Bodhimed

I never thought I'd see my kids fight over kale.  Everytime I make these kale chips, however, I wish I had made a whole bunch more.  There's a million ways you can make them, and when I look around the Internet, I discover more combinations I'd never thought of.  If you're not already on this kale bandwagon that's sweeping the nation, get on board right now and go make some!

Nutritional Benefits of Kale

Kale is one of the most nutritious foods you can eat.  In only one cup of kale, you get 192% of your daily allowance of Vitamin A, and 88% of your daily Vitamin C.  It contains 10% of your daily requirement of fiber and calcium as well.  The phytonutrients in kale, along with the antioxidant properties of Vitamins A and C, make it a very effective defense against free radical damage, aka cancer.  Kale actually helps to detoxify the body of harmful chemicals.  With all of these benefits and low caloric value, the more you can eat of this stuff, the better.  So make way more of these kale chips than you'd planned!

Basic Kale Chips Recipe

Wash and dry at least one bunch of curly kale.  Cut the leaves off of the stalk and into small-ish pieces. Think chip-size!

Toss the kale pieces in extra-virgin olive oil and some Celtic or Himalayan salt.

Arrange on a cookie sheet and bake for 20 minutes at 250 degrees.  Enjoy until they're gobbled up by everyone else.

Kale Chips Variations

I've tried several variations on the recipe that were also great.  Get creative, and share your recipes in the comments below!

Always use olive oil, and try adding:

Parmesan, garlic and lemon juice.

Tamari and nutritional yeast.

Crushed almonds, balsamic vinegar, and bread crumbs.

These days it's trendy to sneak nutritious ingredients into kids' meals.  While I'd prefer that my kids willingly and happily enjoy vegetables in their natural state, I also appreciate the versatility and convenience of a protein-packed sauce.  I love sauces because they make everything taste better and can really complete a meal.  This Yumm! sauce recipe below was introduced to me by friends in Eugene, Oregon where, for obvious reasons, it is all the rage.  Try it over steamed veggies with rice, as a dip for raw carrots and cucumbers, or any other creative use you can think of.  Your kids really will say "Yummmm!!!"

Yumm! Sauce Recipe

• 3/4 c. melted coconut oil (or organic canola oil)
• 1/2 c. roasted almonds
• 2/3 c. nutritional yeast
• 1/2 c. cooked garbanzo beans
• 1/3 c. cooked soybeans
• 1/2 c. filtered water
• 1/2 c. lemon juice
• 2 or more (or many more if you are like me) garlic cloves
• 1 tsp. salt
• 1 tsp. dried oregano
• 1 tsp. dried cilantro (To be honest, I skip this because I am not a cilantro person and it still tastes great.)
• 1.5 tsp. curry powder (optional)

Blend the almonds, beans, and oil in a blender.  Add the rest of the ingredients and puree until creamy and smooth.  Cover and let stand in the fridge for at least an hour.  Or just eat it right away.

Have you ever wanted to make sea vegetables a part of your family's diet but just didn't know how?  Sushi is a common way to get seaweed into a meal, but it can be pretty time consuming.  I love the following recipe because it's really easy to make and totally delicious.  Sea veggies should be a regular part of your diet because they are high in minerals, trace elements, and B vitamins.  The high iodine content in seaweed makes it the ideal choice for anyone with thyroid issues.  And from an Ayurvedic perspective, the cooling energy of vegetables from the sea balance the entire body during the heat of summer.

Seaweed Saute Recipe

The best sea veggies to use in this recipe are hijiki or arame.  They are small and almost the same texture as the noodles they can be served with!

1/2 cup hijiki or arame

3/4 cup grated carrots

3/4 cup diced yellow onion

1 Tbs. coconut oil

1 1/2 tsp. tamari

1 Tbs. raw honey

1/2 tsp. grated ginger

pinch of cayenne

1 tsp. toasted sesame oil

1 Tbs. toasted sesame seeds

1 package of soba, udon, or rice noodles.

Rinse the seaweed with fresh water and then soak for 30 minutes.  Drain and rinse once or twice more. 

Saute the carrots and onions in coconut oil for 3 minutes.  Add seaweed to veggies and toss over heat for 2 minutes.  Add tamari, honey, ginger and cayenne.

Cover and simmer for 10 minutes. Remove cover and simmer away any excess liquid.  Remove from heat and toss with sesame oil and sesame seeds.

Serve over udon, soba or rice noodles.  It's even good cold.  I promise you and your family will love this!

These days just about everyone I know in Santa Fe is either suffering or just recovering from a nasty stomach flu.  It seems these little buggers have become stronger and more obnoxious because hardly any adult or child seems to be immune to it.  When this type of virus strikes, what can you do to shorten its duration?  Here's some natural health tips from various traditions to ease the suffering and an excellent Ayurvedic recipe for your first meal when you're ready to start thinking about food.

Probiotics To The Rescue

One of the most important things you need to do when you come down with a stomach virus is to take a high quality probiotic supplement.  We are exposed to harmful bacteria and viruses all the time, but they only "win" when either they are super-strength bugs, or when our own intestinal immunity is low.

I think it was Gilda Radner on Saturday Night Live who once said "It's always something."  Now it's hexane in my veggie burgers.  Remember hexane? It's an air pollutant and neurotoxin that is a byproduct of gas refining.  Before you start to feel overwhelmed and pessimistic, read on.  There are a few ethical companies who make chemical-free veggie burgers that you can be happy to buy from, or you can take the bigger leap and make your own with this easy, awesome, protein-packed recipe below.

Hexane and Soy

A recent article in Mother Jones magazine publicized an investigation by the Cornucopia Institute into the use of the chemical hexane to produce non-organic soy protein isolate, texturized vegetable protein, and soy protein concentrate.  Hexane became famous as an air pollutant associated with oil refineries and is also a neurotoxin. 

I think a lot of you can relate when I say it can be challenging to figure out what to make for dinner every night. Especially when we're aiming to make something really healthy and tasty, and for the whole family! Recently I got the brilliant idea to throw all my favorite super-nutritious beans and grains in the crockpot and call it chili.  On top of natural corn chips and with lots of fun toppings, this awesome version of a tostada is high in protein, minerals and fiber, and is easy and quick to prepare. This nutrition-packed recipe is sure to become one of your favorites too.

One of the hardest things about doing any kind of cleanse is feeling deprived and hungry. Ayurveda recommends eating a mono diet of the traditional dish called Kitchari while cleansing. It is nourishing and easy to digest. It allows the digestive fire to focus on  burning off old toxins instead of on the new food coming in. Here's a recipe you'll enjoy anytime, whether you're doing a cleanse, recovering from an illness, or simply giving your digestion a much needed break.