spices

Roasted Veggie Bowl with Dukkha

~ beckijuice ~ Leave a comment

This veggie bowl is a constant in my life, I eat it at least a couple times a week for breakfast or lunch.  The combinations are endless, I just used what was leftover from my weekly CSA from Johnson’s Backyard Garden.  Top with a couple fried eggs, leftover quinoa, or shredded chicken to make it a meal.  Choose vegetables with contrasting colors to make your bowl look appealing and cover a broad spectrum of phytonutrients!

Dukkah is an Egyptian spice blend that is crazy versatile.  You can change this up as well, depending on what you have on hand.  Use whole spices so that you can toast them for maximum flavor.  Save any leftovers to sprinkle on hard boiled eggs!

IMG_5547For the dukkha spice blend:
¼ cup almonds or hazelnuts
2 T coriander seeds
2 T sesame seeds
1 T cumin seeds
1 T mustard seeds
1 t fennel seeds
1 t pink peppercorns
½ t sea salt

Makes about 1 cup

Roast the almonds or hazelnuts in the oven at 350F until just fragrant, about 7 minutes. Grind the almonds or hazelnuts until they resemble small crumbs.  Set aside.

Toast the coriander, sesame, cumin, mustard and fennel seeds until fragrant in a skillet over medium heat.  Add to a mortar and pestle along with the peppercorns and crush.  Add the nuts and the sea salt.  You can store leftovers for up to a month in a sealed container.

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For the roasted veggies:
1/2 head Romanesco cauliflower 
1 bunch scarlet turnips 
1 pound Jerusalem artichokes
1 large bunch heirloom carrots 
2 Tablespoons ghee

Preheat the oven to 425F.  Combine all of the vegetables in a large bowl and coat with ghee.  Sprinkle liberally with about 1/4 cup of the dukkha.  Roast 25-35 minutes until vegetables are soft-yet-crunchy.

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For those of you who’ve been missing my frequent posts, check out Ali Miller RD, where I’ll be posting original, food-as-medicine recipes twice a week!

Master Tonic

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Master Tonic, also known as Fire Cider, is a powerful immune booster that has been around in some form or another for ages.  I recently saw a tiny bottle for sale in Brooklyn, for like, $25 or something ridiculous.  This is a recipe you can make at home from a few simple, yet potent ingredients.  It stores for ages, so make enough to get you through cold and flu season!

Onions, horseradish, ginger, garlic and hot peppers are combined with apple cider vinegar and herbs, then fermented for two weeks to create a tonic that could basically cure the plague.  All of these ingredients have known antibacterial, antiviral and antifungal properties and also stimulate circulation as well as detoxify the body.

A food processor or blender makes short work of this recipe, just blend the ingredients in batches.  Goggles are optional and you might want to open a window while you’re making it…or at least maybe don’t wear mascara the day you make it, especially if you’re sensitive to chopping onions.  The mason jars pictured here are a half gallon, but you can scale this to any size using equal parts of all the chopped ingredients and just enough vinegar to cover.

One part onions, diced 
One part horseradish, grated
One part ginger, minced
One part garlic, minced
One part hot peppers such as serrano or thai, minced
One bunch fresh oregano
Bragg's apple cider vinegar

Layer the first five ingredients in a mason jar. Slide sprigs of the oregano down the sides of the jar.  Pour the apple cider vinegar into the jar all the way up to the top.

Seal and store in a cool place away from direct sunlight for two weeks, turning over daily. After two weeks, strain the solids from the liquid. You may want to reserve the solids and use in salad dressings or marinades.

Drink 1-2 ounces twice daily for an immune boost, three to four times daily during times of imbalance. Cheers!

Turmeric, Ginger + Honey Tea

~ beckijuice ~ 2 Comments

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I swear I was a medicine woman in a past life. Dr. Quinn, anyone? But seriously, unless I am on my death bed, and probably even then, I won’t touch over the counter meds.  The list of people who’ve experienced (and survived) one of my remedies is long, and I’m constantly conjuring up natural remedies to prevent and treat any ailment–ask anyone who knows me. Usually it’s some combination of garlic, ginger, lemon or vinegar that is almost intolerably spicy or strong, but it always does the trick. Knock on wood, I can’t remember the last time I had a cold or even a sniffle that lasted more than a day.

 This recipe does, of course, contain some of those elements. But it is also sweet, almost craveable, warming and balanced.  I made it one chilly morning this week when I woke up with possibly the worst stiff neck I’ve ever experienced, and sure enough, I was cured in less than a day. My boyfriend was nursing a cold at the time, so I threw in some extra ginger and a squeeze of lemon for his sake, and the result was one for the books.  Really good stuff, even if you’re not sick!

This tea is perfect for cold and flu season, for aches and pains and for cold winter mornings. It is sweet, spicy and invigorating. Fresh turmeric has a wealth of health benefits, and powder can absolutely be substituted if you cannot find fresh. Turmeric is anti-inflammatory, anti-tumorigenic and improves circulation.

Ginger aids in digestion and adds to the antioxidant, antibacterial and antiviral value of this tea. Local honey acts to soothe the throat and when taken regularly can help with seasonal allergies.

Black pepper helps to increase the turmeric’s bioavailability and adds a nice layer of spice. Store a jar of this in the fridge and use throughout the cold winter months, or anytime really!

Makes one 16 ounce jar of syrup

4 Tablespoons fresh turmeric, peeled and grated or very finely minced
4 Tablespoons fresh ginger, peeled and grated or very finely minced
1 teaspoon black pepper, ground
1 cup raw local honey
hot water
lemon

Combine the grated turmeric and ginger with the honey. Add the black pepper and stir until uniform. Alternatively, the paste can be made in the blender, just make sure you clean the blender right away to avoid stains!

Store the paste in a mason jar in the fridge. As needed, mix 1-2 Tablespoons with 1 cup of hot water and a squeeze of lemon.

Note: Turmeric will stain anything it comes in contact with, including your fingernails, so be forewarned…or just enjoy the free bright yellow mani!