Category Archives: Gluten Free

I love the taste of parley – vibrant, clean and fresh! This green is highly nutritious, full of vitamin C and K. Vitamin K is often missing from conventional diet yet very important for normal blood clotting and healthy bones. Cruciferous vegetables like kale, broccoli, asparagus and spinach have a good amount of vitamin K as well as anticancer components. It is also an excellent source of iron. Iron deficiency is very common these days. It is actually quite hard to meet a daily dose if you don’t consciously eat the right food. Feeling dizzy, tired, short of breaths, leg pains and headaches are all the symptoms of anemia. Adults need 8gm/day for men and 18mg/day for women. For the best plant source of iron, parsley is on the top of the list. You can affect an absorb-ability of iron by combining foods. For example, meat/poultry/fish, fruits containing vitamin C (orange, strawberries, grapefruit), some veggies (broccoli, tomato, potato) and white wine enhances iron absorption. However, red wine, coffee, tea, some veggies (spinach, chard, beet greens, sweet potato – oxalic acids in these veggies bind with iron in our body), whole grains and bran, and soy products inhibits iron absorption. So try to pair iron-rich foods with iron-absorption enhancers, for example this parsley gremolata on a grilled fish and broccoli-orange salad on the side. Your energy will be supercharged.

What is the better way to use parsley. Gremolata is a mixture of mixed parsley, lemon zest, garlic and olive oil, very popular in the Mediterranean. It is beautiful as salad, on grilled protein or in your soup. It is so versatile to use and really brightens up the dish.
Ingredients

1 cup of flat leaf parsley
1 lemon zest and juice
1 tsp minced garlic
e.v.o.o

Combine all ingredients except oil in a food processor and turn on. Add the olive oil a little bit at a time until a thick paste is formed. The amount of oil depends on what consistency you like. Keep refrigerated in an airtight container for a week.

Buckwheat is a triangular shape fruit seed, and comes in raw or roasted. They are gluten free and can also be bought ground into flour for baking. It is so versatile you can use them for porridge, salads, baking, risotto or eat raw after sprouting. They have mild and slightly nutty flavour. Nutritionally, buckwheat contains all eight of the essential amino acids ass well as minerals such as manganese (important for healthy tissue and bones, and hormone function), magnesium (activates enzymes, contributes to energy production, and regulates important nutrients in the body), and phosphorus (builds strong teeth and bones). They are a good source of fibre and can help lower the risk of developing high cholesterol and high blood pressure. The flavonoid rutin in buckwheat is an antioxidant and cancer fighter that helps the body heal.
Ingredients

2 cups of massaged kale leaves
1 tsp Himalayans salt
1 tbsp olive oil
1 cup of buckwheat, soaked
1 orange
a handful of walnuts
a handful of dried cranberries

For soy dressing
1 tsp soy sauce
1 tsp honey
1 tsp sesame oil
a pinch of cayenne pepper
pepper to taste

Rinse soaked buckwheat in a colander thoroughly until water becomes clean. Cover with a plenty of water and bring it up to a boil. Cook for about 10 minutes, turn off the heat and rest for another 10 minutes with a lid on. In the meantime, tear the kale leaves into bite sizes and gently massage with salt and olive oil. Once buckwheat is cooked, drain and set aside to cool. To assemble the salad, combine massaged kale, cooked buckwheat, sliced orange, cranberries and walnuts in a large bowl. Pour half of the dressing into a bowl and gently toss. Transfer to a serving plate and drizzle the rest of the dressing.