towers, Author at Towers Family Chiropractor

Sweet Avocado Smoothie

June 10, 2016 by towers

Here’s a low-glycemic breakfast or snack for you. Similar to the chocolate pudding I posted previously, this recipe skips the banana and uses a little stevia to sweeten. Also, we add a little protein and good nutrition with the collagen and egg yolks (only use the best quality eggs from free-range chickens that are organically fed–crack into a cup first to inspect as the yolk should stay intact with no odor). If you are not eating eggs the eggs yolks could be left out. A quarter cup of berries could be substituted for the cocoa powder. That’s the nice thing about smoothies–you can really mix it up.

Serves 1

1/2 ripe avocado (skin firm but gives a little, inside still light green without brown)

1/3 to 1/2 cup water or zucchini “water”

1-2 tsp. raw organic cocoa powder

stevia extract

1-2 Tbsp. Great Lakes collagen powder

2 egg yolks

1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

Place all ingredients in a blender container except egg yolks and stevia. Blend well. Add egg yolks and blend by pulsing a few times–proteins in egg yolks supposedly can be damaged by blending so I take the precaution of adding them last and then blending briefly until just mixed. Taste and add stevia to taste.

Salad with Zucchini Spirals

May 23, 2016 by towers

We are already getting zucchini from our garden thanks to an early start in the greenhouse. Here’s another recipe using spiralized zucchini–along with some cultured red cabbage which you will need to make ahead. You could substitute store-bought fermented vegetables if you have them on hand. A little olive oil, vinegar, salt and pepper and you have a wonderful salad.

Serves 2 (large salad)

4 cups lettuce pieces or baby lettuce

1/2 cup cultured red cabbage

1 small zucchini, spiralized

1/4 cup feta cheese

2 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil

1 Tbsp. balsamic vinegar

salt and pepper to taste

Place 2 cups of the lettuce in each of 2 salad bowls. Add half the zucchini spirals, red cabbage and feta cheese to each bowl. Toss to mix well. Drizzle the olive oil and vinegar over the salads. Salt and pepper to taste.

Potato Eggplant Saute

May 23, 2016 by towers

If you like potatoes but avoid them because you are watching your blood sugar levels, try diluting the potatoes with other non-starchy vegetables. This way you get to eat your potatoes and feel satisfied but not STUFFED and HEAVY afterwards. This recipe uses eggplant and only 1 potato. It’s easy and fast–if you cube the potato and eggplant small enough (between a 1/4 and 1/2 inch cubes), they will cook quickly. Serve these with turkey burgers and a salad and you have a meal.

Serves 3

1 medium-small eggplant (about 1-1/2 to 2 cups cubed–skin first with a potato peeler, then cut crosswise into 1/4 inch rounds, then cut the rounds into cubes)

1 medium red potato, leave skin on, wash well & cut as described above

1/3 cup frozen green peas

2-3 Tbsp. ghee or olive oil

1/2 tsp. dried onion granules (the Co-op has organic in bulk section)

1/4 tsp. dried garlic powder (Co-op has organic in bulk section)

salt and pepper to taste

Prepare the vegetables as described above. Melt ghee in a large skillet over medium heat. Once hot (don’t overheat or it will smoke–keep an eye on it and add 1 cube to see if it sizzles–as soon as it sizzles it is hot enough), add the rest of the potato cubes. Stir with a metal spatula so potatoes get covered in oil. Cover with a tight fitting lid for 3 minutes and then stir again to prevent sticking. Cover again for 3 minutes and stir again. Add eggplant cubes and spices. Mix well. Eggplant tends to soak up oil so you may need to add another tsp. or 2 of ghee or olive oil if the mixture seems dry and is sticking–stir well again. Cover and use spatula to prevent sticking every 3-4 minutes until potatoes and eggplant are tender. Add peas and stir. Turn off heat and cover for a few minutes. Add salt and pepper to taste. Serve immediately.

Grain-free Banana Bread

April 26, 2016 by towers

Looking for gluten-free or low glycemic “bread” recipes? Here’s one that’s grain-free and very easy. It is sweet enough to substitute as a cake–just put some chocolate icing on it (mix equal parts melted ghee or coconut oil, honey, and cocoa powder and add some vanilla). The “flour” I use is shredded dried coconut that is blended until finely ground in a blender. Arrowroot is available at the Co-op and at most health food stores.

2 cups dried, shredded coconut, blended into a powder in a blender

4 Tbsp. arrowroot flour or powder

1 rounded tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. sea salt

1 ripe banana–it needs to have brown spots so it is sweet!

2 tsp. vanilla extract

1 Tbsp. ghee or coconut oil

2 eggs

1 to 2 Tbsp. honey

In a food processor, mix the dry ingredients. Add the rest of the ingredients and process until thoroughly mixed. It should be the consistency of cake batter–thick but still drops off of a spoon. You may need to add more arrowroot but do it by 1 tsp. increments–if you add too much arrowroot the bread will be rubbery so be careful!

Bake in a cake pan at 350 degrees F until a knife comes out clean and the bread is slightly golden on top–about 15 minutes.

Coconut Milk as a Cream Substitute

March 14, 2016 by towers

For the dairy-free, finding a good cream substitute is not easy. (I prefer coconut over nut or rice milk.) When I say good, I mean one that contains relatively few ingredients that are wholesome. Canned organic coconut milk meets that requirement over any product I have seen in a carton and when it is prepared this way I believe it is cheaper. The best buy for canned coconut milk is the classic (not the light) that is then diluted and blended to keep it emulsified and “pourable”. I use this in teas (chaga-chicory) and in smoothies, or in recipes calling for coconut milk.

1 can Native Forest Organic Classic coconut milk

water

1 tsp. vanilla extract, optional

stevia, optional

2 Tbsp. ghee, optional

If you have an immersion blender this is very easy (otherwise use a blender and transfer to a glass jar after blending). Empty the contents of the can into a wide-mouth, quart-sized mason jar. You may need to spoon it out if it is separated and too thick to pour. Then fill the can full of pure water and add to the mason jar. Use your immersion blender to thoroughly blend this mixture right in the glass jar. Add vanilla and a few drops of stevia extract if desired. I have also experimented and added melted ghee to this to add to the flavor (some dairy-free folks tolerate ghee just fine). Blend the contents of the jar again. Keep refrigerated.

Cauliflower Soup with Smoked Salmon

March 14, 2016 by towers

Last night we had cauliflower soup (see previously posted recipe) but I wanted to add some protein to it. We had some smoked salmon on hand so I broiled it lightly and served it on top of the soup. It was actually quite a nice combination! Needless to say, this is a fast dinner when served with a salad, especially if the soup is leftover or pulled out of the freezer.

Serves 2

1 quart of cauliflower soup

2/3 of a package of smoked wild salmon–this is about 8 thin slices (Be sure it is wild caught salmon and look for a brand that does not have preservatives)

Fill two bowls with about 2 cups of hot soup. Spread the salmon slices on a baking tray and put under the broiler in an oven or toaster oven for 3-4 minutes–just enough to warm through and get a little crispy. Top each bowl of soup with 4 slices of the salmon. Serve immediately.

Zoodle Salad

March 2, 2016 by towers

Here’s another zucchini “noodle” recipe using the vegetable spiralizer (I have a Paderno). There’s room for creativity with this one. To make this dish a meal in itself, consider adding any or all of these additional ingredients: garbanzo beans, feta cheese, sweet red pepper, red onion, artichoke hearts. A quarter to a half-cup of each would be good (but only a Tbsp. of finely chopped onions). This dish is also good served with deviled eggs.

Serves 3-4

2 small zucchini, spiralized

2 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil

1/3 cup kalamata olives, pitted

2 cloves garlic, crushed

1/4 cup dried tomatoes, soaked, drained and chopped

1/4 cup chopped cilantro

1 avocado, cubed

2 tsp. ghee

salt, black pepper to taste

Blend the pitted olives with the olive oil in a blender (an immersion blender works well–blend in a wide-mouthed pint-sized jar). Transfer this paste to the bowl you want to serve the salad in. Add the tomatoes, cilantro and avocado to this bowl also and toss to mix well. Now saute the garlic very briefly in the melted ghee in a skillet–just to let it sizzle a little but not brown. Add the zucchini noodles immediately and stir well so that the noodles get coated with the garlic and ghee. Don’t allow them to cook and get soggy–all you want is to get them warmed up and coated. Stir for a minute over the heat and then add to the bowl. Mix the salad well. Add salt and pepper to taste. Serve immediately.

Back, Leg, and Foot Trouble

February 29, 2016 by towers

Please explain why you came to our office.

“Lots of trouble with my back, right leg and right foot. I heard Dr. Mike is a real good person and could help me. So tired of taking drugs, so I came here.”

Please describe your response to treatment.

“I am doing lots better. Started walking again. This is a place to go to get help!”

63 year-old female

Back Strain

February 26, 2016 by towers

Please explain why you came to our office.

“Originally for neck pain diagnosed as severe arthritis. This time for bad back strain and pain.”

Please describe your response to treatment.

“For the neck pain which was constant, I experienced total relief and have not had a recurrence. Same experience with the back pain which has been eliminated thanks to the treatments.”

64 year-old female

Quick Lentil Salad

January 27, 2016 by towers

You will need sprouted lentils to make this recipe so please review my previous post on lentil soup that discusses how to sprout lentils. The reason this recipe is quick and also easy on the digestive system is because of the use of sprouted lentils. (Don’t try to substitute!) You can’t buy sprouted lentils most places but it is very easy to sprout them yourself and they keep in the fridge for a week. Once you have them you can make this dish, the soup, or lentil burgers over the course of the week. Prepare the salad first and then make the lentils so that you can serve immediately.

Serves 2

Salad

4 cups mixed greens/lettuce–I used endive and arugala but any lettuce or lettuce mix is fine

1 avocado, peeled and cubed

2 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil

1 Tbsp. balsamic vinegar

feta cheese to garnish, optional

Lentils:

2 cups sprouted lentils

1/2 cup finely chopped carrots

6 cloves garlic, crushed

2 Tbsp. ghee (you could substitute coconut oil)

1/3 cup chicken broth

2 tsp. tamari

1/4 tsp. cayenne (optional)

salt and pepper to taste (add at the end)

Mix all the salad ingredients together except the feta cheese. Place 1/2 the mixture in each of 2 large salad bowls.

Now prepare the lentils. Melt the ghee or coconut oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add the crushed garlic and stir for a minute or so but NOT long enough to brown.. Add the lentil sprouts and carrots and stir well. Stir this mixture over medium heat until the lentils wilt and then add the broth, tamari and cayenne. Lower the heat to medium-low and simmer for 10 minutes or until most of the liquid cooks off. The mixture should be moist but not soupy. Add salt and pepper to taste. Spoon half the mixture on top of each of the 2 salads. Garnish with feta if desired. Serve immediately.

« Previous Page

Sweet Avocado Smoothie

Salad with Zucchini Spirals

Potato Eggplant Saute

Grain-free Banana Bread

Coconut Milk as a Cream Substitute

Cauliflower Soup with Smoked Salmon

Zoodle Salad

Back, Leg, and Foot Trouble

Back Strain

Quick Lentil Salad

Good Nutrition

Warming Broth for a Cold

Children’s Adjustments

Children with back pain

Towers Family Chiropractic