Towers Family Chiropractor

Helping You to Better Health Naturally

Sauerkraut Time

by

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

by

 

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.

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

by

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

by

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.

Sesame Greens Plus

by

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.

 

Sesame Greens Sandwich

by

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

by

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.

 

GF Bread Updated– Nut-free Version

by

Here is an update on the gluten-free bread described below:  I have had people with nut allergies wanting to make this bread which has almond flour originally.  It works very well to substitute tigernut flour for the almond flour.  Tigernut is a tuber, not a nut and it can be found online when looking for gluten-free flours–a good brand is Organic Gemini.  Also, if you have egg whites you want to use, blend some with the water used in this recipe and reduce the volume of water accordingly.  It will increase the protein content of the bread (tigernuts are lower in protein than almonds) and allows it to brown nicely.

One other note to keep in mind:  you may have to add more water than is listed in the ingredients.  I add enough water to get a soft dough–it is not sticky as I knead it either as the flours used are highly absorbent–especially the added ground flax.  I probably use about 1/4 to 1/2 cup additional water.  This soft dough is easier to work with and makes a nicer bread.

Watch Dr. Eric Berg’s video below for a great recipe for gluten-free bread.  I like it because of the taste/texture but also because it is a lot lower in carbs and higher in fiber than most GF breads–plus it doesn’t have any objectionable starches in it like potato starch.  I have used it for rolls or as pizza dough. My latest version of pizza had a crust made with this dough which I pressed out into an oiled pizza pan (you can sprinkle sesame seeds in the bottom of the pan first–I usually do) and baked at 350 degrees F until crusty–with no toppings.  After it cooled but was still warm, I spread a couple tablespoons of the basil oil on it, followed by avocado slices and olives.  Ready to serve and super easy.   You could add some tomato slices too for a more traditional pizza.  What a treat!

Also, I have at times altered the recipe by adding 2 Tbsp. ground flax seed.  You may need to add a little more water (1-4 Tbsp.) to the dough if you add ground flax seed in order to achieve the soft but not-sticky texture shown in the video.  

It’s best to use the light-colored almond flour which is made from blanched almonds. 

Also, you can refrigerate the dough for a few days; I do this so I can make a fresh pizza or flat bread very quickly during the week.  Great with olive oil which has been flavored with a clove of fresh garlic and some salt.

Here is the list of ingredients: 

1 cup each of coconut flour, blanched almond flour (or tigernut flour), and arrowroot flour

2 Tbsp. psyllium

2 Tbsp. ground chia seeds (I use the blender to grind them and I also add 2 Tbsp. flax seed ground in blender)

1 tsp. sea salt

2 tsp. dry baking yeast granules

1 and 1/4 cup water (egg whites can substitute for some of this liquid if you have fresh egg whites to use)

2 tsp. honey or maple syrup

Follow the directions given in the video for how to mix the ingredients.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zsl5ENgZnr0

Late Summer Soup

by

The nights are getting cooler and soup is on the menu again.  The garden is supplying lots of tomatoes and butternut squash and so are the farmers markets.  I admit the combination of these two late summer bumper crops in a soup was not appealing to me, but given the garden’s abundance and the fact that I had some chicken broth in the fridge that I needed to use, I was inspired to try!  We liked the outcome and encourage you to give it a go.

 

Serves 4

4 cups cubed peeled, butternut squash (cut in half lengthwise and remove the seeds and discard, and then cut in quarters and peel each quarter before cubing)

2 cups chopped peeled red tomatoes, seeds removed (any kind but be sure to remove the skin and seeds)

1 large yellow onion, chopped

1/4 cup ghee or coconut oil (I prefer ghee)

2 cups chicken broth (or water but broth makes a more flavorful soup–if you use water add 2 stalks of chopped celery)

1 cup organic classic coconut milk

1 tsp. ground cumin seed

1/2 tsp. ground paprika

2 cloves of garlic, crushed

sea salt to taste (Redmond or Celtic are good)

red pepper flakes to taste, optional

1/4 cup fresh basil leaves, optional

 

Saute the onion in the melted ghee in a soup pot for five minutes.  Stir in the celery (if you use water, not broth), garlic, cumin and paprika.  Add the squash and stir again over medium heat for a few minutes more.  Add the tomato and and 1 cup of water and bring to a simmer.  Add stock and bring to a simmer over medium-high heat and then reduce to low heat and cover soup pot with a lid.  After about 20-30 minutes once squash pieces are tender and easily pierced with a fork, add the coconut milk.  Simmer for a few minutes.  Use an immersion blender and blend until smooth.  Salt to taste and add red pepper flakes and basil leaves if desired.  Serve hot.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Easy Sour Pickles

by

If you haven’t tried to make sour pickles, it’s a good time of year to give it a go—it’s so easy and there’s no canning necessary!  You should be able to find locally grown organic cucumbers.  Smaller, pickling varieties are best, but even regular eating cukes are good but they should be on the small side so that they are less seedy.  I’ve posted this recipe before but I have made some changes.  Please read the earlier recipe post to get more information and then give this version a try.  I have found that I get better results when I make just a quart at a time and when I keep them fermenting in a cooler with an ice pack to maintain a lower temperature (65-70 degrees F is best).

Here’s a picture of my set up.  There’s one quart of pickles and a jar of ginger carrots fermenting at the same time in this photo. You can put a glass dish or jar on top of the pickles to keep them submerged.  Also, if you place a dish or bowl under the jar if the brine overflows as the pickles  ferment you won’t have a mess.  Since the dish completely covers the mouth of the pickle jar I did not need to cover it with cheese cloth (not the case for the carrots).

I have a  styrofoam cooler that can sit on my counter-top and when placed on its side it fits both quart and 1/2 gallon wide-mouthed jars.  All you need is one ice pack changed twice a day–before bed and first thing in the morning to keep it cool enough. If you keep your house air-conditioned and at a constant low temperature (about 70) you won’t need the cooler.

The ratio for brine is 3 Tbsp. of sea salt to 1 quart of water.  If your brine is not salty enough the pickles will spoil.  I have found that if made in smaller batches (a quart instead of a gallon), it’s easier to accomplish and I can just use the extra cucumbers as they come from the garden.  Remember, this is a way of preserving food–these pickles will keep for months in your refrigerator.  Don’t pack the jar with cucumber halves–put them in loosely, otherwise you may not have enough brine to do the job.

For 1 quart of pickles:

About 2-4 small cucumbers, washed well and sliced in half (size will determine how many you can fit in the jar)

1 sprig of fresh dill or 1 tsp. dried dill weed, optional

3 large cloves garlic, optional

About 1/2 to 3/4 of a quart of brine:  3 Tbsp. sea salt (I like Redmonds or Celtic) per quart of filtered water (don’t use chlorinated water)

Arrange as many of the cucumber halves in a quart-sized, wide-mouth  glass jar as will fit easily.  Also leave a space of at least 2 inches at the top of the jar.  I place them in vertically, side-by side.  Add the dill and garlic, if desired, by pushing them down in the spaces between the cucumbers.  Dissolve (by stirring well) 3 Tbsp. of salt in 4 cups of filtered water in a quart mason jar.  Pour this over the cukes  to within an inch of the top of the jar.    Now place a small glass bowl over the mouth of the jar–it should fit so that the cucumber halves are kept submerged and the mouth of the jar is completely covered but CO2 will still be able to escape (don’t cap the jar with the lid!)– remove the bowl and add more brine to cover the cucumbers if the cukes are not completely submerged.  Place in a 65-70 degree F room out of direct light or use a cooler as described above.  Put a plate or bowl under the jar just in case some brine spills over as the fermentation proceeds.    Check every day to be sure the cukes stay submerged.  The pickles should bubble as they ferment and be soured through in 4-7 days (should be dark green all the way to the center).  Cap the jar and keep in the refrigerator.

Good Nutrition

Sauerkraut Time

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 … [Read More...]

Children’s Adjustments

Children with back pain

Children suffer injuries that lead to misalignments just as adults do. Children generally respond very well and quickly to gentle chiropractic adjustments. A case in point is that of a 5 year-old … [Read More...]

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

RSS
Facebook
Twitter