Turmeric Milk

I make this anytime I need a healing, anti-inflammatory boost. Turmeric has anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, anti-cancer and anti-fungal properties - it’s an amazing spice. Ginger has anti-inflammatory properties as well, and both spices support digestion. Adding some fat and black pepper helps the turmeric to be better absorbed. Whenever I drink this for multiple days in a row, I feel more grounded and healthy. But please note: large amounts of turmeric are NOT recommended when you are pregnant.

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Turmeric Milk

Notes: This recipe tastes best with a rich, fatty milk. I usually use homemade cashew milk (which I blend at a ratio of 1/4 cup cashews to 1 cup water and a sprinkle of sea salt; no straining required). The turmeric will taste strong and medicinal with a lower fat / nonfat milk (most store-bought non-dairy milks fall into this category). This recipe is written for a small, potent shot which is how I like to drink it. I usually use about 1/2 cup milk. Feel free to play around with the spice proportions and strength that you like. It should taste good, else you probably won’t drink it :)

Recipe updated 2/10/2020

About 1/8 teaspoon virgin coconut oil
1 teaspoon ground turmeric
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
A good grinding of black pepper (finely ground if possible)
1/2 cup milk (see note)
Honey, to taste

Melt the coconut oil in a small saucepan over medium-low heat and add the turmeric and ginger. Season with a good grinding of black pepper and whisk until combined. Add the milk and continue to whisk until you don't see any little pockets of turmeric and ginger and everything looks smooth. Pour the milk into a mug, stir in honey to taste and enjoy!

Serves 1

Red Lentil Soup with Turmeric & Lemon

To me, this is a cleansing soup. It's clean and simple, with lots of fiber, protein and anti-inflammatory properties. If my body feels off, this soup is a great way to get back into rhythm.

I usually serve this with quinoa or sprouted brown rice. For the greens, we almost always have kale, therefore we usually eat this with kale. And I love the way the kale slightly crisps up in the pan. But chard, spinach, or collards all work as well.

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Red Lentil Soup with Turmeric & Lemon
Adapted from this  Red Lentil Soup with Lemon recipe from www.101cookbooks.com

Notes: If you need to be strictly gluten-free like yours truly, you'll have to pick through the lentils to see if there are any wheat berries hiding in there. I pour half cup at a time onto a large white plate, sift through with my fingers and remove any wheat grains and little pebbles, then rinse the lentils before adding them to the soup. Also, this soup thickens a bit overnight so the 7 cups of water make for a slightly thinner soup on day 1, which becomes a more hearty soup on days 2 and 3. If you'd like a thicker soup to begin with, start with 6 cups of water and add more as needed.

Special equipment:
Immersion blender

For the soup:
3 tablespoons coconut oil
1 large yellow onion, chopped
2 cups red lentils, picked over and rinsed
1 tablespoon turmeric
2 teaspoons ground cumin
7 cups water
2 teaspoons sea salt
Juice of 1 lemon

To serve:
Coconut oil
Kale or other dark leafy green, chopped
Sea salt
Quinoa, brown rice or another grain of your choice

In a large stock pot, heat coconut oil over medium heat and add onion. Sauté for several minutes until softened, stirring frequently. Add the red lentils, turmeric, cumin and water, bring to a gentle boil, then cover and simmer for 20 minutes. At this point the lentils should be soft and falling apart. Uncover, add the sea salt and lemon juice and puree with an immersion blender (or a regular one). For this soup, I like to leave a bit of texture.

Just before serving, sauté some kale (or other green) with a little coconut oil and a pinch of sea salt. If you're working with kale, let it crisp up in the pan a little.

To serve, put some grain in each bowl, cover with a couple ladle-fulls of soup, and finish with the greens.

Serves 6-8