Roasted Asparagus 

With Ham and Soft Boiled Egg

This recipe is 

*Grain Free *Lactose Free 

and

100% delicious

Servings: 2

Prep: 5 minutes       Cook: 10 minutes

Expert Level: Easy 

Ingredients:

boneless ham steak

4 pasture eggs

roughly 20 organic asparagus spears

2-3 tbsp melted organic ghee

1tsp Herbamare 

Ingredient Spotlight: GHEE 

Ghee is a form of clarified butter. The milk protein and sugar has been removed, therefore it is a casein and lactose free alternative. Purity Farm's Ghee is certified organic and is made from the cream of pasture raised cows. 

Ingredient Spotlight: Herbamare

Herbamare is a natural fine sea salt infused with organic fresh herbs and vegetables. It is one of my favorite seasonings and goes on just about everything. 

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. 

Prepare asparagus by breaking off the tough ends. They should easily snap in the correct place, usually about an inch from the end.

Place asparagus on a baking sheet and top with melted ghee and Herbamare. Toss the asparagus to make sure all spears are coated evenly. 

Cube the ham steak into small pieces and add to the baking dish. Roast for 10 minutes.

A mixture of green and purple asparagus make a beautiful presentation on the plate! 

While asparagus is roasting add 4 eggs to a sauce pan with cold water. Once water boils, turn off heat and cover. Let eggs sit for 3 minutes and then remove them from the pan and rinse with cool water. 

To plate: 

Pile ham and asparagus on plate. Very gently peel eggs (I found it worked best to peel half and scoop the rest out of the shell with a spoon) Place on top of the roasted asparagus and ham. 

Serve immediately and enjoy! 

 Minted Peas with Green Onions

This recipe is 

*Vegan *Lactose Free *No Sugar Added *Grain Free 

and 

100% Delicious

Peas are a wonderful spring time vegetable and taste even fresher paired with mint leaves. This recipe is super easy and quick, making it a perfect side for any week night meal. 

Servings: 2

Cook: 15 min.

Expert level: Easy

Ingredients: 

1 cups frozen organic green peas

1/2 tbs organic unrefined coconut oil

2-3 green onions, cut into 1/4 inch pieces

sea salt and organic black pepper to taste

roughly 6 mint leaves

Ingredient Spotlight: Coconut Oil

There are many options when looking for coconut oil, and almost everyday I have someone ask how to pick one that is high quality. Here are a couple of key words that I think are important to look for on the label. First off, make sure the coconut oil is organic. Secondly, it is important that the coconut oil is "unrefined", this could also be labeled as "virgin" or "extra virgin".  During the refining process of coconut oil, many of the vital nutrients are removed. It is important to note that unrefined coconut oil is not suitable for extremely high heats. 

In a skillet, melt coconut oil over medium heat. 

Add chopped green onions and cook until soft

Add frozen peas along with salt and pepper to taste. Stir frequently and cook for around 3 minutes. It is important not to overcook. Peas should have a nice "pop" when eaten, not be mushy. 

 Remove peas from heat and top with chopped fresh mint leaves. 

Serve immediately and enjoy! 

Recipe adapted from The Good Housekeeping Step by Step Cookbook "Sauteed Peas with Green Onions"
 

Sweet Potato Breakfast Pie

1 sweet potato
10 cherry tomatoes
7 strips of Irish bacon
1/2 cup kale wilted in bacon fat, stems removed

Eggs:
4 super jumbo eggs
2 tbsp fat of canned coconut milk
1/4 cup coconut flour.
salt and pepper

Preheat oven to 400 degrees

Cube one sweet potato and add to an 8x8 baking dish. Slice tomatoes in half and top sweet potatoes. Fry Irish Bacon and cut into small strips. Add about four or five leaves of kale (stem removed) to bacon fat and cook just until wilted. Top baking dish with kale and then add bacon.

For the eggs
Beat 4 super jumbo eggs, 2 tbsp of the fat from canned coconut milk and 1/4 cup coconut flour until well combined. Season with salt and pepper.
Pour egg mixture over vegetables and bacon. Pat down everything with a spatula until the egg mixture rises above the bacon. It is okay to mash the sweet potatoes a bit.

Bake for 15- 20 minutes.

Herbs for Sale

I am refreshing my herbal closet and passing on the herbs that I have had for over a year.  All herbs are organic or wild harvested. Prices are for 1 ounce, supplies are limited. If you have any questions about the herbs, or are looking for herbs with specific actions, please let me know I can help you out. 

Here is a complete list:
*Arnica Flowers                                      $3.80
*Ashwagandha Root Powder                     $.50
Alkanet Root Powder                               $.60

*Basil                                                   $.65
*Bladderwrack                                        $.35
*Blessed Thistle                                      $.45
*Burdock Root Powder                             $.50
Clove Powder                                         $.85
Catuaba Bark Powder                              $.40
*Cayenne Powder                                   $.35
*Comfrey Leaf                                       $.45
Korintje Cinnamon                                   $.55
*Damiana Powder                                   $.55
*Dandelion Root Powder                          $.75
*Epimedium Leaf (Horny Goat)                 $.50
*Echinacea Angustifolia Powder                 $1.12
*Feverfew                                            $.45

*Fennel Seed                                        $.35

*Ginger Root Powder                              $.50
*Goat's Rue                                          $.45
*Ginkgo Leaf Powder                              $.50
Guarana Seed                                       $.75
*Lavender Flowers                                 $.80
*Lemon Balm                                       $.50
*Licorice Root Powder                            $.55
*Linden Leaf & Flower Powder                  $.85
*Milk Thistle Seed Powder                       $.45
*Meadowsweet Powder                          $.60
Muira Puama Bark Powder                       $.40
*Nettle Leaf                                          $.40
Oregon Grape Root Powder                     $.50
*Oatstraw                                            $.35
*Parsley Leaf                                         $.50
*Rosehip Powder                                    $.45
*Raspberry Leaf                                     $.40
*Red Clover Herb                                   $ .45
*Red Roses                                           $.70
*Saw Palmetto Berry Powder                    $.60
*Thyme                                               $.40
*Vitex Berries Whole                               $.40
Usnea                                                  $1.00
*Violet Leaf                                           $.55
Wild Yam Root Powder                            $.65
*Yellow Dock Root Powder                       $.50

*Organic

Salad of the Week: Sweet and Spicy Peanut Butter Salad

Today's salad is delicious and full of fat! 

 This week there is an amazing conference going on about eating real food. The conference is online and it is free so go check it out Real Food Con! Yesterday one of the speakers, Abel James from Fat Burning Man, gave an excellent lecture on why we should eat fat. 

We are going to talk about the importance of good fat, but for today I am going to share with you a fat filled salad. 

Last week I told you why I love homemade salad dressings, and today's dressing is no exception. It is extremely rich and creamy will fill you up to conquer the day! Plus I added some crushed red peppers to this dressing, I love something spicy to heat up my raw veggies. 

Sweet and Spicy Peanut Butter Salad

For the Salad

Kale
Arugula
Apple
Finely sliced carrots
Celery
Any other veggies you have on hand would be great, trying adding snap peas or broccoli

For the Dressing

2 tbsp natural peanut butter
1/2 cup olive oil
crushed red pepper flakes
1-2 tsp coconut aminos, tamari or soy sauce

Trees with Tea and Honey

        As I sat on my back porch today drinking tea with my head buried in my kindle, I searched over all of my herbal eBooks trying to think of one thing to write about today. Day #9 of blogging, and already I was out of inspiration. I was not so sure this blog thing was made for me. In a moment of frustration, I closed my tablet and looked out.

       I saw the sun breaking through the trees and warming my tea, and remembered I use to dream about mornings like this. I had everything I really needed: my pets, my tea and some plants. This is after all why I became a herbalist in the first place. To be one step closer to nature, to be reminded everyday how miraculous of a world we live in where the plants give life. Not to stick my head in a computer.

      I urge you today to go for a walk, for a swim, if nothing else go outside for one minute and breathe deeply. Many people say that we live in a broken world, but I disagree. We live in a healing world, if we would just learn to take it in.

Katie's Dairy Free Greek Salad with Hummus Dressing

I have recently decided to serve a salad everyday for lunch, and was rewarded the other day when my husband said, "I love having this fresh food for lunch, I have so much more energy!" I felt like hearing these words from my husband's mouth was one of the best things that had ever happened to me. Raw food does give you more energy.
I often hear clients say that they do not really enjoy eating salads or any fresh veggies for that matter, but I believe that eating healthy can truly be delicious. I also don't think it has to be that hard, you don't have to decide to eat a salad everyday, but maybe try eating an extra salad every week.
The salad I want to share with you today is not only tasty, but also hearty and filling.

Katie's Dairy Free Greek Salad with Hummus Dressing

For the Salad:

Salad greens

Sliced Cucumber

Olives (Kalamata are delicious, but I only had black on hand)

Quartered Marinated Artichoke Hearts (These are one of my top picks for salad toppings)

Cherry Tomatoes Sliced Lengthwise

Red Onion

Fresh Parsley 

Freshly Cracked Black Pepper

What makes this salad wonderful is not just the great ingredients, but this fabulous dressing. My one issue with salads, especially if you go out to eat them, is that the dressing are usually full of sugar. According to Health-Alicious-Ness salad dressings ranked as the number eighth food to avoid because of the sugar content, which can be around 29% of the product.

Creamy Hummus Dressing

Why I love this dressing...

It is super easy and quick to make.
The dressing is made with yummy hummus and apple cider vinegar. (Yes, chickpeas are high in carbohydrates which break down into sugars in your body, but there are no nasty refined sugars in this dressing like in many packaged bottles.)
Chickpeas are a great source of protein, so this will give you some energy to keep you going the rest of the day.
Bragg's Apple Cider Vinegar is amazing stuff, with tons of health benefits such as promoting digestions because of the high levels of enzymes.
Fresh garlic is great for the immune system.
Finally, this dressing is perfect for someone who is trying to cut back on dairy. It is so rich and creamy, the feta cheese that is normally in a Greek Salad is not even missed.

For the Dressing
2 pts. Hummus
1 pt. Bragg's Apple Cider Vinegar
1 Clove Minced Garlic
Crushed Red Pepper and Oregano to taste

My Version of a Dairy Free Greek Salad with Hummus Dressing

Here are a few of my favorite tips for a delicious salad:

*Always add fresh herbs if you have them. They add so much flavor and health benefits as well!

*I hate buying prepackaged salad mixes. Sometimes they seem convenient, but I find that the greens always go bad because they are stored in plastic. Plus you do not get much for you money. I prefer buying an assortment of fresh greens and herbs, bringing them home to chop them up, and storing them in a cloth salad bag. This homemade version stays fresher longer and you get more bang for your buck.

*Try out different homemade salad dressing. They are usually easy to make, and so much better for you. Most dressing will store great in the fridge for a few days.