Whole food recipes

This collection is pulled from a number of sources: culinary school collections, chefs, cookbooks, special diet experts, and a few of them are my own. While they are all very different, they share one thing in common: all of the them are designed strictly from whole, minimally processed foods, and they taste amazing. Bon apetit!

Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Fennel and Shiitake Mushrooms

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This recipe was a real find for me especially now, when I feel like I cannot digest any veggies that have not been at least partially cooked. Pregnancy will do it to you and I had to learn it after a few fresh salads that ended up in complete fiasco. So when I came across [...]

Tagged as: cancer fighting, vegan, vegetarian

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Balsamic red cabbage

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This is one of those super easy vegetable recipes that is easy to make and that tastes awesome. Balsamic vinegar adds a little bite, dash of sugar adds a bit of sweetness, and butter makes the whole thing feel creamy to your taste buds! You can serve it Eastern European style with pork (see the [...]

Tagged as: gluten free, sides, vegetarian

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White bean and whole grain medley

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I remember the thought of cooking and eating whole grains and especially the ones that come in kernels, like wheat or spelt berries, being completely foreign to me. I didn’t quite know what to do with them. They just seemed like a hassle to cook and for the life of me I couldn’t get excited [...]

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Fennel chickpeas salad

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What’s your favorite salad dressing? Mine used to be Thousand Island for the longest time. Until one day I learned that that pretty looking pinky-orange mixture is packed full of ingredients I couldn’t even pronounce. So I went main stream: olive oil and vinegar. But here is the thing: I got tired of it after [...]

Tagged as: diabetes, gluten free, heart health, vegan, vegetarian

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Baked summer squash with almonds and asiago

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When I was growing up in Russia, my grandparents used to grow summer squash (zucchini) in their garden. Grandma would cut it in thin rings and fry it until it became golden brown. It was delicious. Not necessarily low in fat, but delicious. I find summer squash to be a little tricky when it comes [...]

Tagged as: diabetic, gluten free, heart health, sides, vegetarian

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Peach salsa

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This one is simple and delicious. You can put it on fish, chicken, greens, or hey, just eat it with a big spoon by itself! Ingredients: 3 ripe yellow and white peaches (I use both kinds for color and taste) 1/4 red onion, chopped 1/2 jalapeno pepper, deseeded and finely chopped (be careful not to [...]

Tagged as: diabetes, gluten free, heart health, sides, vegan

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The Berry Bomb salad

Diabetic and Heart friendly

Have you ever been to a U-Pick farm? It’s a hike, I know, but it’s so worth it! All it takes is hopping in your car, throwing on some white light clothes and a hat to protect yourself from the sun, a couple of plastic containers for your picked goodies and you are ready to [...]

Tagged as: antioxidant, diabetes, gluten free, heart health, salad, seasonal eating

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Muesli

Diabetic and Heart friendly

Ingredients: 2 cups gluten-free rolled oats 1/3 cups each: sunflower seeds, chopped almonds, fresh berries of choice 3 cups water 1 apple What you need to do: Combine oats, seeds, and almonds. Pour water over mixture and mix lightly. Cover, allow to stand overnight. In the morning grate apple into muesli, add berries and mix [...]

Tagged as: breakfast, diabetes, fiber, heart health, protein, vegan, whole grain

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The best brownies you’ll ever sink your teeth in

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As you can probably tell by the recipes I have on my website, I am not big on baking. Partially because I know if I make something really good, it will be difficult for me not to eat it all in one sitting.  And, partially because baking is an exact science: you must follow the [...]

Tagged as: desserts, heart health, vegetarian

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My special Ginger-Turmeric Tea

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This tea is a-m-a-z-i-n-g! It’s amazing because not only is it tasty, but it can help you fend of f a cold or a flu, it has anti-inflammatory properties, it is great for digestion, it supports the immune system, it has cancer-fighting abilities, it is used for weight management and fat metabolism, it helps reduce [...]

Tagged as: antioxidant, beverage, healing properties, immunity

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Tunisian inspired chicken with veggies over lemony couscous

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My husband and I were in Whole Foods the other day and I saw 12 free range, organic chicken drums on sale for just over 5 bucks! No way I’d turn down that kind of a deal! I grabbed the drums and thought up this dish. It turned out spectacular. And yes, I used the [...]

Tagged as: entree, organic meat, spices, surf and turf

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Pasta with creamy oyster mushrooms and peas

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May I just say that this creamy goodness caused a lot of jealous tension at the office. It smelled great and people wanted it. Sorry to say, I ate it all myself. Alright, here is the scoop. I got the idea for this dish from my Russian roots. My mom used to make some seriously [...]

Tagged as: entree, pasta, vegetarian entree

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Red lentil soup

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I got an inspiration for this soup a few years ago from a book called The Cancer Fighting Kitchen. Thanks to turmeric, lentils, tomatoes, this recipe has oodles of goodness in it: fiber that assists with the digestive system, curcumin present in turmeric clinically proven to protect against colon cancer and a natural anti-inflammatory agent, [...]

Tagged as: beans, cancer fighting, fiber, gluten free, vegan, vegetarian

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The real Russian buckwheat bowl

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Do you know that you can eat buckwheat straight up? Yup. Boil that baby and dig in! Yes, I know, it’s easy for me to say it and to eat it. When you grow up in Russia, buckwheat is a staple food, and you eat it for breakfast (with sugar and milk), or as a [...]

Tagged as: breakfast, fiber, gluten free, whole grain

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Three-bean chili

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Ingredients: 1 medium onion, chopped pinch of cinnamon (optional) 2 carrots, peeled and chopped 1 sweet bell pepper, cored, deseeded and chopped 3×15 oz cans of beans: you can use whatever your heart desires. I used adzuki, black and garbanzo; other types work just as well, for example navy, white, pinto, kidney, etc. 1×28 oz [...]

Tagged as: beans, fiber, gluten free, one pot meal, slow release carbs, vegan, vegetarian entree

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Hummus with a special twist

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Ingredients:  15 oz BPA free can of garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed well 1 tbsp tahini paste juice of 1 lemon 1/4 cup of extra virgin olive oil 1-2 cloves garlic, crushed 1 tbsp Za’atar What you need to do: Place all ingredients except for Za’atar into a food processor or a blender and mix [...]

Tagged as: beans, dips, snack

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Oriental brown rice and salmon medley

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This medley comes in handy especially when you don’t feel like spending an arm and a leg on a bunch of salmon filets to feed the whole family. Yet, with this dish, you’ll still be getting those nourishing Omega-3′s along with all kinds of other goodness such as whole grains, fiber, vitamins, and minerals. How [...]

Tagged as: diabetes, gluten free, heart health, surf and turf, whole grain

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Berry-licious shake

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Ingredients: 1/2 cup fresh or frozen blueberries 1/2 cup fresh or frozen strawberries 1 banana 1 orange, peeled water 1 tbsp ground flax seeds 1 tbsp flax seed oil 1/2 tsp maca powder (optional) 1 tbsp lecithin (optional) 1 tbsp raw honey or agave (optional) a few fresh mint leaves (optional) What you need to [...]

Tagged as: beverage, breakfast

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Cilantro quinoa

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Ingredients: 3 medium shallots, sliced 4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil 2 cups dry quinoa, rinsed well 1/2 bunch cilantro, washed and chopped pinch of sea salt and pepper squeeze of lemon juice What you need to do: Place quinoa in a large pot, add water, salt, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to [...]

Tagged as: gluten free, sides, whole grain

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Warm spiced almond milk

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Ingredients: 8 fl oz almond milk 1/2 tbsp honey pinch of cinnamon pinch of cardamom pinch of cloves pinch of nutmeg What you need to do: On a low to medium heat, heat up the milk in a saucer. Don’t let it boil. Pour in a mug and add honey and spices. Stir well and [...]

Tagged as: beverage, gluten free

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Easy poached salmon

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Ingredients: 4 x 4 oz salmon filet, skin on or off (wild Alaskan is your best choice) 1 qt vegetable stock (can substitute with 1 carrot cut into 3-4 pieces, 2-3 stalks of celery, 1/2 onion, 8-10 black peppercorns, pinch of salt and water) 1 cup white wine (optional)             [...]

Tagged as: gluten free, surf and turf

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