Ingredients:

½ cup sesame tahini

2 tablespoons shoyu or tamari

1 tablespoon ume plum vinegar

½ bunch parsley chopped

½ bunch scallions chopped

¾ cup of water (more or less)

Preparation:

1. Put tahini, shoyu/tamari, vinegar, parsley and scallions in food processor.
2. Blend and add water slowly to achieve desired consistency.
3. Platter the steamed greens and top with Tahini sauce or use as dipping sauce for crudité veggies.

This is a great cleansing soup during the cold months of winter. You can double or triple amounts as needed.

• 2 Tbs coconut oil
• 1 medium yellow onion, chopped
• 2 Tbs ginger, peeled and chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, sliced
• 6 medium size carrots, chopped
• 6 cups low sodium vegetable broth
• 2 cups of water
• ¼ teaspoon turmeric
• sea salt and pepper to taste
• chopped chives to garnish (optional)

Directions

1. Saute onion, garlic and ginger in coconut oil until onions translucent.
2. Add carrots and vegetable broth, water and turmeric.
3. Bring to simmer, cover, cook for 30 minutes.
4. Add all ingredients to blender (or use hand blender to stir in pot), add sea salt and pepper to taste, blend until smooth.

This natural detoxifier stimulates digestion, releases toxins from your liver and jumpstarts your digestive enzymes.

• 2 cups warm or room-temperature water
• Juice from 1 lemon
• 1 tablespoon Bragg’s raw apple cider vinegar
• Pinch of cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon raw honey or a couple drops of stevia

Combine the ingredients, stir and enjoy as your first drink of the day.

Squashes and root veggies are in season and if you haven’t tried spaghetti squash yet, now is the time! Spaghetti squash makes for a wonderful alternative to pasta and I love it for Meatless Monday dinners with sauteed tomatoes and kale.

Spaghetti squash possesses an uncanny resemblance to spaghetti strands when cooked, and for this reason is known as vegetable spaghetti, noodle squash, vegetable marrow and “squaghetti”.

Spaghetti squash is a variety of the winter squash and has a mild taste similar to pasta. It is often used as a healthful substitute for pasta due to its low carbohydrate levels. Spaghetti squash can be added to a variety of dishes, such as soups and stews and when served as “spaghetti,” it can be topped with a wide variety of pasta sauces. Spaghetti squash is significantly lower in calories than traditional pasta. A 1-cup serving of cooked spaghetti squash has 42 calories, while 1 cup of cooked pasta has 221 calories. If you are following a low-calorie diet, consider substituting spaghetti squash for pasta. Doing so can save you 180 calories per cup. Spaghetti squash has a high water content. One cup of cooked squash contains 143 grams of water. Foods high in water can increase your daily water intake. They also typically are lower in calories than foods with little or no water content. Spaghetti squash is also a good source of fiber, with 2.2 grams in a 1-cup serving. Spaghetti squash also contains beta carotene, which can help improve eye and skin health, maintain a strong immune system and can help prevent infection.

Ingredients

• 1 medium sized spaghetti squash
• 1 bunch kale, stems removed, leaves chopped into small pieces
• 5 medium garlic cloves, thinly sliced
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 1 quart of cherry tomatoes, halved
• A sprinkle of red pepper flakes
• 2 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 2 Tablespoons refined coconut oil
• Sea salt
• Fresh pepper
• Fresh herbs (optional)

Directions

1. Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees F. First, slice your spaghetti squash in half lengthwise and use a spoon to scrape out the seeds. Drizzle with a little extra virgin olive oil along with a sprinkle of sea salt and black pepper. Place squash face down on a lined baking sheet (I prefer using parchment paper) and cook for about 45 minutes – until tender.
2. While the squash is baking, get the kale, tomatoes, garlic and onion ready. Next, place 2 tablespoons of coconut oil, chopped onion, garlic and red pepper flakes in a pan over medium heat.  Simmer for a few minutes (until garlic begins to brown) and then add tomatoes and kale.  Cook for a few more minutes until tomatoes are tender and kale begins to soften.
3. When squash is done cooking, remove it from the oven and let cool a few minutes so you can handle it without burning yourself. Using a fork, scrape out the insides of squash, which will come apart in strands.  Place strands in a bowl and mix with kale and tomatoes.  Sprinkle with fresh herbs to taste.

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Ingredients

1/2 bunch Kale, stems removed and leaves torn into bite-size pieces
4 large radishes, thinly sliced
2 cups spinach
2 apples of your choice, cored and thinly sliced
1/2 cup pomegranate seeds
3 oz fresh goat cheese, crumbled

Dressing
Whisk together 1 small chopped shallot, 1Tbsp apple cider vinegar, 1 tsp Dijon mustard, 3 Tbsp Extra Virgin Olive oil, sea salt and pepper to taste.

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Get your “carb fix” with this healthier spin on a pasta with pesto. Tyrosine-rich proteins, like quinoa, can help regulate thyroid. Cilantro, a natural detoxifier, helps remove unhealthy metals like mercury and other toxins that may be harming your thyroid function out of your system. This pesto makes a great accompaniment to frittatas, wraps and gluten-free noodles.

• 1 cup quinoa, rinsed
• 2 cups water
• ½ teaspoon sea salt
• ½ bunch cilantro, cleaned
• 1 1-inch piece of ginger, peeled and minced
• ½ cup extra virgin olive oil
• 2 to 3 tablespoons rice vinegar

1. Rinse quinoa in cold water.
2. In a small pot, bring quinoa and 2 cups of water to boil. Add a pinch of sea salt and lower heat to simmer. Cover and cook for 12 to 15 minutes or until all the water evaporates.
3. In a food processor or blender, combine cilantro, ginger, olive oil, rice vinegar and sea salt. Pulse until smooth and creamy.
4. Toss cooked quinoa with cilantro pesto.

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You’ll love this rich, flavorful version of miso soup, hearty enough for a meal. Mushrooms are rich in selenium, copper, zinc and iron, all nutrients that make your thyroid run more efficiently while sulfur-rich scallions are a natural detoxifier. Iodine-rich sea vegetables, like kombu and seaweed, are commonly found at your local Whole Foods in the Asian food section.

Fermented soybean products — miso, tempeh, shoyu, natto, tofu and tamari —are a healthy staple in many Asian cultures and are eaten in SMALL quantities.

Unfortunately in the U.S., we have mass produced soybeans without traditional sprouting or fermenting methods in products like soy protein, soy milks soy nuts, soy meats, which have been linked to thyroid disease, digestive problems, reproductive disorders, cancer and other illnesses.

• 6 cups water
• 1 6-inch piece of kombu (kelp)
• 2 packets bonito flakes (katsuobushi)
• 12 ounces firm tofu, cut into half-inch cubes
• 1 strip wakame seaweed
• 6 shiitake mushrooms, stems discarded and sliced thinly
• 6 tablespoons white miso
• 4 scallions, minced

1. In a large pot, boil water. Add kombu and bonito flakes and boil for 8 minutes.
2. Remove kombu and strain the bonito flakes, so you’re left with clear broth.
3. In the same pot with the clear broth, add cubed tofu, wakame, shiitake mushrooms and cook on medium-high heat for a few minutes.
4. In a small bowl, dissolve the miso paste in a small amount of hot water until creamy, then add the mixture to the soup and cook on low for 3 minutes. Garnish with scallions.

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Dessert can taste decadent without sabotaging your diet or your health. The perfect craving-busters, these one-bite wonders are a sweet, soothing summer treat (no oven required!) or can be dressed up for holiday parties.

• 1 cup raw cacao powder
• 1 cup raw cashews or macadamia nuts
• 1/2 cup real maple syrup
• Water (to mix)
• Shredded unsweetened coconut, chopped nuts, chocolate nibs, raw sugar, cacao powder, ginger or something else you love (optional roll-in ingredients)

1. Mix cashews in a food processor until it forms a powder, slowly adding enough water to create a thick paste.
2. Add maple syrup to cashews and pulse to process. Add cacao powder and pulse to process.
3. Refrigerate four hours or overnight for best results.
4. Form teaspoon-size balls of dough. Coat them in your chosen roll-in ingredients! Makes 25 truffles.

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This is the one time it’s okay to deceive your mother. Blending frozen bananas and cashew butter creates a creamy, sumptuous “ice cream” that doesn’t miss the dairy. Mom will have no clue it’s healthy and you get bonus points for making homemade dessert.

• 3 tablespoons cashew butter (no sugar added)
• 5 frozen bananas
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• Pinch cinnamon
• Chopped cashews (optional topping)
• Coconut flakes (optional topping)
• Organic cacao nibs (optional topping)

1. Combine cashew butter, bananas, vanilla and cinnamon in a Vitamix and blend until creamy consistency. Serve topped with cashews, coconut flakes or cacao nibs.

You can pre-make ice cream and keep in freezer. Defrost 10 to 15 minutes before serving.

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Mother’s Day isn’t complete without a proper toast to mom. This innovative spritzer combines a mom favorite — Earl Gray tea — with bubbles. Pair with it TLC.

• 1/2 cup date sugar
• 1/2 cup water
• 1 Earl Grey tea bag
• 1/2 teaspoon whole coriander seeds
• 1 750 ml bottle prosecco

1. Make syrup by simmering sugar, water and coriander in a medium saucepan until sugar dissolves, about 4 minutes. Remove from heat, add tea bag and steep 2 minutes. Strain and cool.
2. Spoon 2 teaspoons of syrup into each of 6 glasses. Top with prosecco and toast mom in style.