Looking for dinner inspiration that is anti-inflammatory and low in histamine? This recipe is courtesy of Jenna Gulli, a lovely student Naturopath who has been completing some of her study with me.

Turmeric is a wonderful spice which is great for your digestion and is also anti-inflammatory and anti-aging. It provides a gorgeous golden colour to any foods it’s added to, and your body will thank you for it.

While not typically bad for you, foods high in histamine can be an issue for some people – especially those with hayfever, inflammation or period pain type issues including endometriosis. Because the list of foods to avoid for a low histamine diet is quite extensive it can be tricky figuring out what you actually can eat. This is the first of hopefully many more recipes to come which will provide some inspiration for the low-histamine peeps.

Turmeric Chicken

Serves 2

Ingredients

• 250g chicken breast
• 1 teaspoon of turmeric powder
• 1 Tablespoon of coconut oil (for the pan)
• Fresh or dried mixed herb spice (1 tablespoon)
• pinch of celtic sea salt
• pinch of cracked pepper
• 1/2 cup of quinoa (ideally this has been previously soaked)
• 1/2 head of broccoli, broken into florets (2 cups)

Method

1. Marinating the chicken. Mix the salt, pepper, dried herbs and turmeric together and coat the chicken breast in this spice mix
2. Preheat oven to 180C
3. Cooking the quinoa. Rinse the quinoa under cold water, gently rubbing together between your fingers. This helps to reduce some of the bitter flavour and properties which can potentially cause bloating. Place the rinsed quinoa into a medium saucepan and cover with water so that it comes up to double it’s height (this would equate to about 3/4 cup water. I usually use a ratio of 1 cup quinoa to 1 1/2 cups water). Add a pinch of salt then bring to the boil, then reduce to a low simmer and cover. Cook for 15 minutes or until all the water has been absorbed, then remove from the heat and leave covered for 5-10 minutes before fluffing with a fork.
4. Cooking the chicken. Meanwhile, heat a frypan over medium-high heat. When it is quite hot, add the coconut oil, then place the spice coated chicken breast(s) into the pan. Leave it for 3-4 minute until starting to turn gold, then turn over to the over side. After 2-3 minutes, cover the pan with foil or a lid and place it into the oven for about 5-6 minutes or until it’s cooked through (you can tell because the juices from resting it should run clear, not pink or red). Remove from the oven and place on a plate, cover with foil and allow to rest for 5 minutes.
5. Cooking the broccoli. You can choose to either steam or bake the broccoli. To steam, you could put it in a covered steamer basket over the quinoa for the last few minutes of cooking until it’s tender but still vibrant green. To bake, cut into small florets and cover with a little coconut oil, salt and pepper and place on a tray, then bake for about 15 minutes.
6. Assemble. Place the quinoa, broccoli and chicken breast, top with a garnish such as alfalfa sprouts or fresh herbs (try parsley or coriander) and enjoy!

The post Anti-inflammatory Turmeric Chicken (Low Histamine) appeared first on Alison Mitchell Naturopath.

By Lee Holmes from Supercharged Food (This recipe is from her new book Eat Right for your Shape)

Lee has adapted the traditional Baji recipe to make it more suitable for the fiery types:

“The absence of spicy heat makes it the perfect snack to balance out the Pitta dosha which is commonly fiery and ‘hot’ in its inherent characteristics of competitiveness, irritability, and the physical symptoms of skin rashes, inflammation and hypertension when in an unbalanced state.

My version will also be seen majoring on the superstar ingredient; broccoli. Broccoli is an excellent source of vitamin C, folate, vitamin K and chromium. It’s also high in fibre to aid in detoxifying the digestive system. As broccoli contains subtle bitter qualities that mimic the energy of air and ether; the effect on the fiery pitter is one of lightening, refreshment, toxin removal and cleansing.

The combination of the chickpea flour and brown rice flour makes a coating of complete protein; transforming it into a snack that’ll fill and satisfy your hunger for longer, as well as stabilising blood glucose levels. “

Broccoli Baji

Ingredients:

Serves 4

• 300 g (10½ oz/2½ cups) besan (chickpea) flour
• 2 tablespoons brown rice flour
• pinch of bicarbonate of soda (baking soda)
• Himalayan salt, to taste
• 500 ml (17 fl oz/2 cups) filtered water
• extra virgin coconut oil, for shallow-frying
• 120 g (4¼ oz/2 cups) broccoli florets

Chia jam and Carrot and beetroot raita, to serve (recipes below)

Method

• Sift the flours, bicarbonate of soda and salt into a medium bowl. Gradually add the water, stirring well to avoid lumps.
• The mixture should have a smooth, paste-like consistency.
• Heat some coconut oil (about 4 cm/1½ inches deep) in a medium, heavy-based saucepan over medium–high heat. Once the oil is hot (a small broccoli floret should sizzle and float), working in batches, dip the broccoli florets in the batter to coat well.
• Drop into the pan and cook until crisp on all sides. Lay on paper towel to drain off any excess oil while you cook the next batch.

Chia Jam

Serves 4

This natural, sugar-free jam suits all doshas. Fruit jams are delicious, but obtaining the desired consistency and firmness usually requires a large quantity of white sugar. This recipe uses chia seeds to create a perfect consistency, and rice malt syrup to add sweetness to the apple and berries. Delicious on its own, it can be used as a topping for pancakes – or a dollop added to the mixing bowl will sweeten up cakes, and a spoonful added to the pan will highlight curries.

Ingredients

• 1 apple, cored and grated
• 125 g (4½ oz/1 cup) mixed berries
• 250 ml (9 fl oz/1 cup) filtered water
• 90–120 g (3¼–4¼ oz/¼–1⁄3 cup) rice malt syrup, to taste
• 35 g (1¼ oz/¼ cup) chia seeds

Method

• Combine the apple, berries, water and rice malt syrup in a small, heavy-based saucepan over medium heat and bring to the boil.
• Reduce the heat to low and simmer for 20 minutes or until the consistency is thick.
• Remove from the heat, stir through the chia seeds and transfer to a sterilised jar.
• The jam will keep in the fridge for 5 days.

Carrot and Beetroot Raita

Serves 3–4

• 520 g (1 lb 2½ oz/2 cups) sheep’s milk yoghurt (use greek style coconut yoghurt if vegan)
• 1 raw beetroot (beet), peeled and grated
• 1 carrot, grated
• 1 onion, finely chopped
• 1 small capsicum (pepper), finely chopped
• 1 garlic clove, crushed
• 1 teaspoon ground cardamom
• Himalayan salt, to taste

Method

• Combine all the ingredients in a large bowl by mixing gently with a spoon.
• The raita will keep in an airtight container in the fridge for 3–4 days.

The post Broccoli Baji recipe appeared first on Alison Mitchell Naturopath.