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Citrus Minted Melon

Citrus Minted Melon

This recipe is perfect for the heat of summer when crisp, sweet melon is paired with the cooling freshness of mint and mouthwatering effects of fresh lime.  I also love bringing this dish to a summer barbeque as a delicious, yet simple recipe.

I always have mint growing in the garden at this time of year.  The kids love running over and picking a leaf to munch on while playing outside. I enjoy watching them chew on the various herbs in the garden; mint being their favorite in addition to lemon balm.

Lemon balm is also in the mint family and would be a delicious addition to this dish along with lemon thyme.   Mint is cooling and helps with most stomachaches and can be invigorating to the brain in the essential oil form.  Lemon balm is relaxing to the nerves and perfect for unwinding after a long day in a glass of iced tea. All these herbs are easy to grow.  I recommend growing mint and lemon balm in a pot as they will take over your entire garden if given the opportunity.  I don’t mind having extra mint, so I let it roam at will in my garden.

Mint is one of those herbs that will root itself if you pick a sprig and put it in a vase.  I love mint also for flower arrangements in my summer bouquets.  It will last for a few weeks and by then will have rooted itself.  I often will send my guests home with a fresh bouquet of herbs from my garden so they can plant the mint, sage and rosemary in their gardens in a few weeks.  I especially love this because the plants I have now are ones that my mother originally planted in our garden when I was a child over 25 years ago.  It is so satisfying to send my friends home with a piece of my family history.

How do you pick out a great watermelon? My mom and Kansas-born father taught me how to pick out a good watermelon.  You want the watermelon to sound snappy when you slap it.  It will sound resonant and crisp versus a flat thud.  This is because a ripe, crisp watermelon has tight cells that hold in the juice of the melon.  If the watermelon is overripe the cells will start to degrade and get mushy therefore giving you that flat thud sound. I like to hold the watermelon in both hands.  Then with one hand I slap the melon and see if I get that resonant and crisp snappy sound and feel the vibration that travels through the tight, crisp cells to the other hand.  If it sounds dull and my other hand doesn’t feel a strong vibration I know I have an overripe melon.

Watermelon is rich in a phytonutrient called lycopene.  Lycopene is particularly important in cardiovascular health and some budding research has shown that lycopene may also be important in bone health.  In addition to lycopene,  watermelon has a rich source of an amino acid called citruline.  Citruline can be converted in our kidneys and other organ systems into arginine, which is particularly important in dilation of blood vessels, important in cardiovascular health.  Watermelon holds a power punch of Vitamin C, phenolic antioxidants and flavonoids to boot.  So sit back and create your summer memories with a crisp, sweet, minty and citrus rich bowl of watermelon.

Enjoy!

8 cups of watermelon, cut into cubes
2 large sprigs of mint, stems removed and thinly sliced
1 lime, juiced
Optional: vanilla salt or a dash of sea salt to contrast the sweetness and to draw the flavors of the fruit forward

  1. In a large mixing bowl, combine all ingredients. Gently combine the mint and lime with the watermelon by scraping the sides of the bowl and turning the ingredients inward and repeat several more times until ingredients are well combined.
  2. Serve in a shallow clear, white or green serving bowl if you have one to allow the mint and bright red color of the watermelon to stand out.  No worries of you do not of course.

 

Spring Greens

Spring Greens

Etta and Luca found the Spring greens delectable this past weekend. We went outside between rain showers to bring in Swiss chard, mustard greens and mizuna from our mesclun mix we planted in the Fall. Mesclun is a mix  of young greens ranging from mild to spicy. Many seed companies will make their own signature mesclun mix.  Spring is a perfect time to plant a mix that suits your taste buds as a way to add more leafy greens to your diet. I often recommend leafy greens for many reasons.  Leafy greens are rich in calcium, magnesium, potassium and iron, which make them excellent for the treatment of muscle spasm, constipation, and iron deficiency anemia. Plant based iron is more difficult to absorb compared to iron from red meat so just add lemon to the greens as Vitamin C will help iron to be absorbed in the small intestine.  You can also purchase an organic Spring mix from your local grocery store or farmers market if you do not have a garden.

A little side note, for those individuals who have hypothyroidism, I recommend they limit goitrogenic foods like spinach, cabbage, broccoli and soy (for a more complete list visit whfoods.com and type in goitrogenic foods).  These are typically wonderful for your health, however if you have hypothyroidism, goitrogenic foods can block the production of thyroid hormone.  Steaming goitrogenic foods will reduce their goitrogenicity.  Now say that three times!  Here is a quick salad I made for my family.

Enjoy!

Serves: 4-6

Salad:

5 ounces spring mix
10 medium to large organic strawberries, hulled and sliced
1/4 cup raw or roasted sunflower seeds
Sea salt to taste
Fresh ground pepper to taste

Dressing:

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
2 tablespoons coconut or dairy kefir

  1. In large salad bowl combine the spring mix and strawberries.
  2. In small jar combine the dressing ingredients and whisk until we’ll blended.
  3. Add the desired amount of dressing to the salad mixture and toss. Sprinkle with sunflower seeds salt and grind some fresh ground pepper and serve.

 

 

Purple Cabbage Slaw

Purple Cabbage Slaw

I grew purple cabbage in the garden this year.  I love going into my raised bed garden and grabbing something fresh and flavorful to add some rich color that vegetables bring to the table.  Purple cabbage, also known as red cabbage, is one of my favorites for many reasons.  The antioxidant rich purple color, the anticancer benefits of the brassica family, l-glutamine, an amino acid, richly found in cabbage that helps to heal the gastrointestinal tract, and last but not least, the crisp, sweet flavor!  Here is a go-to recipe I use frequently for a quick and fresh side for my fish, chicken or vege burrito meals. Enjoy!

1/2 medium head purple cabbage, core removed and shredded (thin slices)
1 lime, juiced
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1/2 teaspoon sesame oil
fresh ground pepper and sea salt to taste

Combine all ingredients and toss until evenly blended.  You can easily combine purple cabbage, Savoy and green cabbage to create more color and texture.  This particular evening I combined, homemade black beans, organic flank steak, heirloom tomatoes, avocado and cilantro on the bed of slaw and made a salad.  I also sprinkled the salad with raw sunflower seeds.  My taste buds were very happy!  Leave out the flank steak and substitute chicken, fish or no meat for a more anti-inflammatory meal.

Arugula and Pomegranate Salad with Lemon Ginger Vinaigrette

Arugula and Pomegranate Salad with Lemon Ginger Vinaigrette

I love the peppery bite of arugula.  This leafy green is a native of the Mediterranean and Southern European countries.  It is very rich in minerals like calcium, magnesium and iron and vitamins such as Vitamin A and K.  If you have tense muscles or need extra iron in your diet, arugula is a great addition to any dish.   Make it your main dish by adding fish, chicken, grass fed organic steak or tofu for extra protein.  The lemon in the vinaigrette will enhance the absorption of the iron in leafy greens.  Iron from leafy greens does not absorb as well as heme iron and therefore the acid in lemon can improve iron absorption.  Add grapefruit  and oranges for more flavor, color and Vitamin C during this cold and flu season.

Enjoy!

Serves: 4-6

Arugula Salad

5 ounces arugula, about 6 cups
1/2 pomegranate, seeded
1 cup cherry tomatoes, cut in half

Vinaigrette

3/4 cup extra virgin olive oil or walnut oil
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon fresh ginger, peeled and grated
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon honey

  1. In a large salad bowl, combine all salad ingredients.
  2. In a small mixing bowl, combine all vinaigrette ingredients and whisk until evenly blended.  Drizzle and toss the salad until the desired amount of dressing has coated the greens evenly.
  3. Finish the salad with fresh cracked pepper and a dash of sea salt and toss once more.

 

Purple Cabbage and Tart Apple Slaw with Creamy Ginger Dressing

Purple Cabbage and Tart Apple Slaw with Creamy Ginger Dressing

This is a simple and colorful dish to add to your table.  Whether you are serving just your household or a large crowd, this is easily prepared in minutes and is beautiful with the vibrant purple cabbage and green from the apple.  Cabbage is part of the brassica family, which is well known for its anti-cancer properties.  Also, the amino acid L-glutamine is richly found in cabbage.  L-glutamine is prescribed regularly in my clinic in diet and supplement form due to its healing properties in the intestinal tract.                           

Serves: 6-8

Slaw                                                                                                                                       

1 medium purple cabbage, cut into quarters, remove stem and shave into thin slice
2 medium apples, Granny Smith or the apple of your choice, cored and cut into thin slices

Dressing                                                                                                                                                          

¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
3 tablespoons organic cider vinegar
1 tablespoon fresh ginger, peel removed and grated
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
2 teaspoons honey
¼ teaspoon sea salt
½ teaspoon fresh ground pepper

  1. Place the cabbage and apple in a large salad bowl and set aside.
  2. In a small mixing bowl combine all dressing ingredients and whisk until evenly emulsified.  Pour desired amount of dressing over the cabbage and apple mixture and toss until evenly coated 10 minutes before serving.