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

Anti-Inflammatory SUPER SHOT!

So, my shoulder has been a terrible wreck for the past 6 weeks. Pretty sure I injured my rotator cuff by "flipping my dog" wildly in yoga. So, upon Dr. Matt's recommendation, I have ceased all yoga (trust me...it's been a LONG month) and any weight training. I have been incorporating fresh turmeric & ginger in my cooking, juicing 1x a day, eating lots of fresh veggies (per usual) and overall taking it easy.

But 6 weeks...and no improvement. :/ Time to go see Dr. Rich, DC. He's very holistic-minded, which of course, I like. He did a vision test and some physical tests. I am stressed, he says. He might be right. His RX? Well, I'm sporting purple kinesio-tape on my shoulder, doing left-brain exercises on the computer, and spinning slowly (clockwise) in my chair 3x per day. I have to work on another form of stress relief besides yoga, he says. I have also agreed to keep up on the couch potato-ing, high dose of EPA/EHA and potent anti-inflammatories. I decided to get SERIOUS about turmeric today, which is the whole POINT of this post. :)

Went to Whole Foods, which is right next to Dr. Matt & Rich's office and bought a big bag of turmeric root, and a big bag of ginger, and a couple of habanero peppers. I juiced THE most powerful concoction I've tasted today, to help heal my inflamed shoulder: approx 1 lb ginger, 1 lb turmeric root and 1/2 HOT habanero. I got about a cup of beautiful bright yellow liquid, with a bit of screaming from my Breville juicer. Had to scraped the mesh screen a few times to move all of the thick pulp out of the way.

I took a shot of it plain earlier, but as Dr. Matt & I were thinking about it, realized that the anti-inflammatory powers of the turmeric are fat-soluble, so it is best taken with a fat. Thinking of traditional curries (which traditionally incorporate spicy, ginger & turmeric anyway), I decided to use coconut oil, and created this second "shot" for before bed. Went down a lot smoother, but....OH MY. This stuff. Is. Strong!

Here's the finished potion: 1.5T turmeric/ginger/habanero juice + 1.5 tbsp warm (liquid) coconut oil. Mix and drink quickly (the coconut oil will turn back solid if the refrigerated juice is too cool).
TURMERIC is part of the same family as ginger. It's the small, orange root sitting on top of the ginger in my photo. It's beautiful, and be careful, because it stains everything (even stainless steel knives). That's how you know it's working, I guess. ;) Turmeric supports everything from joint pain to Alzheimer's to detox of liver to a possible prevention for cancer. Warning: it's said to NOT take this during pregnancy. You can read more about it's healing effects on Natural News. Also, here is some more info on World's Healthiest Foods.

GINGER is delicious, also a potent anti-inflammatory, known for soothing the stomach, and boosting the immune system. I love the taste and use it in juices and stir-frys, as well as in asian/indian dishes. Here is some more info on Ginger.

HABANERO PEPPERS are small and usually bright orange or red. I generally use only 1/2 of one in any given recipe, as they are WILDLY hot. They have a high capsaicin content helps lower blood pressure and cholesterol, and is also a potent anti-inflammatory. (hence it's included in my shot!) LiveStrong talks about the benefits of the habanero pepper here.

COCONUT OIL is a super versatile oil rich in monolauric acid and therefore has wonderful anti-bacterial and anti-fungal properties. It helps control weight and supports thyroid and heart health. It's usually in solid form (here in MI), but when it gets warmer (76+ degrees), turns to a liquid. I cook (anything/everything) with it these days: cooking eggs, in pie crusts, in curries, stir frys, use it for oil-pulling, as a body lotion on face & body. I even make home made sugar or sea salt scrubs with coconut oil. I love the taste of it, and it's a good-for-you fat with MCFA's (medium chain fatty acids). Here's Dr. Mercola chatting about the benefits of coconut oil.

I plan on taking on 3x a day until I feel better.
TRY it yourself and let me know how you like it!

Cauliflower & Cashew Biryani (Vegan)

Craving Indian today like nobody's business, after a friend had mentioned her delicious Indian take out in Royal Oak. I found a few recipes which gave me a starting point for this cauliflower biryani dish. I added tofu to the traditional rice pilaf for additional substance & protein, but go ahead and leave it out if you don't eat soy. Chicken would make a nice substitution as well!

This hit the spot! Nice mixture of sweet, spicy, hearty, and tart. It's got a nice, delicate spice profile, and has a gorgeous yellow color from the turmeric. Don't be intimidated by the long ingredient list. Anything that you don't have around, just omit.

Cauliflower & Cashew Biryani (Serves 8)

Ingredients:

1 medium head cauliflower, cored and split into small florets
2 medium carrots, halved and chunked

1 large tomato (diced)
1 inch ginger (finely diced)
1 jalapeno (finely diced)
1/2 red onion (finely diced)

Coconut oil for coating florets, plus 1-1/2 tablespoons

Salt

1 tsp ground cumin

1 tsp turmeric
1/2 tsp each - chili powder, coriander, cardamom powder, garam masala, cinnamon
1 bay leaf

1 cup brown or basmati rice

1/2 cup coarsely chopped unroasted, unsalted cashews

1/3 cup seedless dark raisins

1/3 cup dried apricots, diced (I used dates and apricots)

1/3-1/2 cup coarsely chopped cilantro

Juice of 1 lemon

Instructions:

Put oven rack on upper level and preheat over to 450 degrees.

In large bowl, toss cauliflower and carrots with coconut oil. Season with salt. Dust florets with cumin and turmeric, chili powder, cardamom powder, garam masala, coriander powder and cinnamon. Spread on rimmed baking sheet and roast for 20-25 minutes, turning florets once or twice to prevent burning. Let cool.

In a medium sauce pan, sautee the tomato, red onion, ginger and jalapeno with salt until soft, about 10 minutes. Add the rice, another cup of water and bay leaf. Simmer rice until done (15-20 min). Pull bayleaf out.

Cut tofu into cubes, dust with cumin and turmeric and fry in a large sautee pan until golden brown. Let cool.

In a large bowl combine everything: the tofu, cauliflower/carrots, rice, cashews, raisins, apricots and cilantro. Add the lemon juice and the remaining 1-1/2 tablespoons of coconut or olive oil (optional). Salt & pepper to taste. Serve at room temperature.