From the kitchen of Jesse Haas, CNS, LN

Beets are remarkable roots, not only because of their vibrant color but because of their functional nutrient value, as well. 

Beets contain a special kind of fiber called galactooligosaccharide (or GOS). GOS stimulates growth of bifidobacteria and lactobacilli in the colon. These microorganisms are important anchors in the microbiome for many reasons, one of which is that they maintain the mucosal membrane. This helps to maintain a healthy ecosystem in the gut and prevent proliferation of "bad bugs" that can cause digestive symptoms and other health problems. 

Not everyone is a big fan of the earthy taste of beets, so here's some good news: you don't have to eat beets to get GOS. GOS can be found in legumes, brassicas, sourdough bread, sunflower and pumpkin seeds. 

This Citrus Beet Salad is best enjoyed during the winter months when citrus fruits are in their peak. 

Makes 4-6 servings

Ingredients

• 4 medium beets
• 1-2 grapefruit, peeled and cut into segments
• 1/2 small red onion, cut into thin slices
• juice of 1/2 lemon
• 2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 1 tsp honey
• salt and pepper, to taste

Directions

1. Scrub the beets to clean off any dirt. Place in a large saucepan and cover with water. Bring to a boil, cover and cook until the beets are easily pierced with a fork (about 30-45 minutes depending on size).
2. While you're waiting for the beets to cook, mix together the grapefruit segments, red onion, lemon juice and olive oil. The acid from the citrus will mellow the bite of the onion. Cover and refrigerate. 
3. When the beets are cooked, remove them from heat. Refrigerate until cool enough to handle.
4. Slip the skins off the beets with your hands or with a paring knife. 
5. Cut in half and then into half moons. 
6. Mix beets with the citrus, onion mixture and season with salt and pepper. 

This is a recipe that gets better marinating in the refrigerator for a day or two. Enjoy at room temperature or served over a handful of arugula or butter lettuce. 

From the Kitchen of Jesse Haas, CNS, LN

Liver: you love it or you hate it.

Personally, I LOVE liver, especially as pâté. 

Pâté is on the menu for every holiday and special occasion I cook for. If it is offered at a restaurant, I order it. I love the silky mouth-feel that turns many people off from liver. There's something about it that just screams decadence...and I heartily answer the call. 

I think of liver as a superfood. When I'm feeling energetically rundown, it's the first food on my list to replenish myself with. Pâté is one of my go-to recipes for nourishing my loved ones after childbirth or surgery (if they'll eat it). Liver is an excellent source of iron, making it on the list for my clients with heavy menstrual flow or iron-deficiency anemia. It's also an awesome source of vitamins A and D, it's also a tonic for the immune system. 

When buying liver, you want to pay extra close attention to the sourcing. In all animals, the liver manages the toxic burden, transforming and packaging chemicals like fertilizers and pesticides, medications like antibiotics and everything else the animal breathes and swallows. Look for free-range, organic and/or pasture-raised options. Best yet: connect with a farmer who can tell you everything about what their animals eat, drink and breathe.

Most pâté recipes include cream and butter. This dairy-free version uses duck fat to keep the creaminess, while bringing sherry in for a splash of brightness. Serve with crudité and seeded crackers in the backyard this spring and imagine you're sipping wine on the sidewalk in France.

Makes many servings - freeze what you don't eat in 3 days in quarter pint jars for up to 6 months

Ingredients

• 4 Tbsp duck fat or schmaltz (chicken fat), separated
• 1 vidalia onion, diced
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 lb free range, organic chicken livers​
• 2 Tbsp dry sherry
• 1 tsp dried thyme
• 1/2 tsp dried rosemary
• salt and black pepper, to taste

Directions

1. Heat a large skillet over medium heat. Add 1-2 Tbsp duck fat and melt. 
2. Sauté onions and garlic until translucent and fragrant, about 5 minutes. Stir often to prevent browning. Remove to a food processor bowl. 
3. Return the skillet to the heat. Add 1 Tbsp duck fat and melt. 
4. Add livers to the skillet in a single layer, keep them from touching. Cook for 3 minutes, then flip over and cook 2-3 minutes longer. The outside of the livers will be browned, but the insides should remain pink. Remove to the food processor bowl. 
5. Turn the heat off on your stove. Add sherry to the skillet and scrap to deglaze. Add contents to the food processor bowl, with the salt and dried herbs. 
   
6. Blend in your food processor until smooth. Season to taste with salt and freshly ground black pepper.

From the Kitchen of Jesse Haas, CNS, LN

This hearty, one-pot recipe has been a long-time favorite of mine. I try to work in at least one recipe featuring beans into my weekly meal plan and mung beans are one of my favorites. They are tiny green beans common in Indian cuisine that cook up quickly to a velvety texture. You can find mung beans in the Twin Cities in the bulk department at your local grocery coop or at Indian groceries. 

Indian spices are great for reducing inflammation, so I encourage everyone to get a few Indian recipes in rotation with your go-to meals. This recipe incorporates Garam masala, a spice blend including cumin, coriander, cardamom, black pepper, cinnamon, cloves and nutmeg. All of these spices offer therapeutic benefits with their delicious flavor. I blend my own from whole spices that I roast and grind, but you can also find Garam masala and other delicious curry blends at the locations named above.

The heat of this recipe is very versatile, so if you have "Minnesota mouth" skip the chili flakes at the end. 

Makes 6 servings


Ingredients

• 1 Tbsp ground turmeri
• 1 Tbsp ground cumin
• 2 Tbsp Garam masala
• 2 Tbsp coconut oil
• 1 medium onion, diced
• 4 garlic cloves, pressed
• 2-inch piece of ginger, minced
• 1 cup dried green mung beans, rinsed
• 1 medium sweet potato, diced
• 2 cups cauliflower florets
• 2 cups chopped cabbage
• 5 cups chicken or vegetable stock
• 15-oz can unsweetened coconut milk
• 15-oz can crushed tomatoes
• salt and black pepper, to taste
• red pepper flakes, to taste
• 3 cups cooked brown or black rice
• cilantro leaves, to garnish

Directions

1. Heat coconut oil in a large soup pot. Add spices and sauté briefly to release the aromas. Add onions, garlic and ginger and sauté a few minutes. 
2. Add the mung beans and the rest of the veggies. Stir to disperse the spices and gently sauté these ingredients with the aromatics, about 1 minute. 
3. Add the stock and coconut milk. Cover and bring to a simmer. Cook until the beans are tender, about 15 minutes. 
4. Stir in the tomatoes and red pepper flakes, if using. Season with salt and pepper, to taste.
   
5. Serve with rice and cilantro. 

From the Kitchen of Lynn Salmon-Easter, Reiki Master

This is my family’s favorite way to eat apples in the fall and winter months. It's simple...but somehow still so special! 

Makes about 2 - 2 1/2 cups

Ingredients

• 4 small apples or 2 large apples
• 1/2 cup water 
• 1 Tablespoon butter
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon

Directions

1. Rinse apples and cut them into chunks. It is optional to leave the skins on the apples or peel the skins off. 
2. Place cut apple into a heavy bottomed pan with water, butter and cinnamon.
3. Cover tightly with a lid and bring to a boil.
4. After the apples reach a boil, take the lid off the pan and turn down to a simmer.
5. Simmer apples until all the water is cooked off.
6. Allow apples to cool completely and store in a glass container with a tight fitting lid.

From the Kitchen of Dr. Hamilton

One of the most frequent questions I’m asked is how Chinese herbal medicines work. Chinese herbs are complex and intricate; each herb involves many specific characteristics and flavors. The following recipe-as-ritual is an invitation to explore the energetics of just one flavor as a way of understanding how herbs and minerals move in our bodies.

Salt is humble magic. It dissolves hardness. It exfoliates and clarifies, sloughing off the old and making way for the new. Salt offers tempering minerality and preserves what’s worth saving.

And, what's more, the energetics of salt attunes us to seasonal change.  

In the symbolic language of Chinese medicine, all flavor has direction, and each flavor co-resonates with a web of inter-related energies in our bodies and in nature. 

From the perspective of this tradition, salty flavor is said to soften hardness. Salt resonates with the season of winter, the element of water, with our kidneys (referred to as the Kidney Organ Network to include the meridians), and with the emotions of awe/wonderment (balanced) or fear (imbalanced).

So, salt is not just a taste but an exploration of how our bodies interact with the world. Can we let our energy turn deeply inward just like nature does in winter? Can we be humble and seek the lowest place, like water? Can we connect with the wisdom of our inseparableness, as all water eventually converges in the salty ocean? Can we spend our reservoirs of energy (our Kidney qi) wisely, conserving and acting from our root?

You might put these flavor explorations into practice with the following Recipe-As-Ritual for Citrus Sea Salt. The result is a combination of the warmth of summer sunshine and briny ocean oneness; a solstice-time renewal.


CITRUS SEA SALT

Ingredients

• Basic proportions are 1+ tablespoon zested citrus peel (about 1 medium-sized orange) per 1/2 cup flaky salt.

 
— Salt: Choose a coarse, flakey salt if you have one (e.g. Maldon salt, fleur de sel, sel gris). Experiment: you may need to adjust your proportions to taste.
— Citrus: Choose your favorite citrus (e.g. lemon, orange, grapefruit, kumquat, lime, kaffir lime). If you can, buy organic. Wash, gently scrub, and dry completely.

Directions

1. Zest your fresh citrus peel very finely (a microplane, peeler or grater works well). 
2. Mix the salt and zested citrus peel — about 1+ tablespoon citrus peel to 1/2 cup flaky salt.  Take your time to mix thoroughly, allowing the volatile oils to meet the crystals. Avoid shattering all the flakiness  (I like to infuse the mix with my intentions at this stage, especially if I’m making this as a gift). Taste and adjust proportions as desired. 
3. Spread your salt onto a parchment-lined baking sheet. Dry in the oven at 200°F/95°C for 70 minutes or until your citrus peel is completely dry (crumbles between your fingers).
4. Remove from oven and allow to cool a bit. Optional: pulse your citrus sea salt in the food processor a few times to adjust the texture and blend completely.

Save in an airtight jar for several months.


These flavor-infused salts help avoid flavor ruts and excesses by shifting your palate. Get curious about the energetics of flavor and what your system is drawn to. Here are some suggested uses:

• Blood orange sel de gris on the rim of a sparkling breakfast beverage.
• Grapefruit kumquat sea salt on dark chocolate desserts. 
• Kaffir lime finishing salt on curry bowls. 
• Meyer lemon salt on steamed asparagus.
• Play with adding other spices (chili, ginger, curry) or herbs (rosemary, thyme, basil, fennel). 

From the kitchen of Jesse Haas, CNS, LN

I love learning about the health benefits of foods I love, like chocolate, almost as much as I love sharing that good news with my clients. Many people come to see a nutritionist prepared to be told they have to stop eating all the things they enjoy and learn to love kale...or else. I like to focus instead on bringing in more of the foods that have a functional purpose for bringing more balance and wellness. If we need to eliminate a food or food group, coming at it from "eat more X" is a much more encouraging focus than "stop eating Y." 

Cacao, the raw ingredient that is transformed into chocolate, is a valued food in functional nutrition. Full of a class of polyphenols called flavonols, cacao has major cardiovascular benefits. This potent antioxidant nutrient keeps our capillaries, veins and arteries flexible and toned. Cacao also contains a molecule called anadamide that bring us some bliss - who doesn't need more of that these days? 

Chocolate granola may seem wholly indulgent - which is great! - but really, it's a powerful way to start the day. Serve with some non-dairy yogurt and Mixed Berry Chia Compote. This recipe is a nutritious breakfast and a great pre-workout snack. Enjoy!


Makes 8 cups or 16 1/2-cup servings

Ingredients

• 3 cups gluten-free rolled oats
• 3 cups nuts*
• 1/2 cup flaked coconut (unsweetened)
• 4 Tbsp chia seeds
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/3 cup cacao powder or unsweetened baking cocoa
• 1/3 cup maple syrup
• 1/2 cup melted virgin coconut oil**

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. 
2. Measure out your nuts into a food processor. Pulse 5-10 times to chop coarsely into a desired texture and size. 
3. In a large mixing bowl, mix together oats, chopped nuts, coconut, chia seeds, salt and cacao powder. 
4. In a separate bowl, mix together maple syrup and melted coconut oil. Pour over the oat mixture and stir well to combine. 
5. Spread the mixture out evenly onto 2 cookie sheets. You want a thin layer for even toasting. Bake for approximately 20 minutes, stirring every 5 minutes to prevent burning on the edges. 
6. Remove from the oven and cool completely before transferring to an air-tight container. This granola will keep for several weeks.

*The granola pictured here contains 1 cup each of almonds, hazelnuts and cashews. Use any mixture of nuts you like!
​
**Pro Tip: I measure out my coconut oil and put it into the oven to melt while the oven preheats and I get the rest of my ingredients mixed together. 

From the kitchen of Jesse Haas, CNS, LN

This recipe is more of a formula that can be used interchangeably with whatever fruit is in season or in your freezer. It has become a delicious addition to our recipe rotation at home. I love to spoon it onto yogurt and homemade granola, use in place of jam on gluten-free toast...or indulge my elevensies cravings with spoonfuls right into my mouth. 

The variation pictured here includes berries from my backyard garden: red raspberries, red currants, black elderberries, and blueberries we harvested at White Pine Berry Farm in River Falls, WI. Eating a half-cup serving of berries is part of my personal wellness plan. I think of them as delicious medicine: they are nutrition powerhouses with gifts for every system in the body. 

This compote is unsweetened and uses chia seeds to thicken it into a jam-like consistency. Enjoy! 

Print the recipe here.
​
Makes 2 cups

Ingredients: 

• 3 cups frozen berries
• 3 Tbsp chia seeds

Directions: 

1. Measure your berries out into a small saucepan. You can use a mixture or choose just one kind. I like incorporating berries of different colors, shapes and sizes for a visually-pleasing compote. 
2. Heat the berries on medium-low on your stovetop until they bubble and burst. Stir occasionally to prevent burning. 
3. Remove from heat and stir in the chia seeds. The chia seeds will absorb excess liquid and thicken the mixture as it cools. 
4. When the compote has cooled to room temperature, transfer to a glass container and store in the refrigerator for up to one week (if it lasts that long!). 

From the kitchen of Lynn Salmon-Easter, Reiki Master
Adapted from Deborah Madison’s recipe in ‘Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone’

This is a delicious way to eat cabbage in the fall and winter months. 

Click here for a printable version of this recipe. 


Ingredients:

• 3 Tbsp of olive oil
• 1 small onion, finely diced
• 1 Tbsp caraway seeds
• 1 medium red cabbage, about 2 pounds, quartered, cored, and finely sliced
• 2 Granny Smith apples quartered, cored, and diced or shredded
• Salt and freshly ground pepper
• Apple cider vinegar 

Directions:

1. Heat the oil in a large skillet.
2. Add the onion and caraway, give them a stir, then cook for a few minutes over medium heat until the onion is translucent.
3. Add the cabbage and apples and season with 1 teaspoon salt.
4. Cover tightly and cook very slowly until the cabbage is meltingly tender, up to an hour.
5. Taste for salt, season with pepper, and toss with vinegar, to taste. 

From the kitchen of Amy Daws, CMT

The fennel in this salad really makes it pop and it's super easy to make. A great way to enjoy summer vegetables from your CSA or home garden.  Download a printable recipe here. 

Download this link for a printable version of this recipe. 

Makes 4-6 servings

Ingredients

• 1 fennel bulb with fronds
• 1 corn cob, grilled or boiled
• 1/2 pint cherry tomatoes
• 1/2 onion
• 1 cucumber
• 2 Tbsp. lemon juice
• olive oil
• salt and pepper
• feta (optional)

Directions

1. Remove fennel fronds from stalk and coarsely chop
2. Shave fennel paper thin 
3. Cut corn off the cob
4. Quarter tomatoes
5. Cut onion into very thin slices
6. Halve cucumber lengthwise and cut into thin slices 
7. Combine all vegetables into a bowl
8. Add lemon juice and drizzle with olive oil and salt and pepper to taste.
9. Add chopped fennel fronds and feta (optional)

From the kitchen of Vanashree Belgamwar, BAMS

Raw, unripe mango is cooling according to Ayurveda, which means that it balances the Pitta/fire element. The pungent spices in this recipe - mixed in rice - help the naturally weak digestive fire during hot summer months. Cilantro is another cooling herb which helps balance the hot quality of Pitta without increasing the air element.

Makes 4 servings

Ingredients:

• 1 cup Boiled rice
• 1/2 cup grated green mango (unripe)
• salt to taste
• finely chopped cilantro
• 1 tsp avocado or other neutral-flavored oil
• 1/2 tsp mustard seeds
• 1/2 tsp cumin seeds
• a pinch of asafetida
• 2 dried red chillies (optional, especially for Kapha individuals)
• curry leaves
• 1 tsp peanuts
• 1/4 tsp turmeric powder

Directions:

1. Take rice into a dish. The rice should not be sticky.
2. Add grated raw mango and salt. Mix well.
3. Add coriander leaves and mix well again.
4. Heat oil in a small frying pan. Add mustard seeds and let them pop up.
5. Add cumin seeds, asafetida, red chillies, curry leaves and peanuts. Fry until peanuts turn reddish.
6. Remove from heat and add turmeric powder. Spoon the seasoning over the rice and mix well.