healthy recipe

Tumeric Elixir

Make this powdered magic Tumeric Elixir to calm inflammation and provide energy. Adjustable for immediate drinking or storage. 

Description

Sometimes we don’t have access to fresh turmeric but still NEED the magical energy of turmeric to heal our spirit or help with inflammation.  Not to worry — dry turmeric has similar properties and is just as easy to work with.  I love this elixir so much — I often keep the base ready to use, so I can make the tea even quicker.  

I have been drinking this my whole life.  The initial part I was forced! Now as an adult – I relish the tea. Now it is soothing and uplifting.   Looking back, I know that this must be one of the reasons that as children we were rarely sick.  Now I have it often, especially if I feel run down, emotionally or physically.  

When you look at the directions, many people think that the ghee part is strange.  I know it’s off-putting.  I understand.  Believe me, you won’t taste it.  It helps to magnify the properties of turmeric and basically, let’s turmeric do what it needs to do!  The concoction comes together quickly and in no time, you will be enjoying a warming and healing cup of homemade turmeric tea.

Ingredients

2 Tablespoons dry turmeric

1 Tablespoon of organic ghee

1 Tablespoon dry ginger

A couple shakes or grinds of black pepper or 9 peppercorns

4 cups of fresh water

2 Tablespoons fresh local honey

Juice of a half a lemon

Fresh mint

Steps

  1. In a small pot, add the ghee and put the flame to low heat.  As it warms, add the turmeric to let it bloom and its powers manifest.  Stir slowly and carefully.  Add the ginger and black pepper.  Stir some more.  This will all come together in a matter of minutes.
  1. Once you can smell an intense earthiness, this is the BASE.   You can let it cool, put it into a glass jar, and spoon out as needed.  Use within the  week.  You can store it outside on the counter, ready to be enjoyed.

If drinking now:

  1. Add in the water and increase the heat to medium.  Let it come to a rolling boil and then lower the heat, letting in heat for 20 minutes.   Add the fresh mint.  
  2. Take the pot off the heat.  Add fresh lemon juice.  Slowly pour a bit into a mug, add the honey and stir well.  Fill the cup –breath deeply.  Grounding yourself, take a full breath and set an intention for the rest of your day.  Will you approach the rest of your day with an assumption of the positive?  Will you remember the abundance that you already have?  WIll you KNOW in your soul that good things come to you? 

Magical Green Sauce

This flavor-packed, homemade signature sauce will quickly become a staple for spicing up leftovers, saucing your chicken, dressing your salads, or dipping. A few simple ingredients bring a punch of flavor with this magical green sauce. 

Description

Are you looking for a simple and flavor-packed sauce?  This herby flavorful sauce This is just the sauce to spice up a bland leftovers lunch bowl, a night when you are using a rotisserie chicken as the main meal, or any time you are eating and want a boost of happiness!  

Besides big flavor, it’s an ideal way to use up extra herbs that are about the wilt and come to a sad, slow demise. We hate to waste at The Healthy Family Table and this recipe is the superhero that will help you stop the bad habit of wasting.  Ultra-flexible, it’s the perfect way to mix and match herbs based on the flavors you love.

Is it just me…I don’t know why, but when I make a SAUCE, I just feel so EXTRA!! Extra chef-y, extra fancy, and just all-around EXTRA SPECIAL.

There is an amazing restaurant in our neighborhood in the West Village in New York City called Barbuto, by Chef Jonathon Waxman.  It’s the most exquisite — on a corner, with walls that are big almost garage doors that open up — making it indoor and outdoor all at once.  I always feel completely LUCKY that it’s always written up as the neighborhood restaurant that you WISH was on your corner.  We were that lucky family that had it on our corner.  Some of our friends and neighbors joked and called it their kitchen.  We didn’t go there as often as the Prince’s or Wilson’s, but we loved it still.  Dogs are more than welcome, and usually, they will find a new friend.  Our puppy Khushi loved walking by for a warm pet from a new friend and hopefully some tidbits of Chef Waxman’s world-famous chicken.  We went to celebrate: Birthdays.  A friend coming to town.  A friend coming from uptown! A Tuesday night. To discuss our kids and what they most needed from us. Meeting up with our other neighbors. We went there to celebrate our daughter getting into City and Country. We went there to celebrate our son getting into Packer Collegiate High School.  All to say, this restaurant, this sauce, is part of the fabric of our family.

While this is not Chef Waxman’s green sauce — his is perfection – this is perfect in its own way.  PRO TIP: I always, always ask for an extra sauce when I order his juicy flavorful chicken, but it’s my very delicious version. Truly — It’s magical! It definitely saves a dinner.  It will most certainly save a sad desk lunch. And just smelling it will LIFT your spirits.  It’s that magical.

Inhale the intoxicating earthy scent of cilantro, the aromatic scent of basil…feel grounded, thank Mother Earth, and say a very specific thing that you feel grateful for.  

You can thin it out with EVOO and use as a salad dressing.

You can thicken it up with full-fat whole milk yogurt, add some fresh chives and parsley and use it like a tangy homemade ranch.

You can stir some with Tahini and use it as a thick spread on a sandwich or as another sauce.  

The possibilities are endless….

Equipment

High-Speed blender or food processor

Ingredients

  • 1 cup of herbs — it can be a mix of parsley, cilantro, basil, mint, dill, chives, fennel fronds
  • 1 clove of garlic  
  • ½ cup of good quality extra virgin olive oil
  • Juice of half a lemon
  • 1 anchovy filet — optional
  • Salt and pepper to taste

Steps

  1. Add one clove of garlic to a mug with hot water to soften the heat and bite of the garlic.  
  1. In a blender or a Vitamix, add herbs, garlic clove, lemon juice, anchovy, and cover with the EVOO.  Blend until it’s come together as a sauce. Adjust the salt and pepper to taste.
  1. Sit in AMAZEMENT at how fancy and CHEF-Y you are!

Substitutions

If you don’t have all the herbs, not a worry.  It will have a different flavor– but it will still be absolutely delicious.

Storage

This stores well for a week or so.  I like to keep this in the fridge in a mason jar AT ALL TIMES.  

Lucky Leftovers

This is such a handy sauce and it is like a sexy chameleon – it can add flavor and depth to many things.  You can thin it out with EVOO and use as a salad dressing.  You can thicken it up with full-fat whole milk yogurt, add some fresh chives and parsley and use it like a tangy homemade ranch.  You can stir some with Tahini and use it as a thick spread on a sandwich or as another sauce.  

HEALTHY HINT: you can barely taste one anchovy and it adds so much flavor, I really encourage you to try it once.  I have a feeling you will love it so much that the next time you will CONFIDENTLY add two!