Easy chickpeas & artichokes

Sauté shallots in a stable fat (duck fat, ghee, butter, coconut oil. Avocado oil is alright )

Add chopped cherry tomatoes (canned diced tomatoes would also work).

Add chopped artichokes (frozen)

Add Italian herbs (thyme, oregano, basil)

Add rinsed chick peas (from a can)

Add salt and pepper to taste.

Serve with sautéed greens or green salad, rice (cooked, cooled and reheated) or potatoes.

What is gut friendly about this easy recipe?

Artichokes, shallots and chickpeas are full of prebiotic fiber which feeds our “protectors” (good bacteria in our microbiome) and chickpeas contain inositol which helps balance blood sugar.

Fresh herbs are anti- microbial, anti-inflammatory and help digest food.

Tomatoes are of course high in antioxidants like lycopene. Our good gut bugs love antioxidants, as do our mitochondria (powerhouses of all our cells)!

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Blueberry smoothies

1 cup coconut water

1/2 cup coconut milk ( from a can)

1 cup frozen blueberries (smaller “wild” varieties are healthiest)

1/2 frozen banana, cut into smaller pieces

2 handfuls baby spinach leaves

1 spoonful almond butter

1-2 scoops marine collagen powder

1 spoonful hydrated chia seeds (soak them in water from several hours beforehand)

1 teaspoon sun fiber powder

Blend up in food processor or high powered blender and enjoy!

This is a super hydrating recipe- the blueberries, spinach and coconut milk, coconut water and chia seeds all contain ‘gel water’ which offers superior hydration to plain water.

The coconut water and fruit also contain high amounts of minerals for hydration.

Prebiotic fiber to feed your “protectors” (good bacteria) come from the chia, fruit, almond butter, sun fiber.

The marine collagen and almond butter provide protein, which, along with the fat from the nut butter and coconut milk helps keep blood sugar levels constant and stay fuller longer.

The almond butter provides vitamin E – a powerful antioxidant. The blueberries contain an amazing amount of antioxidants as well.

Salmon patties

1 can wild salmon

1-2 eggs

bread crumbs

chopped herbs (dill, oregano, thyme, etc)

chopped onion

Mix all ingredients along with sea salt and pepper in food processor. Fry in pan over medium high heat in either coconut oil or ghee

serve with tzatziki sauce or guacamole, green salad

What is so healthy about this recipe? The onion and herbs are anti-pathogenic and provide prebiotic fiber for our “protectors” (good bacteria). Eggs provide protein, many trace minerals like iodine, real vitamin A, choline. Salmon is an excellent source of protein and omega-3 fatty acids, selenium, B vitamins which our cells need for making energy!

Easy Cabbage salad

Chopped cabbage, cilantro, red pepper, cucumber, scallion, toasted pumpkin seeds. edamame or lima beans

Dressing: blend up fresh ginger, chopped shallots, 3 tablespoons sesame oil, 5 tablespoons rice vinegar, a few spoonfuls of mayo, s& p. Use Mayo made with real olive oil (or avocado oil is ok)- avoid industrially processed oils like soybean oil, canola, etc!

What is so gut friendly about this recipe? to name a few benefits: pumpkin seeds are notoriously anti-parasitic, as is garlic and ginger. They’re also really high in minerals like magnesium, manganese, copper, zinc.

Shallots and beans feed our protectors (good bacteria) . Antioxidants are found in all the bright colored veggies (red pepper)- important for protecting our mitochondria which power up our cells. Cabbage, a cruciferous veggie, contains compounds that kill pathogens…

Lettuce wraps make an easy summer meal.

We prepared 1 cup of green lentils the day before. They can also be purchased prepared & frozen or canned (rinse well before use).

Sauté an onion in coconut oil. Add 1 pound of organic ground Turkey and stir until browned. Season well with salt, pepper, hoisin sauce, coconut aminos, ginger, garlic, whatever you like to give it flavor. Chopped Kimchi would be great. Add chopped water chestnuts and finally the cooked lentils and some sunflower seeds.

When it’s hot, spoon into lettuce and serve! Perilla (shiso) leaves work well too.

What is gut friendly about this recipe? The lentils provide iron, potassium, magnesium, both soluble and insoluble fiber which helps the friendly microbes grow. The garlic and ginger are anti- pathogenic. Kimchi provides probiotics to clean and detoxify the gut. I hope this inspires you to create your own lettuce wraps one of these hot summer nights!

This is a very tasty way to use up a common garden weed!

Chop & sauté an onion in ghee.

Add cumin, then the chopped mushrooms. While this is cooking wash the purslane and separate the leaves from the stems.

Add chopped garlic, the purslane, salt and pepper and any other spices or herbs you like. Cilantro would be nice.

Remove the vegetable mixture from pan, wash the pan. Heat up tortillas and fill with shredded cheese, then hot vegetable mixture, more cheese and another tortilla on top. Once the cheese is melting, flip it over.

Remove from heat, slice into triangles, serve with salsa or guacamole. Fresh fruit, grilled fish and some ice cold kombucha would round out the meal!

This is a gut friendly recipe. The tortilla can be customized based on dietary preference (wheat, corn, coconut). Onions are a prebiotic food high in soluble fiber (insulin, FOS) as well as flavonoids to feed friendly microbes. Mushrooms contain both soluble and insoluble fiber for the friendly microbes, minerals, B vitamins the help the body convert energy.

Garlic and cumin are anti pathogenic, and along with stomach acid and insoluble fiber sweep the small intestine clean as it absorbs nutrients and fibers travel along to feed the friendly bacteria in the colon.

Purslane is considered a super food- an excellent source of the omega -3 fatty acid Alpha linoleic acid AND several vitamins and minerals. It should be noted that it is also high in oxalates. Like with spinach, for folks with (or prone to) kidney stones and/or joint pain, it’s not recommended to eat a lot of this leafy green. (Arugula or watercress is a better choice for these folks). I find it interesting that purslane is also high in potassium and magnesium which can be protective against oxalates in the body. Also eating oxalate rich foods with calcium (like cheese in this recipe) can be protective.