I love this garlicky kale salad—it is a staple at my table, especially during warm weather months! Kale contains glucosinolates, natural compounds that support the body’s detoxification process, helping the liver to filter out harmful toxins. Kale also contains indole, a compound that may help prevent non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) by reducing inflammation in the liver.

For the Kale Salad:

2 large bunches of Lacinato kale, remove kale leaves from stem, leaving as intact as possible. Discard stems.

2 to 3 handfuls of toasted pine nuts

Optional: 2 to 3 tablespoons of organic currants

For the kale: Place kale in a large bowl; add filtered water and rinse well. Spin dry.  Stack several kale leaves on top of each other, roll tightly into a cigar shape. Use a well-sharpened chef’s knife and slice the rolled leaves finely from one end of the “cigar” to the other. This results in thin strips—or “ribbons”—of kale. When you are finished stacking and slicing kale into ribbons, place in a large salad bowl.

For the pine nuts:. Preheat oven to 350°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Place a few handfuls of pine nuts on the baking sheet. Roast for apx. 8 minutes or until the pine nuts are golden-brown—but not burnt!  Sprinkle pine nuts over kale.

Place kale, toasted pine nuts and currents (if desired) in a large salad bowl, and toss with creamy lemon-tahini vinaigrette (recipe below).

Creamy Lemon-Tahini Dressing:

1-1/2 to 2 tablespoons minced garlic

2 tablespoons organic tahini (sesame paste)

1/2 teaspoon Celtic sea salt, or to taste

Freshly ground black pepper, to taste

5 tablespoons of fresh-squeezed organic lemon juice (apx. 1-1/2 organic lemons)

6 tablespoons of high-quality extra-virgin olive oil

Place all ingredients in a glass Pyrex measuring cup and whisk together well.

Steamed Lemon-Ginger Broccoli

Serves 4

2 to 2-1/2 pounds organic broccoli, both floret and stalk

2 to 3 tablespoons minced gingerroot

1 shallot, minced

1 teaspoon Celtic sea salt

Juice of 1 organic lemon

Trim and discard end of broccoli stalk. Separate florets from the stalk. Using a chef’s knife, carefully remove woody parts from stalk; then, slice broccoli stalk thinly on the diagonal. Cut broccoli florets into small pieces.

Place all chopped broccoli in a large bowl. Fill bowl with filtered water. Wash broccoli well, drain in a colander, and set aside.

Bring 1 quart (4 cups) of water to a boil in a 5-quart stainless steel Dutch oven.

Place a collapsible stainless steel steamer in the Dutch oven.

Add broccoli. Reduce heat to medium-high. Cover and steam for apx. 3 minutes.

Remove cover. Stir broccoli to ensure even steaming. Reduce heat to medium-low. Cover and steam another 15 minutes, or until broccoli is soft and easily pierced with a knife.

Using a slotted spoon, transfer the broccoli from the steamer to a 2-quart (64 ounces) Apilco souffle bowl.

Add minced gingerroot, Celtic sea salt, shallot and lemon juice. Combine until mixed well.  Cover until ready to serve. Ideally, serve warm.

One of my favorite go-to comfort dishes, especially when it’s cold outside, is this delicious and nourishing red cabbage and bison ragu.

Red Cabbage and Bison Ragu

Large head (3-4 lbs.) red cabbage, ideally, organic
4 medium yellow onions, finely diced
1 pound ground bison (buffalo)
2 generous tablespoons ground cumin
4 to 6 tablespoons raw apple cider vinegar
2 teaspoons Celtic sea salt, or to taste
4 to 4-1/2 cups (32 oz to 40 oz) homemade, organic chicken broth
*If store-bought chicken broth, be sure to get low-sodium or no added salt.

2 tablespoons duck fat

To prepare cabbage:

Remove the outer leaves of the head, especially if there are any hard, curled or bruised leaves.

Stand the cabbage vertically (white core side down) on a cutting board. Using a sharp chef’s knife’s, cut cabbage in half vertically. Then cut each half vertically again (you will have 4 wedges). Remove the hard white core from each cabbage wedge.

Slice each of the cabbage wedges into shreds, as thin as possible. (It does not matter whether you slice cabbage wedges horizontally or vertically).

Note: if you don’t want to slice the cabbage by hand, you can also shred using a mandolin or using a food processor that has a shredding attachment.

To cook the ragu:

In a large Dutch oven (5 quart or more), melt duck fat over medium-high heat. When the duck fat is hot (flick in a drop of water; if duck fat is hot enough, water will sizzle) but not smoking, add the finely diced onion. Cook onions, stirring frequently, until golden, apx. 8 mins. If onions begin sticking to the pan, add some stock to deglaze.

Once onions have browned, add shredded cabbage. Combine well with onions. Add apx. 2 cups of chicken broth, stir well. Cover. Cook cabbage and onions about 3 mins. over medium-high heat.

Uncover. Stir cabbage well. Lower heat to medium-low. Cover and cook apx. 10 mins.

Uncover. Stir cabbage well. Add another 2 cups of chicken broth. Combine well. Cover and cook another 10 mins. over medium-low heat.

Uncover. Stir in 2 tablespoons of ground cumin and 1 teaspoon of Celtic sea salt. Blend well. Stir in 5 tablespoons of raw apple cider vinegar. Add the ground bison. Break meat up well, stirring into cabbage mixture until there is no more visible pink (this will take 1-2 mins. since bison is a game meat and cooks very quickly).

Cover. Turn heat to low. Cook another 15 minutes—or up to an hour (or more) over low heat. *Braised dishes take well to long, slow gentle cooking over low heat.

When ready to serve, season ragu with 1 teaspoon of Celtic sea salt, or to taste.

Serve with cooked zoodles (zucchini noodles) or steamed broccoli and a fresh, organic mixed green salad.

Although I’m not a fan of the common cabbage, I happen to love Brussels sprouts, which, incidentally, rank #1 among America’s “most hated vegetables” according to a 2008 research study conducted by Heinz. They’re gaining an appreciative eater-ship though: earlier this year, Forbes magazine included Brussels sprouts in their “Top 10 Food Trends for 2014”.

I have a bitter bud, so I appreciate Brussels sprouts’ earthy, slightly bitter flavor, which our bodies tend to crave during cold weather months. There’s no denying, however, that Brussels sprouts, a member of the Brassica family, can stink of sulfur—and they will, especially, if you overcook them via steaming or boiling. But that pungent odor is a good thing: it comes from a type of glucosinate, a sulfur-containing compound that helps fight cancer.

Brussels sprouts are the perfect late fall to winter vegetable—hearty, yet low in calories, flavorful, and versatile. They’re also an immune-boosting food, containing double the amount of Vitamin C than found in an orange. A good source of fiber, vitamin K1, manganese, potassium, choline and B vitamins, Brussels sprouts also contain D3T, a rare sulfur-containing compound, that helps your body ward off chronic oxidative stress, linked to cancer and other chronic diseases.

High in fiber, Brussels sprouts help move things along in the digestive tract and may help reduce risk of colon cancer. If you’re not a fan of Brussels sprouts (or if you find their cruciferous odor offensive), then don’t boil or steam them, two cooking methods that can exacerbate the sulfur “aroma”.

My favorite way of cooking Brussels sprouts is to roast them. This way, they caramelize, which tames the bitterness—and their strong smell. The following recipe, which combines Brussels sprouts with two other naturally sweet vegetables—carrots and onions—is a classic at my Thanksgiving table every year. The nutritional yeast (rich in B vitamins) adds a subtle “cheese” flavor to the dish.
 

Roasted Brussel Sprouts and Carrots

 
1-1/2 to 2 pounds brussel sprouts, bottoms trimmed and halved lengthwise
(quarter if they’re big sprouts)
2 medium carrots, peeled and minced (use food processor)
1 medium onion, finely hopped
1-1/2 tablespoons olive oil
Optional:  1-1/2 tablespoons nutritional yeast
*NOTE:  I do not recommend using nutritional yeast if you have candida (yeast overgrowth)
1 teaspoon Celtic sea salt, and more to taste, if desired

Freshly ground pepper
Garnish: 1 cup parsley chopped

Preheat oven to 450 degrees F.

Combine Brussels sprouts, carrots, onion, nutritional yeast, olive oil and 1/2 teaspoon Celtic sea salt, tossing well. Arrange Brussels sprout mixture in single layer in two 9×13 inch Pyrex glass baking dish or ovenproof baking pan.

Place pans on top rack of the oven and roast for 20 minutes, or until Brussels sprouts brown slightly.

Remove pans from the oven, add 1/4 to 1/3 cup water to each pan and deglaze. Return to oven and cook another 5-8 minutes.

Remove pan from oven. If the Brussels sprouts are sticking to the pan, add a little water to deglaze. Toss with chopped parsley and remaining 1/2 teaspoon of Celtic sea salt, adding more to taste, if desired.

Serve warm, or at room temperature.