Special occasions can be tough times to stay healthy and eat right. Holidays are no exception, especially with shorter hours of sunlight and tempting sweets in all directions.
Isn't it hard to believe that Thanksgiving is less than 3 weeks away? Geez.
We had a lovely customer at Better Brains; Dr. Annie Fenn is a physician and chef focused on Alzheimer's prevention.
She has a helpful website named the Brain Health Kitchen with tasty recipes and insightful blogs for nutrition for your brain.
As we are preparing for the holidays and other special occasions, having a resource like the Brain Health Kitchen so helpful. Did you know persimmons can be good for your brain? We didn't!
We connected with Dr. Fenn and thought you'd love these two tasty recipes for November and the Thanksgiving holiday 🍂🍁🦃
Persimmon Kale Salad
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1 tablespoon freshly squeezed orange or lemon juice
- 1 small garlic clove
- ¾ teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 cups bunch lacinato kale
- 1 cup raw walnut halves or pieces
- 1 teaspoon coconut palm sugar
- ¼ teaspoon ground cumin
- ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
- ½ small head radicchio
- 2 ripe persimmons
- freshly ground black pepper
Preparation
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Preheat your oven to 350ºF.
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In a medium salad bowl, whisk 2 tablespoons of the oil, the orange or lemon juice, garlic, and ½ teaspoon salt.
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Add the kale and radicchio and toss well to coat. Use your hands to ensure all the greens are coated evenly with the dressing. Set aside at room temperature while you make the rest of the salad, at least 20 minutes.
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Place the walnuts on a small baking sheet. Toast for 5 to 7 minutes, until fragrant and golden brown. Meanwhile, stir together the sugar, cumin, cinnamon, cayenne, and ¼ teaspoon salt in a small bowl; set aside.
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Heat the remaining teaspoon of oil in large skillet over low heat. Add the toasted walnuts and toss to coat. Remove from the heat and stir in the spices until the walnuts are coated evenly.
Add the radicchio to the kale and toss to combine. Top the greens with the persimmons, the spiced walnuts, and any oil from the skillet. Toss until the persimmons are also coated with the dressing. Finish the salad with a pinch more salt and freshly ground black pepper, if you like. Serve immediately.
Turmeric Cauliflower Couscous
Ingredients
- 1 large head cauliflower
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1 medium tart apple
- 1 shallot
- 1 teaspoon fresh ginger
- 1 clove garlic
- 1 Serrano chili
- 1 teaspoon turmeric powder
- 1 teaspoon kosher or sea salt
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/2 cup dried organic blueberries
- 1/4 cup fresh cilantro
Preparation
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Cut cauliflower into quarters and trim florets from the core. Using your hands, break apart florets. If core is tender, coarsely chop it and add it to florets.
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Transfer the cauliflower pieces to bowl of a food processor, filling it no more than ¾ full. (If necessary, process in two batches.) Process in 1-second pulses until the cauliflower pieces break down into rice-sized granules. Take care not to overprocess or your cauliflower will turn into a paste. Transfer to a large bowl. If some of the florets remain intact, just pull them out and re-process with the next batch of florets. (If you don’t have a food processor, crumble the florets on the large holes of a box grater.)
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Heat a large skillet over medium heat. Add extra virgin olive oil and warm gently. When the oil starts to shimmer, add the apple, shallot, ginger, garlic, Serrano chili and turmeric. Cook for 1 minute, stirring constantly. Add the cauliflower couscous and cook, stirring frequently, until it starts to soften, about 5 minutes. Add a small splash of water, stir, and cover with a lid. Steam for 1 to 2 minutes.
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To finish, place the cauliflower couscous in a serving dish. Add the dried blueberries and toss with 2 forks. Taste, adjust for salt and pepper, and garnish with chopped cilantro. Serve warm or at room temperature.