Raw Thai Kale Slaw with a Creamy Ginger-Almond Butter Dressing

You are going to love this nutritious raw kale slaw. It's full of detoxification and antioxidant compounds, and just bursting with the fresh, bright flavors of basil, mint, and cilantro. All tossed in a slightly spicy and gingery, creamy almond butter dressing. What I love about this salad is that it lasts up to 5 days in the refrigerator! Once it's made, you can take out portions as needed to easily fulfill part of your daily raw veggie needs.

I've been serving a large plateful of this Thai-style kale slaw with fried eggs for breakfast, or tossed with leftover rice and garbanzo beans for lunch. It's also delicious served with a thai-style main dish for dinner, such as Thai Coconut Fish Sticks, Thai Fish Curry with Garden Vegetables, or this Vegan Thai Green Curry.

And not to forget the oh-so-important nutrition information! As you might guess, this salad is rich in detoxifying compounds. Kale and cabbage both come from the cruciferous vegetable family, a family of vegetables known for their detoxification powers. Did you know that there is research showing that autistic children who consume sulforophane (one of the active compounds in cruciferous vegetables) show positive behavioral changes as a result of this nutritional superstar? Sulforophane is most concentrated in broccoli sprouts, but can also be found in raw (or lightly steamed) kale, cabbage, kohlrabi, radishes, watercress, and arugula!

Cruciferous vegetables are also very beneficial in calming down autoimmunity. Once consumed, sulforophane travels to our cells and changes how our genes are read. It literally allows us to read hundreds of beneficial antioxidant and detoxification genes. The result is a cell that has less toxins, and less inflammation. Can you function in a messy, dirty house? I know I can't! The cell is the same. It can't function very well if it has lots of toxins and debris lying around. Detoxification is, in essence, cleaning up the house of the cell. Antioxidants, then we could say, are the repair crew. When your cells are "clean" you might notice increased energy, clearer thinking, and less pain!

Raw Thai Wraps with Cilantro-Pumpkin Seed Pâté

We have a garden full of tender fresh collard greens right now which is what inspired me to create these nourishing raw wraps! My children even love them. Well, my 8-year old thinks they are just okay, and the littlest one can only really eat the pâté and cucumber strips, but the rest of the gang enjoys them!

I know I haven't been blogging much lately. I have a one-year old now who is into everything.....and four other children. Need I say more? However, we do have a new website in the works which I'm excited to share with you, so stay tuned! If you want to keep up with what I'm cooking and creating in my kitchen please follow me on Instagram. In the meantime....please enjoy this raw collard wrap recipe!

Fish Curry with Garden Vegetables

We love anything curry here. Thai curries, Indian curries, curry roasted potatoes, you name it. Our kids love curry too. Those flavors are passed through breastmilk, so they became addicted quite young. One of my favorite things about making a curried dish is the fact that it is fast, easy, and of course, a one-pot meal.

This Thai fish curry recipe uses fresh garden veggies, halibut, coconut milk, kaffir lime leaves, and Thai basil. The key to a good curry is timing. I like to keep the veggies all evenly cooked and not over-cooked. Carrots and onions take a little longer to cook, so I start with those. I will test a carrot, and when it is about halfway done cooking, I will add the other faster cooking veggies such as zucchini and bell peppers.

When purchasing the fish, I usually buy 1.5 to 2 pounds and then ask to have the skin removed. When I am ready to make the curry all I need to do is cut the fish into cubes. It is much easier this way, especially when you have twin two-year-old boys chasing each other below you arguing whether each is an airplane or not ("I'm an airplane....no you're not....yes I am....zoom!").

This curry has another key ingredient that is very beneficial to your health: Turmeric. This orangish-yellow spice will stain your clothes forever but is an excellent anti-inflammatory. In Tom's words: "Curcumin is an amazing compound found in turmeric that can change our gene expression. It has a tendency to lower inflammation, increase detox enzyme expression, and increase antioxidant protein expression. In short, it lowers the impact of life's insults, and increases your innate buffering mechanisms to minimize the residual effect of those insults."

Thai Fresh Green Curry (Vegan)

Yesterday I was standing in my kitchen at 5pm, with four hungry children underfoot, wondering what to make for dinner. I made the usual rounds to the pantry, fridge, and garden. Something spicy, green, and with noodles was brewing in my mind. A green curry sauce, over noodles, with tempeh, broccoli, spinach and zucchini. Hmm, and how about roasted cashews too.

Every now and then I make a simple Thai Green Curry Sauce. Yesterday evening I took note of the ingredient amounts to be able to share it with you.

If you are one who feels intimidated by cooking Thai food then this recipe is perfect to begin with. The sauce is so flavorful while being very easy and quick to prepare. You'll probably find yourself making this over and over again.

Once the sauce is made, you can do quite a bit with it. Last night I served it over Thai rice noodles, sauteed tempeh, broccoli, spinach, and zucchini. I garnished the dish with freshly roasted cashews. (I sauteed the tempeh in a separate pan and kept half of the dish sans soy for those in our house who do not eat it).

Fresh Thai Green Curry Sauce

This delicious Thai style sauce can be made in about 20 minutes from start to finish. I didn't have any jalapeno peppers on hand and so used crushed red chili flakes this time. It tasted just as good as usual! Saute the veggies over medium-high heat for a few minutes (starting with the veggies that take the longest to cook) and then add a little water and cover to finish the cooking by steaming. You can then pour the sauce over your stir-fry.

2 handfuls fresh cilantro (leaves and stems)

2 small shallots

4 cloves garlic

1 to 2 jalapeno peppers or green Thai chili peppers, seeded (or 1 to 2 teaspoons crushed red chili flakes)

1-inch chunk of fresh ginger, peeled

1/2 teaspoon lime zest

1 to 2 teaspoons agave nectar or coconut sugar

1 teaspoon sea salt, or to taste

1/4 to 1/2 cup water

1 can full fat coconut milk

Place all ingredients into a blender and blend until smooth. Pour into a small pot and simmer for about 10 to 15 minutes, uncovered. Use the ideas below to create a meal. Enjoy!! :)

Here are a few more ideas for using the sauce:

• Quickly saute a variety of fresh veggies and then pour the sauce over them and simmer until cooked but still crisp.
• Sauté chunks of fish, such as halibut, and spinach. Serve the sauce over the fish and spinach on a bed of rice or quinoa.
• Simmer a fillet of salmon (skin removed) in the sauce.
• Sauté cubed tofu, onions, zucchini, carrots, snow peas and then add to the simmering sauce.
• Serve over bean thread noodles, rice, or quinoa.
• Sauté chunks of chicken breast and your favorite veggies then add the sauce and simmer until cooked. Garnish with thinly sliced basil leaves.

If you have any other ideas please share, thanks! :)

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