This satisfying, unusual soup is chock full of fresh vegetables. We try to buy organic veggies whenever possible and organic savoy cabbage is not always easy to find, so we often substitute green cabbage. Red quinoa is a bit firmer and nuttier-tasting than the white quinoa that is more widely available and it makes this soup special, though you can certainly use white quinoa if you can't find red.  

1 to 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil or coconut oil
1 medium onion, cut into crescent moons
4 to 5 cloves garlic, crushed
2 to 3 tablespoons grated fresh ginger
4 carrots, peeled and cut into 4 inch strips
2 small red bell peppers, chopped
8 cups water, vegetable stock, or chicken stock
6 to 7 tablespoons creamy peanut butter
½ teaspoon crushed red chili flakes
2 cups thinly sliced savoy cabbage
large handful fresh cilantro, chopped
3 to 4 cups cooked red quinoa
1 to 3 teaspoons sea salt
 

• Heat an 8 quart stockpot over medium heat. Add the oil, then the onions. Saute for 5-10 minutes or until softened. Add garlic and ginger. Saute a minute more. Then add carrots and red bell pepper. Saute for another 3-5 minutes.
• Add water or stock, peanut butter, and red chili flakes. Cover and simmer for 15-20 minutes or until vegetables are tender. Stir in savoy cabbage, cilantro, and cooked quinoa. Add salt to taste. If you are using a salted stock you may not need much salt at all.
• Simmer for a few more minutes or until cabbage is tender. Serve each bowl with an extra sprinkling of crushed red chili flakes if desired.

Makes 8 servings.

From Nourishing Meals by Alyssa Segersten and Tom Malterre

The salmon in this dish is optional. If you're not a fish lover, leave it out and enjoy this very tasty potato leek soup. If you do like salmon however, its flavor goes very nicely with this soup and makes it more nutritious as well. If you can, get wild-caught Alaskan salmon.

3 to 4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 large leeks, sliced into rounds
4 stalks celery, chopped
4 carrots, peeled and chopped
2 to 3 teaspoons sea salt
1 to 2 teaspoons dried dill
1 teaspoon dried thyme
2 pounds potatoes, chopped
6 cups water
 
Garnish:
Cooked or smoked salmon
Chopped fresh parsley

• Heat a 6 to 8 quart pot over medium heat. Add the oil, then the leeks. Saute for 4-5 minutes to soften, being careful not to brown. Add the celery, carrots, salt, pepper, and herbs. Saute 5-10 minutes more to soften the vegetables and deepen the flavors. Add potatoes and water, cover pot, and simmer for 45 minutes.
• Blend with an immersion blender or in batches in a blender. Taste and add more salt and pepper if wanted.
• Garnish each bowl with baked salmon and chopped parsley.

Makes 6 to 8 servings.
 
From Nourishing Meals by Alyssa Segersten and Tom Malterre

 This isn't the most photogenic of dinners, but don't judge a book by its cover. This one's delicious. Invite your friends over for this meal. They won't even know they're eating healthy. If you wish, you can of course add some cooked brown rice to this meal. Since the baking temperatures for these two dishes are slightly different, you can either cook the cauliflower while the chicken marinates, or you can just bake them at the same time and tweak the cooking time  to your liking.

Apricot Glazed Chicken

4 organic chicken thighs or breasts

Marinade:
¼ cup fruit-sweetened apricot jam
¼ cup wheat-free tamari or coconut aminos
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 to 2 teaspoons grated fresh ginger

• Rinse the chicken and place the pieces in a 9x13 inch glass baking dish. In a separate bowl, whisk together the ingredients for the marinade. Pour marinade over chicken. Marinate for 30 minutes or cover pan and place in the refrigerator to marinate for up to 8 hours.
• Preheat oven to 400º F. Place dish in the oven and bake chicken for 25-30 minutes.

Makes 4 to 6 servings


Roasted Cauliflower
 
1 large head cauliflower, cut into florets
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil or toasted sesame oil
¼ teaspoon sea salt
freshly ground pepper, to taste

• Preheat oven to 425º F. Place the cauliflower florets into a 8x8 or 9x13 inch glass baking dish. Toss with olive oil, salt, and pepper.
• Roast for 20-25 minutes or until tender. It works best to turn or mix them once during baking, but it isn’t necessary.

Makes 4 servings

Both recipes are from Nourishing Meals by Alyssa Segersten and Tom Malterre

This is another quick and delicious dinner option for busy evenings. We make sure to use healthier, more ethically raised, 100% grass-fed, organic beef. We also try to use ingredients in cans as sparingly as possible, since most cans are lined with plastic containing BPA. In this recipe, that means soaking dried beans and cooking them before adding them to the chili, and using tomato sauce that comes in glass jars, available at most health food stores.

1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1 large onion, finely chopped
6 cloves garlic, crushed
1 tablespoon ground cumin
1 tablespoon chili powder
1 red bell pepper, diced
1 jalepeno, finely diced (optional)
1 pound ground beef
4 cups cooked red beans
2 cups tomato sauce
2 cups water
2 teaspoons sea salt
½ cup chopped cilantro

• Heat a 6 quart pot over medium heat. Add the oil, then the onions. Saute for about 10 minutes or until very soft and beginning to change color. Add the garlic, cumin, chili powder, red bell pepper, jalepeno pepper, and ground beef. Sauté for a few minutes.
• Add the cooked red beans, tomato sauce, water, and salt. Cover and simmer for about 35 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in chopped cilantro. Taste and adjust salt and seasonings if necessary.

Makes 6 servings

From Nourishing Meals by Alyssa Segersten and Tom Malterre

The nice thing about this dinner is that everyone can get what they want. And they can leave out what they don't. It's also quick and easy to throw together on a busy weeknight. For kids who aren't big salad fans, you can make a plate or bowl of whatever ingredients they do like.
 
Salad:
1 head romaine lettuce, rinsed and spun dry
2 cups cherry tomatoes, cut into halves
2 cups cooked chickpeas, rinsed and drained
½ small red onion, diced
1 large cucumber, sliced
¼ cup kalamata olives, whole or sliced

 
Greek Dressing:
½ cup extra virgin olive oil
6 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 to 2 cloves garlic
2 tablespoons fresh oregano leaves
½ teaspoon sea salt
½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
 
Optional Additions:
Fresh mint leaves
Crumbled feta cheese
Sliced hard boiled eggs
Sprouts
Chicken chunks
​Avocado slices

• Chop the romaine lettuce and place it into a large salad bowl and top with the remaining salad ingredients. Add optional additions if desired.
• Place all ingredients for the dressing into a blender and blend until smooth. Pour dressing over salad and toss or dress each salad individually.

Makes 6 servings.

Adapted from Nourishing Meals by Alyssa Segersten and Tom Malterre

Chicken Pot Pie
6 servings
 
Crust:
½ cup brown rice flour
½ cup sweet rice flour
¼ cup quinoa or millet flour
½ teaspoon salt
8 tablespoons organic palm shortening or organic butter
8 tablespoons ice cold water
 
Filling:
1 to 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 medium onion, diced
1½ cups diced carrots
1½ cups diced celery
1½ cups diced red potatoes
2 cups chicken stock or bone broth
2 to 3 tablespoons arrowroot powder
2 cups chopped cooked chicken
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1 teaspoon dried marjoram
1 cup frozen peas or corn
½ cup chopped parsley
sea salt and black pepper to taste

• Preheat oven to 350ºF. Set out a 9.5 inch deep-dish pie plate.
• To make the crust, whisk together the flours and salt. Cut in the shortening/butter with your fingers or a pastry cutter until small crumbs form. Freeze the bowl of flour and shortening for 10-15 minutes. If you use butter, then freeze the bowl of flour and butter for 20 minutes.
• Add water and mix. Form the dough into a ball with your hands and knead lightly. Roll out crust in between two pieces of waxed paper into a circle the size of the pie plate. Set aside.
• To make the filling, heat a large skillet over medium heat. Add oil and onion. Saute until soft, about 5-6 minutes. Then add carrots, celery and potatoes. Saute for about 10 minutes more, being careful not to brown.
• Whisk together the chicken stock and arrowroot powder. Pour into pan with vegetables. Add the cooked chicken and dried herbs. Simmer uncovered for 5-10 minutes or until thickened. Turn off heat. Add peas and parsley. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Pour filling into pie plate or baking dish.
• Carefully remove the top layer of waxed paper from the rolled out pie dough. Pick up the crust and flip it over onto the pie filling. Remove the second layer of waxed paper. Tuck in or cut off any excess crust.
• Bake on a cookie sheet (to catch any drips) for 60 minutes or until filling is bubbling up around the edges of the crust and the crust is cooked and turning golden. 

 
From Nourishing Meals by Alyssa Segersten and Tom Malterre