Food Friday: Summer Pesto Pasta

Do you love pesto as much as I do? It is so easy to make and so fresh tasting in the spring and summer. I love it store bought, but it is sooo much better prepared yourself.

This recipe is so fresh. It is gluten free, grain free (depending on what pasta you use), dairy free and really delicious! This one is an easy recipe to whip up on a weeknight and great for leftovers. It can be eaten hot or cold depending on what you prefer.

Serves 2

Ingredients:

• 1 cup basil

• 1/2 cup hemp hearts

• 1 garlic clove

• pinch of sea salt

• juice of 1 lemon

• 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil (not light olive oil)

• 1/2 bunch asparagus, cut into 1-2 inch pieces

• 1/2 cup peas, thawed or fresh

• 2 big radishes, sliced into half rounds

• 2 cups pasta (Chickapea is a great option from Costco)

Directions:

Blend basil, hemp hearts, garlic, sea salt, lemon juice and olive oil in a mini food processor or blender until desired consistency. Cook pasta in salta water according to directions. Add asparagus to salted boiling water, simmer covered for 3 minutes, then drain. Toss all ingredients together with enough pesto to your liking (I like a lot!), then enjoy!

Do you have a favourite pesto recipe? I’d love to hear it.

In health & happiness,

Dr. Karen

Egg Roll in a Bowl

This recipe is a go to for me when I am craving LOTS of veggies and a quick meal to make. It is great if you’ve had a few meals lacking in the unstarchy veggie category (that which we should be eating at least 2 big handfuls a day of). It makes lots of leftovers for lunches the next day. This recipe was inspired by @feedingthefrasers passed onto me by my sister.

Ingredients:

• 1lb ground beef (I use organic or local sourced)

• 2 tsp fresh garlic

• 2 tsp ginger, grated

• 4 cups napa cabbage, sliced

• 1 bunch bok choy, sliced

• 1 small yellow onion, sliced thin

• 1 cup carrot, shredded

• 4 oz sliced shitake mushrooms

• 1/4 cup Braggs gf soy souce/tamari/liquid aminos

• 1 tbsp rice wine

• 1 tsp-1 tbsp toasted sesame oil

• 2 tsp sesame seeds, toasted

• 3 green onions, sliced

• pinch of red pepper flakes

• sriracha - optional

Directions:

1. Heat 1 tsp olive oil or sesame oil in a large deep dish pan on medium-high. Once hot add ground meat. As it cooks break up into small crumbles and cook until no longer pink. about 6-8 minutes.

2. Add in ginger and garlic, stir and cook 1 minute until fragrant. Add in cabbage, bok choy, onion, carrot, mushrooms. Toss carefully to combine. You may need to add this in batches. It starts to wilt giving you more space. Pour in soy sauce, rice wine and sesame oil. Toss frequently until cabbage and bok chop start to wilt.

3. Remove from heat and garnish with green onions, sesame seeds and sriracha (optional for a little spice).

Quick, simple and delicious. Enjoy!

In health & happiness,

Dr. Karen

Food Friday: Old-Fashioned Oatmeal Coconut Cookies

Don't get me wrong I love chocolate in my cookies but these are a great alternative for a "healthy" treat at tea time. Ok, not so healthy with 1 cup of sugar in them, but the oats are a great source of fibre for gut health from their beta-glucans. Beta-glucans are prebiotics that are fermented by the good bugs in our gut. In that fermentation process, the bugs produce short chain fatty acids, such as butyrate, which provides energy for the intestinal cells. Beta-glucans also increase the viscosity of our food moving through the intestines, allowing more time for nutrient digestion and absorption.

On to the recipe!

Ingredients:

• 1 cup butter (or vegan butter in my case)

• 1/2 cup coconut sugar (or whatever you have at this point!)

• 1/2 cup lightly packed brown sugar

• 1 egg

• 1 tsp vanilla

• 1 cup shredded unsweetened coconut

• 1 1/2 cups gluten free flour (or spelt flour - both are delicious)

• 1 1/2 cups oats (large flake or quick)

• 1 tsp baking powder

• 1 tsp baking soda

• 1/4 tsp salt

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 375F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

2. Beat the butter, sugar & brown sugar until light and fluffy, around 1-2 minutes (By hand like me or with electric mixer). Add the egg & vanilla and mix/beat again to combine. Add the remaining ingredients & mix until well combined and the mixture sticks together, around 1 minute.

3. Scoop about 2 tbsp of dough into a ball, rolling with your hands (or use an ice cream scoop), and place them evenly spaced on the prepared baking sheet (work in batches). Press down lightly with your hands to slightly flatten the cookies. Bake until lightly golden brown around the edges, 8-10 minutes. Remove from the oven, transfer the cookies to a cooling rack, and repeat with the remaining dough.

4. Enjoy!

In health & happiness,

Dr. Karen

(Recipe adapted from fraicheliving.com)

Constipation - What moves your bowels?

Regular bowels are an important sign of good health. Our bowels are a primary function of elimination and detox. When this is backed up, we start to use secondary organs of elimination such as your skin, or lungs...which is not ideal. ⠀

Do you suffer from constipation? Check out the bristol stool chart if you haven't seen it before. Constipation could mean daily hard to pass stool, or not going for several days. ⠀

Why are you constipated?

1. There could be an imbalance of bacteria in your gut, aka SIBO, or yeast overgrowth.

2. You could have stagnation of bile from the liver/gallbladder, which is very important to stimulate bowels. ⠀

3. You could have a low fibre diet (but this gets quite complicated for those who have experienced constipation for awhile - due to point #1 typically). ⠀

4. You are not stimulating movement of bowels by moving your whole body. Exercise and twists are key here. ⠀

5. You are STRESSED! If our body is stressed our muscles tighten, including our digestive tract.

What moves our bowels?

1. Get into a routine - We detox during the night for the most part, since our body is at rest, so the morning is when the cycle should be completed, aka a bowel movement. If you wake at the same time each morning, after a good night sleep, your body should start getting into a rhythm and you shouldn’t need extra support. Try it!

2. Try extra support - Try a mug of warm water with lemon. It helps to stimulate liver detox and the warm water gets your intestines warmed up (like a warm up before a big run). Your morning coffee may do the trick as well since it is bitter. Bitters stimulate stomach acid, enzymes and bile secretion, all essential for proper digestion and bowels.

3. Exercise and twist - The simple twist I’m doing above is one way to stimulate the bowels. It’s like wringing out a towel and moves things through. Exercise gets lymph moving, helpful for detox.

4. Hydration - The bowels absorb water to bulk up the stool. This then creates a signal to stimulate a bowel movement. Hydrate with lots of water throughout the day (ideally not ice water, and not just during meals!)

5. Get rid of bad bacteria - Methanobacteria are among those typically high with constipation. Bifido bacteria tend to be low with constipation. These are only 2 patterns I see in practice as it depends on the individual. We ultimately need to eliminate an overgrowth with antimicrobial herbs and a specific diet, then increase the beneficial bugs with supplements or food.

6. Stimulate bile flow - Bile is crucial for proper bowel stimulation. If it is trickling out too often and irritating bowels it can cause diarrhea, and if it is stagnant in the gallbladder (or liver if you don’t have a gallbladder) constipation tends to happen. Simple diet hacks, fibre, cholagogue herbs, and nutrients such as lecithin, and phosphatidylcholine all help to stimulate bile. Cholagogue herbs include milk thistle, burdock, dandelion or artichoke.

7. Relax - I know this is easier said that done but this is key! Deep belly breathing goes a long way to stimulate the vagus nerve ultimately stimulating your bowels.

Questions about constipation? Let me know!

In health & happiness,

Dr. Karen