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Kitchen
Recipes for
Bone Health
Chr is J . Da lz ie l ♥ Sarah Da lz ie l
JOYBILEE FARM MEDIA Greenwood, British Columbia
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Copyright © 2020 by Christine J. Dalziel. All rights reserved. Permission is granted to make a single personal use copy of this work. Other than that, no part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or me-chanical methods, without the prior written permission of the publish-er, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other noncommercial uses permitted by copyright law. For permission requests, write to the publisher, addressed “Attention: Permissions Coordinator,” at the address below. Christine J. Dalziel / Joybilee Farm Media Box 667 Greenwood, BC, V0H 1J0 JoybileeFarm.com Ordering Information: Quantity sales. Special discounts are available on quantity purchases by corporations, associations, and others. For details, contact the “Special Sales Department” at the address above.
Kitchen Recipes for Bone Health
Christine J. Dalziel. —1st ed.
Kitchen Recipes for Bone Health| 5
Contents Kitchen Recipes for Bone Health ................................... 9
Weeds and Nutrients ..................................................... 9
Spring Recipes for Bone Health .................................. 11
Stinging Nettles (Urtica dioica) ................................. 13
Dandelion (Taraxacum officinale) ............................. 15
Burdock Root (Arctium lappa) .................................. 17
Red Raspberry Leaves ............................................. 18
Spring Tonic Oxymel ................................................ 19
Ramps and Rampsons – Spring Onions and Garlic . 22
Ramp Pesto .............................................................. 23
Dandelion Pesto ....................................................... 23
Nettle Smoothie ........................................................ 24
Nettle-Dandelion “Spinach” ...................................... 25
Summer Recipes for Bone Health ............................... 29
Garlic Scapes ........................................................... 31
Chives ...................................................................... 32
Onions ...................................................................... 33
Kale Salad ................................................................ 34
Lemon-Dill and Garlic Scape Summer Salad ........... 36
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Garlic Scape Hummus ............................................. 37
Basil Pesto Recipe ................................................... 39
Israeli Salad ............................................................. 40
Broccoli Stem Sauerkraut ........................................ 41
Fall Recipes for Bone Health ....................................... 43
Hazelnuts ................................................................. 43
Walnuts .................................................................... 44
Cabbage .................................................................. 44
Fermented Dairy ...................................................... 45
Zucchini .................................................................... 46
Yogurt ...................................................................... 46
Sauerkraut ............................................................... 47
Grilled Zucchini ........................................................ 49
Dandelion and Burdock Bitters ................................. 51
Traditional Dill and Garlic Pickles ............................. 52
Winter Recipes for Bone Health .................................. 55
Pumpkin ................................................................... 55
Sesame .................................................................... 56
Cinnamon ................................................................. 57
Basic Bone Broth ..................................................... 58
Kitchen Recipes for Bone Health| 7
Hummus ................................................................... 60
Cheese Crackers: ..................................................... 61
Cream of Mushroom Soup ....................................... 62
Squash Bisque ......................................................... 64
Chicken Soup ........................................................... 65
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Kitchen Recipes for Bone Health
Health begins in the kitchen. Most pre-processed and quick meal type foods provide less than optimal nutrition for your bones and body. You can remedy that lack through fun and healthy recipes using herbs, foods, broths, and more to support healthy bones, and a healthy body. Bone health doesn’t need to feel like a mystery. Nutrients like calcium, vitamin K, vitamin D, silica, and more are vital to healthy bones. Depending on how you consume certain things, like sticking with fermented soy if you consume soy at all, can also help. Unfermented soy is detrimental to bone health, as it pulls calcium into the gut to help with digestion.
This book is split into target recipes for spring, summer, fall, and
winter with the types of foods most common to those seasons
being highlighted. We’re also focusing on what is in season in
those seasons, to help you get the most out of your garden and
foraging.
Weeds and Nutrients
Many of our common garden weeds have a high nutrient value
and are valuable for helping with bone health. Weeds can be
used fresh as salads, pesto, and in cooking or soups. They can
also be dried and used to make a nutritive green powder to add
to winter baking, soups, sauces, stews, and more.
Take advantage of dehydrating abilities, and dry your abun-
dance of weeds for next winter’s nutrient rich soups and more.
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Kitchen Recipes for Bone Health| 11
Spring Recipes for Bone Health
Spring tonic herbs are some of the first plants that come up in the
spring. Having overwintered on stored energy from the previous
growing season, they are primed for growth and health. When they
emerge in spring, they have the highest vitamin, mineral, and antiox-
idant profile of their growth cycle. At no other time during the grow-
ing season are they as concentrated in vitamins, minerals, and
antioxidants. Using these herbs in spring is beneficial to transitioning
to a more active season, after a long winter with less activity.
Spring tonic herbs don't just offer our bodies more nutrition; they
also give us more energy, remove sluggishness, and support our
organs of elimination. Spring tonics are naturally bitter or "green"
tasting. They support the body’s natural elimination processes by
getting things moving. They increase circulation and oxygenate the
blood. They support healthy digestion by activating and protecting
the liver and gall bladder. Their diuretic effects support the kidneys
while offering potassium to keep the body’s electrolytes in balance.
Many also support the immune system by increasing lymphatic flow,
improving the body’s ability to detoxify and metabolize fat.
Spring tonics also soothe skin issues that creep up over the long win-
ter of inactivity. They improve brain fog and aid in healthy sleep. But
their biggest contribution is vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants for
renewed energy and endurance. These minerals support healthy
bones.
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Which herbs are good candidates for spring tonic herbs Wild weeds mine minerals from the soil more efficiently than any-
thing you can buy at the grocery store.
Burdock root
Chickweed
Cleavers
Dandelions
Dock
Lambs Quarters (Goosefoot)
Plantain
Raspberry leaf
Sarsaparilla
Sassafras
Sorrel,
Spring garlic
Spring onions
Stinging Nettles
Kitchen Recipes for Bone Health| 13
Stinging Nettles (Urtica dioica)
Nettle is one of my favorite spring herbs. They are the first to pop up
in my garden, peeking through the spring snow as I write. They are
commonly viewed as a favorite tonic herb, and one of the most wide-
ly available herbs, that help strengthen and tone the entire body.
They are extremely nutritive, whether used as a food or medicine,
and are high in a host of vitamins and minerals, including vitamins A,
C, B, E and K, and the minerals calcium, magnesium, manganese, zinc,
iron, potassium, cobalt, chromium, copper, and silicon. They make
an excellent nourishing, energizing tea.
Nettles also contain all the amino acids, so they are a complete pro-
tein and rival eggs for protein quality.
Nettles have a long history of use as a spring tonic, helping the body
with its natural eliminative abilities, and getting things moving after a
long winter. Nettles have a diuretic action which helps with the re-
moval of metabolic waste through the kidneys, as well as alterative
and anti-inflammatory qualities which make nettles popular for a
wide range of musculo-skeletal conditions like arthritis and condi-
tions of the joints. Their high mineral profile makes them an attrac-
tive herb for bone health as well.
They have a positive effect on the lymphatic system and kidneys, and
will help bring nourishment to many important parts of your body.
They also make a wonderful spring tonic to use for people who expe-
rience seasonal allergies. The histamine in fresh nettles binds to the
histamine receptors in the body, acting like a mild antihistamine,
calming seasonal allergies as well as food allergies and itchy skin con-
ditions.
Stinging nettle helps maintain bone mass in post-menopausal estro-
gen loss. (source)
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Cautions: Nettles are diuretic and astringent, and can be very drying as a tonic
herb for those who already have dry skin and dry mucous mem-
branes. Additionally, its diuretic effects may amplify the effects of
pharmaceuticals with the same action. Nettles may potentially alter
blood sugar levels—diabetics should monitor blood sugar levels
closely when eating the plant or using it as medicine.
You’ll sometimes find vitamin syrups with dosages of a teaspoon a
day listing nettles as one of the ingredients. An alcohol tincture
made with stinging nettle will have the same amount of vitamins and
minerals as a tea made with stinging nettles using the same weight of
nettles. There is nothing magical with alcohol that can amplify the
mineral percentage of a given weight of nettle leaves. This means
that a cup of tea made with 1 ounce of dried nettles will have a simi-
lar mineral profile as 1 ounce of dried nettles infused in a given vol-
ume of alcohol or vinegar. Be wary of recipes that claim miraculous
vitamin or mineral doses by the teaspoon.
Using nettles and other spring tonic herbs in food is one of the very
best ways to assimilate their goodness.
Kitchen Recipes for Bone Health| 15
Dandelion (Taraxacum officinale)
Dandelion takes over our lawns and ditches, and anywhere from
sidewalk cracks to garden beds. It is one of the best known and wide-
ly used tonic herbs.
Dandelion roots, when dug in spring are bitter and an excellent tonic
to the liver and digestive system. It is considered both stimulating
and decongesting to the liver. It stimulates the flow of bile, helping
break down cholesterol and fats, and offering benefit to congested
livers and gall bladder conditions like gallstones. Strengthening your
liver can help with many health issues, including chronic skin issues
and hormonal imbalance.
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To reap the most of dandelions bitter effect, you need to hold the
taste in your mouth for a moment. This taste triggers increased di-
gestive secretions and bile flow which in turn increases the clearance
of metabolic wastes from the liver.
Dandelion leaves have a tonic effect on the kidneys. They are known
as the perfect herbal diuretic. They are high in potassium, so unlike
pharmaceutical diuretics which deplete this mineral, dandelion leaf
replenishes the body of important vitamins and minerals, including
potassium. As a diuretic, they support the kidneys and help rid the
body of excess waste through the urine. They are useful in cases of
occasional water retention, like swelling of the ankles.
Dandelion is very nutritious. The leaf and root contain vitamins A, B,
C and D and the minerals potassium, calcium, iron and copper. The
leaf also contains carotenoids, and the roots also have some phos-
phorous and zinc.
Dandelion leaves and roots also contain inulin, a prebiotic, that feeds
the beneficial bacteria in your gut. Beneficial bacteria reduce stom-
ach inflammation and improve bone density in animal studies.
(source) (source)
Cautions:
Don’t use dandelion as medicine if you have:
• Obstructed bile ducts due to gallstones, cancer of the bile
duct or pancreas, cholangitis
• Obstructed intestines/intestinal spasms
• Liver cancer
• Unconjugated hyperbilirubinaemia
• Acute or severe hepatocellular disease (cirrhosis, adverse
drug reactions, viral hepatitis)
Kitchen Recipes for Bone Health| 17
Burdock Root (Arctium lappa)
Known by most as a massive weed yielding burrs that get stuck to
clothes or dogs’ fur in the fall, you may be surprised to learn that
burdock is a valuable food and medicine. Its root, also called gobo, is
a staple in Japanese cuisine.
Burdock root is used widely in both Western and Traditional Chinese
Medicine. It is known for its ability to help the body detoxify, and is
considered one of the best alterative herbs, an action which helps
alter chronic disease, often by aiding the release of metabolic toxins.
Burdock root is wonderful to help get things moving in the spring,
especially for people with chronic skin conditions like eczema, psoria-
sis, acne or boils. Due to its alterative actions, it can also be very val-
uable as part of a broader treatment for inflammatory conditions like
arthritis.
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Fall dug burdock roots contain up to 45% inulin, a pre-biotic starch
which offers health benefits including improved gut flora, decreased
inflammation of intestinal mucosa, and enhanced immune function.
Burdock is considered a lymphatic tonic that can help move lymph
through the body, another factor which has a positive impact on im-
munity.
Burdock is highly anti-inflammatory and a good tonic herb.
Burdock root contains B vitamins, C, E, and K, as well as potassium,
phosphorous, calcium, magnesium, and manganese
Red Raspberry Leaves
Raspberry leaves are another highly nutrient herb. They contain vit-
amins A, B1, B2, and B3 as well as vitamins C and E, manganese,
Kitchen Recipes for Bone Health| 19
niacin, and selenium as well as the minerals calcium, magnesium,
potassium, and iron. (source)
Rosemary Gladstar suggests that the high amounts of manganese
in raspberry leaf may be “used by the body to produce healthy
connective tissue, such as bone matrix and cartilage and [as] an
important factor in energy metabolism” (Gladstar, 2001, p. 359).
Pick them anytime during the growing season for use in herbal
formulas.
Spring Tonic Oxymel
This oxymel is a combination of vinegar and honey that is used as a
tonic. Add it by the tablespoon to fizzy water as a cold drink, use it in
salad dressing, take it by the tablespoon as a pick-me-up to fight the
afternoon doldrums.
Yield 1 quart
1/2 cup spring stinging nettles, fresh
1 cup dandelion root and leaves
1/2 cup burdock root, shredded
1/2 cup raspberry leaves, chopped
3 cups white balsamic vinegar
1 1/2 cup honey
Directions: Wash fresh herbs in cold water. Prepare by chopping finely. (Wear gloves when working with stinging nettles). Place herbs in wide mouth quart canning jar. Cover herbs fully with vinegar. Cap. Shake to remove air bubbles. Top up with additional vinegar to completely cover herbs, if necessary. Set aside for 3 weeks. Shake the jar daily, or as often as you remember.
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At the end of 3 weeks, strain the herbs from the vinegar and retain the vinegar. Add honey to the vinegar. Stir to combine. Label and date. To use take 1 tablespoon 3 times a day as a tonic.
Nourishing Infusions
Use one spring tonic herb or a combination. Use 1 ounce of dried herb in 1 quart of boiled water. Cover. Infuse for 4 hours or overnight. Strain and refrigerate the liquid. Drink throughout the day.
The long infusion time extracts more of the vitamins and minerals than a shorter 10 minutes infusion.
Kitchen Recipes for Bone Health| 21
Spring Tonic Tea Water is a very good solvent to draw the water soluble vitamins and
minerals out of plants. This recipe uses dried herbs. Harvest the
herbs and dry them on low heat in a dehydrator before making this
recipe. This recipe made with dried herbs can be made when the
plants are plentiful and used all year long.
Yield: Varies
1 part stinging nettle leaf
1 part dandelion root
1 part dandelion leaf
1 part burdock root
1 part raspberry leaf
1/8th part cinnamon chips
1/8th part ginger
Directions: Mix dried herbs by part. Use 1 tablespoon of tea blend per cup of
hot water. Steep covered for 10 minutes. Drink warm or cold.
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Ramps and Rampsons – Spring Onions and Garlic
Ramps and Ramsons are wild leeks and wild garlic that grow in hard-
wood forests in Eastern North America. You can find seeds to start
your own patch from Richter’s Herbs in Canada. They grow slowly
though. The wild plants are endangered from over harvest, so it’s
better to grow a patch yourself for your own harvest. If you don’t
have access to ramps or rampsons, spring chives or multiplier onions
can be used in recipes calling for ramps.
Studies show that women, who consume onions daily, have reduced
bone loss after menopause. It’s believed that the antioxidants in alli-
ums reduce inflammation in the body and thus reduce bone loss as
well.
Ramps and Rampsons are high in vitamin C and B vitamins. They con-
tain small amounts of calcium, magnesium, and iron. As well as anti-
oxidants.
If you are lucky enough to have a patch of ramps growing close by
you can use them for several dishes alone or in combination with
other edible greens like dandelion greens.
Kitchen Recipes for Bone Health| 23
Ramp Pesto
Pesto is one of the simple recipes that can use any leafy, flavorful
green. You’ve probably tasted basil pesto, but pesto can be made
with other herbs like bee balm, dandelion greens, thyme, or even
chives. This is a strong pesto that is best used in small portions.
Yield 2 cups
2 cups of ramps, wild onions, or scallions
2 garlic cloves
¼ cup walnuts, roasted
½ cup extra virgin olive oil
¼ cup Asiago cheese, grated
Directions: Wash and chop ramps add to food processor and process on low.
Add peeled and crushed garlic cloves, and walnuts. Process together
on low until coarsely chopped.
Add olive oil one tablespoon at a time while continuing to process on
low speed. Add cheese and process for one minute.
Serve over pasta or bread. May freeze in small portions for use later.
Dandelion Pesto
Yield 2 cups
3 cups spring dandelion greens, washed
2 garlic cloves
¼ cup hazelnuts, toasted
½ cup extra virgin olive oil
¼ cup parmesan cheese
Directions:
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Wash and towel dry dandelion greens. Place in food processor and
process on low speed. Add garlic cloves and nuts while continuing to
process the mixture. Once the mixture is uniformly coarse chopped,
drizzle in olive oil slowly, while continuing to process on low. Add
parmesan cheese. Process for an additional minute. Turn off food
processor.
Serve over rice or pasta.
Nettle Smoothie
I thought that putting nettles in a smoothie might be rather exciting.
But I’m happy to report that they don’t sting once they are well
blended in a smoothie. Just good nutrition. Feel free to substitute
any kind of berry for the blueberries in this recipe. You’ll find the
combination of blue berry and green nettle can dull the color of the
smoothie. If you prefer a brighter green use an apple in the place of
the blue berries.
Yield: 14 ounces
Kitchen Recipes for Bone Health| 25
1 cup of raw spring nettles, washed, chopped
½ cup blueberries
1 banana, peeled
1 cup of water
2 tablespoon plain yogurt
1 inch piece of ginger, peeled and diced
Directions: Place all ingredients in your blender jar. Wear gloves when handling
the nettles so you don’t get stung. Whirl on high until well blended
and there are no visible pieces of green in the smoothie.
Drink through a smoothie straw.
Nettle-Dandelion “Spinach”
Nettles and dandelion leaves are usually available in early spring.
These are some of the earliest “weeds” in my garden. Use this easy
recipe to serve them.
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Spring dandelion leaves, harvested before flowering, are mild fla-
vored and very good with a little butter. Harvest spring leaves of
both dandelion and nettle.
Yield: 2 cups cooked
10 cups of stinging nettles, dandelion greens or a combina-
tion
Directions: Wearing gloves, rinse the greens in a sink of cold water by swishing
them through the water. Lay on a towel to drip dry.
Place the nettle only, whole into a pot of boiling water and simmer
for 1 minute. The sting will be gone. Remove from the water and
chop the nettle and dandelion together. Return to the pot and sim-
mer for 3 minutes. Drain. Retain the liquid for drinking as a tea, or
use it to water your house plants. There are a lot of minerals in that
water.
Serve the greens in any way you would serve spinach.
Kitchen Recipes for Bone Health| 27
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Summer Recipes for Bone Health
Summer is a perfect time to target vegetables that are high in vitamin K, and to take advantage of summer abundance. Many of these summer recipes also take advantage of our preference for cooler food temperatures to highlight what this season offers for healthy bones.
Summer bone health foods include:
Kale
Cauliflower
Broccoli
Eggs
Leafy lettuce
Red clover
Onions
Chives
Garlic chives
Garlic scapes
Green garlic
Milky-oat tops
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Kale Kale is a great candidate for health in general, and for bone health in particular. This multi-purpose vegetable is packed with vitamins A, K, and C, as well as folate and some omega 3 fatty acids. Kale goes well in soups, and as a cooked green, as well as working well in summer salads, in sauerkraut, and even as a snack on its own.
Kitchen Recipes for Bone Health| 31
Garlic Scapes
Garlic scapes are the flower stalk of garlic plants. If you grow your own garlic you’ll want to remove the garlic scapes by pinching them off when the tip of the scape rises out of the center of the garlic leaves. If left on the garlic plant, the development of the garlic bulb will be impeded. If you live in an area where garlic is grown commercially, garlic scapes are available at the farmer’s market for a few weeks in June or July. Garlic scapes are a good source of vitamin C and pro-vitamin A, as well as vitamin B6, in addition to calcium, manganese, and selenium. They have a sharp garlic-leek flavor that is good in a variety of dishes.
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Chives
Easy to grow, perennial chives should be in everyone’s garlic.
Once you get a patch established in your garden or in a pot,
you’ll be able to divide it annually to make more chive plants.
Chives, from the allium family, are a good source of vitamin A
and beta carotene, B vitamins as well as folate, vitamin C, and
vitamin K. They also contain calcium and potassium.
Kitchen Recipes for Bone Health| 33
Onions
Rich in antioxidants, onions have been a staple food since the time of the ancients. Onions have numerous health benefits but are an exceptional bone health super food. Swiss researchers at the University of Basel and found that the onion peptide GPCS (γ-glutamyl-propenyl-cysteine sulfoxide) reduced bone breakdown in rats. When isolated bone cells from rats were exposed to parathyroid hormone in order to stimulate bone loss, GPCS-treated cells retained significantly more bone minerals – including calcium – compared to cells that were not exposed to GPCS. A Chinese study asked postmenopausal women to consume 3.4 ounces of onion juice a day for 8 weeks. The control group was onion juice-free. Women drinking the onion juice showed a significant decline in free radical levels and gained a bit of bone mass in only 8 weeks. Onions contain Vitamin C, vitamin B6, folate, manganese, chromium, molybdenum, potassium, phosphorus and copper.
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Kale Salad
Enjoy the vitamin K benefits of kale, and some of the calcium
encouraging benefits of garlic with this fresh summer and au-
tumn salad. Vary the fruit by what is in season to keep this sal-
ad fresh all season long.
Serves 2-4 people.
1 Bunch of Kale or 8 to 10 leaves of garden Kale or about 8 ounces prepared Kale
1 medium beet, peeled and shredded 1 garlic clove, minced 1/4 cup lemon juice 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard ½ cup extra virgin olive oil Handful of fresh basil leaves ¼ cup walnuts, toasted 1 cup dried or fresh berries
Kitchen Recipes for Bone Health| 35
Directions: Wash the kale leaves. Remove the coarse midrib and stem from each leaf. Lay the leaves on top of each other and roll them tightly, side to side. Using a sharp knife, slice the leaves across the roll, into thin ribbons. Place the prepared kale in the salad bowl. Peel the beet and shred it on the edge of a box grater. Add the shredded beet to the kale in the bowl.
PREPARE THE DRESSING Peel the garlic clove and mince it. Add it to a blender jar. Add lemon juice, mustard, olive oil, and basil leaves to the blender jar. Blend until the ingredients thicken and are well blended, about 30 seconds. Toast the walnuts in a cast iron frying pan until lightly brown and fragrant. Toss into the bowl with the Kale and beets. Pour dressing over all and mix well with the salad greens. Set aside to marinate while you prepare the rest of the meal. When you are ready to serve the salad, divide the salad into 4 individual bowls. Sprinkle the berries, or fruit, over the top of each salad as a garnish. Serve immediately.
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Lemon-Dill and Garlic Scape Summer Salad
Take advantage of the mineral rich benefits of garlic scapes and dill and enjoy this lemon, dill and garlic salad.
5 garlic scapes
8 leaf fronds of young dill
1 stalk of lemon balm, leaves only
Zest and juice of 2 organic lemons
1 tsp. Dijon mustard
½ cup of extra virgin olive oil
1 tsp. maple syrup or local honey
6 cups of lettuce, torn into bite size pieces
A handful of parsley, chopped finely
2 tablespoons chives, chopped
½ cup Garlic – olive oil croutons (see below)
¼ cup Goat cheese, or feta, grated
Directions
Kitchen Recipes for Bone Health| 37
Wash the garlic scapes, dill, and lemon balm and blot dry with a clean cotton towel. Finely chop garlic scapes, dill leaves, and lemon balm leaves. Place all ingredients in a blender jar and blend until smooth and creamy. Adjust flavors by adding more dill or more maple syrup as needed. Blend again. Transfer into a wide mouth jar and refrigerate until ready to use. Tear prepared lettuce into bite size pieces. Add chives and goat cheese and toss together. Just before serving add croutons and dressing. Toss again. Serve with dressing on the side, or lightly pre-dress the salad.
Garlic Scape Hummus
A fun and refreshing take on traditional hummus, this is a per-
fect summer option for light meals when it’s too hot to cook.
This hummus has the benefits of garlic scapes, and the extra
calcium from sesame tahini to help your summer bone health.
Zest and juice from 1 lemon
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2 cups of cooked chickpeas or 1 can of garbanzo beans/chickpeas
10 – 15 garlic scapes, chopped (if you like it mild use the lower number)
¼ cup tahini (sesame seed butter)
2 tablespoons toasted sesame oil
2 tablespoons olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste Directions Put the garlic scapes, sesame oil, olive oil, lemon juice and lemon zest in the bowl of a food processor and process till smooth. Add tahini and process until well blended. Rinse the chickpeas under cold water until the water runs clear, to remove indigestible starches. Drain well. Add chickpeas to the food processor mixture ½ cup at a time, and process until smooth. With the food processor turned off, scrape the side of the food processor bowl to move the unprocessed chickpeas into the blades. Continue processing the remainder of the chickpeas ½ cup at a time, until the mixture is smooth. Add salt and pepper to taste.
Kitchen Recipes for Bone Health| 39
Basil Pesto Recipe
Another recipe to enjoy the benefits of garlic scapes this summer, this time combined with the refreshing flavor of basil.
1/2 cup hazelnuts
2 cups of fresh basil leaves
1/2 cup of hazelnut oil
15 garlic scapes
1/2 tsp. herbed salt Directions Lightly toast the hazelnuts in a frying pan over medium heat. Remove from heat and allow to cool. Process the cooled hazelnuts in a food processor until finely chopped. Remove from the food processor and set aside. Snap off the blossom part of each garlic scape. Snip the remainder of the garlic scape stem into 1/2 inch pieces. In the small bowl of a food processor or in the chopper attachment of a hand blender place the garlic scape pieces and hazelnut oil.
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Pulse the food processor until the garlic scapes and hazelnut oil are finely blended. Add half the basil leaves and continue pulsing until finely chopped.
Add the remaining basil leaves and pulse until finely chopped and well blended. Add half the chopped hazelnuts and continue pulsing until well mixed. The mixture should have a fine paste-like texture. Add the last of the hazelnut and 1/2 tsp. of herbed sel gris (French grey sea salt). Mix well until mixture has a uniform, fine texture. If the pesto is too firm to blend freely, add more hazelnut oil, 1 tsp. at a time, until it will blend smoothly.
Israeli Salad
Vitamin C is also highly needed for bone health, take advantage
of this light summer favorite with an Israeli style tomato, pepper,
and cucumber salad. Bell peppers are high in vitamin C.
2 tomatoes
1 english cucumber, (don’t peel)
1 med red onion
Kitchen Recipes for Bone Health| 41
1 orange or red pepper, deseeded
Juice and zest from 1 organic lemon
1 tsp. Dijon mustard
2 tablespoons of white balsamic vinegar
2 tablespoons olive oil
Leaves from 5 sprigs of fresh mint Directions: Finely chop tomatoes, cucumber, onion, and pepper into cubes no bigger than ¼ inch. Mix together in a bowl. To make the lemon mint dressing, zest and juice the lemon. Add the zest and juice into the bowl of a food processor or blender. Take the leaves from the sprigs of mint and chop finely. I find it helpful to place all the leaves on top of each other and then roll them under my hand while I chop them into fine ribbons. Add the mint leaves to the bowl of the food processor/blender. Add olive oil, vinegar, and mustard. Turn on food processor/blender and process until the dressing is thick and well blended. You should see tiny fragments of mint leaves but no large pieces. Pour the prepared dressing over the salad. Mix well. Serve immediately.
Broccoli Stem Sauerkraut
If you are buying bunches of broccoli from the Farmer’s Market, or grocery store, chances are you have a lot of stems hanging around. These stems can be made into a vitamin C rich sauerkraut, perfect for summer preparation and autumn enjoyment.
5 broccoli stems – grated
½ cup dill
5 garlic cloves, whole
¼ cup raisins
1 tablespoon salt
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Equipment:
Wide mouth quart jar
Fermentation lock lid
Fermentation weight Directions Thoroughly wash the broccoli stems and trim off any black or discolored parts. Shred the broccoli stems with a course grater, or food processor. Break up dill-weed into a few fronds, and peel garlic cloves. Combine the salt with one cup water, until dissolved. Mix the grated broccoli with the raisins, dill, and garlic, and pack into the quart jar. Add the brine and the fermentation starter. If the brine level is not up to the shoulders of the jar, add a small amount more cold water until it is. Place the clean fermentation weight into the shoulders of the jar and press down till it is lightly submerged. Fix the fermentation lock and set the quart jar on a plate to catch overflow. Let the jar sit until bubbling stops, and fermentation is complete (3-5 days in warm weather). It will start with fine bubbles, move to heavier bubbles, and slowly stop bubbling. It should smell like a crisp pickle ferment, not like a dead body. If anything smells “off” or there is visible mold, do not consume the ferment.
Kitchen Recipes for Bone Health| 43
Fall Recipes for Bone Health
As the weather cools and more late-season veggies are ready for enjoyment, these fall recipes target the favorite flavors and textures of autumn.
Hazelnuts
Rich in unsaturated fats (mostly oleic acid), high in magnesium, calcium and vitamins B and E. Hazelnuts are good for your heart, help reduce the risk of cancer, and aid in muscle, skin, bone, joint and digestive health.
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Walnuts
Just a quarter cup of walnuts gives you 2.25 grams of omega-3
fats. That’s important because omega-3s help increase the
amount of calcium your body absorbs and deposits in your
bones. It also boosts collagen production which improves bone
strength. (source)
Research shows that walnuts help slow down osteoclast activity
(bone breakdown) (source) and increase osteoblast activity
(bone formation). In one Penn State study people who ate lots
of walnuts had slower rates of bone breakdown.
Cabbage
Cabbage is abundant in fall and is a good winter keeping vege-
table. It is very high in vitamin K, folate, and vitamin B6, all es-
sential for bone health. Cabbage is also high in calcium and
vitamin C which significantly improves the absorption of calci-
um.
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Fermented Dairy
Many studies show a significant inverse association between
consumption of dairy products and elevated markers of bone
turnover (indicators of excessive bone loss) and a positive as-
sociation between dairy food intake and bone mineral content.
Full fat, plain organic yogurt provides not only calcium, but
magnesium and zinc, plus small amounts of vitamin K2 (in the
form of MK-4), vitamin A, and vitamin D (as most cow’s milk is
now fortified with vitamin D, one cup of yogurt per day provides
200 IU of vitamin D3 along with 400 mg of calcium) — and a
hefty dose of protein.
Kefir and cheese provide similar benefits to yogurt, provided
they are made with full fat milk.
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Zucchini
Zucchini contains vitamins A, B complex, C, and vitamin K, plus magnesium which help build strong bones. Zucchini is one of the easiest vegetables to grow. With its bush habit it takes up very little space. It can even be grown in a large pot.
Homemade Yogurt
1 quart of milk (raw milk is best)
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1 tablespoon of yogurt culture Directions Pour the milk into a sanitized glass quart jar, to within 2 inches of the top. Add 1 package of powdered yogurt culture or 1 tablespoon of yogurt with live cultures (look for organic yogurt at your grocer). Use a yogurt maker and follow the manufacturers directions. Alternatively, cover the jar with a lid and place it in a 2 quart bowl to which warm water has been added. Place the bowl in the oven with the oven light on. Leave it for 20 hours, give or take. Remove your finished yogurt and refrigerate it. The yogurt will thicken as it chills. Once the yogurt is chilled, it’s ready to eat.
Homemade Sauerkraut
4 cups cabbage thinly diced
1-2 cups thinly grated carrots
3 tablespoons coarse sea salt or Himalayan pink salt
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Directions Prepare 4 to 6 cups of vegetables. Slice your choice of vegetables thinly. Add any spicy vegetables that you like by shredding, slicing thinly, or grating. Mix the vegetables together in a large bowl. Add 2 tablespoons of sea salt per quart of vegetables. If you are using hard vegetables like cabbage or carrots pound the vegetables with a kraut pounder to release the juice and bruise the tissue. This speeds up the fermentation process as well as releasing the natural bacteria on the outside of the cabbage, in order promote fermentation. Set aside. Sterilize a Mason jar. Add additional filtered water if necessary to keep the vegetables submerged in the brine. Place a glass fermentation weight and fermentation lid. If you don’t have a glass weight, add a cabbage leaf, or a plastic lid cut to fit the shoulders of the jar. This will keep the vegetables under the brine and prevent mold. Ferment for 1 week or until the fermentation process slows down and the pressure inside the jar reduces. Remove the fermentation weight and replace the fermentation lid with a normal lid. Place the jar in the fridge or in a cool spot for an additional 2 weeks to allow the flavors to meld.
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Grilled Zucchini
2 — 12 to 14 inch long zucchinis
1 tablespoon aioli sauce
1 tablespoon extra- virgin olive oil
Juice and zest from 2 limes
1/2 teaspoon Himalayan salt
1 tablespoon fresh chives, finely chopped
1 tablespoon fresh oregano, finely chopped or 1/2 teaspoon dried
1 teaspoon fresh thyme, leaves only or 1/2 teaspoon dried
1/2 teaspoon pepper Directions Wash zucchinis. Remove the stem and blossom ends. Discard in compost. Slice zucchinis into 3/4 inch thick slices. Place in a 3 quart bowl. Prepare the marinade by adding olive oil, lime juice and zest, and fresh or dried herbs and spices to a 1 cup measuring cup. Pour over zucchini slices in the bowl.
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Stir to cover all sides of the zucchini slices with marinade. Cover the bowl to protect the zucchini slices from drying out in the air. Set aside to marinate for 3 hours. Stir the zucchini slices in the marinade occasionally during the marinating period. Preheat the barbeque grill for 10 minutes to ensure that the heat is evenly distributed. Stir the zucchini slices in the bowl, so that the slices sitting on the bottom are now on the top of the bowl. Place these zucchini slices on the grill first. Grill on each side for 3 to 5 minutes. The actual time will vary depending on how hot your grill is. Turn the slices over when the char lines are pale brown. Grill on the remaining side. Using a heat proof pastry brush, baste the marinade on the second side of the zucchini before turning the slices over. Dredge the remaining slices of zucchini through the marinade on both sides, before placing them on the grill. Grill them as you did the first slices. Repeat until all the zucchini is grilled on both sides and is tender crisp, succulent, and smoky.
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Dandelion and Burdock Bitters
1 cup dandelion roots, dried or 1 1/2 cups fresh dandelion roots, cleaned and chopped
1 cup burdock roots, dried or 1 1/2 cups fresh burdock roots, cleaned and chopped
1/2 cup cacao nibs, raw
2 tablespoons orange zest
3 cups brandy
Directions Place dandelion roots, burdock roots, cacao nibs, and orange zest in a 1 quart Mason jar. Cover with brandy. Cap tightly. Shake the jar to evenly distribute the brandy among the herbs. Add more brandy if needed to completely cover the herbs in the jar. Set the jar aside in a cool, dark place. Shake the jar once a day or as often as you think of it. After 21 days stain the jar, discarding the herbs and reserving the liquid. Bottle the bitters tincture in amber glass bottles with dropper lids.
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To use: Add 10 to 15 drops to a cocktail. Place 10 drops on the tongue about 20 minutes before a meal. Use when you have indigestion, stomach pain, or nausea.
Traditional Dill and Garlic Pickles
Enough baby pickling cucumbers to fit in a 2 quart jar – about 1 ½ to 2 lbs.
15 to 20 peeled, whole garlic cloves
2 heads of fresh dill
2 tablespoons Himalayan salt or Celtic salt
2 tablespoons pickle juice from a successful batch of fermented vegetables or 2 tablespoons of whey (optional)
Directions: Clean and sanitize a 2 quart canning jar, a plastic lid or glass weight that fits inside the canning jar, and a fermentation lid. Wash pickling cucumbers well and rub off any spines. Tip and tail them to remove the stem and blossom ends. Peel the whole garlic cloves from about 5 heads of fresh garlic. Place both
Kitchen Recipes for Bone Health| 53
pickles and garlic in a 2 quart jar, alternating layers until the jar is half full. Place 1 head of fresh dill in the jar. Sprinkle with 1 tablespoons of salt. Continue alternating layers of cucumbers and garlic. Place another head of fresh dill at the top of the jar. Sprinkle with another tablespoon of salt. Let it sit for an hour or two. This will draw the liquid out of the cucumbers. Top up the jar with filtered water. Using a clean knife, dislodge any air bubbles in the jar. Top up with more brine, ensuring that the brine completely covers the cucumbers and garlic. If you have a successful batch of pickles or sauerkraut take 2 tablespoon of the brine from the successful batch and inoculate the jar. Place a weight over the cucumbers in the jar, or a plastic lid, cut to fit the shoulders of the jar, to keep the cucumbers from rising above the brine, ensuring that the liquid in the jar covers the lid by ¼ inch or more. Put it on a kitchen counter so you can remember to check it daily to ensure that the brine stays above the cucumbers. The jar will begin to bubble and the liquid will rise in the jar. I like to take a clean knife and push the cucumbers down every morning. Once the liquid stops bubbling, the fermentation process is finished but the pickles aren’t done. Take the fermentation lock off the jar and replace with a normal mason jar lid. I like to use a plastic lid at this point because this will stay in storage in your fridge for a few months. The pickles are fully fermented when the color tone is a uniform olive green.
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Kitchen Recipes for Bone Health| 55
Winter Recipes for Bone Health
With longer winter evenings, take a bit more time to make hot comfort foods, like soup and stew with a base of calcium rich bone broth for your winter bone health.
Pumpkin
Pumpkin is a good source of calcium, phosphorous, and zinc. It is a good source of antioxidants, and the seeds are a good source of potassium. (source)
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Sesame
Sesame seeds — both unhulled and hulled — are rich in sever-
al nutrients that boost bone health including calcium, magnesi-
um, potassium, and phosphorous, though the calcium is mainly
in the hull.
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Cinnamon
Cinnamon is a highly prized spice for not only for flavoring, but for its antioxidant and digestion-enhancing effects, as well as for its ability to lower blood sugar and reduce insulin resistance. Cinnamon reduces bone breakdown and can help prevent bone loss.
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Basic Bone Broth
Bone broth is a perfect winter staple for your bone health repertoire. Bone broth can be consumed on its own, added to soup, stew, bisque, and used to cook rice or quinoa. Bone broth is rich in calcium, magnesium, and collagen which supports bone health.
1 stripped chicken carcass (or 1lb beef stewing bones)
3 cloves minced garlic
½ chopped onion
1 tablespoon vinegar
Carrot skins (optional)
Onion skins (optional)
Celery leaves (optional) Directions Combine ingredients in a sauce pan or crock pot. Cook on medium heat for 2-3 hours for chicken, and up to 8 hours for beef bones.
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If you use scraps to make bone broth, plan to completely strain the broth and discard all solid parts, retaining just the broth. If you chose to use non-scrap veggies, pick out the bones and leave as a soup or add more to make a heavy stew. Using the skins of veggies adds more minerals to the finished broth. You can use a similar method for fish bone broth, but fish bones only need to be stewed for one hour. Broth can be kept refrigerated for 4-6 days. Broth will keep in the freezer for up to 3 months.
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Traditional Hummus
3 cups of cooked chickpeas
Juice and zest of 1 lemon or lime
1/2 cup tahini (sesame butter)
4 cloves of garlic (peeled)
1/2 teaspoon sea salt or Himalayan salt
¼ cup chopped parsley
2 tablespoons virgin olive oil
Directions
Process chick peas using a potato masher, a hand blender, or a food processor until well chopped. Add lemon zest and juice, tahini, garlic cloves, and salt. Continue processing until the hummus dip is smooth. Add the parsley and process to blend briefly to mix in parsley. If the hummus becomes too thick add water 1 tablespoon at a time until the hummus is smooth and well blended.
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To serve top with a drizzle of olive oil and additional chopped parsley. Serve with warm pita bread, crackers, or corn chips.
Cheese Crackers:
1 cup of flax seed, freshly ground
3 cups of almond flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/4 cup olive oil
1 cup of water
1/4 cup cheddar cheese, grated
1/2 teaspoon coarse salt (optional)
Directions
Use freshly ground flax for this recipe. I grind 1 1/4 cup of whole flax seed in a blender jar until coarsely ground. Put the flax seed into a mixing bowl. Add 3 cups of almond flour, baking powder, and olive oil. Stir with a spoon to blend well. Pour in water. Stir until a soft dough forms. Stir in grated cheese until fully blended. Set aside for 10 minutes to allow the dough to become uniformly moistened. Add salt, if using, and mix in. Preheat oven to 400F. Divide dough into 3 parts. Roll out dough on counter, sprinkled with additional flour or flax seed to prevent sticking. Roll to 1/4 inch or less thickness. Cut with cookie cutters or biscuit cutters. Place cut crackers on floured baking tray. No need to space widely, these crackers do not spread.
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Bake the crackers in a 400F oven for 15 minutes. Remove from the oven to cooling rack. Crackers will continue to crisp as they cool. Repeat until all crackers are baked.
Cream of Mushroom Soup
Dairy is a great source of calcium, and homemade cream soups are a great way to take advantage of those benefits. Vary the mushroom soup by making cream of broccoli, celery, or even asparagus soup if you have frozen asparagus hanging around.
2 cups of cleaned and sliced fresh, white, button mush-
rooms, portabella, or shiitake
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2 tablespoons butter
¼ cup tapioca or potato starch
2 cups water (or 1 cup water, 1 cup milk or cream)
Directions Fry mushrooms in butter until limp and cooked through. Your 2 cups will shrink to about 1/2 to 3/4s of a cup of mushrooms. Make a roux by adding 1/4 cup tapioca or potato starch to the mushrooms, over the heat and stirring well to completely coat the tapioca starch with butter and mushrooms, and toast it lightly. Because the pan is hot you will stir in cold liquid. Using a whisk, stir in 2 cups of cold water, slowly adding the water. The liquid will begin to thicken immediately. Keep whisking so it doesn’t form lumps. Simmer for a minute to meld flavours and adjust the thickness, by adding additional liquid, according to your taste. For a richer soup you can add 1 cup of cold water and 1 cup of cold cream or whole milk or butter milk. If it the mixture gets too thick, thin with a little milk, 1/4 cup at a time till it’s the consistency you need for your recipe. Add salt and pepper to taste.
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Squash Bisque
1 medium onion, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
1 tablespoon coconut oil for sautéing
1-inch piece of ginger, peeled and minced
1 butternut squash, baked until softened
2 cups water or broth of your choice
½ teaspoon curry spice
2 tablespoons coconut cream
1/2 teaspoon salt
Pepper to taste
1/4 cup of cream
Toasted almonds or sunflower seeds for garnish
Directions
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In a large stockpot, sauté the onion, garlic, and ginger in coconut oil, until softened. Add the cooked squash, the 2 cups of water or broth, and the curry spice. Make sure there is enough to cover the ingredients. Cook until bubbling, on medium heat, for 15 minutes. Using a stick blender, puree the bisque until it is smooth. If you don’t have a stick blender, transfer small batches to a blender to puree. Return the blended bisque to the pan and reheat. Stir in 2 tablespoons of coconut cream.
Chicken Soup
1 – 3 pound chicken , or chicken pieces, or stripped carcass
1 tablespoon vinegar or vinegary kombucha
2 onions
2 heads of garlic
3 sticks of celery, with leaves
1/2 bunch fresh parsley, or 2 tablespoons dried
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2 tablespoons thyme
1/4 cup chopped Leeks
1 inch piece of fresh ginger
4 cups diced carrots, turnip, zucchini, or parsnip, peel and diced
2 potatoes, peeled and diced or noodles, if desired Directions Place the chicken or chicken bones in your slow cooker or Instant Pot. Cover with water. Add vinegar or kombucha. Simmer over night. Remove bones and strip any remaining meat off of them. Add meat back to crock pot, discard bones. Add onions, garlic, spices, leeks, and ginger. Simmer for 2 to 4 hours. Add vegetables and potatoes 1 hour before serving. Serve hot..
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Chris helps natural moms create a homegrown lifestyle so they
can shift away from the corporate health paradigm and create
health and wellness for their families naturally. She is a teacher,
author, gardener, and herbalist with 35+ years’ of growing herbs
and formulating herbal remedies, skin care products, soaps,
and candles.
Chris is the founder of the DIY Herbal Fellowship, the Joybilee
Farm blog, and an instructor at Joybilee Academy. Chris be-
lieves in giving her readers a quick win because each quick win
builds confidence and empowers intuition for self-reliance and
natural health.
Chris is the author of the The Beginner’s Book of Essential
Oils, Learning to Use Your First 10 Essential Oils with Confi-
dence (2015) and Homegrown Healing, from Seed to Apothe-
cary (2016), and The Beeswax Workshop, How to Make Your
Own Natural Candles, Cosmetics, Cleaners, Soaps, Healing
Balms and More (2017)
68 | CHRIS J . D ALZIEL
THIS EBOOK IS OFFERED FOR EDUCATION AND INTEREST ONLY.
NOTHING IN THIS EBOOK IS MEANT TO DIAGNOSE, TREAT, OR PRE-
SCRIBE FOR A MEDICAL CONDITION. IF YOU ARE TAKING MEDICA-
TION SOME HERBS MAY AMPLIFY THE ACTIONS OF PRESCRIPTION
MEDICATION. PLEASE CONSULT YOUR HEALTH CARE PROVIDER FOR
SPECIFIC PERSONAL RECOMMENDATIONS.
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