Sweet Potato + Parsnip Bone Broth Soup

March 2, 2018 Helene Trager-Kusman

Crispy Brussel Sprouts are one of my favorite creamy soup toppings

While this recipe was made with bone broth, which I am going to be focusing on highlighting the benefits of, it can be made vegan by subbing the bone broth for vegetable broth and will still taste delicious! Since I am not vegan, but do avoid dairy, sugar and soy, I was excited to discover the Bone Broth Diet featured in the new Osso Good Bones cookbook. I don't follow any particular diet besides just eating the foods that I have learned make me feel best, but it is so helpful when I find a collection of recipes that align with the foods I generally try to incorporate and avoid! In terms of the actual bone broth, I love that Osso Good Bones was developed by an herbalist who incorporates ancient Chinese herbs, is made with tons of fresh veggies and comes from trusted meat sources.

The cookbook inspired me to incorporate more bone broth into my diet and use it in some of my favorite recipes. This recipe is one that I created using a few of my favorite winter root veggies and almond milk as a dairy alternative to making cream based soup!

So why include bone broth in this recipe and try incorporating it in your diet? Bone broth:

Boosts immunity
Helps digestion
Improves skin, bone, nail and hair health
Is anti-inflammatory
Has been shown to improve sleep cycles and overall energy

Ingredients:

2.5 pounds sweet potatoes
5 small or 2-3 large parsnips
1 onion
4.5 c Osso Good Bone Broth or any chicken/beef bone broth
1.5 c almond milk
1 tsp cinnamon
salt/pepper
Optional: brussel sprouts, coconut yogurt and/or avocado for topping

Method:

Chop up the potatoes, parsnips and onion
If using a slow cooker, put all of the ingredients except the almond milk in the slow cooker on high for 5.5 hours. If not using a slow cooker, roast the veggies at 400 degrees under very tender.
If you have an immersion blender, add the almond milk to the slow cooker and puree all ingredients in the slow cooker with the blender. Add all the ingredients and blend in a large pot if you did not use the slow cooker.
If you do not have an immersion blender, add a little bit of the stew-like concoction to a high speed blender and puree in 4 batches. Add salt and pepper to taste as you are blending.
Optional: chop up brussel sprouts and roast with oil, salt and pepper at 400 degrees until crisp. Use the crisp leaves as a topping.
Optional: top with coconut yogurt and/or avocado

Try swirling in coconut yogurt and a few slices of avocado for another topping option

Delicata Squash + Kale Salad with Yogurt Dressing

December 7, 2017 Helene Trager-Kusman

Fruit, nut, root veggie, something creamy and green is a great formula for a cold weather salad

What's your favorite squash? I have always loved butternut in salads or frittatas, spaghetti squash for a base of a hearty meal and acorn squash to roast whole and stuff with protein. This Fall, I started loving delicata squash as it seems to have been popping up in dishes everywhere. The flavor is less sweet than butternut squash and I kind of like that for doing a fruit/squash salad so that it compliments the fruit, which in this case is pear. Adding a creamy element like a cheese or nut cheese is where I would usually go with a salad like this, but in this recipe, I decided to make a yogurt dressing from my favorite coconut yogurt. This is a great dish to bring along for holiday meals because besides the dressing, it can stay in the car, sitting on a counter at room temp until the meal is served.

Yogurt dressing adds just the right amount of creaminess to the salad

Ingredients:

1 large delicata squash (or container of pre-chopped)
1 large bunch tuscan kale
1 cup raw pecan pieces
2 tbsp yogurt (I use coconut- you can use real yogurt if you prefer)
1 pear
1 lemon
cooking oil of choice (I use avocado oil)
salt/pepper

Method:

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees wile you slice open, deseed and chop up the squash. Leave the skin on- it will soften when it cooks.
Spread the squash pieces in a single layer onto a baking sheet and toss in oil, salt and pepper
Roast in the oven until fork tender and browned on either side- flip with a spatula around 20 minutes in
Thinly slice the pear- depending how thin you slice it, you may only use part of it
Wash, destem and tear up the kale
Combine the yogurt with the juice of the lemon. Whisk. Add salt and pepper to taste. Whisk. You may need to add more yogurt if it is too thin. You may want to add a little honey if you use regular yogurt that is unsweetened since the coconut has some natural sweetness.
Once the squash is fork tender and done roasted, toss all of the ingredients together in a large bowl. Wait to add the dressing until you serve.

Tomato Beet Everything Sauce

March 21, 2017 Helene Trager-Kusman

Incorporate your own local ingredients- here I have some local organic beets from my market and a local jar of diced tomato's sold here in Kentucky

After years of trial and error figuring out what and why I had stomach issues, I finally took a LEAP (sorry- had to) and did the LEAP mRT (mediator release test) which tests your blood's reaction to dozens of common foods to identify how you react with them. Foods I had noticed such as whey (in all dairy) came up as having a negative reaction, however foods I had never known, such as onions, yeast and soy also came back with a negative reaction, suggesting I should avoid them.

Hence, what led me to playing around with lots of new foods! Pasta (which allowed me to incorporate rice and quinoa flour- two of my best reacting grains) became my go to carb since finding bread, crackers and other carbs was tricky with my limited ingredients. Making tomato sauce came next, since it is close to impossible to find one sans onions! That is why you will find that my recipe does not include onions. I think it is flavorful without them, but you can simplify this recipe by including a pre-made (clean) marinara sauce and simmering it with the beets or more difficult by using an alternate sauce recipe you like and combining it with the beet concept.

Eating pasta is so different from my usual veggie packed salad dinners, so I was trying to find ways to sneak in some of my good reacting veggies in my meal. After searching through recipes I found that a number of people were putting beets in their marinara (this is not my original idea, just recipe!). I tried a few peoples recipes and did not have success with any of them. The taste or method just didn't work for me, so I came up with my own more simple one you will find below. This recipe is adapted to foods that make me feel goods but feel free to swap in or out spices or root vegetables based on your needs! See ideas for using the sauce underneath the recipe based on paleo, vegetarian or plant based diets.

I prefer the taste of golden beets to red beets- they taste more mild to me, so I use them in most of my beet recipes including this sauce, but you can use either!

Ingredients:

Diced tomatos (jar or can(s)- about 24 ounces)
Cooking oil of choice
Garlic cloves- I am a huge garlic lover so I used a LOT but I would say use at least 5
salt/pepper
1 tbsp dried oregano (you can also add dried thyme)
2-3 small beets

Method:

Mince garlic and sautée in a small sauce pan with some oil of choice
Add other ingredients and stir occasionally while bringing sauce to a simmer
Once simmering, cover and leave on the stove for about 45 minutes (the main thing is that the beets need to be fork tender). Check on sauce every 5 minutes or so to stir (I usually make it while prepping other food in the kitchen)
Once the beets are fork tender, transfer the sauce from the pan to the blender. Be careful! I do it with a spoon until the very bottom.
Blend for just a few seconds if you want it chunky and for longer if you want it smooth. Refrigerate or freeze for later use.
Use for anything you would use a tomato based sauce such as on a flatbread, taco or pita, or as a marinara sauce on meatballs or a plant based pasta meal (see examples below!)

Beets, garlic, spices and tomatoes are quickly blended depending on desired consistency (I like 6-7 seconds!)

For a vegan and gluten free meal, top quinoa/brown rice pasta with sauce and Kite Hill almond milk ricotta

For a paleo/dairy free/grain free meal try it with meat and greens

Corn tortillas with fried eggs, sautéed spinach, avocado, tomato everything sauce, salt and pepper