Boiled Chicken and Chard Soup

You all know I love a healing chicken soup. It’s classic TCM food therapy. This soup is so easy and economical and I wanted to share how special the flavor is, too. The broth turns out a beautiful, rose-tinted color from the rainbow chard added at the end, and slow-cooking the whole chicken gives much mineral content to the broth as well - which is so important for our immune health right now. The chicken goes in whole, but you will be able to break it apart with tongs and remove it easily in parts after it’s done, avoiding the mess of cutting your chicken into parts while it’s raw, or even after it’s roasted. And it basically shreds itself it’s so tender. You can keep the bones of this chicken to then create another broth later on, and the gift keeps on giving. So minimalist, refined, and delicious. Here’s the recipe - it will make about 6+ servings depending on your appetite. This is also an ideal postpartum recipe to build blood with chicken meat, dark leafy greens and mineral rich broth, adding some red dates to the mix while cooking would even enhance this action.

Boiled Chicken & Chard Soup //

1 whole chicken, about 3.5 lbs + Salt

veggie scraps, garlic, ginger, peppercorns

a few large leaves of rainbow/red chard

Let the chicken rest and pat dry, then salt it inside and out. I salt very generously & use about 1/4 - 1/3 C of salt for this chicken, rubbing it in well and thoroughly.

Then gather any veggie scraps you have for the broth. I used some celery tops, chunks of yellow onion, a few ginger slices, a few fennel tops, some chard stems (white stems), some black peppercorns, a few smashed garlic cloves. Place these in a large pot, then add your chicken and cover the whole thing with water almost to the top. Bring to a boil, reduce to simmer and cover the pot (I leave a little crack for some steam to escape). Simmer this on low for about 2 hours (it will technically be done sooner than that, if you’re in a rush, so check it). If your chicken is sticking up out of the water a bit, you may want to get tongs and a wooden spoon and gently turn it over so that it cooks evenly top to bottom when you’re about half way through. Remove the chicken and let it cool for a few minutes in a pan, it will come out in very tender pieces with your tongs. Shred it up - it basically shreds itself. Strain the broth and return it to the pot, composting the veggies. Add back in shredded chicken and reheat, then roughly chop your chard and add it in, cooking just until the greens are tender. You can serve it with some dulse flakes, cilantro, lime and avocado if you want to get into toppings, but it doesn’t need it.

Reishi, Shiitake + Astragalus Chai

There are so many Chinese herbs that you can easily use in your home kitchen. Astragalus is an all-time favorite of mine for use in home cooking because of its relative mellow flavor and broad function to nourish qi & blood, while also being an adaptogenic herb with special skills in building immunity. If you feel like you get run down from life or stress and the first thing to come up is a cough, cold, or immune issue - this is a great herb for you! It comes in powdered, sliced, or cut and sifted forms. I mainly use the cut slices for cooking myself, since they’re so easy to add to teas and broths, which I highlight in this recipe.

Reishi + shiitake mushrooms are also powerful allies for our immune system, and very useful for building strength and resilience in our respiratory system. Reishi, the non-edible medicinal mushroom known as Ling Zhi, is considered a deep immune activator as well as adaptogen. Shiitake has been studied for its benefits in fighting cancer cells and has antimicrobial uses as well. The warming spices of cinnamon, ginger, and star anise keep our digestive qi moving and help the body retain heat during cooler months. Remember that good immunity always begins in the gut. This herbal “chai” tea blend utilizes these medicinal herbs and gives us a slightly earthly, slightly sweet, spiced herbal tea to drink throughout the season for winter immunity. A tea I love to make and store in jars in the refrigerator for easy access for a couple weeks at a time. Where to buy these specialty herbs if you’re not a licensed practitioner? Mountain Rose Herbs online is a great resource.

Reishi, Shiitake, Astragalus Chai Tea //

3 slices dried reishi mushroom

4 dried shiitake mushroom caps

3 long slices dried astragalus root (if you have the shorter slices, about 10-15g total)

3 Chinese red dates (da zao)

1 cinnamon stick

2 star anise

1 tsp dried ginger root

6 C filtered water

Bring all ingredients to a boil, reduce heat to simmer, cover, and cook for about 45 minutes. Strain and drink warm by the cup, sweetening with raw or manuka honey to taste. Store extra tea in glass jars in the fridge for up to 2 weeks and reheat as desired.

A Spring Cleanse

Spring is an optimal time for some gentle cleansing. In our lives, we naturally tend to clean, reorganize, lighten up our loads during the spring season and applying these actions to our internal health is also appropriate and encouraged. This is where dietary cleansing comes in. In the picture above are some of my favorite foods to use for Liver and Gall Bladder cleansing during the spring. Both the liver and gall bladder are the organs paired with Spring in the TCM Five Phase Theory, so focusing on this organ system makes sense now - especially as it is so connected to detoxification (cleaning and lightening) and the breaking down of heavier, fatty foods (hello, winter meals from last season). Over the colder months, we tend to eat heavier, hearty meals, and the liver / gall bladder can get a little bogged down from this, accumulating bile sediment or even gall stones over time (depending on the diet and person) as they try to break down these foods so frequently. Too much fat, chemicals, processed foods, intoxicants, and stress all disrupt the many nuanced biochemical processes of the liver and gall bladder. These Wood element organs of spring are often the most congested of all organs in the modern person, in fact! Radishes are one the best foods to aide the gall bladder in cleansing out these deposits and restoring optimal function to this system. Beets and beet greens are also useful, as is flax oil, flax seed, chamomile, cleavers, milk thistle, apples, pears, seaweeds, turmeric, and lemon/lime/grapefruit.

A Spring Cleanse (Adapted from Healing with Whole Foods) //

You can simply eat 1-2 radishes per day (in between meals) to gradually cleanse the gall bladder over the course of 3 weeks, or you can make a beet and radish slaw to eat daily for a few weeks if you want to get fancy. My recipe for liver/GB slaw is included here, which I hope you will try, as it makes this ritual pretty tasty. While doing this spring cleaning, lighten up the liver and gall bladder’s load by removing heavy meats, alcohol, dairy, eggs, and most nuts from your diet for a few weeks. These foods are highest in saturated fats and cholesterol which are hardest to break down for most of us (even though they carry lots of nutritional value - except alcohol, which is excluded to enable the liver to function without burden). Focus on vegetables of any kind (including those foods listed above), greens, unrefined grains, legumes, vegetarian soups, sprouts, fruits, some seeds, lean meats like fish or poultry. Drink plenty of water and 2-3 C of chamomile, cleavers, or milk thistle tea per day. These herbal teas support the liver and lymphatic system in detoxification, clear blockages and heat, and help your body get back into flow after being more stagnant over the winter. Finally, drizzle 3-5 tsp of flax oil on your food per day. This cleansing method is largely effective for gradually reducing bile sediment and cleansing the gall bladder of deposits and small stones. With a gradual cleanse like this, better movement and flow is restored, you will feel lighter, and your body will be primed for better energy and function throughout the year. A deficient or excess type person can try this cleanse as you are eating full meals each day vs. fasting. I personally love this gradual method of cleansing as it doesn’t act harshly on the body like the “gall bladder flush” you may have heard of. That purging method is best approved by your health practitioner, especially if you have never tried it before.

Beet & Radish Slaw with Preserved Lemon

1 large golden beet, sliced paper thin on a mandolin

3 large radishes, also cut on mandolin (preserve some radish greens for garnish)

1 Tbsp (or more) of finely chopped preserved lemon

1/2 large lemon, juiced (or whole small lemon)

Sea salt

3 Tbsp flax or olive oil

Prep the root veggies and add to mixing bowl. In a separate small bowl mix together dressing ingredients of lemon, lemon juice, salt, and oil. Adjust to your liking with additional salt or oil. Pour dressing over beet and radish mixture (you may have some left over and not need to use it all - save it, if so, for the next batch). Add a few pinches of finely chopped radish greens for garnish and stir to fully coat. Eat 1-2 spoonfuls of this mixture per day, in between meals, for a few weeks during your gradual spring cleanse. You can alternate this slaw with plain radishes for that purpose as well. Or make this anytime to give your liver and gall bladder some extra support.

Dark Cacao + Collagen Seed Bark

To me, there is no better sweet combo than simple fruit and chocolate. I am known to make chocolate covered fresh and/or dried fruits at any time of the year and it is often my favorite dessert for any special occasion. Sometimes I marvel at how our bodies can give us insight into how we naturally feel healthiest - this is one small example. This dessert is naturally gluten, dairy & refined sugar free - an ideal combo for me! I just feel good eating it, so much more than other types of sweets or cakes. Intuitive eating can be so helpful when trying to determine what makes our bodies tick. It’s also important to have indulgences that support us instead of hurt us. This is a big part of learning how to care for yourself!

I started making variations of this “bark” recently for my chocolate fix - a very thin layer of chocolate drizzled over a flat sheet of finely chopped fillings. I added collagen powder & cinnamon to the melted chocolate to level it up this week - you can add any superfood or herbal / adaptogenic powder to your chocolate mix after it has melted. Spirulina, ashwaganda, maca root powder, ground ginger, astragalus… plenty of options will work.

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I loved the mixture here - puffed quinoa (just gradually heat 1/4 C quinoa in a skillet with lid, like popcorn, until you hear it start popping up), chia seeds, sunflower seeds, toasted sliced almonds, finely chopped pecans, hemp hearts, dried goji berries. Lay it all flat on parchment paper so that it all touches each other but is not more than one layer thick. Then, pour on the chocolate. I also like to add a bit of Maldon sea salt flakes to the top before it sets in the fridge.

This will be our Valentine’s treat - with broken bark leftovers going into a tupperware to store in the fridge. It’s so simple and good, endlessly versatile. Hope you enjoy.

Dark Cacao + Collagen Seed Bark /

1/2 C coconut oil

1/4 C maple syrup, or a bit less even

1/2 C raw cacao powder

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

2 Tbsp collagen powder (or other level-up ingredients)

2 dashes ground cinnamon

Maldon finishing salt

Crushed and finely chopped “fillings” for the bark - chia seeds, flax seeds, hemp hearts, nuts of your preference, goji berries, sunflower seeds, puffed quinoa or puffed rice, dried orange peel, tart cherries or apricots - all finely chopped…

Heat the oil over medium-low heat until fully melted, add maple syrup and whisk together until combined. Take off the heat & add cacao + vanilla and whisk until totally smooth. Add your collagen + additional superfood / level-up powders & spices and whisk again. Arrange your seed mixture in a flat layer on parchment paper in a sheet pan. Lightly pour the chocolate sauce over the seed mixture very evenly in a thin layer. Use a fork to spread the mixture around evenly if needed. Sprinkle Maldon sea salt flakes on top evenly to your liking. Refrigerate. This must be kept cold during storage so as not to melt. Once it has set solid (2-4 hrs), break into pieces and store in a sealed container in the fridge or freezer for even longer duration. Serve with berries, mint, edible flowers…

If you think these photos are as beautiful & scrumptious as I do - head over to the WU HAUS blog and learn about these incredible recipes. I get so much inspiration from this blog and had to share it! She is the queen of smoothies (the multi-layered “ombre” smoothie in particular!) and makes healthy foods look better than anyone on the internet. I hope you get some new ideas for cooking and creating at home. ♡

Summer Corn with Umeboshi

Looking for a new way to jazz up all that corn on the cob your family is eating this summer? We love ours grilled and charred with olive oil and salt, Mexican-style with chili powder, cilantro, and lime, and also this way - with a smear of umeboshi paste and gomasio on top. It’s just as easy as anything to make, and chances are you have NO idea the benefits of eating this intensely pickled, funny sounding Japanese plum - it’s great to have an easy way of incorporating them into such an American staple. 

Food Facts: Umeboshi Plums (or plum paste)

Umeboshi salt plums are extremely sour and salty. They are commonly called “Japanese alka seltzer” because of their common use in treating digestive upset. They are highly alkalizing and can help with indigestion, diarrhea, liver issues, fatigue, the elimination of toxins and even worms! Because of their action on the liver, they have also gotten a popular reputation as a hangover cure. You can buy them whole or commonly as vinegars or pastes. One umeboshi plum a day = the apple of the East! 

Summer corn with Umeboshi

Fresh corn, kept on the cob

2 Tbsp umeboshi paste

1 splash Mirin rice wine

Gomasio (a sesame seed and sea salt mixture) or toasted sesame seeds

Cayenne pepper (optional)

Grill or steam corn to desired doneness. While your corn is cooking, mix umeboshi paste with a splash of mirin and stir/whisk together to thin the paste - you may need a splash of water as well to taste. Umeboshi paste is VERY strong, so thinning it out makes the flavor less punchy and adding the wine will balance a little sweetness into the paste. Spread a thin layer over each cob, top with gomasio sprinkles or sesame seeds and cayenne for kick. 

Pure Samoa "Girl Scout Cookies"

Who doesn’t love girl scout cookies? Come on, most of you are craving them every time you pass by their little stands outside of Walgreens or the grocery store - I know I do. Problem is, they are really bad for you! I will praise the day when the girl scouts stop using hydrogenated oils and so many processed ingredients in their treats. I mean, it’s about time, right! 

My all time favorite girl scout cookie is the Samoa:

Dark chocolate, coconut, caramel, shortbread cookie. I crave these things normally during girl scout season, BUT this year my sister sent me a “fake samoa” recipe that was full of healthy stuff, and I thought - I’m gonna break the cycle and try these instead! I think it worked. They have been in the freezer for a few days now, and I haven’t missed a real samoa at all. They are different, mind you - the texture is different and they need to be frozen, but the flavor is very close to the “real thing”, even though the “real thing” is more full of “fake” ingredients than these are. Get me? See what you think. 

Almost Raw Samoa Cookie Bars:

(modified from Cooking a la Mel)

For the “shortbread base”:

• 2 cups walnuts, or walnut and pecan mix
• 1 cup unsweetened coconut
• ¼ cup raw honey
• 1 t vanilla extract
• ¼ t sea salt

For the coconut “caramel” layer:

• 1 ½ cups dates, soaked for about 10 minutes in hot water
• ½ cup coconut milk
• 1 t vanilla
• 1/8 t salt
• 1C unsweetened, shredded coconut

For the chocolate topping:

• 1 C dark chocolate chips

For the shortbread base:

In a food processor, pulse the walnuts and coconut together until in fine crumbs. Add in the honey, vanilla, and sea salt, and process until a moist dough forms.

Press the dough into a parchment lined 9×9 inch baking pan.

For the coconut “caramel” layer:

Toast the shredded coconut at 350ºF for about 5-8 minutes, until golden (be careful not to burn it). Allow it to cool while you make the “caramel.”

After soaking the dates, drain the water, and pulse in a food processor until a paste forms. Add the coconut milk, vanilla, and salt, and process until smooth. Add the shredded coconut, and pulse until just combined.

Scoop the coconut “caramel” mixture out, and spread it evenly across the top of the “shortbread” base.

Transfer to the freezer for about 15 minutes, until set.

For the chocolate topping:

Place the chocolate chips in a microwaveable bowl, and microwave at 30-second intervals, stirring in between, until fully melted.

Remove the bars from the freezer. Transfer the melted chocolate to a ziplock bag using a rubber spatula. Snip off the corner of the bag, and drizzle the chocolate over the bars.

Place back in the freezer for about 10 minutes, until the chocolate has hardened, then take out the whole sheet of cookie with parchment paper (it will be hardened and set firmly), cut it into squares large or small. Place them in an airtight container & store in the freezer. 

They get melty the longer they are outside of the freezer, so enjoy cold and eat often.  

Celebrate Health this Thanksgiving

Want to create a vibrant, healthy, gorgeous Thanksgiving meal? There is so much more creativity beyond the turkey and dressing. I love a colorful, visually stimulating plate and that’s one of the reasons why I LOVE Thanksgiving so much – there is such beauty in the food you are about to eat. My mom and I are especially motivated to create the perfect plate on Thanksgiving day. When a better time to celebrate food, wholeness, and the abundance of nature’s gifts to us all? Inspire this love of colorful, vibrant, nutrient-rich food in your family this year by cooking some bold, healthy side dishes to accompany your bird. Click on the images below for recipes. ♥

Sweet Potato and Cauliflower Gratin with Sage:

Raw Kale Salad with Lemon (gotta have your greens):

Raw Cranberry-Orange-Ginger Relish (a personal MUST!):

Roasted Carrots with Cumin:

Golden Crusted Brussels Sprouts (my husband’s fave):

Roasted Acorn Squash with Chili-Lime Vinaigrette (it’s DELISH):

Happy Cooking and Happy Eating! xo