A cup of this before a meal will warm you up, stimulate digestion, and act as an anti-inflammatory.  All of that and it is pretty tasty.  A serving is about 1/2 to 1 cup so this should serve 2-4.

1 tsp. ghee

1 tsp. turmeric powder

1/2 tsp. cinnamon powder

1/4 tsp. cardamom powder

1/2 tsp. ginger powder

pinch of ground black pepper

1/2 cup coconut milk

2 cups water or black tea of your choice

monk fruit powder

Melt ghee in sauce pan.  Over medium-low heat, add spices and stir well until it browns lightly–just a minute or so.  Pour in coconut milk and stir well.  Continue to heat and add water or tea.  Add monk fruit powder to taste.  Serve hot.

Dense but not too sweet, these brownies will please most chocolate lovers.  They do contain sugar–but a reduced amount–so best to make them for special occasions.  The monk fruit powder is a good sweetener when you want to reduce the sugar in a recipe.  Be careful when you buy it though because many monk fruit products also contain erythritol.   I try to avoid the sugar alcohols as they can cause digestive disturbances.  If you don’t have palm oil, you could use coconut oil instead though I prefer the taste of the palm oil.

1/4  cup ghee

1/4 cup red palm oil

1/3 cup organic cacao powder

Organic baking chocolate (a piece about 1/2 inch wide by 4 inches long), Dakoba is a good brand

3 eggs, room temperature

1/2 cup organic coconut sugar or cane sugar

1/2 tsp. monkfruit powder, more to taste to increase sweetness

1/2 tsp. sea salt

1/2 tsp. baking powder

1 tsp. vanilla extract

1/3 cup coconut flour

1/3 cup tapioca flour

1/3 cup coconut milk

3/4 cups chopped walnuts

In a double boiler, melt oils and baking chocolate.  Remove from heat and add  cacao powder.  Set aside.

In a bowl, mix all dry ingredients and add beaten eggs and coconut milk.  Mix well.  Add cacao mixture and beat with an electric beater until smooth.  Fold in chopped nuts.

Spoon into a baking pan and bake at 350 degrees F for 15 minutes.  Insert clean knife in center and bake until knife comes out clean.  Let cool.  If desired, frost with a mixture of  4 Tbsp cacao powder, 2 Tbsp. honey, and 1-2 Tbsp. coconut milk (enough to form the desired consistency) with a dash of vanilla extract.  Serve warm or cold.

The dressing makes a salad.  This dressing compliments salads containing bitter vegetables such as radicchio, arugula, dandelion leaves, and mustard greens.   Remember, the bitter tasting vegetables stimulate bile flow and aid digestion so be sure to use them in your salads and try to eat your salad at the beginning of your meal.  Enhance your salad’s general appeal by using at least half mild tasting lettuce such as romaine.  Also, avoid adding  tough/fibrous greens to your salads as these are better digested when they are cooked, marinated, or fermented  (this includes kale, collards, broccoli, cabbage, and cauliflower).  Lastly, don’t be stingy with the dressing–pile a couple of tablespoons on!  The oil helps with absorption of the nutrients in the vegetables.

1 Tbsp. prepared yellow mustard

1 Tbsp. organic miso (I like the chickpea variety from MisoMaster)

1/4 cup apple cider vinegar (I have used the vinegar liquid from the marinated red onions which give a nice onion flavor.)

1-2 tsp. honey

1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil

Place all ingredients except the oil in a jar and mix very well.  Add the olive oil and mix again.  The miso is salty so you should not have to add salt but you may wish to add some ground black pepper.  Pour on your salad just before serving.

Now that fresh basil is more plentiful–I’ve got a lot already in the garden–let’s make good use of it by preparing this quick, flavorful oil. Remember that preparing ahead when you have time (the weekend?) makes eating well  EASIER when you are busy.  This delicious oil keeps in the fridge a week or so and is very convenient for dressing boiled eggs, salads, pasta, steamed vegetables, grains, and breads–make a pizza with the gluten-free bread I linked and use the basil oil instead of tomato sauce.  It is reminiscent of pesto (see recipe here) but a lot easier!  All you need is a blender.

Also, if you are using it for salad dressing, just add 1 Tbsp. of this oil per 1 cup of salad vegetables and toss.  Then drizzle 1 Tbsp. lemon juice for each Tbsp. of oil and toss again. 

1 cup fresh basil leaves (packed)
Extra virgin olive oil
1 clove garlic
1/4 to 1/2 tsp. salt to taste

Place basil leaves, salt, and garlic in the blender container.  Pour enough olive oil over them to just cover  (about 1/2 cup).  Blend until really smooth.  Place in glass jar and cap.  Ready for use immediately.  Keep refrigerated.