Feed your Internal Ecosystem with Ferments!

It's everywhere lately in science news headlines:  gut bacteria, probiotics and the microbiome.   We have a whole world of micro-organism living inside our gut as well as covering our skin: countless strains of bacteria, and possibly parasites, yeast and fungus. When the balance of this "inner world" goes out of whack, that's when digestive disorders start to occur.   Candida, colitis, IBD, IBS, Reflux, etc.  Unfortunately, the medical system doesn't have the tools yet to actually treat the root cause of these issues.  They use prescription drugs and OTC meds to give a "quick fix", but it's not sustainable and doesn't work on actually solving the problem.

So, what are some natural solutions for digestive health to keep our microbiomes healthy and happy?  We can take probiotic supplements, but it's really imperative to get the right kind for us, AND to eat lots of good prebiotic fibers. I'd recommend not taking the cheapest bottle at the store or using Culturelle or other lab-created bacteria. Consult your local Naturopath to find out which strains and products are right for you.

Another avenue is to re-introducing probiotic-rich fermented or cultured foods back into our diet.   Every culture in the world uses fermented foods in traditional cooking: sauerkraut comes from Eastern Europe, kimchi from Korea, breads like Injera (Ethiopia) and Sourdough (Egypt), Inuit people have eaten fermented whale blubber, fish sauce in Thai, Vietnamese and other Asian cultures, Kefir and Yogurt come from the Middle East and Kombucha from China.   Of course we could go on forever.  But wait...what happened to American ferments?   Seemingly around the time when we realized that there indeed microbes (aka GERMS) and Pasteur invented pasteurization, we began using high temperatures to kill the living enzymes and bacteria to "sterilize" foods.  Sadly, all of the benevolent bacteria has been stripped out of the nouveau Americana culture of culture-less and highly processed food.  It's time to reclaim our right to living foods, ferments!

Today's buy from Eastern Market!

Fermented foods are "rotted"; they are partially digested from bacteria already.  For example, cabbage has a fine film of bacteria on each leaf.  When shredded up and mixed with a salty brine and submerged in an anaerobic state, the bacteria go though a few-step process (that is a little over my head) to create a beneficial  bacteria-rich veggie that ALSO has prebiotic fiber all in one.  By the time the ferment is, well, fermented, the veggies are salty, still crispy, and deliciously soured.  The good news is that fermenting is simple and we don't have to be experts in the chemical processes by which it works to reap the rewards.  If this is interesting to you, I suggest reading some Sandor Katz's books, which do an excellent job of sharing the history of these foods and teach how to start making DIY ferments at home!

Some of my first DIY ferments. Plain kraut in the middle, kim chi on the sides.

It's fairly easy and highly enjoyable to make fermented foods at home!  I have been experimenting with krauts and other veggies as well as kombucha for the last couple year.   I say "experiment" because each batch is decidedly different; it's a delightful surprise to open up a crock of fermented veggies after 4 weeks or try a new flavor of DIY kombucha after its 2nd ferment.  Luckily, if you don't have the time or will to do it on your own just yet, there is access to other people's fermented goodness!  Small batch fermenters are popping up local foodie sub-cultures, like The Brinery in Ann Arbor and Farmhouse Culture in Northern California.  I've even seen some farms adding their local ferments to Saturday offerings at the Royal Oak Farmer's Market.  Now that you can buy locally, or make your own, how do we incorporate them into our diet?

Kombucha tea!  After the first ferment, I like to add blueberries, ginger, or other goodies and let it sit a few more days. 

You can start the day with a glass of kombucha, or have a bowl of fresh yogurt or kefir with fruit.   Sauerkraut and kimchi add a delicious sourness, salt and crunch to sandwiches for lunch.  At dinner time, I like to eat a 1/4 cup with my meal, kind of as a little accouterments.  I encourage everyone to try fermented foods.  It's an acquired taste, but one that will give you billions of little benefits and keep your digestion on track. :)

Awesome lunch: chicken salad, kale and kraut on a sprouted organic grain and bean wrap and Coconut Kefir to drink!

Rosemary Almond Spaghetti Squash

 I love using spaghetti squash in place of spaghetti, as it has no gluten and is easy on digestion.  It makes a wonderful "carrier" for any kind of spaghetti sauce.  Last week I made a meat sauce with mushrooms and served it on the squash. Dinner guest/band mate John loved it. ;)  So this dish incorporates some nuts for added texture, and herbs for nutrition and lovely flavor!  It would go really well with my Perfect Herb & Garlic Roasted Chicken.  Enjoy!


Rosemary Almond Spaghetti Squash
Makes 4-6 sides

Ingredients:

1 medium spaghetti squash
1 T olive oil
1 T butter
2 T minced onions
1 T minced garlic
2 T crushed or slivered almonds, plus more to garnish
1-2 tsp fresh rosemary (minced)
1 tsp sea salt
Black pepper & more salt to garnish

Directions:

Heat the oven to 375.  Cut squash in half lengthwise and scoop out the seeds.   Place face down in a glass baking pan with about 1/2 in of water.  Pierce the squash several times.  Bake for 35-45 minutes, until you flip the squash over and it's fork tender.  Let cool.

In a saute pan, get the oil and butter hot and add the garlic and onions. Saute for a few minutes, until fragrant and soft.  Add the almonds and give them a few minutes, turning the pan or stirring frequently.  Scoop the squash into the pan and add rosemary and salt. Stir until mixed well.  Serve hot with some more nuts to garnish.

{Healthy} Chicken Piccata with Artichokes and Mushrooms

Chicken Piccata is an absolute favorite of mine!  Lemony sauce and crispy chicken;  just darn good! Part of what it makes traditional piccata so good, however, is that the chicken is heavily breaded and then fried to a golden brown in vegetable oil (blech).  Because it's just not that great of an idea to fry food in oil, I decided to give this dish a healthy makeover and it has become a staple dish to serve to company or any occasion. In fact, it's strange that I have gone so long without blogging the recipe. 

I've changed the dish by adding artichokes and mushrooms as they are fantastic for digestion and amp up the nutrition. Capers are a delicious add too.  I am pretty positive you'll love this winner winner of a chicken dinner and add it to your staple list too. 

Healthy Chicken Piccata

Serves 4

2 split (1 whole) boneless, skinless chicken breasts, trimmed of excess fat and sliced in ½ in strips (about 20 oz)

1 can whole artichokes in brine, quartered + 2 T brine (You are more than welcome to steam fresh artichokes, but they are not super fresh this time of year, and can be hit or miss, so I use canned).

4 oz white or portobello mushrooms, sliced thinly

2 cloves garlic, minced

Juice of ½ lemon (2-4 T)

2 T chopped parsley

2 T organic butter, separated

1/2T olive oil

Pepper

In a large skillet, heat 1 T butter and the olive oil on medium. When butter just starts to sizzle, toss in chicken & brown for about 5 min/side. Add garlic, mushroom and cook another 5 minutes, until mushrooms soften. Add the whole can of quartered artichokes, 2 T brine, 2T lemon juice, 1 T butter. Stir well and simmer for about 10-15 min. Sprinkle in parsley and more lemon juice if you like it lemony and stir.

Serve hot and with some other green veggies (broccoli today).  I love to serve this dish over smashed (skin-on) redskin potatoes, like in the picture.  The resistant starch in the potato skins is a great prebiotic source, making this a great digestive dish, with the artichokes and fiber.  It's also SUPER delicious with rice or wheat pasta  I like to cook the pasta separately, then drain and throw right into the chicken & sauce, adding another drizzle of olive oil as I toss.

Nutrition Facts:

251 Calories

34 g protein

9 g fat

7 g carbs

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Shrimp with Papaya-Coconut Sauce + Brown Basmati Rice

I found a beautiful papaya at Trader Joe's the other day!  Since it's especially good for the digestion and we're on our second week of the Gut Rehab, it was a must-buy. It felt like a mini tropical get-away to enjoy shrimp with papaya coconut sauce over brown basmati rice. Along with papaya and it's unique enzymes, the  ginger and garlic give the sauce a kick & are also great for the gut. This dish is great for digestion, gluten-free, dairy-free and 100% delicious. ;)

Ingredients:

1 lb raw shrimp (I used wild red argentinean shrimp)
1 small papaya or 1/2 large papaya
1/2 c coconut cream
1/2 tbsp garlic (minced)
1/2 tbsp fresh ginger (minced)
1 tbsp lime or lemon juice
1/2 tsp crushed red pepper
2 tsp coconut oil (or other high-heat oil)
1/2 tsp cumin
1/4 tsp allspice
White Pepper
Sea salt
Dried unsweetened coconut flakes (optional garnish)

1 c dry brown basmati rice (cooked to package directions

Directions:


Start the basmati rice as it takes 35-40 min to cook; salt the water well & prepare it to package directions.


Sauce: Scoop out meat from the papaya and place into a food processor along with a pinch of sea salt, allspice, red pepper flakes, coconut cream and lime juice.  Blend until smooth.

Clean the shrimp. Pat dry and season with salt, white pepper, and cumin.   In a medium-large pan, heat to medium-high and add the oil.  Sautee shrimp for just a couple minutes on each side until cooked on the outside, but not thoroughly.  Add the minced ginger & garlic.  Sautee a couple more minutes.  Add the sauce and reduce to low.  Let simmer for 15 min.  Serve papaya-coconut shrimp & sauce over the rice and garnish with coconut flakes.

Chocolate-Banana Flax Seed Pudding {vegan}

This is a SUPER simple raw vegan dessert or breakfast.  The soaked flax makes this great for digestion. It  has a good amount of protein, and PACKED with omega-3 & omega-6!

Ingredients:

‎1/2c whole flax seeds soaked in 1 c water for 8 hours (or overnight)2 bananas
1/2 c almond, coconut or rice milk (plain or vanilla or chocolate!)
1/4 c unsweetened cacao powder
2 tbsp agave or honey or maple syrup
pinch sea salt
pinch cinnamon

Optional:  sprinkle raw sunflower or pumpkin seeds on top!

Directions:

When your flax is soaked & ready, it'll be gelatinous and slimy and soak up most of the water. Smash together all of the other ingredients in a mixing bowl and then stir the flax in. Refrigerate for 30 min or so. Devour.

Food Renegade - Fight Back Friday!

Quick n' Easy Stuffed Zucchini!

I found some gorgeous, HUGE locally grown zucchinis this week at the farm market at a steal of a deal and had some leftover chicken that I had grilled up last night. This took all of 45 minutes total with prep, is super healthy and delicious!  Zucchini is one of the foods that is especially good for gut health & digestion.

To make this a vegan option, use black beans instead of chicken...

Ingredients:

1 HUGE zucchini, like I had, or 2-3 large zucchini sliced lengthwise in half
1/2 c dry rice (white, brown, long grain, wild, whatever you have on hand)
~8 oz  cooked chicken breast (diced)
1 tomato (diced)
1/2 white onion (diced)
2 cloves garlic (minced)
1 tbsp olive oil
1/2 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp turmeric
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1 c water

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375.  Prep all veggies.  Prep zucchini by slicing lengthwise in half and scooping out seeds in the middle, making them into boats. Poke each with a fork a few times and place in a glass baking dish with a bit of water in the bottom.   Bake covered with tin foil for about 15 minutes.

Sautee onion and garlic in olive oil until fragrant.  Add tomato and stir for a few more minutes.  Now add dry rice, spices and 1 c water.  Bring to a boil and then return to low and cover.  Simmer for about 15 minutes or until water is absorbed and rice is just past al-dente.

Take your zucchini and stuff it with the chicken & rice mixture.  Bake for another 15 minutes, covered. Uncover for a couple more minutes to let the top of the rice crisp up.

Food Renegade

What are Greens???

Baby greens growing in the garden (6/20/11) MUSTARD GREENS (LEFT), RAINBOW CHARD (RIGHT) and BEET GREENS (BACK)

WHAT ARE GREENS??

I've realized that a lot of people are unaware of what a "dark leafy green" is. Friends will ask what I'm growing in the garden this year. I start listing "tomato, cucumber, eggplant, soybeans, colorful peppers"...but then when I get to "rainbow chard, mustard greens, kale, beet greens", they have this confused look. "What is rainbow chard? What does it taste like?" Even the cashier at the grocery store stopped me mid-order the other day to marvel at the GORGEOUS orange, red, pink and yellow stalks of the rainbow chard I was buying. "What IS that??", she asked, in awe of the beautiful colored stalks and perfect slightly crinkled hearty leaves. She wanted to know what it tastes like and how to prepare it.

I thought I'd write a little bit about greens and how they are SO healthy and beneficial for a lot of your body's key functions. Once I started incorporating them into my diet (at least 3-4x a week), I noticed that I even developed cravings for them. Greens are wonderful for bone health, digestion and supporting free-radical oxidative damage. And, eating them makes me feel positively vibrant!

What does the "dark leafy green" category consist of, you ask? Sorry, not broccoli, peas, green beans or leaf lettuce. Here's a pretty comprehensive list describing what you'll find lining the walls of the produce stores and farmers markets here in Michigan:

VARIETIES OF GREENS (at least, here in Michigan!):

• Swiss Chard - Mild, sweet green similar to spinach. Large leaves (about 8 inches long, 5 inches across) and a light green-white stalk. Baby greens are great in salads, large mature leaves can be steamed or sauteed.
• Rainbow Chard - Swiss Chard's more beautiful cousin. Gorgeous bunches of red, orange, yellow, pink stalks with a bright green leaf.
• Spinach - duh, Popeye's fave! Nice mild flavor, softer texture. Baby spinach leaves are nice raw in a salad or scrambled with eggs; the bigger more dense, crinkled leaves are best steamed/sauteed/incorporated into pasta dishes.
• Kale - comes in many different varieties: dinosaur, curly, flowering (a green and purple curly leaves that grow in a beautiful flower formation) etc. Kale is one of the heartier greens! I recommend either massaging it, and eating it raw in a salad or steaming or sauteeing. Sometimes I throw a handful of greens into my smoothie in the morning for added nutrition. 
• Beet Greens - the green tops of a growing beet root. The leaves are smaller and more delicate, but resemble that of rainbow chard. This is a tasty sweet green that has a bit of the beet flavor to it.
• Mustard Greens - a SPICY variety of green. This is a lighter-in-color green. The leaves have lots of texture to them and curl around the edges. It's one of the more potent greens. I like to saute mustard greens with a bit of Dijon or whole ground mustard, lemon, olive oil, salt. It also makes for a delicious addition to a salad for a bit of a kick.
• Collards - known for their use in soul food, collards have big, flat leaves. This is one of the more hearty greens. My favorite way to prepare is chopping and sauteing with bacon/bacon grease, red-wine vinegar, S&P. Delicious!!!
• Turnip Greens - like the beet greens, turnip greens are harvested off of growing turnips. Has a spicy, slightly bitter taste, and a more narrow, delicate leaf.
• Dandelion Greens - the most bitter of all of the greens, this is actually the green part of your dandelion weeds growing in the backyard. This makes it a very cheap green and easily accessible. My grandmother and grandfather told me stories of their parents, born in Greece, harvesting dandelions to eat on the side of the road for cheap nutrition.  They are best cooked in olive oil, lemon, garlic & onions (see a trend here?)  Fair warning, if you're new to greens, you may want to work your way up to this one!  

HEALTH BENEFITS OF GREENS:

...the benefits of incorporating greens on a regular basis are innumerable and I'll go as far as to say "critical". Greens provide fundamental nutrition that support everything in your body. I'm no Doctor, Nutritionist or Dietitian, but working with a certain Naturopathic Medical Doctor is where I get boundless information about nutrition for holistic health & wellness. I also do a lot of my own research on the web, by checking in with World's Healthiest Foods, and NutritionData. Greens are fantastic to help "move things along" in your digestive system. They're cleansing, fresh and to boot, a CHEAP super food.   Unlike $15/lb Acai berry, you can buy a huge bunch of greens from $1-3 bucks (depending on if you're at the farmer's market or Whole Foods organic section)! ;) Greens are high in:

• Iron - Many people claim that you need red meat in order to get enough iron, however 1.25c kale has the same amount of iron as 4 oz lean beef. Vegans, vegetarians...all plant-eaters rejoice!
• Calcium - supporting bones, preventing colon cancer, PMS, cataracts, high blood pressure and poly cystic ovarian syndrome to name a few. Greens have between 86mg (spinach) to 266mg (collards) per 1 cup serving. This is about the amount you'll find in an ounce of cheddar cheese!
• Vitamin A - preservation of eyesight, helps fight viral infections, supporting cell growth, preventing of vaginitis, acne, AIDS symptoms, osteoarthritis, psoriasis, varicose veins, inflammatory bowel syndrome. Greens have in the range of 6,519 IU (spinach) to a whopping 17,709 IU (kale) per serving of Vitamin A. If you want another source of Vitamin A, turn to carrot, sweet potato, squash or Calves Liver (mmmm).
• Vitamin K - critical to bone health, preventing oxidative damage, regulating the inflammatory system, supporting the brain and nervous system, preventing calcification of blood vessels and heart valves and preventing dreaded kidney stones. Greens contain anywhere from 420mcg (mustard greens) to 1,062mcg (kale). Greens, romaine lettuce and broccoli are pretty much your ONLY good source of Vitamin K.
• Magnesium - good for muscle and nerve relaxation, circulation, building bones, imbalanced blood sugar, elevated blood pressure, controlling diabetes, PMS, hypertension and asthma.

...among the MANY other nutrients are Folate, Vitamin C, Vitamin B, Potassium and Copper.

*Not only are greens rich in nutrients and super cheap...they're very LOW-CALORIE. Each serving (1 cup) has between 21 (Mustard Greens) and 49 (Collards) calories per serving. Great for dieting.*

GREENS FOR GUT HEALTH:

So, maybe you've heard a lot recently about friendly gut bacteria and how it plays a huge role in our digestion, mood, immune system and overall health. These friendly gut bacteria (pro-biotics) occupy our stomach by the billions and need PRE-biotics as food. The fibers in our foods provide fuel for these gut bacteria and guess what? It just so happens that greens are a fantastic source to feed your gut bacteria.

Not only do they help your stomach feed it's army of healthy gut bacteria, but the high folate content may aid in the prevention of cancer.

PREPARATION OF GREENS:

Where to start? At your local farmer's market, in your garden (SUPER easy to grow) or at your nicer grocery store. Pick one or three and get cookin'. A couple basic tips: certainly don't over-boil them; it reduces the fiber content and reduces the overall nutrient value. Also, make sure to serve with olive oil or even bacon fat...and an acid. This helps to extract the nutrients in the food and make them more easily absorbed into the body. Here are my favorite ways to use greens:

Steam - heat a pot or pan with enough water to cover the bottom of the pan. Salt the water and heat to medium. Throw in the greens and saute just long enough for the greens to wilt and turn a nice bright shade of green. This will vary depending on the type. For example, spinach only needs a few minutes, while kale, collards and mustard greens will need the longest, more like five minutes. Season with salt, pepper, an oil and an acid. Olive Oil and Lemon are my standbys.

Saute - heat a large pan to medium heat with some olive or vegetable oil (or that bacon fat if you're doing mustard or collard greens...mmmm). You can toss in a bit of garlic and/or onions and get those browning before throwing the greens in. Saute until leaves are wilted.

In Salads - beet greens, spinach, baby rainbow chard and baby mustard greens all make for delicious salads, or just incorporate with your regular romaine or mix. Pictured below with grapefruit: http://adventurouspalate.blogspot.com/2011/01/kale-grapefruit.html

In Soups - Just today for lunch, I made a chicken, orzo and kale soup. Delicious. Just add your finely chopped greens when the soup is about 10 minutes from being done. Great way to make your soup more flavorful, nutrient dense, colorful and hearty!

Snack Foods - I posted a recipe a while back for Kale Chips: http://adventurouspalate.blogspot.com/2011/04/baked-kale-chips.html Great way to get your greens in during a DVR session snack-attack on the couch!

In a Lasagna or Vegetable Bake or Pasta Sauce - Yup. Put it right in there between the layers of sauce, veggies and cheese. Or even chop it up fine & put it in your homemade pasta sauce! Your family might not even notice. ;) Here's a hearty and healthy pasta sauce with a ton of veggies that I came up with over the winter: http://adventurouspalate.blogspot.com/2011/01/veggie-lovers-pasta-sauce-and-lamb.html

Eat your greens every day. Your body will thank you. :)

My ALL-TIME FAVORITE:

Southern Greens: Collard Greens sauteed with bacon and onions. MMMM!
http://adventurouspalate.blogspot.com/2012/04/southern-style-greens-bacon.html














*NOTE: Bacon, hot dogs and most conventional lunch meat contains lots of sodium nitrites to preserve. When cooked at a high temp, they form nitrosamines which are carcinogenic. So let's be safe and find bacon at a local farm market or whole foods, where (MOST LIKELY) the meat is fresh, there are no added preservatives or hormones, and best of all, the pig was raised humanely.

Food Renegade!