BRAIN-BUILDING SALSA
In only 5 to 10 minutes, you can enjoy this incredible fresh salsa, and it’s so versatile! There are so many delicious uses for this yummy salsa. Serve it with baked tortilla chips or bean chips (available in most health food stores), on celery sticks, on top of a plate of greens in place of dressing, or on toasted bread for a quick and delicious appetizer.
MAKES 4 TO 6 SERVINGS
1 clove garlic
½–1 small chile pepper, stem and seeds removed (wear plastic gloves when handling)
1 scallion, cut into 2'' pieces
Small handful of fresh cilantro
3 large tomatoes, quartered Juice of 1 lime
2 teaspoons ground psyllium husks
½ teaspoon unrefined sea salt
In a food processor, place the garlic and chile pepper. Process until finely minced.
Add the scallion, cilantro, tomatoes, lime juice, psyllium husks, and salt. Pulse until coarsely chopped.
Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
Avo-Salsa
Add peeled, pitted, and cubed avocado just prior to serving. Toss gently to combine. The avocado cuts some of the heat and adds a creamy texture to the salsa.
HUMMUS
Hummus is a delicious Middle Eastern dip that has been part of that culture for thousands of years. It adds important fiber, vitamin C, iron, and calcium to your diet. Serve it on sandwiches, as a dip for crudités, on wraps, or with bean tortilla chips (available in most health food stores). I love it scooped up with celery as an appetizer or alongside a meal.
MAKES 4 SERVINGS
2 cups cooked chickpeas
Juice of 1 lemon
1 large or 2 small cloves garlic
¼ cup raw tahini (also known as sesame butter)
In a food processor, combine the chickpeas, lemon juice, garlic, and tahini. Puree until smooth.
Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.
Soups and Stews
VEGGIE AND WILD RICE SOUP
This delicious and hearty soup is wonderful on a cool evening. Thanks to the wild rice and all of the vegetables, it is packed with nutrition.
MAKES 6 TO 8 SERVINGS
2 medium onions, finely chopped
3 tablespoons olive oil
2 carrots, chopped
2 potatoes, chopped
1 small sweet potato, chopped
½ small butternut squash, chopped
½ cup wild rice
2 teaspoons unrefined sea salt
10 cups water
1 teaspoon dried basil
Dash of ground red pepper
In a large pot over medium-low heat, cook the onions in the oil, stirring frequently, for 10 minutes or until lightly browned.
Add the carrots, potatoes, sweet potato, squash, rice, salt, water, basil, and red pepper. Turn the heat to high and bring the soup to a boil. Reduce the heat to low and let simmer for 1 hour.
Alternatively, you can combine the cooked onions with the carrots, potatoes, sweet potato, squash, rice, salt, water, basil, and red pepper in a slow cooker. Cook on high for 6 to 8 hours.
ROASTED CARROT SOUP
This creamy soup is rich and delicious and takes minimal preparation time. I make it whenever I am not in the mood for cooking, since it is so easy. Just because it is easy doesn’t mean it is short on flavor.
MAKES 2 TO 4 SERVINGS
6 large carrots, chopped
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 cloves garlic
½ teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon unrefined sea salt
Dash of ground red pepper
3–4 cups water, depending on desired thickness
In a large pot over medium-low heat, cook the carrots in the oil, stirring frequently, for 20 to 30 minutes or until softened.
Add the garlic and continue cooking, stirring frequently, until the garlic is soft and the carrots are lightly browned.
In a blender, place the cooked carrots and garlic, cumin, salt, red pepper, and water. Blend until smooth.
Return the soup to the pot and heat through. If using a Vitamix blender, continue blending until the soup is hot, then serve immediately.
SAVORY LENTIL STEW
This hearty stew is perfect on a cold winter’s night but is so delicious you’ll want to eat it year-round. It’s packed with thiamin, potassium, iron, molybdenum, and other minerals. At 26 percent, lentils have one of the highest levels of protein in plant-based foods. What’s more, only 1 cup of cooked lentils provides almost 90 percent of your daily requirement for folate and over 15 grams of fiber (that’s a lot!). I’ve tried making this stew with French, green, and orange lentils—all with successful results—so use whatever kind you have on hand. And there’s no need to worry about cooking them in advance. All you need are dried lentils. Enjoy.
MAKES 4 TO 6 SERVINGS
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1 medium onion, finely chopped
1½ cups dried lentils 8 cups water
1 medium sweet potato, finely chopped
1 medium potato, finely chopped
2 ribs celery, chopped
1 teaspoon dried basil
1 teaspoon dried oregano
½ teaspoon dried thyme
1 teaspoon celery seeds
1½ teaspoons unrefined sea salt
Freshly ground black pepper to taste
In a large pot over medium heat, heat the oil. Add the onion and cook, stirring frequently, until lightly browned.
Add the lentils, water, sweet potato, potato, celery, basil, oregano, thyme, celery seeds, salt, and pepper. Turn the heat to high and bring to a boil. Cover and simmer over medium-low heat for 1 hour, or until the lentils are cooked.
Alternatively, as a simple time-saver, combine all the ingredients in a slow cooker in the morning. Cook on low heat for 6 to 8 hours. This delicious and hearty stew will be ready by the time you get home from work!
MISO SOUP
This is the simplest soup I’ve ever made. Plus, it’s warm and delicious, particularly on a cold winter evening. You can even enjoy this soup as a Japanese-style breakfast. It’s a great way to get more micro-mineral-packed seaweed into your diet.
MAKES 2 SERVINGS
3 cups water
3 teaspoons miso
1 scallion, green part only, chopped
2 tablespoons chopped (½'') silken tofu
1 tablespoon arame or dulse seaweed, cut into thin strips (optional)
In a medium pot over medium-high heat, heat the water until boiling. Remove the pot from the heat.
Add the miso and whisk until well blended.
Add the scallion, tofu, and seaweed (if using). Let sit for a few minutes until the seaweed is soft. Stir and serve.
Salads and Salad Dressings
Tossing Around Salad Ideas
If you avoid salads at any cost, thinking they consist only of iceberg lettuce and a couple slices of starchy tomato topped with some chemical- and sugar-laden bottled dressing, you will be happy to learn that brain-boosting salads are so much better than that. These excellent salads can be gourmet meals in themselves. I encourage you to make at least one large green salad part of your daily plan. Once you get started with this new habit, you’ll see how easy and enjoyable—and creative—it can be. I compiled the following list of ingredients to make it easy for you to throw together delicious, nutritious salads. Remember: This list is just a starting point. You can use many other possible ingredients to vary your salads from day to day.
CREATE A GOURMET BRAIN-BOOSTING SALAD IN MINUTES
Alfalfa sprouts
Almonds, slivered or chopped
Apples, sliced or grated
Apricots, dried or fresh, chopped
Avocado
Basil, chopped
Beetroot, grated
Bell peppers (green, yellow, or red)
Blackberries
Blueberries
Boston lettuce
Broccoli, chopped
Broccoli sprouts
Brown rice, cooked
Cabbage, grated
Carrots, julienned or grated
Celeriac (celery root)
Celery
Cherries, pitted
Chickpeas
Cilantro (coriander), chopped
Clover sprouts
Cucumber
Edible flowers
Endive
Fenugreek sprouts
Flaxseeds, ground
Gingerroot, freshly grated
Grapefruit slices
Grapes (preferably purple or red)
Great Northern beans
Hazelnuts, chopped
Kidney beans
Leaf lettuce
Legumes of any type
Lima beans
Mint, chopped
Mixed greens (mesclun)
Mung bean sprouts
Mushrooms, raw or cooked
Olives
Onion sprouts
Orange slices
Parsley, chopped
Peaches, sliced
Pea shoots
Peas, fresh
Pine nuts
Pinto beans
Plums
Pomegranate seeds
Pumpkin seeds
Radicchio
Radishes
Raspberries
Red clover sprouts
Romaine lettuce
Rosemary, freshly chopped
Sage, freshly chopped or cooked in a little olive oil until crispy
Scallions
Sesame seeds
Spinach
Strawberries
Sunflower seeds
Sweet potato, grated
Tomatoes
Walnuts, raw, unsalted
Watercress
Wild rice, cooked
Wild salmon, smoked or cooked
I’ll often sauté or roast a few of my favorite foods, like sweet potato wedges, red bell pepper slices, or onions, and top a large plate of greens and raw veggies with them. Toss with one of my favorite dressings (see opposite page), and you have an instant and delicious gourmet salad. The warmth of these cooked ingredients offers a nice contrast with the crunchy colder salad ingredients, particularly in the winter months.
Vegetable Crudités
You can add crunchy vegetables or fruit slices to a salad, or you can eat them on their own or with a delicious dip. I try to keep a container packed with veggies that I’ve sliced or chopped into finger food for those days when I’m less than enthusiastic about preparing dinner or snacks. Many veggies are perfect for this purpose, including carrots or baby carrots, turnips, cucumbers, celery, radishes, green beans, cauliflower, tomato wedges, broccoli, and red, green, and yellow bell peppers. If you want to add fruit, good options include apples, pineapple, tangerine, oranges, and pears. But you’re really only limited by availability.
Salad Dressings
Don’t be intimidated by the thought of making your own salad dressings. They take only a couple of minutes, can be made in advance and stored in the refrigerator, and are so much healthier than store-bought dressings.
Dressings can be made from cold-pressed oils such as extra-virgin olive oil, walnut oil, flaxseed oil, or a blend of healthy oils like Udo’s Blend (available in most health food stores). You can add freshly squeezed lemon or lime juice, apple cider vinegar (make sure it has a live culture in it, which means there will be some sediment in the bottom of the bottle), balsamic vinegar, or red or white wine vinegar (free of added sulfites). You will find some excellent salad dressings in the following recipes.
Typically, the ratio of acid (lemon or vinegar) to oil is 1:3, making it easy to whip up your own creations. Then just add herbs, berries, or other ingredients to give your dressing even more flavor and nutrients. Shake all the ingredients together in a covered jar or use a hand blender or personal blender to blend them together for a thicker, smoother dressing. Most dressings will keep for about a week in the fridge. I suggest keeping two or three on hand to add variety to your salads when you’re pressed for time.
WARM BLACK BEAN SALAD
If you’re looking for something different from the typical green salad, this delicious salad delivers. And it is perfect during colder weather when it can be hard to get excited about cold salads. This one is warm, hearty, and delicious.
MAKES 2 TO 4 SERVINGS
1 medium onion, finely chopped
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1 can (15 ounces) black beans, rinsed and drained
½ teaspoon dried oregano
½ teaspoon unrefined sea salt
1 tomato, chopped
Handful of fresh basil, finely chopped
In a medium skillet over medium heat, cook the onion in the oil, stirring frequently, for 10 minutes or until slightly browned. Add the beans, oregano, and salt and continue to cook, stirring frequently, for 1 to 2 minutes or until the beans are heated through.
Remove the skillet from the heat and stir in the tomato and basil. Serve immediately.
SALADE DE PROVENCE
This delightful salad incorporates the lovely fragrance of lavender in the herbes de Provence. The combination of blueberries with the lavender is splendid.
MAKES 4 SERVINGS
DRESSING
¼ cup balsamic vinegar
¾ cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon honey
1 teaspoon herbes de Provence
Dash of Himalayan crystal salt or Celtic sea salt
Dash of freshly ground black pepper
SALAD
1 bag (5 ounces) mixed greens
Handful of alfalfa sprouts or clover sprouts
1 avocado, peeled, pitted, and sliced
1 cup fresh blueberries
To make the dressing: In a jar with a tight-fitting lid, place the vinegar, oil, honey, herbes de Provence, salt, and pepper. Cover and shake until well blended. (Alternatively, you may use a hand blender or personal blender.)
To make the salad: In a bowl, toss the mixed greens with the desired amount of dressing.
Place the dressed greens on serving plates. Top with the sprouts, avocado slices, and blueberries. Serve immediately.
CITRUS-GINGER SALAD
Don’t let the strong-flavored ingredients fool you—this salad is amazing. It’s one of my favorites. Even if I’m not in the mood for salad, I enjoy this one. It is packed with nutritious ingredients like greens, sprouts, garlic, ginger, and citrus fruit juice that give your body and brain a boost.
MAKES 2 TO 4 SERVINGS
SALAD
½ onion, finely sliced (almost like shavings)
Juice of ½ lemon or lime
Dash of unrefined sea salt
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 piece (2'') fresh ginger, julienned
1 large or 2 small cloves garlic, julienned
1 package (5 ounces) mixed greens
1–2 large handfuls of mung bean sprouts
1 package (6 ounces) alfalfa sprouts, clover sprouts, or sprouts of your choice (about 2 cups if you grow your own)
DRESSING
Juice of ½ grapefruit
Juice of ½ lemon or lime
Juice of ½ orange or mandarin orange
Extra-virgin olive oil
Unrefined sea salt
Freshly ground black pepper
To make the salad: Place the onion slices in a small bowl. Add the lemon or lime juice and sprinkle the salt over. Set aside and let soak for at least 5 minutes. This mellows the flavor of the onion.
Heat the oil in a small skillet over low heat. Add the ginger and garlic and cook for 3 to 5 minutes, or until browned. Remove from the heat and reserve.
Place the mixed greens on serving plates as a salad base. Top with the mung bean sprouts, other sprouts of your choice, and the reserved onion slices. (Reserve the onion soaking liquid for the dressing.)
To make the dressing: In a jar with a tight-fitting lid, combine the grapefruit juice, lemon or lime juice, orange juice, oil, salt, pepper, and reserved soaking liquid from the onions. Shake until well mixed.
Pour the dressing over the salads. Top with the reserved garlic and ginger crisps. Serve immediately.
Citrus Sensation Salad
Add blood orange, orange, or grapefruit slices to the salad. Top with avocado slices.
THAI NOODLE SALAD
Don’t be alarmed by the lengthy ingredients list. You can assemble this delicious and incredibly fresh-tasting salad in 10 minutes. And if you’re missing a couple of the salad ingredients, don’t worry—just use what you have. After creating it the first time, I ate it every day for a week. It’s that good! As an added bonus, you can make the dressing ahead and store it in the fridge for a week for a quick and easy lunch or dinner.
MAKES 4 SERVINGS
SALAD
1 package (8 ounces) brown rice soba, udon, or spaghetti noodles
½ package (5 ounces) baby romaine lettuce leaves
2 cups mung bean sprouts
1 carrot, grated
1 red bell pepper, cut into 2'' strips
½ cup snow peas, cut in half lengthwise (optional)
1 scallion, diagonally sliced
½ cup chopped fresh cilantro
½ cup unsalted raw peanuts Lime wedges, for garnish
DRESSING
¼ cup chopped fresh cilantro
¼ cup chopped fresh mint
½ scallion
1 clove garlic
1 piece (1'') fresh ginger
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
½ cup almond milk
¾ teaspoon salt
Dash of ground red pepper
To make the salad: Cook the noodles according to package directions, drain, and set aside. While the noodles are cooking, make the dressing.
Boost Your Brain Power in 60 Seconds Page 22