Figsinmybelly

I am a member of a community of health and dietitian bloggers called The Recipe Redux. The Latin “redux” means to revisit or reinvent, and the aim of The Recipe Redux is to reinvent the idea of healthy eating with a taste-first approach.

On the 21st and 22nd of each month, members of this community receive a unique recipe challenge. This month’s challenge is: Good Gut Health. With cold and flu season upon us, the best defense may be good gut health. Since much of our immune health begins in the gut, show us your healthy, delicious recipe to bolster gut health. 

Gut health starts with eating a diet rich in plant-based foods. In other words, make sure you are getting in at least 5 servings of fruits and vegetables daily, making at least half the grains you eat from whole grain sources, eating beans and legumes regularly, and including nuts and seeds in your diet. All of these foods are rich in fiber, vitamins and minerals, and healthy fats.

Pairing fiber-rich foods, also known as foods with prebiotics, with probiotic-rich foods like dairy (yogurt, kefir), apple cider vinegar, or fermented foods (i.e. miso, kimchi, sauerkraut, kombucha) helps keep your digestive tract healthy.

Smoothies are a great way to pack in nutrient dense and gut-healthy foods. Continue reading →

I usually tend to cook vegetarian meals at home mostly out of ease – I find it is easier to throw together vegetarian staples than think about where the meat I am buying comes from and how long from when I buy it do I have to cook it.

Every once in a while, though, I feel the urge to cook something with meat, fish, or chicken. There was chicken breast on sale at my local food co-op, so I took advantage of the deal and decided to make an Indian-style chicken curry for dinner.

This chicken curry is full of onion and spices and tomato, and the finishing touch is a stir-in of room temperature (to avoid curdling) yogurt. *This dish could easily be made vegetarian by using cooked chickpeas instead of chicken, just add them in when the recipe says to add in the tomatoes and yogurt. 

And since I was going all out with this recipe, I made a homemade flatbread to go with the curry. The flatbread contains milk and butter, which makes it tastes rich and delicious. You could also serve the curry with rice.

If you are craving some Indian-inspired flavors, try this recipe. It’s great for a weekend or weeknight meal, and even for entertaining friends.  Continue reading →