Towers Family Chiropractor

Helping You to Better Health Naturally

Sauerkraut Time

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Harvest time already!  This red variety of Chinese cabbage is beautifully colored so I wanted to post a picture of it and link it to the previous post for the recipe.  I grow the Napa type of cabbage because it matures faster than the round varieties and is not as strong tasting.  This year I grew a red variety.  Here is the previous recipe for making sauerkraut with this type of cabbage–even though it was with green cabbage the recipe is the same.  Check out your farmer’s markets and see what you can find if you don’t have your own garden cabbage.

Collards with Noodles

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If you have problems getting your children or friends to try collard greens (picture above: kale, collards, turnip greens), this is a good recipe to introduce them into the wonderful world of cruciferous greens.  We have had young, tender collard greens from our garden over the last few months.  These are easy to grow especially in early Spring or Fall.  If you grow them into the summer months they need to be sprayed every few weeks with a BT solution (Bacillus thurengenesis) which is a safe, organic way to kill cabbage moth worms which typically destroy cruciferous vegetables once summer temperatures kick in.

Another unusual vegetable in this recipe is fennel root–similar to celery but it is less watery and has a slightly sweet anise flavor.  I slice this very thin and put it in salads or saute with other vegetables as I do here.  Don’t go heavy on the noodles–the idea is to dilute them with vegetables in order to reduce carbohydrate intake.  The noodles can be replaced with brown rice or quinoa (as seen in the picture).

Serves 2

3 large cloves garlic

1 Tbsp. ghee

2 cups of finely chopped collard greens

1/2 cup of finely chopped fennel root

2 cups chicken broth

1 cup cooked organic brown rice fettucine

salt and pepper to taste

In a large skillet, melt ghee and add garlic.  Stir for a minute over medium heat until it just starts to sizzle.  Add fennel root and stir again for a few minutes.  Add collards and stir again.  Add broth and reduce heat to low and cover with lid cracked.  Heat through for about 10 minutes until greens are tender.  Salt and pepper to taste.  Now add the cooked rice noodles.  Stir well and serve in bowls.

 

 

GF Strawberry Shortcake

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2021 is turning out to be a good year for strawberries–we are overloaded!  Don’t forget about this shortcake recipe originally published 5/11/20.

Strawberries have come early this year so we had them for Mother’s Day.  This gluten-free recipe is dairy-free also except for the ghee, but I make an exception for ghee as being very likely safe for those on a dairy-free diet.   I think that the ghee could be substituted with coconut oil but I have not tried it.  Instead of whipped cream, use the coconut cream recipe posted previously.

Remember to buy organic strawberries if you don’t have them in your garden.  Berries are generally sprayed heavily and people have been known to react to the chemicals  from eating a lot of in-season berries.

Also, be careful making substitutions for the sugar in this recipe as it could change the texture with undesirable results.    The sugar prevents the arrowroot from making the shortcake gummy.  You could use coconut sugar or sucanat  but the cake will not be white–it will be brown.  Honey or maple syrup will totally change the texture so I stick with a small amount of cane sugar on this one.  I add more sweetness to the cake with the monk fruit powder.   Taste your batter and decide if it is sweet enough and add more monk fruit powder in very small amounts until you achieve your desired result.

Serves 4

1/2 cup arrowroot flour

2/3 cup dry finely shredded coconut

3 Tbsp. organic sugar

1 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. sea salt

2 Tbsp. melted ghee

1 egg

1/2 to 1 tsp. organic pure monk fruit powder (only ingredient should be monk fruit)

1 tsp. vanilla extract

1 tsp. lemon zest (optional)

 

2 cups sliced organic strawberries

1 cup coconut whipped cream

 

Mix the first 5 (dry) ingredients in a food processor.  Add the egg, melted ghee, vanilla extract, lemon zest if desired, and process again until well mixed.  Spread in a 8 inch x 8 inch baking pan.  Bake at 325 degrees F for 12-15 minutes or until knife inserted in the middle comes out clean–do not over-bake or cake will be dry.

Let cool.  Cut into 4 squares and serve each square with 1/2 cup strawberries and 1/4 cup of coconut cream .

 

 

 

 

 

Roasted Potatoes

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Who needs another recipe for roasted vegetables?  If you are using olive oil and a 450 degree oven, you may want to reconsider.  I want to put it out there that you can use ghee instead of other heat-sensitive oils and use a lower temperature and still get good results.  Keep in mind that oils are susceptible to damage from heat.  The fats that are safer to heat are ghee and coconut oil–I prefer the flavor of ghee.  This same recipe can be used for sweet potatoes and other vegetables.  I’ve tried Jerusalem artichokes also–be sure to slice these thin and don’t hesitate to use a mixture of your favorite vegetables.  Keep in mind that some cook faster than others–cut the starchy ones that cook slower into 1/4 inch slices.

White/red potatoes are a rare treat for us because they are so starchy and high-glycemic.  For special occasions they are perfect!

 

Serves 2

2  medium potatoes (red or white), cut in half length-wise and then sliced in 1/4 inch pieces

1 tsp. dried onion flakes or granules (available from Frontier Co-op with no other ingredients and no salt)

1/2 to 1 tsp. sea salt (use a 1/2 tsp. before baking and then salt more to taste if desired before serving)

black pepper, optional

1 Tbsp. ghee

 

Heat oven to 350 degrees F.   Melt ghee in the pre-heating oven in a baking tray large enough to accommodate the potatoes in a thin layer–about 9 X 12 inches. Remove the pan from the oven and add the potato slices stirring well to coat the potatoes in the melted ghee.  Add the salt, onion flakes and black pepper.  Stir well and spread out so the pieces are not on top of each other.  Place in the oven and bake for 15 minutes.  Use a spatula and loosen them, and flip them as best you can.  Place back in the oven and bake another 10-15 minutes until lightly browned and tender.  They should be crispy and perfectly salty so salt to taste.   Serve immediately.

Book Recommendation—“The End of Alzheimer’s”!!!

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There IS a program, a functional medicine program, that has prevented and reversed cognitive decline.  People at risk or those with Alzheimer’s who are in the early stages of the disease have really had little hope for a natural treatment up until now.  I highly recommend the book, “The End of Alzheimer’s” by Dr. Dale Bredesen, MD.  Dr. Bredesen is also interviewed by Dr. Mercola on mercola.com.  As Dr. Mark Hyman says in his review on the book cover, “if you have a brain, read this book”.  Couldn’t have said it better.

Sesame Greens Plus

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In the past I posted a recipe for Sesame Greens.  Here’s an idea for making more of a main dish with this recipe–just add a protein and some shitake mushrooms.  When you are short of time and the fridge is getting empty, canned items can be a blessing.  We’ve had collard greens all winter long from our cold frame in the garden and plenty of garlic stored from last year’s harvest, so it was easy for me to throw this together and use up a can of minced clams that I had and didn’t know what to do with.  You could use some bacon instead if you have that on hand.  I served this dish with roasted sweet potato “fries” and a salad.  Surprisingly good or I wouldn’t be posting it!

Serves 2

Follow the Sesame Greens recipe but add:

1 cup chopped Shitake mushrooms

Add the mushrooms to the garlic ghee mixture so that they cook for a few minutes before adding other ingredients.

1 6.5oz. can of wild chopped clams

Drain half the water out of the can.  Add the clams as the last ingredient–be sure to include half the water that is in the can.  Heat for 2-3 minutes until all  ingredients are evenly heated through.

Serve immediately.

 

If It’s Good for My Wife…..

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Please explain why you came to our office.

“You helped my wife and she did very good after her treatments.  I had some discomfort so I thought I would have some treatments.”

 

Please describe your response to treatment.

“It has helped me;  my neck and lower back is much improved.”

~73 year-old male

Sesame Greens Sandwich

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Two recipes that I have posted in the past make for a delicious warm sandwich.  I keep a batch of  gluten-free bread dough in the fridge so that I can easily make a flatbread for this sandwich.  Choose your favorite filling—if you are working to increase your intake of green vegetables, try the sesame greens recipe.  We have kale from our greenhouse which is young and tender.  When using larger leaves of kale or collard greens, cut the thick stems out and discard or use for vegetable broth.  Be sure to cook the finely chopped greens until just tender as described in the recipe.  I like this sandwich served hot–bread fresh out of the oven and greens right off the burner.

Directions:

Wash and chop the greens as described in the sesame greens recipe.  Peel the garlic cloves so they are ready to crush.  Set aside.

Use some olive oil on a baking tray and sprinkle sesame seeds over the bottom of the pan (regular or black sesame seeds).  Press enough dough into the pan so that it is about 3/16 of an inch thick–just like you would to make a pizza. Bake for about 15 minutes (prepare the greens while the bread is baking) until bread is golden brown.  Remove from oven and cut into 6″ x 4″ pieces. Keep warm until ready to assemble sandwiches.

While the bread is baking, prepare the greens by following the recipe.  As soon as greens are tender and still bright green, remove from hear and assemble the sandwiches by spooning 3-4 Tbsp. of the greens over each rectangle of bread and folding in half.  Serve immediately.

Butternut Soup

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This is fast to prepare if you already have the butternut squash cooked.  When I have time on the weekend I bake one whole (no need to cut it) at 350 degree F until easily pierced by a knife in the solid end (not the seed cavity at the rounded end which cooks faster).  This usually takes about an hour depending on the size of the squash; it’s ok if the skin browns.  Remove it from the oven and allow to cool so that it is easier to handle before proceeding.  Then, cut it in half length-wise and scoop out and discard the seeds.  Scoop the flesh from the skin with a large spoon into a bowl (discard the skin).  Now either refrigerate the pulp for later use or proceed with making the soup.

By the way, I always use butternut cooked this way to make “pumpkin” pies–check out the recipe here

 

Serves 4

Pulp from 1 cooked butternut squash (see directions above)

2 medium-sized onions (about 1 and  1/2 cups chopped), yellow or red or 1 of each which is what I used

2 Tbsp. ghee

1 quart of water or chicken stock

2 Tbsp. MisoMaster chick pea miso (available in health food stores)

1 tsp. turmeric

1 tsp. coriander

cayenne powder to taste, if desired

sea salt to taste

 

Melt the ghee in a soup pot and once the melted ghee is hot enough for the onions to sizzle, add the onions.  Saute over medium heat for about 5 minutes stirring occasionally.  Add the turmeric and coriander and stir well.  Saute a minute more and then add the water or broth.  Bring to a simmer and reduce heat to low to keep it simmering for about 15 minutes.  Remove from heat and add the miso.  Blend with an immersion blender.  Add cayenne if desired and salt to taste.  Serve hot.

 

PHONE CONSULTATIONS NOW AVAILABLE

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We are now offering nutrition consultations by phone.  If you are interested, please call the office to schedule and receive instructions about filling out paperwork and emailing or faxing it to us.  Also, we continue to offer the best quality nutritional supplements but please call before stopping by the office so that we can have them prepared for you.

Thank you for allowing us to be part of your healthcare!

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Towers Family Chiropractic

2302 Colonial Ave, SW, Roanoke, VA 24015
(540) 343-6636

Our hours are:
Monday, Wednesday, Friday 10:00am – 6:00pm
Tuesday, Thursday 7:30am – 11:00am