Recipes

Iron-rich salad:

2 large handfuls arugula or other salad greens


1/2 cup dulse fronds, picked over and torn into bite-size pieces,

or 1/4 cup dulse flakes
Sea salt to taste


2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil


2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice


Freshly ground black pepper to taste


1/4 cup roasted walnut halves


Arugula blossoms for garnish (optional)

Fermented Food:

1 large head organic cabbage


1 medium beet


2 minced garlic cloves


1 teaspoon caraway seeds


1 tablespoon sea salt

Remove any coarse or dry outer cabbage leaves. Cut the cabbage lengthwise into quarters. Grate the cabbage, core and all, and beet on ¼-inch holes of a hand grater or in a food processor using the fine grater. Mix the vegetables with the garlic, caraway seeds and salt. Firmly pack into a wide-mouth quart jar, filling it almost to the brim. Set the jar on a plate to collect any potential overflow.

To apply pressure to the top of the vegetable shreds, use a weight that’s small enough to nest inside of the wide-mouth jar. This weight may be a clean rock or a water-filled glass bottle or a zip-lock baggie.

Rest the weight atop the grated cabbage. Brine will form and rise to the surface within 24 hours. (If brine fails to rise and/or remain at the top, dissolve ¼ teaspoon salt in ½ cup water and pour it on top of the cabbage.)

The kraut will be ready in 5 to 7 days, or when it has a pleasant and tangy fermented flavor and the cabbage shreds are translucent rather than opaque. (To heighten the sour flavor, ferment it for 10 days.) Remove the weight. Remove and discard any bubbly foam or discolored kraut from the top of the jar. Wash and tightly cover the jar. The kraut will keep refrigerated for 6 months. 

High Nutrient Seaweed

http://www.rwood.com/Recipes/Hiziki_and_Carrots.htm

Kelp tablets—Seaweed supplements work for some people. However, kelp tablets are your priciest option and you don't get to enjoy the flavor. Additionally, it's hard to assess their quality and to know whether or not the kelp was sustainably harvested from clean waters.

Dulse—A purple-red frond, dulse has a slightly tangy, salty flavor and is delicious eaten straight from the package as a snack or added to trail mixes. To include in a salad or sandwich, dip dulse into water and then tear it into pieces. It's reminiscent of jerky, or when pan-fried in oil, of bacon. But, in a chameleon-like way, when dulse is added to a soup, it imparts an enticing seafood flavor. Or purchase dulse flakes or powder and sprinkle onto savory dishes.

Kombu—Here's a seaweed that's as easy as to use as a bay leaf. It heightens a food's natural flavor and significantly increases the nutritional and medicinal properties of savory dishes. Simply add a 2- to 3-inch strip of kombu to every pot of beans, soup or stock you make. Remove the kombu prior to serving.

Nori—Good for more than just sushi, nori is a great finger food for toddlers. Cut into ribbons or torn into small pieces, nori makes an elegant garnish. Nori is higher in protein than beef, fish, poultry or milk and it has more vitamin A than carrots.

Wakame—Here's a classic soup ingredient. Hydrate wakame with a quick soak, then chop (removing the central, hard stem if necessary) it into bite-size pieces and add to soup for both its flavor and texture. With wakame flakes, sprinkle them right from the package into your soup, simmer a minute and they’re ready.

Arame—These elegant strands of glistening black seaweed enhance salads, pilafs and vegetable dishes. Sauté or simmer it like you would carrots and combine it with your favorite vegetables or grains.

Hiziki—The most mineral-rich of all seaweeds; hiziki contains more calcium than milk. Sauté or simmer it with other vegetables. It requires a little more cooking time than other seaweed varieties.

Sautéed Collards and Burdock:  Accompanying article: Chronic Pain

The turmeric, garlic, onion, ginger and burdock enhance this recipe's ability to help reduce chronic pain. If burdock, a slender, black-skinned root vegetable, is not available, substitute a carrot. Sautéing boosts flavor and is a foolproof way to cook most vegetables.

2 tablespoons ghee, butter or extra virgin olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 teaspoons minced ginger or 1/4 teaspoon powdered ginger
1/4 teaspoon turmeric
1 onion, sliced
1 burdock (or carrot), julienne 
3 chopped collard greens
Freshly ground pepper to taste
1 tablespoon naturally fermented soy sauce or sea salt to taste

Warm the fat or oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add and sauté the garlic, ginger and turmeric for 1 minute. Then add and sauté the onion until it becomes limp. Add and sauté sfirst the carrot and then the collards for 3 minutes each or until lightly cooked. Season with pepper and soy sauce. Cover and cook for about 5 minutes or until vegetables reach desired tenderness, stirring as necessary. Serve hot.

White Gazpacho with Grapes and Toasted Almonds

2 large English cucumbers (or 3 large regular cucumbers), peeled and roughly chopped 3 slices white bread, crusts removed

1/2 cup warm water

3 cloves garlic

6 scallions, whites only, divided

1/4 cup white wine vinegar or Sherry vinegar, plus more, to taste

1 teaspoon lemon juice, plus more to taste

1/4 cup plus 4 teaspoons slivered almonds, lightly toasted, divided

1/2 teaspoon salt, plus more, to taste

3 tablespoons olive oil

1/2 cup green grapes, halved

Set aside 1 cup of chopped cucumber for a garnish. Soak the bread in water until soft, about 2 minutes. Place soaked bread, the rest of the cucumber, garlic, 3 of the scallions, vinegar, lemon juice, 1/4 cup of the almonds, salt and 3 tablespoons of olive oil in the bowl of a food processor and process until cucumbers are completely blended and liquid and almonds are almost completely invisible, about 1 to 2 minutes. Season with additional salt and vinegar, if desired.

To serve, ladle 1 cup gazpacho into a bowl. Mound 1/4 cup reserved chopped cucumber, 1 tablespoon scallions, 2 tablespoons grapes and 1 teaspoon almonds in the center of the soup.
Golden Miso Soup

Accompanying article: Miso — A Delicious and Healing Food

Serves 4

Adding coconut milk to an otherwise classic squash and miso soup recipe intensifies its rich, sweet flavor and makes it even creamier. When using a yellow or red colored and tender-skinned squash, like butternut or red kuri, you may leave its skin intact. (Trim and discard, however, any tough or warty pieces.) It will soften, blend right into the soup and yield more flavor and nutrients. If fully pureed, a green-skinned squash detracts from the soup’s beautiful golden color.

1 tablespoon sesame or coconut oil

1 cinnamon stick

1 tablespoon minced ginger

1/2 teaspoon turmeric

3 cups cubed butternut squash

1 large onion, diced

1 (14-ounce) can coconut milk

1/2 teaspoon sea salt

2 tablespoons sweet light miso

Freshly ground black pepper to taste

1/2 cup shredded unsweetened coconut, lightly toasted

Warm the oil in a 4-quart pot over medium heat. Add the cinnamon stick, ginger and turmeric and sauté for 1 minute. Add the squash and onion and sauté for 5 minutes or until the vegetables soften. Add the coconut milk, 2½ cups water and salt and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer for 15 minutes, or until the squash is tender. Remove the cinnamon stick.

Place the miso and 1/4 cup of soup broth in a small bowl and puree with a fork. Add the puree to the soup and simmer for 1 minute, taking care to not let the soup boil. Season with pepper. Adjust seasonings and remove from the heat.

Lightly puree the soup using a potato masher. Or fully puree the soup in a blender or food processor, taking care to not burn yourself. Divide the soup between four bowls and garnish each bowl with 1 tablespoon of shredded coconut, place the remainder of the coconut on the table to pass around.