Category: Recipes

If you like dark chocolate, you will love these cupcakes. The secret is in the zucchini. It adds moisture and a “vegetable”. Yields about 18-24 cupcakes. Make them various sizes to give people some choices. Some may want more, some may want less. During Covid serving cake in the form of cupcakes is a great idea. It is much more sanitary and easier to handle.

Ingredients

• 1 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 tbsp cornstarch
• 1/2 cup cocoa powder
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/4 cup soy or oat milk
• 1/3 cup and 1 tbsp organic canola oil
• 3/4 cup of organic cane or coconut sugar (can use 1/2 cup if you prefer a semi-sweet bitter chocolate taste, my preference)
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1 tsp apple cider vinegar
• 1/2 cup apple sauce
• 3 medium zucchinis, finely shredded. With water squeezed out should be about 1 heaping cup
• 1 cup vegan dark chocolate chip

Preheat Oven 350 degree F. Line cupcake tray with (unbleached) paper cupcake liners.

Prepare the zucchini by finely shredding and putting a handful of it in a cheesecloth or tea towel and wring out as much fluid as you can. Set aside.

In a large mixing bowl, whisk together flour, cornstarch, cocoa powder, baking power, baking soda, salt.

In another bowl, mix together milk, oil, sugar, vanilla, apple cider vinegar, apple sauce.

Gradually mix liquid mixture into the into the flour mixture. Mix well.

Then fold in the zucchini and chocolate chips.

Spoon into cupcake tray.

Bake 20-25 minutes. Ready when the tops start to crack open.

Preparing Zucchini

Cupcakes baked, cooled and ready to eat.

An easy family favorite.

If you like the texture of Japanese squash that just melts in your mouth, you will like this recipe. Serves 4-6.

Ingredients –

1 cup dried chick peas (or use 2 x 15. 5 oz cans. The dried tastes much better)

1 onion, chopped

2 tbsp cooking oil (avocado or coconut)

3-4 cloves of garlic

1 can tomato paste – 6oz

1 can chopped tomatoes, drained – 14.5 oz (or 2 fresh tomatoes, chopped)

1 Butternut squash, peeled and cubed; or Delicata Squash, sliced (no need to peel Delicata). Can use Pre cubed or frozen squash (Trader Joe’s or Costco). Approximately 2 cups.

1 tsp each Paprika, Cumin, Coriander

1/ 2 tsp Turmeric

1/8 tsp Cayenne Pepper

Salt and Pepper to taste

1.5 cups Veggie broth (can use 2 Veggie Bouillons and 1.5 cups water)

4 dates, chopped

Rinse chick peas. Place in Instant Pot and cover with enough water to be at least 1 inch of water above the top of chick peas. Cook Instant Pot High pressure x 40 mins.

Then drain the chick peas and set aside.

Saute the onions (use Instant Pot if you have that function) with oil. When onions are caramelized, turn Instant Pot off. Add rest of ingredients. Mix well.

Set Instant Pot to high pressure x 10 mins. Let it rest for 5 mins.

Serve over brown rice or sour dough bread on side.

If you haven’t watched it already, Queer Eye is a Netflix series where 4 guys and a person AKA the Fab Five go around solving people’s life problems. In each episode, they coach someone who is stuck in their life, move on and thrive. Each of the Fab Five specializes in different life topics that the writers of the show believe you need to optimize in order discover your bliss.

What are the life topics? You need to have a beautiful cut hair and updated flattering clothes, which help to increase your self confidence. A home makeover, designed to reflect your personality and lifestyle. How eat better and to cook something delicious. Lastly and the most important aspect, to find clarity in your mental health. They bring joy and laughter through kindness and affirmations by basically being their fun and loving selves.

It is a dream makeover. Oozing with empathy and compassion, while cheering everyone on.

They presented this easy and delicious plant based recipe that I actually made.

It is from the episode “The Anxious Activist”.

WARNING. This recipe is very high in sodium. If you have a medical condition that requires you to limit your daily salt intake, this recipe is NOT for you. Although you could skip the step where the eggplant is sprinkled with salt. But it will taste different and have a different texture. I have not tried it this way.

Ingredients:

Brown Rice, Vegetable broth, Lentils, Eggplant, Salt, Onions, Garlic, Bay leaf, cooking oil like Avocado or Almond

1 1/2 cups of dry brown rice to be cooked in vegetable broth (buy rice grown in California, organic preferred. Rice from other parts of USA have been found to be higher in arsenic. If concerned, soak brown rice over night in water. Throw out that water and rinse rice well. Might help remove some of the arsenic).

1 cup dried brown lentils, rinsed. Put four cups of water into a pot. Add lentils and bay leaf. Bring to a boil. Then reduce to a very low simmer, cover and set your timer for 20-25 minutes. Drain.

1 medium to large eggplant, sliced thinly (like 1/16-1/8 inch). Sprinkle both sides of eggplant slices with salt and let weep for 30 mins, then rinse and dry to remove salt. Note, I just swipe off salt and water with a paper towel. This gives the eggplant a real salt punch, which I like but it does add a lot of salt to the dish. How much salt you can consume is between you and your doctor. Heat some oil in frying pan and fry eggplant until brown. Cut eggplant into 1/2 inch pieces.

2 sweet onions– cut in half and slice thinly

Garlic minced, as much or as little as you like

Pan fry onions, garlic with oil until very brown.

Mixed the above cooked ingredients together. Serve hot with a side salad.

Please leave any comments or questions. Look forward to them.

Side Note about Arsenic in grains:

https://www.consumerreports.org/cro/magazine/2015/01/how-much-arsenic-is-in-your-rice/index.htm

https://www.netflix.com/watch/81149795?trackId=200257859 at 27 minutes

It is a preventive so you do this before you get sick

1. Raw Garlic (as Toum*)
2. Ginger (tea). Also ginger pieces boiled with scallions as a tea*
3. Chrysanthemum tea
4. Pineapple ( I can only handle a piece a day. Too much Bromelain can cause canker sores)
5. Shiitake and Maitake mushrooms cooked (These are the easiest to find. Check out the 99 Ranch Market)*
6. Manuka honey ( do not heat it or put in hot tea- heat destroys benefits. Can have on toast, in warm tea or straight from the spoon)
7. No Dairy
8. No sugar or refined carbs
9. Make sure your Vitamin D intake is sufficient
10. Probiotic rich foods https://elainechumd.wordpress.com/?s=probiotic&orderby=relevance&order=DESC
11. Bone Broth
12. Get a good night sleep. Be asleep between 11pm to 3pm at least. Seven to 8 hours per night is recommended.
13. Avoid stress as stress can weaken your immune system. Practice mindfulness.
14. Home made hand sanitizer with tea tree oil or other essential oils to keep viruses at bay https://elainechumd.wordpress.com/2017/05/11/toxic-shopping-cart-cleaner-alternatives/

Other helpful ideas are: humidify the air. Indoor heated air can be super dry. To increase the humidity without a humidifier – try hanging a damp towel over a chair and place near the heat vent or radiator, Vicks steam vaporizer ( It is very powerful. Might see streaks of water on your walls. If not careful could increase risk of mold), boil some water but need to watch it so you don’t burn you place down by causing a fire, Diffuser, facial steamers, steam from a hot cup of tea. The humidity helps ensure more intact mucous membranes in your nose and some viruses seem to thrive in dry air.

Acupuncture can boost your immunity.

I am not going to recommend any supplements here because if taken incorrectly, can potentially affect autoimmune disorders, trigger malignancies, allergies. Plus the quality of supplements in the USA is not reliable. Best one can do is to find a product that is GMP certified or 3rd party tested from a certified lab. Always check with your doctor if you have any personal concerns.

*Details

*1. Toum = 3 heads of garlic (it has to be fresh, smashing with a knife is the fastest way to peel them). Put peeled garlic cloves in food processor or blender with 1 tsp salt. Add juice of 1 lemon (1 tsp of juice at a time alternating with 1/2 cup of Canola oil or avocado oil. Do not use olive oil). I usually use a total of 1 1/2 cups of oil. Blend until looks like mayonnaise. After you eat this, your breath will be so bad that no one can come within 6 feet of you. LOL.

*2. Ginger and scallion tea- slice about 1 tbsp of fresh organic ginger and scallions (AKA green onions). Add to boiling water. Steep 10 mins. You can freeze them down so they keep longer.

*5. Mushrooms – I slice up the mushrooms and toss in olive oil salt and pepper and then put in air fryer at 375-400 deg for 5-10mins…watch it does not burn. Cooks up fast.

Have 1 piece of pineapple- its up to you how much you can tolerate- too much gives me canker sores

Please let me know what works for you in the comments.

What are your home remedies?

This blog is in no way meant to give any medical advice, diagnosis or treat. 

Everyone’s situation is different.

These super fast home-baked organic cinnamon rolls are from Costco. When you and your friends/family are together for the holidays, this is one of the comfort foods. On top of being organic, they are also vegan/plant-based.

Prior to baking it in my toaster oven, I did not space the rolls out like it recommended on the label. Makes for a prettier presentation with the rolls touching side by side. In the box, there are 3 individual containers containing 5 rolls per container. Fifteen cinnamon rolls did not last long at our house. Label does say potential milk contamination. So many labels say this for (maybe) liability reasons. But if you have a serious allergy or intolerance, better not risk it as cross contamination is a real thing.

For the purist, this is a cheat. But a good cheat nonetheless. Not the healthiest but not the worst. Who has time to make this from scratch? Your time is better spend relaxing and enjoying your family and friends.

I love Costco and the affordable organic options they have. My biggest concern with Costco is the packaging overkill. The double packaging leads to excess garbage. I sent Costco an email about my concerns. If you agree with me, please take the time to send them an email too. Hope they take heed especially if many of us write in.

This is a great smoothie. Easy to make. Healthy ingredients. Sugar free. Tasty. I make it the night before, leave in fridge overnight and grab it on my way out the door in the morning. It will be my lunch. All of the ingredients are from either Costco or Amazon.

The amount of each ingredient is variable. How much you put in will be dependent on your current diet, supplements and health status. Remember to treat food as medicine. The right balance both in ingredients and amounts (calories) is important. You want to get the correct nutrients by eating foods that will prevent disease and the right amounts to prevent obesity. You don’t overdose on your medicines, so you don’t overdose on your food.

With all of these ingredients, you can check the packaging for serving sizes and nutrients.

Here is how I make mine. I start with a pinch of mushroom powder and Dulse seaweed. Then a teaspoon of beet powder. Then scoop of protein powder.

Add one frozen fruit smoothie pack, few spoons non dairy yogurt, some green drink and fill up the rest of my smoothie container with a non dairy milk (I have been avoiding the organic almond milk from Costco because it lacks calcium and protein). Shake and refrigerate.

You will need a thermo container that comes with a shaker ball. This is a must because the protein powder clumps and the shaker ball breaks it up.

Other options to add instead of fruit or green drink.

To wash my smoothie container, I put in some hot water and dish soap then shake it around. If the water is very hot be very careful when opening the top. It can be under pressure and spray all over. Need to open it gently as possible as far away from anyone and yourself as you can. Release the pressure first before you continue to open.

*Raw mushrooms or powders may contain a naturally-occurring toxin called agaritine. it can be deactivated by cooking, boil for 5minutes, heating in microwave 30 seconds or freezing. I store my powder mushrooms in freezer. Reference: How Not to Die by Michael Greger Part 2, Dec 2015.
Let me know if you have any questions or comments.

Final note: This blog is in no way meant to give any medical advice, diagnosis or treat.

Thaw out berries in a covered glass container in fridge. Keeps for a few days.

Make a cup green tea with hot water. Steep for 3-4 minutes.

Put Oatmeal in a bowl. Add the hot green tea. The amount of tea you use will be determined by how thick you like your oatmeal.

Top with Berries.

Optional : Raw honey, Non Dairy Yogurt. You can use flavored oatmeal like cinnamon or apple, flax, etc

Add your tea bag to hot water. Wait 30 seconds. Pour that water out and add fresh hot water to bag. Steep for another 3 and half minutes.

When tea is steeped for more than 4 minutes total, the oxalates start to leach out. Oxalates are associated with renal stones.

Now I don’t have any proof of any of this. I learned this at a nutritional seminar years ago.

If anyone has the ability to test for caffeine or oxalates, let me know if the above formulas hold true.

Topped with Kim Chi and Asian Pickled Greens, Sweet Potatoes, Spinach

This recipe is for the Baked Tofu. The bowl is filled with Brown Rice, then topped with Seasoned Tommy’s Sweet Potatoes from Costco, Spinach, Pickled Veggies, Baked Tofu recipe is below. To keep it low carb, you can skip the rice and use a bed of your favorite lettuce.

Set Oven for 400 degrees.

One package of Organic Extra Firm Tofu (14oz). Do not buy the super extra firm because it is so hard, it does not absorb the marinate, hence lacks flavor.

Drain fluid off Tofu. While still in box, cut Tofu into 1/2 x 2 inch pieces.

Place into a medium glass dish and pour in enough marinate to cover the tofu pieces. Examples of marinates are Teriyaki, Curry or Gyoza dipping sauce. Cover. Marinate at least 2 hours to over night in refrigerator.

Grease a baking sheet with coconut oil. Spread out the Tofu pieces evenly onto sheet.

Bake at @ 400 degrees 15mins x 2 -> At 15min mark, flip tofu over and continue to bake for another 15mins. Although I don’t bother with flipping. It seems to turn out ok. You could use a metal rack to have the underside bake. I prefer to use Pure Convection setting on my oven. You get crispier results. For my oven, if I am using convection, I lower the temp by 25 degrees and reduce time by 10%. You need to know your oven…bon appétit.

Let me know how yours turn out in the comments.

Ingredients:

One head of cauliflower cut into floret pieces, or buy ready cut

olive oil spray

salt and pepper

1/2 cup Trader Joe’s Vegan Spread and dressing

1 tsp minced garlic

Sriracha Sauce optional

Prep:

Spray a baking sheet pan with olive oil. Put the florets in pan, spreading them out. Spray the Florets with olive oil.

Sprinkle with salt and pepper.

Bake at 425 deg x 25-30 mins. Until tips are golden brown. I use pure convention, adjusting the time and temperature accord to your oven.

Meanwhile to make the dipping sauce, mix the remaining ingredients in a bowl.

Serve while still warm. Use as appetizer or side dish.

Makes 6 servings

Ingredients:

5 tbsp raw honey,

1/4 tsp salt.

One squeeze of lemon,

1/2 cup Cacao powder

14 oz soft Tofu- put into a food processor or blender 

Coconut oil 2 tsp

Coconut milk  3-6 tbsp

Vanilla 1 -2 tsp

18 Raspberries and Fresh Mint leaves to decorate

Prep:

Blend all the ingredients (except Raspberries and Mint) until smooth, divide up to fill  6 ramekins. Cool in refrigerator at least 30 mins or cover tightly store overnight.

Top w fresh berries and garnish w fresh mint before serving.

Side dish for 6

Ingredients:

1 small or 1/2 large onion, chopped

1-2 tsp garlic, chopped

1 tsp ginger, grated

2 tbsp Avocado oil

1 – 16 oz bag of frozen organic spinach

1/2 cup Vegetable broth or 1 tsp Vegan Bouillon

Squeeze of lemon or sprinkle of apple cider vinegar

Salt and Pepper

Prep:

Heat oil in a wok. Add onions, garlic, ginger, sauté over medium heat, until onions look clear.

Add bag of spinach, broth, continue to stir until liquid evaporates. Add rest of ingredients

You have option to add 1/2 cup mushrooms in with the onions

Serve on top of brown rice, noodles or pasta along side a protein like grilled Tofu or Vegan Chili.

This is easier to make than a Turkey….

Ingredients:

• 2 Medium Acorn Squash
• 1/2 cup Orange Juice
• 1 good sized onion, chopped
• 1/2 cup Wild Rice
• 2 tbsp Avocado oil or coconut oil
• 2 cups Vegetable Broth
• Spices- 1/2-1 tsp Curry powder; 1/2-1 tsp Cinnamon; 1 tsp Cayenne pepper, salt and pepper to taste
• 1/2 – 1 cup Dried Cranberries or Cherries
• 1 cup fresh Parsley, then chop (save 4 pieces for garnished)
• 1-2 tbsp fresh Sage, chopped
• 1/4 cup Walnuts

Heat 1 tbsp oil in a pan, add wild rice. Stir until rice is well coated and slightly toasted. Heat 2 cups of Vegetable Broth in microwave for about 2 minutes. Put broth and wild rice into Rice Cooker. Cook as per your Rice Cooker. Rice grains will split open when done.

Microwave Acorn Squash one at a time for 1 minute (this will make it easier to cut in half). Let it cool and cut each squash into 2 equal halves. Remover the seeds. Place 2 halves face down in a microwavable dish, with about 1/4 inch of Orange Juice in dish. Microwave until soft – about 8-10 minutes. Repeat with the other Squash. When cool enough to handle, scoop out the center of squash, leaving 1/4 inch rim of squash on rind. Set aside.

Add rest of oil to pan, medium heat and then add onions. Stir until onions are browning. Stir in the rest of the ingredients ( except walnuts) including scooped out Squash pieces and cooked rice.

Scoop this mixture back into the Squash Halves. Sprinkle with walnuts and garnish with parsley. Serves 4.

For sides you can serve Miso Soup, Mash Potatoes with Kim Chi, Stir fried Spinach or kale with garlic and onions.

Let me know if you have any questions or comments. I want to hear…

This meal’s prep time is not 10 mins but around 25 mins with some pre-planning.

Pre planning –> Make ahead:

Miso dressing (See Sept 2017 blog for recipe or way down at bottom of this recipe) and set up rice cooker with brown rice. Turn on rice cooker few hours before guests arrive. Serving a whole meal in a bowl is simple and it was a hit with guests.

The base is organic Brown Rice or whatever grain you prefer. You can buy precooked rice in frozen food aisle. I like to use my Rice cooker because once it is set up, I don’t have to think about it until I am ready to serve the rice. For added flavor, I prefer using vegetable broth instead of water to cook up brown rice.

Best to soak rice over night to remove most of the Arsenic and then make sure you rinse the rice out well. (1)(2)

Set your oven for 400 deg.  Toss precut Butternut Squash with olive oil, salt and pepper.  Best if all the Squash cubes are about same size so cubes can bake consistently, preventing small ones from burning and bigger ones from undercooking. Bake 20-30 mins, until soft.

Meanwhile: Toss ready to serve pre washed Baby greens with Miso dressing.

Heat/prepare your protein. You can use, for example, Smart Tenders (see below) or some chickpeas or tofu cubes.

I added some sliced pre cooked beets and Kim Chi for sides.

Best to serve Bowl Meals in some 6-8 inch diameter bowls. Asian markets are the best place to find these.

Putting it together –> First layer in some brown rice, then the Miso greens then squash, beets and Kim Chi (can use Sauerkraut too) on top.

Bon Appetite 🙂

 Miso Lime Dressing with Honey 

1 1/2 tablespoons miso paste*
2 tablespoons rice vinegar*
1 1/4 tablespoons raw honey*
1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger root
1 tablespoon sesame oil
1 1/2 teaspoons lime juice
1 teaspoon toasted sesame seeds (optional)
Add toasted almonds (optional)

Mix the above ingredients. Serve in a mixed green salad

*these ingredients are rich in probiotics

(1)Breyer, M. (2017, Feb 17). How to Cook Rice to Remove the Most Arsenic. Retrieved from https://www.treehugger.com/green-food/how-cook-rice-remove-most-arsenic.html

(2)Consumer Reports (2014, Nov 18). How much Arsenic is in your Rice? https://www.consumerreports.org/cro/magazine/2015/01/how-much-arsenic-is-in-your-rice/index.htm

This dinner takes about 10 mins to make.

Needs to get these ingredients together from Trader Joe’s and some basics from Costco.

Prepare Carrots as per package but bake convection oven at 400deg for about 8 mins to brown carrots. Then Microwave covered for about 2 minute to soften (depends on wattage of your microwave). Salt and Pepper optional.

Then for stir fry –

Add to frying pan, olive oil, garlic, ginger, stir a little and add veggies, and sliced sausage. Keep on medium – low heat, stirring as needed to prevent from burning.

Meanwhile in microwave heat up rice and use Coconut Aminos to season to taste.

You can make this in 10 mins- I was at Costco and bought these 3 things-

Potato and Spinach Pierogies, Korean Gondre Herb Rice and precooked Beets

I pan fried the Pierogies with avocado oil over medium heat, covered, 4 minutes on each side with a splash of water in the last minute to steam and soften a bit.

The Rice was heated in microwave. Beets sliced and served cold.  It was deliciously simple!

You might think this is cheating because I did not make everything from scratch. But it is still higher quality food than fast food, and you know the ingredients. This meal not as expensive as restaurant food, saves time because a trip to restaurant takes more time than you think, and finally you can certainly have food delivered but there is an energy carbon foot print cost to that if it is a gasoline powered car (plus some electric car depending on how the electricity is generated). The amount of foods that I bought is enough for several meals too.

Makes about 4-6 burgers.

Ingredients 

1 can of green jackfruit, drained and rinsed

1 L of vegetable broth

1/3 Cup Chickpea/Garbanzo Flour (Sprouts or Indian grocery store)

1/3  Cup chopped red onions

1 tsp of grated Ginger

2 tsp minced Garlic

1/4 Cup Cilantro, chopped

1 tsp of Curry powder

1 tsp paprika

1 tsp Sriracha Sauce (optional)

1/2 tsp salt

Ground Black Pepper to taste

1 tbsp. of healthy cooking oil

1 tsp psyllium powder mixed into 2 Tbsp water (binds burger together)

Coconut oil spray for pan / grill and olive oil spray for buns

Burger buns (I used TJ Whole Wheat Slims – photo below)

Condiments of your choice – see below for suggestions

Instructions

1. Boil the green jackfruit in enough veggie broth till fork tender. Drain the water and transfer to a food processor along with the chickpea/garbanzo flour, chopped onions, grated ginger, garlic, cilantro, curry powder, paprika, Sriracha, salt, black pepper , oil, and psyllium mixture.

Give food processor a few pulses till everything comes together. Don’t over blend or the texture will be like a smoothie! Keep it the texture of ground meat. See below for a picture.

2. Take the patty mix out and place in a bowl. Add little more chickpea flour if the mix feels too sticky. Shape into patties (about ⅓ cup each) and chill for about 30 minutes in the fridge.

3. Heat pan sprayed with coconut oil.  Fry the patties for about 2 to 3 minutes on each side until desired brown.

4. Spray the undersides of the hamburger buns with olive oil spray. Toast on same skillet (if you have room do it at the same time)

5. Serve with buns and condiments – ketchup, pickle, tomato, lettuce.

Condiments Baby lettuce, mustard, ketchup, sauerkraut.

Happy 4th everyone!

This recipe is only going to work easily if you have a Trader Joe’s near by. You could make everything from scratch but that would take much more than the 5 minutes it takes to make this meal.

Mix about 1/2 cup of canned coconut milk (note this is not the coconut milk substitute for drinking but the cooking coconut milk that comes in a can) to the 20 ounces of Lentil Soup (this soup also comes in a tetra box). The amount of coconut milk depends on your personal taste. You can start with 1/4 cup, taste it and then add more if you want.

Add 1/4-1/2 tsp of turmeric (optional). Mix well. Put into a glass or ceramic bowl. Microwave until desired temp.

Mango slaw just toss together. TJ Beets are ready to eat. I served it cold, but could be warmed too.

Dessert: Watermelon.

.

Bon Appetite!

My motto for cooking: healthy, simple, fast, plus delicious.

Menu

1. Black-Eyed Peas with Collard Greens
2. Spanish Rice
3. Avocado (right now in California, Avocados are everywhere)
4. Dark Chocolate Tequila Strawberries (Fondue optional)

The trick is to have a dish that looks like this. Any food served in this heart shaped dish will be “Valentine’s” appropriate.

Main Dish: Black-Eyed Peas with Collard Greens

1. Large bunch of collard greens, washed, tear leaves up into small 2-3 pieces. Do not include any of the stems
2. Vegetable stock plus water, enough to boil greens
3. Red Onion, chopped
4. 2 garlic gloves, chopped
5. 1 teaspoon paprika
6. 1/2 tsp turmeric
7. Trader Joe’s Everyday Seasoning or Kirkland Organic No-salt Seasoning to taste
8. 1 tbsp White Miso paste
9. 1 14.5 oz can organic diced tomatoes, drained and rinsed
10. 1 15.5 oz can organic black-eyed peas, drained and rinsed
11. Ground black pepper to taste (adds to healing effects of turmeric)

Boil water and stock. Add collard greens and simmer for about 20mins until greens are soft. Drain, reserving 1/2 cup of cooking water.

Add onion, garlic, paprika, turmeric and Everyday Seasoning to reserved cooking water. Simmer until onions are soft. Add in the rest or the ingredients, including collard greens. Stir until heated throughly.

Serve with rice, quinoa, sliced avocado.

Dessert: Dark Chocolate Tequila Strawberries

1 bag of dark chocolate chips or chunks

Optional- 1 tsp vanilla, 1 tbsp Tequila

Organic strawberries with green tops

Soy based wax paper

Wash strawberries. They must be dried completely. I use paper towels. If they are wet, the chocolate dip may harden.

Put the dark chocolate in a microwavable ceramic or glass bowl with the other optional liquid ingredients and microwave gently until the chocolate is melted. For stove top melting, you need a double broiler. Microwaving is much easier. I was inspired to make this fondue because I found a brand new fondue kit at the Salvation Army Thrift Shop. It looked like something form 1970’s.

Hold the strawberries by the green tops, dip into chocolate mixture half way, twirl to stop the chocolate from dripping. Place onto wax paper to cool. Use the fondue skewers if you have and eat them directly. Recommend you put down extra table protector’s because the chocolate can be very messy but fun!

I bought this at my local Korean Grocery store. 99 Ranch Market may have too.  It tastes pretty good.

*Although miso is high in salt (risk factor for stomach cancer and high blood pressure), the anticancer and antihypertensive effects of soy may counter the effects of the salt.

*The How Not To Die Cookbook by Michael Greger, M.D.

Why are probiotics important? These healthy microbes are an essential part of our body. Without them we would not survive. Most of these healthy bugs are found in our gut. Also 70% of our immune system is located in our gut. There is communication between our gut microbes and our immune system and even with our brain via our vagal nerve.  Our immune system and brain cannot be healthy and balanced if we have the bad gut microbes. Healthy gut microbes tell our immune system and brain that everything is “OK”. Our gut microbes affects a lot of disease processes such as – infections, cancers, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, autoimmune disorders, inflammation, obesity, arthritis, mental health etc. Isn’t it amazing that these bugs have such a huge influence on our health?*

Our microbes are one of our forgotten organs. It is unique in that this is our only organ that not contain our own DNA.  Yet these microbes have profound affects both good and bad on our health. The good news is that we can directly affect this organ’s DNA. We do this by what we eat and with whom we hang out! Yes, it’s composition can be changed by our actions.

So sterile environments prevent us from getting good microbes*.  Some examples where we lose the opportunity to get good microbes: Vaginal vs C-section babies,  breast vs formula fed babies, drinking chlorinated vs filtered water, eating foods that contain pesticides vs organic foods, antibiotics, diets high in sugar, alcohol.

Other probiotic boosters that come to mind are sharing your home with a dog or cat. Our furry friends are beneficial in more than one way. Our dogs give us love and beneficial microbes!

We also share microbes with family, friends and community. There is now something called fecal transfer, where a person with a certain health  problem gets inoculated with fecal material from a healthy donor by swallowing capsules of donor feces.

If your gut is not healthy, you are not  healthy.

Correcting your gut microbes (esp if you are on and recently taken antibiotics) is essential.

This is so powerful, that the right microbes, can even reduce our anxiety and worry!

Hence I am recommending you eat some food rich in probiotics with each meal.

FOODS RICH IN PROBIOTICS

Remember: Probiotics when heated will destroy the beneficial bacteria. So you can’t eat these foods heated or microwaved. Also avoid chlorinated water. The chlorine disinfects and can disinfect some of your your gut bacteria too. Drink filtered water only.

Yogurt / Kefir – Non dairy preferred. It is possible that the fermentation process of dairy reduces the pro-inflammatory factors in cow’s milk. Although this has not been my personal experience.

Kombucha – fermented tea. Saccharomyces Boulardii is used in the fermentation process. This probiotic is in the yeast family and can survive the antibiotics used to treat bacterial infections. Hence it is useful in treating Clostridium Difficile infections.

Miso (paste) salad dressing

Soy sauce

Coco-Aminos

Natto- fermented soy beans

Tempeh

Fermented Bean curds

Hard cheeses e.g. Comte (Dairy)

Apple cider vinegar- dilute with water

Manuka Honey (helps immune system fight off upper respiratory infections) or any raw honey (mix with 1 cup water 1/4-1/2 tsp vinegar and honey)

Kim Chi,  SauerKraut (might be too salty for some people)

Pickled foods e.g. Pickled beets, olives, cucumbers, radishes, etc

Asian Fish sauce

Probiotic capsules (Brand and storage matters. Some have been tested and found to contain nothing. Vary the brand to increase the variety of probiotic stains.)*

How Best to take your Probiotic Capsule:

I recommend to take on empty stomach with a glass of room temperature filtered water and adding some “Just Like Sugar” which contains Inulin, a prebiotic derived from chicory.  Just Like Sugar has is a natural sweet taste to it and calorie free. Ingredients are Chicory, calcium and Vitamin C.

I have asked around my contacts about whether to take probiotic with or without food. No clear answer. I could not find any studies to say which is better either. Until there is more reliable information, I am going with the FDA recommendation for the use of oral live vaccines (which by the a way is like a probiotic because the goal is to colonize your gut with the microbe in the vaccine to give you protection from that particular disease).

For example, for oral typhoid vaccine, this is how it is taken: