A friend of mine Davina Sandground recently launched a fabulous new business, Nutrition Groove. A couple months ago she asked if I would be interested in teaching a class with her based on Joel Fuhrmans book Super Immunity: The Essential Nutrition Guide for Boosting Your Body's Defenses to Live Longer, Stronger, and Disease Free. I was thrilled! Dr. Furhman's book talks about eating much the way I already do but also incorporates all sorts of information that was new to me...such as– the need to finely chop or thoroughly chew kale to get full nutritional benefits, why a high dose of vitamin C is not helpful when you have a cold and that the delivery system used in the flu vaccine might be more damaging for most of us than getting the flu...
Davina and I concentrated on 6 of Dr Fuhrman's top foods for Super Immunity– kale, mushrooms, onions, beans, pomegranate and seeds. Davina talked nutrition and I cooked. This is what we ate.
Kale
-Roasted Kale– kale stem removed and chopped, grapeseed oil spray, roasted garlic peeled and chopped, salt and pepper to taste
Preheat oven to 400 degrees, place kale on a baking sheet, spray with oil, toss with garlic, salt and pepper and bake until slightly browned around the edges, about 10 minutes. Serve hot or at room temperature.
-Raw Kale and Sesame Salad– 1/4 cup sesame seeds, 1 tablespoon cider vinegar, 1 teaspoon olive oil, 2 teaspoons coconut nectar or other sweetener, salt and pepper to taste, kale stem removed and finely chopped (about 4 cups kale total)
In a high speed blender combine until smooth sesame seeds, cider vinegar, olive oil, coconut nectar, and enough water to make a thick dressing, season with salt and pepper to taste. In a large bowl toss kale and dressing until thoroughly combined, adjust salt and pepper to taste.
-Kale Smoothie– 1 cup chopped kale, 1/2 pear core removed, 1/2 frozen banana, 1 cup almond milk
In a high speed blender combine the kale, pear, banana and milk. Process until smooth, about 1 minute.
Mushrooms
-Roasted Hedgehog Mushrooms–hedgehog mushrooms brushed clean, shallots roasted and peeled, grapeseed oil, salt and pepper to taste
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Place mushrooms and shallots on a sheet tray and lightly coat with grapeseed oil, season with salt and pepper and cook until mushrooms are just cooked, about 7 minutes.
-Shiitake Leek Broth– shiitake mushrooms stems removed, leeks finely chopped
In a pot combine the mushrooms, leeks and cover with water. Bring to a simmer and cook for 10 minutes, season with salt and pepper to taste.
-Marinated Button Mushrooms– button mushrooms finely sliced, fresh lemon juice, chives, salt and pepper to taste
In a bowl combine mushrooms, lemon juice, chives, salt and pepper.
Onions
We used garlic, shallots, leeks and chives in the kale and mushroom recipes
Beans
We discussed adding Kombu to beans during soaking and cooking to help tenderize them and aid in digestion.
-Bean Dip– 1 cup beans cooked, 1 tablespoon olive oil, 1 tablespoon fresh herbs chopped, salt and pepper to taste
In a high speed blender combine beans, oil, herbs, salt and pepper. If too thick add water until desired consistency.
Pomegranate
I demonstrated a method I use for removing seeds from a pomegranate–
Cut a pomegranate in quarters. Get a bowl of cold water. Remove seeds from skin and pith over the cold water and let the seeds fall into the water. If there is any pith still attached to the seeds it will float to the top. When you are finished skim the pith off the top of the water, drain the seeds and they are ready to eat or use.
Seeds
We used sesame seeds in the raw kale salad.
-Chia– 1/4 cup chia seeds, 1/2 cup almond milk, pinch salt, raw cashews, coconut flakes, raw walnuts, raw sunflower seeds, raw pumpkin seeds, pomegranate seeds, fresh dates chopped.
In a medium bowl combine the chia, milk and salt. Top with the nuts, additional seeds, coconut and dates as desired.