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.

This dish is all kinds of delicious, it’s not too heavy and the addition of the herbed chicken adds a lovely warming element. It’s really easy to make as well. If you own a spiraliser then making zucchini noodles, or zoodles, is fast and easy. If you don’t own one then just peel lengths of your zucchini and slice into fettucini shapes.

~Serves 2~

Ingredients

• 1 tbsp fennel seeds
• 1 tsp dried chilli
• 1 tsp chopped rosemary leaves
• 2 garlic cloves, crushed
• 1 tray chicken tenderloins

• 2 zucchini
• 1 large handful basil
• 2 -3 tbsp finely grated parmesan
• 3 tbsp olive oil
• Pinch salt
• Pinch pepper
• 1 clove garlic, crushed
• 2 tbsp pinenuts

Method

Toast the pine nuts in a hot pan until golden, then set aside

Heat a frying pan to medium high heat, and add a tbsp olive oil. Add the fennel seeds, 2 garlic cloves, chilli and rosemary and cook for a minute until it starts to become fragrant, then tip in the chicken tenderloins. Move them around in the pan to coat in the spices then let them start to cook.

Meanwhile start on the pesto. Tear the basil leaves up roughly and put into the food processor along with the garlic, parmesan and a splash of water, and a pinch of salt and pepper. Pulse a few times, scraping down the sides of the food processor occasionally. Start pouring in the olive oil until it becomes a runny consistency and the basil is finely shredded. Add in the pine nuts and pulse a few more times so they are roughly chopped up.

Turn the chicken in the pan (you might need to do this halfway through making the pesto as it starts to turn a nice deep golden colour).

Using whichever contraption you have, spiralise the zucchini into spaghetti strands, or if you don’t have a spiraliser you can peel it into thin ribbons with a normal peeler, stack them up and slice into spaghetti strands with a knife.

Remove the chicken from the pan and set aside. Turn the heat off the pan.

Put the zucchini noodles in the pan along with the pesto and stir through. You don’t need to cook the zoodles, but I like them to be just heated through and you can scrape up the rest of the spices from the pan into the noodles.

Serve the zoodles up and place the chicken on top. You can garnish with a few smaller basil leaves, a crack of pepper or a sprinkle of parmesan.

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The post Fennel and rosemary chicken with pesto zoodles appeared first on Alison Mitchell Naturopath.

This is a great meal to make when you want something easy to digest or if you or your loved ones are feeling under the weather (perfect for these cooler months).  This recipe is from the book Secrets of the Red Lantern.

If you would prefer a more traditional congee than don’t fry the rice first, but simmer the rice for longer (up to 2 hours) until it is a porridge consistency.  Either way this is a delicious soothing recipe.

This can be enjoyed for any meal.  It is traditionally eaten as a breakfast.

~ Serves 8 ~

Ingredients

• 1/2 small brown onion, sliced
• 1 tbsp fish sauce
• 2 tsp sugar
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp cracked black pepper
• 1  (4 pound) chicken, whole, or 1 carcass and 2 chicken breasts, or just breasts if carcass unavailable
• 1/2 cup long grain rice
• 1 tbsp sliced spring onions
• 1 tbsp sliced coriander

Method

In a large saucepan place 10 cups water, the onion, fish sauce, sugar, salt and pepper.  Bring to the boil then add the chicken and return to a fast simmer for 5 minutes, skimming the impurities off the surface.  Cover the saucepan with a lid, turn off the heat and allow to sit for 45 minutes.  Remove the chicken and cool by plunging into ice water for 10 seconds, reserving the stock.  Drain the chicken in a colander, then shred the meat into bite sized pieces and set aside.

In a clean saucepan, fry the rice over low heat until fragrant but not brown.  Add the prepared chicken stock and bring to the boil.  Decrease the heat to a simmer and cook, stirring regularly for 25-30 minutes.  Fold the shredded chicken into the soup and then pour into a serving bowl.  Garnish with the spring onions and coriander.  Enjoy!!

Optional

• Add a coouple drops of sesame oil for a slightly different flavour.
• Add sliced ginger or chilli to the stock for some extra warmth.

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