Include these foods in your diet to help reduce seasonal allergies

• Quercetin-rich foods: Broccoli, cauliflower, red onion, capers, and citrus fruits.

• Vitamin C-rich foods: Bell peppers, strawberries, tomatoes, and leafy greens.

• Probiotic-rich foods: Kefir, sauerkraut, and kimchi.

 

Apple Broccoli Cauliflower Salad

Prep: 20 minutes  Total: 20 minutes

Ingredients

• 4 – 5 cups broccoli florets, chopped into bites size pieces (10-12 ounce bag)

• 2 ½ -3 cups cauliflower florets, chopped into bite size pieces (10-ounce bag)

• 1 medium apple, diced (1 ½ – 2 cups)

• ½ small red onion, diced (½ cup)

• 2 celery ribs, diced (½ cup)

• 2-3 green onion, thinly sliced (1/3 cup)

• ½ cup dried cranberries

• ½ cup feta cheese, crumbled (omit for dairy-free or Whole30)

• ½ cup lightly salted roasted almonds, roughly chopped (may substitute walnuts, pecans, or sunflower seed for nut free, etc.)

For the dressing:

• ¾ cup mayo (use egg-free mayo for vegan)

• ¼ cup olive oil or avocado

• 3 tablespoons lemon juice (1 lemon)

• 2 teaspoons honey (use maple syrup for vegan)

• 1 teaspoon garlic powder

• ½ teaspoon fine salt

• ¼ teaspoon black pepper

Instructions

1. Make the dressing: in a small bowl combine the mayo, oil, lemon juice, honey, garlic powder, salt, and pepper. Whisk until well combined, about 2-3 minutes. Set aside.

2. In a large bowl, toss together all of the salad ingredients – broccoli, cauliflower, apple, red onion, celery, green onion, dried cranberries, feta cheese, and almonds or walnuts.

3. Add the dressing to the large bowl and toss until well combined. Let salad sit in the fridge for 30 minutes to allow veggies to marinate in the dressing (optional step but recommended)

4. Store leftovers in a container in the fridge for up to 4 days.

Strawberry Bell Pepper Salad Recipe

Ingredients:

This salad mix yields four servings. Depending on your serving needs and guest list, you may wish to double the recipe.

1 cup strawberries

1/2 yellow bell pepper

1/2 red or orange bell pepper

2 Roma tomatoes

1 purple onion

4 sprigs of curly parsley

2 sprigs of mint

1/2 teaspoon chili flakes

1/2 teaspoon coriander

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon pepper

1 lime, juiced

1 tablespoon olive oil

 

Instructions

1. Wash and dry the strawberries, bell peppers and tomatoes.

2. Chop the purple onion and herbs finely.

3. Hull and cut the strawberries into bite-sized pieces. The exact slicing pattern doesn’t matter as much as consistency.

4. Remove the seeds from the bell peppers and chop, again going for consistency.

5. Remove the seeds from the tomato and chop in the same way.

6. Add all ingredients to a medium mixing bowl.

7. Squeeze the lime, pouring the lime juice into the bowl.

8. Dress the salad with olive oil and toss salad so dressing is evenly distributed.

  

Recipes that use fermented foods:

Kombucha is a fermented tea that is packed with antioxidants and polyphenols.

Kombucha can have anti-inflammatory benefits. Serve this simple and probiotic-packed salad dressing atop your favorite salad for an even greater microbiome boost!

Honied Kombucha Salad Dressing

Ingredients

½ cup raw unflavored kombucha

⅓ cup extra-virgin olive oil

1 clove, minced garlic

½ tsp kosher salt

¼ tsp freshly-ground black pepper

2 tsp grainy mustard

2 tsp raw honey or pure maple syrup

Directions

Place all the ingredients in a pint-sized mason jar or airtight container, cover, and shake until well mixed. Shake just before serving.

Fruit, Kefir, and Granola Ice Pops

 

These healthy ice pops are like dessert for breakfast. They combine the natural sweetness and fiber of fresh fruit with kefir, a fermented dairy drink that contains calcium and probiotics, Granola adds some healthy carbs and crunch. With just 4 ingredients, these pops are easy for anyone to make, and you can get creative with the fruit combos so you never get bored.

Ingredients

 1 cup mixed fresh fruit, washed and cut into bite-size pieces as needed 112 cups plain

low-fat kefir

3 tbsp pure maple syrup

1/2 cup granola Directions 1

 

Directions

In a bowl, stir together kefir and maple syrup. 2 Evenly divide granola among 6 4-oz ice pop molds. Top each with fruit and kefir mixture, making sure that the kefir is evenly distributed and no air pockets remain. Place the mold in the freezer on a flat surface and freeze until solid, at least 4 hours.

Recipes borrowed from:

https://www.everydayhealth.com/healthy-recipes/gut-healthy-recipes-that-use-fermented-foods/