Raw Cranberry Sauce ~ So Easy! (vegan, sugar-free)

This raw cruciferous detox slaw is one of those recipes I make over and over again. It’s crisp, refreshing, and endlessly adaptable—something I prepare several times a week, each time with a little variation depending on what’s fresh, seasonal, or intuitively calling to me. At its core, this slaw features raw cabbage and kale—two cruciferous vegetables rich in glucosinolates, compounds that support the body’s detoxification pathways through the formation of sulforaphane and other bioactive metabolites. Preparing them raw preserves their delicate enzymes and enhances their cleansing properties.

Roasted root vegetables make the most quintessential side dish to a holiday meal, however, with the addition of a brightly flavored, antioxidant-rich parsley-basil pesto, the root vegetables are elevated to the next level! Celeriac (celery root), carrots, parsnips, and yellow potatoes form the base of this recipe. After they are cooked, the roasted vegetables are tossed with a flavorful dairy-free pesto. Did you know that by consuming flavonoid-rich herbs, such as parsley and basil, you help to regulate your blood sugar, reduce inflammation, and balance your immune system? Fresh herbs, such as parsley, are concentrated sources of powerful flavonoids. Flavonoids are a class of potent phytonutrients (phyto = plant).

One of the most powerful things you can do on a daily basis for your long-term health and well-being is to cook most of your meals at home with whole food-based ingredients. The second step in taking control of your health and using food as medicine, is to remove the foods or food groups that are irritating your immune system.

I absolutely love baking with buckwheat flour. It has a robust, earthy flavor and impressive nutritional profile. Paired with a high-quality raw cacao powder and extra virgin olive oil, you get a phytonutrient-rich healing dessert! Both buckwheat flour and cacao powder are rich sources of flavonoids and polyphenols. These compounds have numerous beneficial impacts on different systems in the body. Did you know that polyphenols interact with the gut microbiota and act as prebiotics for beneficial bacteria?

It's not easy coming up with a whole food-based frosting that is as nutritious as it is tasty, but way back in 2010 I came up a sweet potato icing recipe based off of the ingredients I was using in the liquids for this Buckwheat Cinnamon Roll Recipe.

Today I have a special recipe to share with you. This grain-free tigernut cookie recipe comes from a new book called The Autoimmune Fix, which I actually developed all of the recipes for! Dr. Tom O’Bryan wrote an incredible book on the current epidemic of autoimmune diseases. As a skilled functional medicine practitioner, he discusses the root causes of autoimmune disease, and in essence, all diseases. Dr. O’Bryan has spent the last few decades lecturing around the globe on how gluten contributes to disease, but now expands on that topic in his new book with the culprits and causes of autoimmunity.