Asian Chicken Salad

Asian Chicken Salad

Fresh, filling and full of flavor! You are going to love this salad!

Recipe

3 oranges, with the pith and membrane cut away from the wedges

1/3 cup rice vinegar

3 tablespoons coconut aminos

1 tablespoon chili garlic sauce

3 tablespoons fresh minced ginger

1 tablespoon honey

3 tablespoons liquid coconut oil

2 teaspoons toasted sesame seed oil

1 rotisserie chicken shredded

1 head Napa cabbage sliced thin

2 red bell peppers, chopped

1 cup fresh cilantro leaves, chopped

1 bunch scallion, chopped

1/2 to 1 cup cashew halves

After removing the pith and membrane from the oranges, squeeze the rest of the juice out of the oranges to equal 6 tablespoons.  In a separate bowl, make the sauce by whisking the vinegar, coconut aminos, ginger, chili garlic sauce, honey, orange juice, and oils together. In a large bowl mix together the chicken, cabbage, peppers, cilantro, scallions and cashews together. Pour the dressing over the top and mix with tongs. Serve immediately.

 

Thanksgiving Dinner Menu

Thanksgiving Spread

Here is a list of all our favorite Thanksgiving recipes in one place. Starters, desserts, sides and of course the turkey! We also like to serve cranberry juice, white grape juice, eggnog and raspberry jello with fresh raspberries inside and out, topped with whip cream.

Perfect Thanksgiving Turkey

Cranberry Relish

Batter Rolls

Stuffing

Sweet Potato Casserole

Fluffy Mashed Potatoes

French Green Beans with Caramelized Onions

Rosemary Glazed Carrots

Mom’s Clam Dip

Homemade Cheese Ball

Veggie Tray with Organic Ranch Dip

Pumpkin Pie

Brown Bag Apple Pie

Chocolate Caramel Silk Pie

Raspberry Chiffon Pie

 

Veggie Tray with Organic Ranch Dip (Paleo option)

veggie tray with dip

A great addition to any party or gathering. Fresh, healthy and delicious!

Recipe

Chopped vegetables like cucumbers, celery, peppers, carrots, radishes, tomatoes etc.

2 cloves garlic, crushed

3 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped

2 tablespoons fresh chives, chopped

2 tablespoons fresh dill, chopped

1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

1/2 teaspoon sea salt

2 cups sour cream

OR

1 cup Avocado mayo

1/2 cup coconut milk

Blend together the ingredients with either the sour cream OR the mayo and coconut milk. Chill for an hour or up to 3 days. Arrange the veggies on the tray and serve with the dip.

Medicinal Herb – Wild Choke Cherry with Wild Cherry Cough Syrup

chooke cherry shrub

Medicinal Herb Post #41 Wild Choke Cherry – Prunus virginiana and other species

Along a wild path that is now a dry creek near my home, leading up into the mountains several miles away, there are a several wild choke cherry shrub like trees. Choke cherries grow everywhere from the Rocky Mountains to California, N. Arizona and up through Washington. They tend to grow near river banks and canyon bottoms. Choke Cherries flower in the spring and produce dark purple berries in the fall.  The fruit is quite astringent leaving the mouth to pucker when eaten raw.  Once they are cooked they have a much sweeter taste. Although the fruit contains antioxidants, are nutritious and can help with digestions and bouts of diarrhea, the medicine lies within the inner bark of the plant.  This plant contains cyanide so it’s important to harvest the inner bark in the fall after the berries have ripened indicating the cyanide is in the seeds. Don’t worry, after they are cooked there is no cyanide left. Besides you won’t be using the seeds when making a syrup.

The inner bark is fabulous for dry hacking coughs that aren’t productive and serve no purpose. It is really good for protecting the cilia found within the bronchi as a cough suppressant for dry mucous membranes, pertussis, irritable coughs, bronchitis and even lung cancer.  Combine wild choke cherries and the inner bark with elderberries for a powerful antiviral, immune-enhancing medicine. Or combine it with elecampane root and pleurisy root for deep bronchial infections that won’t go away. Use with mullein leaf and marshmallow root for irritated inflamed tissues within the respiratory tract. It’s is also known to reduce aches and pains caused by fevers. As you can gather it is a great herb for colds and the flu. It has also been known to help break up stones in the kidneys.

This fall I harvested several pounds of choke cherries just outside my door and made a delicious wild cherry bark syrup with the berries for flavor and depth.

Recipe
4 cups choke cherries
4 cups water or more if needed
1 cup wild cherry bark
1 cup raw honey
1/2 teaspoon almond extract

Make a decoction by simmering the choke cherries, water, and wild cherry bark until cooked down to 1 cup strong liquid. Strain and press out remaining juice from the cherries.

cooked choke cherry

 

Add the honey and almond extract. Stir and place in pint jar. Keep in the fridge for up to 6 months. You can add 1/4 cup brandy to extend the shelf life if you like.

choke cherry syrup

 

For young children take anywhere from 1-2 teaspoons every few hours as needed. For adults take 1 tablespoon 3-4x a day.

Homemade Bourbon Vanilla

homemeade vanilla

The cost of vanilla is out of control right now. Costco has their Madagascar vanilla beans (5 in a package) for around $15 this time of year. So I went and bought some good bourbon whiskey and decided to make my own. It’s pretty easy. All you need is a bit of time.

Recipe

750 ml – 90 proof (45%) Bourbon Whiskey

10 vanilla beans

Split the vanilla beans down the middle to expose the seeds. Cut in half and place straight into the bottle of bourbon. Put the lid on and keep on the back shelf up high out of the reach of children. Allow to extract for 6 months before using.

Medicinal Herb – Thyme

Thyme plant
Medicinal Herb Post #37 written on July 31, 2018

Thyme – Thymus vulgaris

Thyme is one of my favorite sun loving perennial herbs for cooking, but did you know it’s a powerful medicinal too? It loves our alkaline soil here in Utah and there are lots of varieties to choose from. If you want the most medicinal, choose the common garden thyme (thymus vulgaris) or lemon thyme (T. citriodorus). As the plant matures it will become woody. Prune it heavily in the spring before new growth starts (about half). I like to keep it trimmed so new soft growth continues throughout the growing season.

Thyme has many great benefits. It’s a powerful antibiotic, antiseptic, antispasmodic and expectorant making it a perfect herb for all things respiratory, including difficult issues like whooping cough. For respiratory problems I would make a tea with it and drink 1 cup several times a day. It can be used internally or externally as a wash to fight off infection. It’s incredibly useful for disinfecting surfaces. Try making my recipe for the perfect disinfectant/deodorizer by pouring half white vinegar and half hydrogen peroxide into a bottle. Add thyme, eucalyptus and pine essential oils together. Other great essential oil combos to use for cleaning are lemon, orange and tea tree; And rosemary, cinnamon, clove, orange and eucalyptus. It really works well for anything!… I’m talking the worst of the worst especially with kids. Thyme is also great for digestive issues, including expelling parasites.

I love making a syrup infused with honey and thyme. Add 4 ounces fresh thyme herb to 1 quart of water. Simmer on very low heat until the liquid had reduced to half and strain. Add 1 cup of honey and store in the fridge for a month. Take 1 teaspoon every few hours until cold/cough stops. Feel free to add other herbs to make a cough syrup like wild cherry bark, chamomile, ginger, hyssop, licorice root, marshmallow root, mullein leaf, and red clover.

I cook with thyme a lot. Here are some favorites of mine.
https://rootedemily.com/?p=1565
https://rootedemily.com/?p=1100
https://rootedemily.com/?p=712
Try this recipe with lemon thyme:
https://rootedemily.com/?p=463

I’d love to hear how you use thyme!

 

 

 

My Favorite Summer Breakfast… or Lunch

My Favorite Summer Breakfast

I love fresh eggs, basil and tomatoes all from my own backyard!  This meal is filling, packed with protein and has amazing flavor!

Recipe

1 Ezekiel Sprouted Whole Grain English muffin, toasted and buttered or with avocado slices

2-3 eggs scrambled with onion powder, sea salt, pepper and a little mozzarella cheese

2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil

1/2 cup grape tomatoes, cut in half

Mango Mint Chicken Salad with Creamy Avocado Dressing

Mango Mint Chicken Salad

This flavorful salad is a healthy and delicious spring/summer meal for the family or a gathering!

Recipe

Marinate 4 chicken breasts for at least 2 up to 24 hrs in:
1/2 cup good olive oil
1/4 cup white wine vinegar
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
Salt and pepper to taste

Grill chicken when ready

For the dressing blend together:
1 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 mango, peeled and pitted
1/4 cup fresh cilantro
1/4 cup fresh mint
1 teaspoons curry powder
1 tablespoon white wine vinegar or juice of 1 lemon
2-4 tablespoons honey
Salt and pepper to taste

For the salad
2 ripe avocados, sliced
1 peeled and sliced mango
1/4 thinly sliced red onion
As much spring mix as you want to use
Chopped basil as a garnish

Lavender Lemonade

Lavender Lemonade

You would be surprised at how good this refreshing drink tastes if you haven’t tried it before!  I love Costco’s organic lemonade for this recipe!

Recipe

Make a strong lavender tea by placing 1 tablespoon dried lavender buds into a mesh tea ball or muslin satchel.  Set aside and boil 1 cup water, remove from heat and allow the mesh ball filled with the herb to steep in the hot water for 20-30 minutes.  Pour the tea into a half gallon of your favorite lemonade and serve over ice.  Enjoy!

Fresh Basil Pesto

Basil-Pesto

Nothing says summer like homemade fresh basil pesto!  I love to make mine with almonds instead of pine nuts because it tastes better and is a whole lot cheaper!  I use it on sandwiches, appetizers, in soups and pasta!

Recipe

1 cup raw almonds

1 – 2 cups good quality olive oil

4 cups fresh basil

1 cup Parmesan cheese

Juice of 2 lemons

1-2 cloves garlic

Sea salt for taste

In a food processor blend the almonds until it becomes fine meal.  Add 1 cup olive oil and the basil.  Check the consistency and add more oil if too thick.  Add the Parm, lemon juice, garlic and salt.  Taste and check to see if more salt or oil is needed.