Recipes from Nourish and Glow, Naturally Beautifying Foods & Elixirs
by Jules Aron
These recipes are deliciously simple and extremely nourishing and beautifying. Best of all, they are plant based and allergy friendly to accommodate all your guests.
SMOKY PORTOBELLO STEAK WITH CHIMICHURRI SAUCE
Marinated and grilled to perfection, the Portobello in this simple recipe is transformed into a hardy, smoky steak. Top it with a generous helping of chimichurri, the fresh, spicy grilling sauce from Argentina.
Serves 4
4 large Portobello mushroom caps, cleaned
For the mushroom marinade:
1 teaspoon Lapsang Souchong tea leaves or liquid smoke
1 teaspoon umeboshi plum vinegar
1/4 cup olive oil
sea salt
black pepper
CHIMICHURRI
¾ cups parsley, finely chopped
¼ cups cilantro finely chopped
2 tablespoons mint finely chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 small white onion, minced
1 tablespoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
½ cup olive oil
juice of 1 lime
sea salt and black pepper to taste
For the Chimichurri:
In a food processor or blender, combine all the ingredients and process until smooth, season with salt and pepper to taste. Transfer the sauce to a bowl and set aside for at least 20 minutes.
For the mushroom marinade:
In a food processor or blender, combine all the ingredients and process until smooth, season with salt and pepper to taste. Transfer the sauce to a bowl and brush both sides of each mushroom thoroughly with the marinade.
Heat a grill or a large skillet over medium heat and place the mushroom inside, ribbed side facing up. Pour any remaining marinade over the mushroom in the pan. Cook for 3-4 minutes on each side.
To serve, place each Portobello steak on a bed of fresh greens and top with a generous helping of Chimichurri sauce.
GRILLED AVOCADO WITH STRAWBERRY PAPAYA GOJI SALSA
Sweet, savory and fresh, this superfood salsa encourages collagen production, protects skin from oxidative stress and maintains skin’s elasticity.
Salsa
Makes 3 1/2 cups
2 cups, ripe papaya, peeled, deseeded and chopped
1 cup strawberries, chopped
¼ cup goji berries
¼ cup red onion finely chopped
1 green jalapeno chili, de-seeded and finely chopped
3 Tbsp. of fresh lime juice
2 Tbsp. of olive oil
Sea salt and pepper to taste
3 avocados
In a medium bowl, soak the goji berries in the lime juice for 15 minutes.
Toss the ingredients together-- including the lime soaked gojis and juice. Transfer to a serving bowl, cover and chill for 30 minutes.
Heat a grill to medium-high heat. When the grill is preheated, slice the avocados in half, remove the pits, and drizzle each half with olive oil, lime juice, salt and pepper. Grill the avocado halves cut side down for 3 to 4 minutes or until char marks form.
Remove from grill, place on a platter and fill each avocado half with the filling.
BEAUTY FOOD SPOTLIGHT:
Rich in vitamin C, beta carotene and amino acids, goji berries help you maintain a smooth radiant complexion by increasing blood circulation, soothing redness and reducing inflammation.
BLUE MAGIC SPRITZ
Serves 6-8
4 cups filtered water, divided
1/4 cup dried butterfly pea flowers
1 cup gin or vodka (optional)
2 cups ginger kombucha
In a saucepan, combine 3 cups water with butterfly pea flowers. Bring to a simmer. Remove from heat, cover and let steep for 10 minutes. Strain through a fine mesh sieve, discarding solids. Set aside to cool.
To serve, fill glasses with ice. Pour cooled butterfly pea tea into glasses, filling about half way. Add gin or vodka, if desired and top with kombucha. Sweeten as desired. Serve with lemon wedges and encourage guests to squeeze citrus into their drink to watch the color change from shades of blue to pink.