Leaves of Life
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614.888.4372

Office Address

7720 Rivers Edge Dr.
Suite 121, Columbus, OH 43235

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Monday-Thursday 9:30am-6:00pm
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Category: Garden Gluttony

These are some favorite personal recipes that are just simple, summer fresh cooking… not elimination or true Paleo friendly, but still tasty ways to use up an abundance of fresh veggies from the garden.

These are also a big hit when company comes. I don’t have measurements for all of these because I always just eyeball it and every creation is its own unique version of delicious.

-Patty

Dairy-Free, Detox, Elimination Diet, Garden Gluttony, Gluten Free, Grain-Free, Paleo, Recipes

Hamburger Salad

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Photo courtesy of Leaves of Life

Ingredients:

  • Lettuce, chopped
  • Tomato, chopped
  • Onion, chopped
  • Crumbled hamburger, cooked (turkey, grass-fed beef, or bison)
  • Bubbie’s fermented dill relish
  • Dijon or yellow mustard
  • Salad dressing of choice

Instructions:

  1. Assemble salad
  2. Top with warm burger
  3. Dress the salad and enjoy!

Tips: Try different dressings and toppings to mimic the same flavors you enjoy on a burger. A sun-dried tomato vinaigrette can help approximate ketchup, and a creamy Annie’s Goddess dressing helps to stretch the mustard flavor without over-salting.  If these options won’t work for whatever reason, olive oil and vinegar, salt and pepper are remarkably tasty. If you prefer a cheeseburger and you tolerate cheese, top with some shredded, grass- fed cheddar.

Dairy-Free, Detox, Elimination Diet, Garden Gluttony, Gluten Free, Grain-Free, Paleo, Recipes

Sassy Summer Salad

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salad
Sassy spring salad – plated up and ready to eat!

Salad Ingredients:

  • Mixed greens
  • Your favorite summer berries
  • Pecan pieces
  • Crumbled coconut crisps (suggestion – Dang from Whole Foods, found in or near the bulk aisle)

Salad Instructions:

  1. Combine salad ingredients in whatever ratios you prefer.
  2. Toss with the dressing and serve immediately.

Tip: If you need to put your salad together in advance, put the dressing on the bottom of a salad bowl, next add your berries, then put the greens and crunchies on top. Toss only when you’re ready to serve. This buys you time and avoids soggy greens and coconut crisps!

vinegar and oil
Infused vinegars and oils add flavor depth!

Dressing ingredients:

  • Persian Lime infused olive oil (2 parts)
  • Coconut infused white vinegar (1 part)
  • Honey ginger infused white vinegar (1 part)
  • ½-1 tsp cinnamon (to taste–optional)

Dressing instructions:
Combine dressing ingredients in a sealed jar and shake thoroughly.

Tip: Remember, you can always add more cinnamon, but you can’t take it out!

Tip: I have found the most important part of the dressing recipe is the flavor-infused vinegar.  Just mix equal parts plain olive oil with a fruit- or other flavor-infused vinegar and shake!

Dairy-Free, Detox, Elimination Diet, Fat Free Vegan Low Sugar, Garden Gluttony, Gluten Free, Grain-Free, Paleo, Recipes

Zucchini Bake

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zucchini bake
Photo and recipe courtesy of Leaves of Life.

Ingredients:

  • 2 medium zucchinis, one sliced lengthways and one sliced crossways
  • Peppers sliced into large rings
  • 1/2 cup salsa
  • 2-3 tbsps chopped fresh basil
  • 1 large tomato, sliced
  • Drizzle of olive oil
  • Salt and pepper and dry oregano to taste

Instructions:

  1. Make one layer of round zucchini slices
  2. Top with a layer of pepper rings
  3. Make a layer of lengthwise zucchini slices
  4. Spread basil evenly over top and add another layer of round zucchini slices
  5. Finish with a layer of tomato slices, olive oil and fresh salsa
  6. Bake at 375 for 30 minutes or until bubbly and golden on top

Tips:

Try some flavor infused olive oil for a little extra oomph.  Lime or lemon infused or Tuscan herbs would work well here.

Dairy-Free, Detox, Elimination Diet, Garden Gluttony, Gluten Free, Grain-Free, Recipes

Roasted Veggie Salad w/Hummus

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salad beet

salad hummus
Photos and recipe courtesy of Leaves of Life

Ingredients:

  • Pile of mixed baby greens
  • Mushrooms, sliced or halved
  • Carrots, sliced into fourths or sixths
  • Red, yellow or orange bell peppers, sliced into strips
  • Zucchini, sliced into strips
  • Cherry tomatoes, halved
  • 2-3 tbsp olive oil
  • Salt to taste
  • Hummus and salad dressing of choice

Instructions:

  1. Reserve cherry tomatoes and zucchini to add partway through the cooking process
  2. Toss remaining veggies in olive oil and spread out on a cooking sheet
  3. Sprinkle with salt
  4. Roast at 400 degrees for 25 minutes, stirring 2-3 times, and adding tomatoes and zucchini about halfway through
  5. Add to salad and top with several tbsp of hummus and dressing

Tips

Add some roasted chick peas or lightly toasted nuts for crunch.   Top with chicken or fish or serve those on the side.  Try Tessamae’s salad dressing from Whole Foods–made with olive oil and 100% natural ingredients.  Beet hummus adds color and flavor depth.  Add some chopped raw cucumbers, tomatoes or other veggies to amp up the antioxidants and switch up the flavors.  Other veggies that are nice for roasting if you have them: green beans, asparagus or green onions.  Keep in mind that green beans take longer to roast than asparagus and stagger their additions to the mix accordingly.  Changing up the contents keeps the flavors fresh!

Dairy-Free, Elimination Diet, Garden Gluttony, Gluten Free, Recipes

Turkey Sausage Stirfry Breakfast

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breakfast fork
Photo and recipe courtesy of Leaves of Life.

 

Ingredients:

  • 3-4 turkey sausage links, cut into bite sized pieces
  • 1 medium zucchini, chopped
  • 2-3 tbsp. chopped onion
  • 1 tsp fresh rosemary, diced
  • 1 tsp fresh basil, diced
  • EVOO
  • 1/4-1/2 cup quinoa, precooked
  • Salt and pepper to taste

Instructions:

  1. Brown sausage for 2 minutes in oil
  2. Add zucchini, onion and rosemary and cook, stirring frequently, another 2-4 minutes
  3. Add rest of ingredients and cook another 1-2 minutes
  4. Season to taste

Tip: Just about any veggies will work in this recipe.  Try mushrooms, cherry tomatoes, peppers, spinach…you name it, it can work!

Dairy-Free, Garden Gluttony, Gluten Free, Grain-Free, Paleo, Recipes

Paleo Italian One Dish Meal

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paleo italian
Photo and recipe courtesy of Leaves of Life.

Ingredients

  • 1 pound mild Italian sausage meat
  • 2 medium eggplants
  • 1 medium zucchini
  • 3 bell peppers, any color
  • 2 stalks celery
  • 1 can chopped tomatoes, and a few fresh if you have them
  • 1 onion
  • 3 cloves garlic
  • 1 tbsp fresh minced rosemary
  • 2 tbsp fresh chopped basil
  • 1 tbsp dried Italian herbs
  • 2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
  • 1 tbsp oil
  • Other seasoning to taste

Instructions:

  1. Put sausage, oil, garlic and onion in a large, deep skillet and cook, stirring often until sausage is cooked through.
  2. Meantime, chop up  veggies into bite sized pieces.
  3. Add all ingredients to skillet except basil.  I like to add peppers first for a few minutes, then eggplant, since these take a bit longer to cook.  This prevents overcooking of the other veggies.
  4. Once veggies are cooked to desired consistency, add basil and remove from heat.  Allow to sit covered for 5 minutes then serve.

Tips:

This was delicious ladled over some lemon hummus, spinach and cooked quinoa.  You could also layer over zucchini pasta, cauliflower rice or similar.  Mushrooms and olives would also go nicely in this recipe if they’re on hand!

Dairy-Free, Detox, Elimination Diet, Garden Gluttony, Gluten Free, Grain-Free, Healthy Desserts, Recipes

Delicata Squash Rings

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squash
Recipe and photo courtesy of Leaves of Life. Crispy and salty on the outside, sweet and tender on the inside…these delicata squash rings taste like dessert—and no need to remove the beautiful skin

Ingredients:

  • Delicata squash
  • 1-2 tbsp. coconut oil
  • Salt and pepper to taste

Instructions:

  1. Cut delicata in half shortways and remove both stem ends.
  2. Remove seeds with a spoon and slice into 1/4 inch slices.
  3. Arrange on a cookie sheet and drizzle with liquid coconut oil, then toss to coat.
  4. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.
  5. Bake at 400 for 30-40 minutes, turning halfway through cook time.

Tip:

Try adding a sprinkle of cinnamon to enhance the sweetness and help balance blood sugar.

Elimination Diet, Garden Gluttony, Gluten Free, Grain-Free, Paleo, Recipes

Butternut Squash Coconut Curry Soup

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butternut soup
Recipe and photo courtesy of Leaves of Life

Ingredients:

  • 2 medium or 1 large butternut squash
  • 2-4 cups chicken broth (depending on desired thickness)
  • 1 14 ounce can coconut milk
  • 2 tbsp coconut oil
  • 2 tbsp curry paste
  • 2 tbsp diced ginger root
  • 3 garlic cloves, minced
  • 1 medium onion, chopped
  • 1/2 lime, juiced
  • 1/4 cup cashew nut butter (optional)
  • Salt to taste

Instructions:

  1. Cut butternut squash in half and scoop out seeds.  Lay cut side down on baking tray and place in oven at 350 for 40 minutes, until tender when pierced with a knife.
  2. Place coconut oil, onion, ginger and garlic in skillet and cook over medium heat until onion is translucent.
  3. Scoop butternut squash out of skin into food processor or high speed blender.
  4. Add remaining ingredients and puree until smooth.
  5. Taste and salt as desired.
  6. Warm before serving.

Tips:

I’m not super crazy about acorn squash, and my garden burped out a pile of them this year, so I added 2 of them each time I made this soup.  They hid well.  -Patty

Dairy-Free, Elimination Diet, Garden Gluttony, Gluten Free, Grain-Free, Paleo, Recipes

Chicken Lentil Chorizo Stew

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chicken lentil chorizo
Photo and recipe courtesy of Leaves of LIfe

Ingredients:

  • 1 pound fresh chorizo, skin removed and chopped
  • 1/2 pound chicken, chopped
  • 6-8 cups chicken broth
  • 2 large carrots, peeled and chopped
  • 3 sticks of celery, chopped
  • 1 large red pepper, chopped
  • 1 hot banana pepper, chopped (you can go hotter or milder)
  • 1 mediumish zucchini, chopped
  • 1 mediumish yellow summer squash, chopped
  • 1 medium onion, chopped
  • 1 package mushrooms, chopped
  • 1 large handful fresh basil, chopped
  • 1 small handful cilantro, chopped
  • Just enough oil of your choice to prevent veggies from sticking
  • 2 tsp dry Italian herbs
  • Salt and pepper to taste

Instructions:

  1. Cook chicken and chorizo in chicken broth, then remove and allow to cool before chopping
  2. In a skillet, add oil and all veggies-I like to start with carrots and celery because they take longer to cook-this prevents overcooking of the other veggies
  3. Once veggies are cooked until slightly crunchy, add back to broth
  4. Add all other ingredients and cook over medium heat about 10 minutes
  5. Taste and tweak flavors and serve

Tips:

You can add a glug of olive oil to a bowl of this soup to boost oleic acid levels.  This is a common deficiency on micronutrient testing in our office.  Oleic acid is crucial to healthy cell membranes.

Dairy-Free, Detox, Elimination Diet, Garden Gluttony, Gluten Free, Grain-Free, Paleo, Recipes

Spaghetti Sauce over Spaghetti Squash

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spaghetti
Recipe and photo courtesy of Leaves of Life

Ingredients:

  • 1 pound ground meat (ground chicken, lamb, beef, turkey, venison all work well here)
  • 1 large spaghetti squash, halved and seeded
  • 1 jar of spaghetti sauce
  • 1 large green pepper, chopped
  • 1 large chocolate (or red, yellow or orange) pepper, chopped
  • 1 large onion, chopped
  • 1 8 ounce package of mushrooms, chopped
  • 2 large tomatoes, chopped
  • 3-5 garlic cloves, minced
  • Large handful fresh basil, chopped
  • 1 tbsp dry Italian herb blend
  • 2 tbsp oil of choice
  • Salt and pepper to taste

Instructions:

  1. Place halved spaghetti squash cut side down on baking sheet and put in oven at 350 for approximately 30 minutes (check for doneness by piercing skin with a knife–when knife easily punctures skin, it’s done)
  2. Place all vegetables in skillet with oil and stir over medium heat until slightly crunchy
  3. Add minced garlic, fresh basil and any other fresh herbs you may have on hand that will go well
  4. Continue stirring over medium heat until the herbs are slightly wilted
  5. Add spaghetti sauce and dry Italian herbs and reduce heat to simmer until spaghetti squash is done
  6. Once squash is cooked through, remove from oven and using a fork, scrape and fluff squash as you remove from skin
  7. Top with sauce and enjoy!

Tips:

If not avoiding dairy, top with goat or parmesan cheese for a flavor boost.  It’s also nice to top with more fresh basil.  Adding olives is another nice touch to this recipe.