Recipes

Nutrition can be a big part of our mental health management plans, but it can be difficult to research which recipes are a good match for our specific needs. To make things a little easier, the popular recipes from living room meetings will be listed here, along with the general guideline that we should aim to have a variety of vegetables, whole grains, a source of probiotics, seeds and berries each day if possible. Also, its a good idea to choose to eat chickpeas and cheddar frequently as well.

Endurance Crackers

This recipe came from “Oh She Glows” website. It’s easy to make, and all the seeds are great for our nutritional needs. Eaten with hummus, it's a powerhouse of the micronutrients we need.

Yield
22 large crackers

Prep time
10 minutes

Cook time
1 hour

Ingredients

1/2 cup chia seeds

1/2 cup sunflower seeds

1/2 cup pepita seeds (or pumpkin seeds)

1/2 cup sesame seeds

1 cup (250 mL) water

1 large garlic clove, finely grated on a Micro-plane (or dice it)

1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt, plus more for sprinkling

Directions

Preheat the oven to 300ºF (150°C). Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.

In a large bowl, combine the chia seeds, sunflower seeds, pepita seeds, and sesame seeds.

Add the water, garlic, and salt. Stir with a spatula until combined. Allow the mixture to sit for a couple of minutes until the chia seeds absorb the water. After the 2-minute rest, when you stir the mixture, you shouldn’t see a pool of water on the bottom of the bowl.

With the spatula (and a hand, if necessary), spread the mixture onto the prepared baking sheet in two small rectangles, about 12x7 inches each and 1/8 to 1/4 inch thick. Sprinkle additional salt on top.

Bake for 35 minutes. Remove from the oven and carefully flip each rectangle with a spatula. Bake for 25 to 35 minutes more, until lightly golden around the edges. Watch closely near the end to make sure they don’t burn. Let cool for 10 to 15 minutes on the pan and then break the rectangles into crackers and let cool completely on the pan. Store in an airtight container or jar on the counter for up to 2 weeks. You can also freeze the crackers in freezer bags for up to 1 month.

Jennifer Aniston Salad

The specific benefits for our mood disorders are the diversity of vegetables, chickpeas, and vitamin C to help our bodies digest the nutrients. I also aim for recipes that are on the low end for calories because so many of our medications increase our weight.

Makes 6 servings

Ingredients

1 cup quinoa or bulgur wheat, uncooked

2 cups water

1 cup cucumber, chopped

½ cup parsley, chopped

½ cup mint, chopped

⅓ cup red onion, chopped

½ cup pumpkin seeds (original recipe called for pistachios)

1 15 ounce can chickpeas, drained and rinsed

2 lemons, juiced (about 5-6 Tablespoons)

¼ cup extra virgin olive oil

sea salt, to taste

ground pepper, to taste

½ cup crumbled feta cheese

Instructions

Rinse and drain quinoa. Add quinoa and water to a small pot and bring the water to a boil. Reduce to a simmer, cover and cook for 15 minutes. Fluff with a fork and let cool for 5-10 minutes.

In a medium bowl, stir together cooked quinoa, cucumber, parsley, mint, red onion, chickpeas, lemon juice, olive oil, salt, pepper and feta.

Serve immediately or let the salad chill in the fridge a couple hours before serving and can be stored in an airtight container for up to 5 days. Add pumpkin seeds just before serving.

Buttermilk biscuits

This is a recipe that my family has tweaked over the years. The main health benefit is that the sour content helps our gut health. Another advantage is how easy and cheap they are to make.

Yield
10 biscuits

Prep time
15 minutes

Cook time
10 - 12 minutes

Ingredients

2 cups of flour ( can substitute rice or other gluten free flour )

1/4 teaspoon of baking soda

1 tablespoon baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

6 tablespoons (a little more than 1/3 c) of cold butter (can substitute with any fat that is solid when cold)

1 cup of buttermilk ( can substitute plain yogurt or sour cream, about 1/2 cup and 1/2 of water)

Directions

Preheat the oven to 450ºF (150°C). Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.

In a large bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients.

In a measuring cup, measure the one cup of buttermilk or the whisked mixture of yogurt or sour cream and water, whichever you have on hand, and put aside.

Cut the fat into small sections and add directly to the dry ingredients. Rub the fat into the flour until only small crumbs of fat are visible.

Pour in the liquids, and stir with a spoon until smooth. This is a wet dough, so don't worry about shaping the biscuits. Just drop them onto the parchment lined paper in 8 to 10 blobs, making sure they don't touch.

Bake for 10 - 12 minutes until they're golden brown. Best eaten warm, but you can freeze them and microwave them as needed.

Broccoli and Cheese Soup

This is a super simple, quick ,nutritious and low fat version of broccoli soup. The miso adds gut health benefits too. Can be made dairy free and is still great!

Makes 6 servings

Ingredients

3 Tablespoons of butter (can substitute any fat that's solid when cold)

2 medium or 1 large red onion

2 washed and chopped potatoes

3-4 stalks of broccoli

3 Tablespoons of white miso, to taste

salt, pepper and grated cheddar to taste (I use about 2 cups of cheddar with some on the side, but you can actually omit the cheese and its still pretty tasty!)

Instructions

Wash and chop the veggies. Heat a large pot over medium-high heat and then add the fat. Sauté the veggies until carnalized, stirring often.

Add enough water to just cover the veggies. The key to all soup being tasty is to not add too much water, so be careful. When the water is hot add the miso and let it boil until everything is soft. Add salt and pepper to taste.

The next step is to make it smooth. An immersion blender works great for this, but you could also pour it into a food processor or blender in batches, or just use a potato masher for a soup that's a little less smooth. Add the cheese and stir until melted. Serve with more cheese, and hot sauce if you like.

Chickpea Casserole

This goes great with a green salad, so I served it with a combination of baby greens and micro sprouts. If you like the flavors of hummus, you'll love this!

Yield
serves 6-8 people

Prep time
15 minutes

Cook time
45 minutes

Ingredients

2/3 cup

dried breadcrumbs
2 tablespoons

olive oil, plus more for the baking dish
1 cup

finely grated Parmesan cheese, divided
3 (15-ounce) cans

chickpeas, drained and rinsed, or 5 cups cooked chickpeas
1 cup

cooked long-grain brown rice
4

large shallots, finely chopped
2 cloves

garlic, minced
1/2 cup

finely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves
2 teaspoons

finely chopped fresh rosemary leaves (from about 2 sprigs) (I substituted fresh sage)
1 teaspoon

kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon

freshly ground black pepper
2

large eggs
1 cup

cottage cheese, preferably small curd
1 cup

regular full-fat plain yogurt (not Greek yogurt; it has too little moisture)(I substituted about 1/4cup herb flavored cream cheese and then filled the remaining cup with water, blending until no lumps)
3 Tablespoons of miso dissolved in 1/2 cup of water.
Finely grated zest of 1 medium lemon
Juice of 1 medium lemon

Directions

Arrange a rack in the middle of the oven and heat to 375°F. Lightly coat a 9x13-inch or 3-quart baking dish with olive oil or use parchment paper - set aside.
Place the breadcrumbs and olive oil in a small bowl and stir until the breadcrumbs are well-coated and slightly wet. Add 1/2 cup of the Parmesan cheese and stir to combine; set aside.
Place the chickpeas, rice, shallots, garlic, parsley, rosemary, salt, and pepper in a large bowl, and stir to combine; set aside.
Place the eggs in a medium bowl and whisk to combine. Add remaining 1/2 cup of Parmesan cheese, cottage cheese, yogurt, miso water, lemon zest, and lemon juice, and stir to combine. Add the egg mixture to the bowl with the chickpea mixture and stir until well combined.
Transfer the mixture to the prepared baking dish and spread into an even layer. Sprinkle the breadcrumb mixture evenly over the top. (At this point the casserole can be covered and refrigerated for up to 24 hours.) Bake until the top is golden brown and the casserole is bubbling, about 45 minutes. Let cool for 10 minutes before serving.

Chocolate Chai Pudding

Chai seeds are often overlooked as a nutritionally dense food, and when turned into a chocolate pudding its amazing! I topped it with dark chocolate pieces and raspberries The only trick to this recipe is to use relatively fresh chia seeds and to have the time to let it set..

Yield

2 servings

Prep time

5 minutes

Chill time

4 hours

Ingredients

2 tablespoons cacao powder
2 tablespoons maple syrup
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup milk (dairy or dairy-free)
¼ cup chia seeds
Top with raspberries and dark chocolate

Instructions

In a medium-size bowl, add the cacao powder, maple syrup, vanilla extract, dairy-free milk and chia seeds. Whisk together until all ingredients are combined.
Leave the mixture in the bowl for 15 minutes without stirring for the chia seeds to gel. After 15 minutes, whisk it together one more time. Cover the bowl and place it in the refrigerator overnight or a minimum of 4 hours.
Remove the chocolate chia seed pudding from the fridge and stir together with a spoon. Serve into small dessert sized glasses. Top with your favorite fruit, chocolate shavings or other garnishes.