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!