RECIPES: Anti-inflammatory food recipes to help your chronic illness

anti-inflammatory-foods

A quick breakdown of these foods and why they’re great to help inflammation:

Flaxseed: Has omega-3 fatty acid which helps inflammation.

Green tea: Contains anti-inflammatory polyphenols.

Turmeric: High anti-inflammatory properties due to its curcumin content.

Cantaloupe: Has anti-inflammatory phytonutrients.

Avocado and walnuts: Contain anti-inflammatory fatty acids.

Lemon: Has antioxidant and anti-inflammatory vitamin C.

Berries and Cherries: Contain anti-inflammatory phytochemicals.

Pineapple: High in anti-inflammatory bromelain.

Kale: Has 45 antioxidant and anti-inflammatory flavonoids.

Garlic: Has high anti-inflammatory sulfer-containing compounds. NOTE: I’m told by a friend that garlic may actually send your immune system into overdrive, which is not a good thing when you have an autoimmune disease. I urge you to do your own research to see if garlic is a good idea for you.

Broccoli: Contains anti-inflammatory and antioxidant phytonutrients.

Information courtesy of Yoga By Candace

Here’s one that fits in two of the anti-inflammatory foods!
PALEO LEMON BLUEBERRY SCONES

Author: Cook Eat Paleo
Serves: 8-10 scones
INGREDIENTS
  • 315 grams almond flour (about 3 cups)
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • ⅛ teaspoon sea salt
  • zest of 1 lemon
  • 2 eggs
  • 2 tablespoons raw honey
  • 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
  • ¾ cup fresh blueberries
INSTRUCTIONS
  1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
  2. Add the almond flour, baking soda, salt, and lemon zest to a large bowl and stir to combine.
  3. Make a well in the center of the flour mixture and add the wet ingredients. Starting in the center, stir the dough until well combined. Fold in blueberries.
  4. Using a large cookie or ice cream scoop, drop the scones onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Lightly wet hands and gently flatten the tops of the scones. They should be about 1 inch thick.
  5. Bake 18-20 minutes, until the tops are golden brown. Cool on wire rack.

 

 Another one that uses two of the anti-inflammatory foods.
SPINACH AND ARTICHOKE CHICKEN MEATBALLS
Ingredients
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1 cup chopped yellow onion
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 3 cups packed spinach, chopped
  • 2 cups frozen artichokes, chopped
  • 1½ pounds ground chicken thighs
  • 1 large egg
  • 3 tablespoons coconut flour
  • 1 teaspoon garlic powder
  • ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes
  • salt and peper to taste
Lemon Garlic Sauce
  • ½ cup cashews, soaked*
  • 2 tablespoons lemon juice
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1 head roasted garlic**
  • ¼ cup + 2 tablespoons water
  • salt taste
meatballs
INSTRUCTIONS
  1. Make the sauce. Put all the ingredients for the sauce in a high powered blender or food processor and blend until smooth and creamy. Set aside.
  2. Place a medium-sized sautée pan over medium heat. Add the olive oil. Once oil is hot, add onions and sauté for 5 mins until soft and translucent. Add spinach, minced garlic, and artichokes and cook for another 5 minutes, until combined and spinach is cooked down. Add a pinch of salt and pepper and set aside to cool.
  3. While mixture is cooling, heat up a large cast iron skillet. Add spinach and artichoke mixture to a bowl along with the remaining ingredients. Mix well and form into into 1 inch sized balls (about 24 meatballs).
  4. Place in the cast iron and cook for 20 minutes, rotating frequently to evenly brown, until firm to the touch and no pink remains. I did this in two batches to make sure they were not overcrowded.
  5. Serve with lemon garlic sauce on top of your favorite pasta or salad. Enjoy!
NOTES
*Place cashews in a bowl. Cover with water. Let soak for at least 30 minutes or overnight (30 minutes if you are in a pinch).
**I roasted my garlic ahead of time. To roast garlic, preheat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. Peel the outer layers of the garlic skin off leaving the cloves still attached and chop off the top of the bulb. Place in aluminum foil and drizzle ½ teaspoon olive oil over the exposed surface of the garlic, letting the oil sink down into the cloves. Wrap the garlic in aluminum foil and roast in the oven for 40 minutes.
CHOCOLATE MOUSSE WITH AVOCADO AND BANANA
Author: Trinity Bourne
Recipe type: Dessert
Cuisine: dairy-free, vegan, raw-vegan, gluten-free
Serves: 1 portion
Ingredients
  • ½ ripe avocado
  • 1 ripe banana
  • 2 heaped tablespoons raw cacao powder
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • Maple syrup or coconut sugar (optional extra)
  • Pinch of sea salt (optional extra)
chocolate-avocado-mouse_title
Instructions
  1. It’s super easy…. blend until creamy smooth with a hand blender.

 

12 SUPERFOODS SALAD

12superfoodssalad-5

YIELD: serves 2 generously or 4 modestly

PREP TIME: 10 minutes

COOK TIME: about 15 minutes

TOTAL TIME: about 25 minutes

INGREDIENTS:

  • 1/2 cup dry quinoa, cooked according to package directions
  • 1/2 cup frozen edamame, cooked according to package directions
  • 1/2 bunch curly kale (about 4 to 5 cups), chopped or torn into bite-sized pieces with thick ribs removed
  • 1/2 cup fresh blueberries
  • 1/2 cup red grapes, halved
  • 1/2 cup dried cherries, chopped if necessary (dried cranberries may be substituted)
  • 1/3 cup feta, goat, or parmesan cheese, crumbled or shredded
  • 1/4 cup sunflower seeds (I used unsalted)
  • 1/4 cup walnuts, chopped (I used unsalted)
  • 1/4 cup orange juice
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 garlic clove, finely minced or pressed
  • 1 teaspoon granulated sugar
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt, or to taste
  • 1/4 teaspoon pepper, or to taste
  • 1 heaping tablespoon Greek yogurt (I used 0% fat, sour cream may be substituted)

DIRECTIONS:

  1. Cook quinoa according to package directions, likely cooking with 1 cup water to the 1/2 cup dry quinoa. Transfer about half of the cooked quinoa to a very large bowl. I don’t use all the quinoa for the salad and save the rest for another use. I find it too difficult to cook less than 1/2 cup dry quinoa.
  2. Cook edamame according to package directions. Drain and add to the bowl.
  3. To the bowl, add the kale, blueberries, grapes, dried cherries, cheese, sunflower seeds, walnuts, and stir to combine; set aside.
  4. To a glass mason jar with a lid (or similar jar with a lid), add the orange juice, olive oil, garlic, salt, pepper, seal with lid, and shake vigorously to combine; about 1 to 2 minutes.
  5. Add the Greek yogurt and shake until creamy and incorporated, about 1 minute. Taste and check for seasoning balance, adding more salt, pepper, etc. as necessary. I prefer this dressing to be on the saltier side because it’s going to be coating a large bowl of unseasoned kale, vegetables, and quinoa and you need it to read salty out of the jar to properly flavor the salad.
  6. Add desired amount of dressing to salad, toss well to combine, and serve immediately. Extra dressing will keep airtight in the fridge for up to 1 week; shake vigorously before using.

 

This salad hits on all cylinders in the anti-inflammatory food department!

CREAMY AVOCADO, BROCCOLI, AND BERRY SALAD

Prep Time 10 minutes
Total Time 10 minutes
Servings 6 as a side
Author Chelsea

Ingredients

Salad

  • 4 cups rounded chopped broccoli ~2 heads
  • 1 cups and 1/2 sliced strawberries
  • 1/2 cup raspberries
  • 1 large and ripe avocado
  • Other optional toppings: candied walnuts or almonds chopped mango, blackberries, blueberries, feta cheese

Dressing

  • 1/2 cup creamy poppyseed dressing
  • 1/4 cup raspberry walnut vinaigrette

Instructions

  1. Remove the stems from the broccoli and cut into very small pieces. Fill up a bowl with very cold water and a few cupfuls of ice.
  2. Bring a pot of water to boiling point. Add in a heaping tablespoon of salt.
  3. Pour the broccoli into the boiling water and count to 30. As soon as you get to 30 drain the broccoli and pour the broccoli into your prepared ice/water bath.
  4. Allow the broccoli to sit in the cold water until completely cooled. Then remove with a slotted spoon to a salad spinner or bowl.
  5. Make sure the broccoli is 100% dried before tossing it with anything else (especially the dressing).
  6. Slice the strawberries. Remove the peel and pit of the avocado and chop.
  7. In a large bowl, mix together the broccoli, strawberries, raspberries, and avocado. Add any other toppings as desired.
  8. Right before serving, whisk together the poppyseed dressing and the raspberry vinaigrette. Pour over the salad. (If desired, add more of both dressings to personal preference of an extra dressed salad).