai, but you can always add more honey or coconut sugar for extra sweetness.

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Immune Supportive Chai Tea

It is really tough to mess this recipe up, so don't worry if your spices are not exact measurements.  I like to store some fresh ginger root in the freezer because it keeps longer and it makes grating the ginger much easier.  You may use a microplane or cheese grater to do this.  Lightly crush the tough pods with the back of a chef's knife.  This will release more flavor and nutrients into the tea.

Ingredients:
6 whole cardamom pods
6 whole cloves
2-inch piece of ginger root, grated
2 cinnamon sticks
1 star anise pod
1 bay leaf
1 tsp whole black pepper corns
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
1 cup coconut milk (try my easy homemade coconut milk recipe)
1 tbsp loose Darjeeling black tea or 3 tea bags
2 Tbsp honey or coconut sugar

Procedure:

1. In a 2-quart saucepan, add all spices to 3 cups of water.  Bring to gentle boil then reduce to simmer and cover for 10 minutes.  Add coconut milk and simmer for another 5 minutes.
2. Turn off heat.  Add black tea and let steep for 5 minutes.  Add honey or sugar.  
3. Strain out the spices, pour into mugs and serve.

Yield: 4 small mugs or 3 generous servings

References:

http://www.mindbodygreen.com/0-5825/Why-Everyone-Should-Drink-Chai-Tea.html

http://www.savoryspiceshop.com/blends/chai.html