University of South Carolina Brain Health, 6311 Garners Ferry Boulevard, Columbia, SC (2025)

11/25/2025

What we’re making: No Knead Maple Oat Bread

Thanksgiving can be delicious and good for your brain! All November, we’re sharing our favorite recipes so you can put these mouth-watering dishes on your menu! This beautiful dish was submitted by Alex Kao, one of our Speech-Language Pathologists.

I love this bread because it is very easy to make but very hearty. The oats and whole wheat flour provide a lot of added value for brain health as they are sources of whole grains. However, because this recipe also uses some bread flour (or all-purpose flour), you get a satisfying texture. I find it’s always better to focus on what we can add to dishes to make them healthier rather than take away, and this bread fits the bill and doesn’t sacrifice flavor for health. While it is a slight departure from the soft white dinner rolls, we often see on a Thanksgiving spread, I promise you won’t regret choosing this homemade loaf instead! Added bonus: you have the PERFECT sandwich bread to use for your leftover turkey the next day.

Please note, this recipe originally came from No-Knead Maple Oat Bread | Alexandra's Kitchen, which you can find at https://alexandracooks.com/2023/03/04/no-knead-oatmeal-maple-loaf/.

Ingredients

1 Cup (88 g) rolled oats plus another 1/2 cup (44 g) for coating the pan
1 Cup (227 g) boiling water
¼ Cup (86 g) maple syrup
1.5 Teaspoons (5 g) kosher salt
3/4 Cup (170 g) room-temperature water
1.5 Teaspoons (5 g) instant yeast
2¼ Cups (288 g) unbleached bread flour or all-purpose flour
1 Cup (128 g) stone-milled flour or whole-wheat flour, see notes above
Softened unsalted butter, for greasing
1 Tablespoon olive oil

Directions

1. In a large bowl, combine the oats, boiling water, maple syrup, and salt. Let stand for 10 minutes. Add the remaining 3/4 cup (170 g) water and stir to combine. Add the instant yeast and stir to combine. Finally, add the flours and stir with a rubber spatula, until the liquid is absorbed and the ingredients form a sticky dough ball. You may need to knead the dough with your hands briefly to help the dough come together, no more than 15 to 30 seconds.
2. Cover the bowl with a tea towel or plastic wrap and set aside in a warm spot to rise for 2 to 3 hours, until the dough has doubled in volume.
3. Preheat the oven to 375ºF. Grease an 8.5- x 4.5-inch (or 9×5-inch) loaf pan generously with softened butter. Pour the remaining 1/2 cup of oats into the loaf pan and turn the pan so that the oats coat the pan on all sides. Pour out the remaining oats and set aside.
4. When the dough has doubled, drizzle the tablespoon of olive oil over the top and use your hand to rub the oil over the surface to coat. Use your hand again to release the dough from the sides of the bowl, then flip the ball over so that the oil side is down. Roll the dough into a coil or into a loaf shape (see video in the post above), then transfer to your prepared pan seam side down. Pour the reserved oats over the top, then spread with your hand or shake the pan to distribute them.
5. Let the dough rise on the countertop (preferably in a warm, draft-free spot) for 45 minutes to an hour or until the dough has risen significantly in the pan — it should be doming above the rim of the pan by about one inch. See photos for reference.
6. Transfer the pan to the oven and bake for 45 minutes, or until the top is evenly browned. Remove the pan from the oven and turn the loaf out onto a cooling rack. Let the loaf cool for at least 30 minutes before slicing.

Enjoy!

11/25/2025

What we’re making: Kale Salad with Roasted Root Vegetables and Crispy Quinoa

Thanksgiving can be delicious and good for your brain! All November, we’re sharing our favorite recipes so you can put these mouth-watering dishes on your menu! This beautiful dish was submitted by Alex Kao, one of our Speech-Language Pathologists.

We might as well just call this brain health salad! From the kale to the pomegranate to the quinoa to the roasted chickpeas and vegetables rich in fiber, this salad checks numerous boxes for brain health.

I’ve never been a huge fan of quinoa in the past, but I’ve found when it’s crisped up in a pan and turned into crunchy little “crumbs” it takes on a whole new life and becomes an exciting salad topper.
The key to this salad is “massaging” the kale to tenderize it and reduce its bitterness—trust me on this. This salad can be made ahead of time if desired, and feel free to swap out ingredients as suggested so you can use what is most accessible to you.

For the salad:
2 Bunches lacinato kale, leaves pulled from stems and thinly sliced (swap: prewash, pre-cut kale)
1 (15 oz) can chickpeas, drained, rinsed, and patted dry
1 Large, sweet potato, peeled and diced
1-2 Carrots peeled and diced
1 Parsnip, peeled and diced
½ Teaspoon EACH: cinnamon, coriander, garlic powder, kosher salt (swap: don’t have all these spices? Use what you have and adjust according to taste)
¼ Teaspoon EACH: cumin, paprika, black pepper
1/8 Teaspoon cayenne pepper
2 Tablespoons olive oil
½ Cup pomegranate seeds (swap: one finely diced red apple)
½ Cup toasted pumpkin seeds
For the crispy quinoa:
1 Cup (cooked) quinoa, cooled overnight in the refrigerator (swap: any cooked whole grain of choice, e.g. brown rice, farro, barley—can even be the precooked grains found at bargain stores!)
2 Tablespoon olive oil
1/8 Teaspoon kosher salt

For the dressing:
1 Shallot, finely diced
4 Tablespoons white balsamic vinegar (swap: champagne vinegar, regular balsamic vinegar)
6 Tablespoons olive oil
1 Tablespoon fresh thyme (swap: 1 tsp dried thyme)
1 Teaspoon Dijon mustard
2 Teaspoons maple syrup
Salt and pepper, to taste

Instructions
To make the crispy quinoa:
1. Heat a large (12”) skillet over medium heat with 2 tablespoons olive oil until shimmering.
2. Add the quinoa, season with salt, and toss to evenly coat the grains with oil.
3. Flatten the quinoa into a single layer and allow to crisp up, stirring occasionally, until all grains are crispy and golden brown (about 8-10 minutes). Set aside and allow to cool completely. If making ahead, store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to several days.

For the dressing:
1. Combine all dressing ingredients in a mason jar and cover tightly with lid. Shake until ingredients are well combined. Taste and adjust seasonings accordingly; set aside.

For the kale salad:
1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.
2. On a large-rimmed baking sheet, combine the chickpeas, diced carrots, diced parsnips, and diced sweet potatoes with 2 tablespoons olive oil and all of the spices. Toss to coat evenly and arrange in a single layer on the baking sheet. Roast the vegetables in the preheated oven for around 50 minutes, stirring at the halfway point until golden brown and tender. Allow to cool slightly.
3. While the vegetables roast: In a large bowl, combine the sliced kale with 2 tablespoons of the dressing and massage the kale thoroughly with clean hands (it should turn a vibrant dark green color and appear slightly softened. DON’T skip this step—it makes all the difference and tenderizes the kale!)
4. Toss the kale with the roasted veggies/chickpeas and the remainder of the dressing. If making ahead, stop at this point and store in the refrigerator.
5. Once ready to serve, top the dressed kale/vegetables with the pomegranate seeds, pumpkin seeds, and crispy quinoa.

Enjoy!

11/25/2025

What we’re making: Thanksgiving Turkey

Thanksgiving can be delicious and good for your brain! All November, we’re sharing our favorite recipes so you can put these mouth-watering dishes on your menu!

This Brain-Healthy Thanksgiving Turkey, contributed by our Healthcare Executive Director Brad Cole, is packed with nutrients that support memory, focus, and overall brain function.

The turkey provides lean protein and B vitamins that keep your brain’s communication pathways strong, while avocado oil and ghee deliver healthy fats that protect brain cells. Fresh herbs like rosemary and thyme add antioxidants that fight inflammation, and a splash of lemon juice brings vitamin C for an extra boost. It’s a delicious way to nourish both body and mind this holiday season.

Ingredients

• 12-pound free-range turkey
• Cheesecloth for baking the turkey
• ½ cup of ghee for basting
• 2 cups of low-sodium chicken stock, for basting
• Marinade recipe (see below)

Marinade
• 1½ cups of avocado oil
• ¼ cup fresh squeezed lemon juice
• 2 tablespoons minced garlic
• 2 tablespoons fresh rosemary, finely chopped
• 2 tablespoons fresh thyme, finely chopped
• ½ teaspoon Aleppo pepper
• Salt and pepper, to taste

Directions

The day before cooking
Start with a fully thawed turkey. Remove innards from and rinse turkey well. Pat dry with paper towels.
1. Mix all ingredients for the marinade with a whisk prior to marinating the turkey.
2. Evenly apply the marinade around and inside the turkey.
3. Cover turkey and refrigerate overnight or for at least 6 hours.

The day of cooking
1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. If desired, wrap turkey in cheesecloth to hold juices in during basting phase. Place turkey breast down in a roasting pan on the lower rack.
2. After 30 minutes, reduce the cooking temperature to 350 degrees F for the next two hours, and then reduce it again to 250 degrees F for the remaining time. Use a baster to retrieve juices from the bottom of the pan and baste the turkey every 25-30 minutes. Add ghee chicken stock to the roasting pan.
3. Use a meat thermometer to ensure the meat is fully cooked. The white meat should have an internal temperature of about 165 degrees F. For the last 20 minutes of cooking time, turn the turkey over and turn the temperature up to 300 degrees F. This will brown the skin of the breast.

Serve and enjoy!

11/24/2025

What we’re making: Olive Oil Mashed Potatoes with Garlic, Rosemary and Thyme

Thanksgiving can be delicious and good for your brain! All November, we’re sharing our favorite recipes so you can put these mouth-watering dishes on your menu! This beautiful dish was submitted by Alex Kao, one of our Speech-Language Pathologists.

This version of mashed potatoes uses brain-healthy olive oil (a great source of healthy fats and antioxidants) in place of butter and cream. While olive oil lacks the buttery richness of dairy products, we pick up the slack with flavor boosters like garlic and herbs that not only infuse the oil but provide a beautiful garnish resulting in a dish that looks as good as it tastes. Chicken (or vegetable) stock provides added moisture and depth of flavor. I dare you to try making these for Thanksgiving and see who even notices that there is no butter in there!
Serves 6

Ingredients

2.5 lb Yukon gold potatoes, peeled and chopped in large chunks (swap: Russet potatoes, red skin potatoes)
1 Cup chicken stock (swap: vegetable stock, turkey stock)
¼ Cup extra-virgin olive oil, plus extra for drizzling on top
5 Garlic cloves, thinly sliced
2 Sprigs fresh rosemary
3 Sprigs fresh thyme
Salt and pepper, to taste

Directions

1. Add the sliced garlic cloves, rosemary and thyme sprigs, and olive oil to a small pan. Heat over medium heat and allow everything to sizzle together until the garlic just begins to turn golden around the edges. Using a slotted spoon, immediately remove the garlic and herb sprigs to a paper-towel lined plate and season with a pinch of salt. Set infused oil aside.
2. In a large pot, submerge potatoes in cold water and cover by about 1”. Season the water generously with salt. Heat over high heat and allow to come to a boil, then lower the heat slightly and allow potatoes to cook for 15-20 minutes, or until you can easily pierce them with a fork. Drain the potatoes in a colander and return them to the now empty pot.
3. Pluck the leaves from the rosemary and thyme (they should be crispy and disintegrate easily) and add 2/3 of the leaves to the pot with the potatoes, along with 2/3 of the crispy sliced garlic. Add the infused oil to the pot as well.
4. Begin to mash the potatoes, garlic, and herbs with a potato masher, adding in ¼ cup chicken stock at a time until you reach desired consistency (you may not need all of the chicken stock; I used about ¾ cup). Season to taste with salt as needed.
5. Transfer mashed potatoes to a serving bowl and top with reserved garlic and herbs, a final drizzle of olive oil, and a sprinkle of flaky sea salt and freshly cracked black pepper.

Note: recipe adapted from Budget Bytes

Enjoy!

11/24/2025

“It was an honor and quite exciting to be chosen to speak at the national Medical Group Management Association conference,” says Brad Cole, our Healthcare Executive Director. “MGMA does tremendous work to support physicians and medical practices at the state and national levels, especially practices in rural areas.”

11/20/2025

What we’re making: Rosemary Citrus Mocktail

Thanksgiving can be delicious and good for your brain! All November, we’re sharing our favorite recipes so you can put these mouth-watering dishes on your menu!
Enjoy this yummy mocktail, contributed by our Nurse Practitioner Selma Saunders. This mocktail supports brain health by including rosemary, which enhances focus and memory, citrus fruits packed with vitamin C (an antioxidant) to protect brain cells from oxidative stress, and apple cider vinegar to support healthy blood sugar balance and gut health—both linked to better cognitive function! It's refreshing and nourishes both body and mind!

Ingredients

Garnish
• Fresh cranberries
• Orange peel
• Rosemary stems

Mocktail
• 2 oranges
• 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
• 12 ounces sparkling mineral water

Directions

1. Peel the orange using a veggie peeler, then slice into thin match sticks and set aside for garnish.
2. Remove the white stringy pith from the orange and discard. Add the orange into a high-speed blender along with lemon juice and apple cider vinegar. Blend until frothy.
3. Add ice (if you wish) and the cranberries into two glasses and pour sparkling water over top.
4. Top with frothy orange juice and garnish with rosemary and orange peel.
Serves 2.

11/20/2025

We’d like to introduce you to our Graduate Assistants Abby Pogue and Lexi Brehl, who are both working toward their Master’s in Health Administration at the Arnold School of Public Health. One of their projects they’re working on for Brain Health is building a comprehensive, state-wide, web-based database of local, community-based resources for people with Alzheimer’s or related dementia, their caregivers and families. This will be the first resource of its kind in South Carolina, and we’ll be sure to let you know when it goes live!

11/19/2025

What we're making: Quinoa Chickpea Salad

Thanksgiving can be delicious and good for your brain! All November, we’re sharing our favorite recipes so you can put these mouth-watering dishes on your menu!
This salad is hearty enough to eat as a lunch entrée but also makes an excellent side. This quinoa chickpea salad, contributed by our communications director Nicole Carrico, is an excellent brain-healthy meal because it combines several nutrient powerhouses that directly support cognitive function and protect long-term brain health.

Quinoa provides all nine essential amino acids, which support neurotransmitter production. Chickpeas contain choline, a key nutrient for producing acetylcholine, a neurotransmitter involved in memory and learning. The healthy fats in olive oil help protect brain cell membranes and reduce inflammation, which is tied to Alzheimer’s and other cognitive conditions.

Ingredients

For the dressing
• 1 clove of garlic, minced or pressed (optional)
• ¼ cup of lemon juice (1 or more lemons)
• 1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
• ¼ teaspoon of sea salt, to taste
• Freshly ground pepper, to taste
(For a twist, try adding a ¼ cup of Balsamic vinegar.)

For the salad
• 1 cup of quinoa, cooked
• 1 19 ounce can of chickpeas, rinsed and drained
• 1 cup shredded carrots (approx. 1 large carrot)
• 1 red pepper, diced
• 1 yellow pepper, diced
• 3 or more green onions, thinly sliced
• 1 cup celery stalks, sliced
• Feta cheese, to taste

Directions

1. Combine all salad ingredients in a large bowl. Mix well.
2. Combine all dressing ingredients in a small bowl. Whisk well. Alternatively, pour ingredients into a jar with a tight-fitting lid and shake it well.
3. Pour almost all of the dressing over the salad and mix well to combine. Taste and add more dressing as desired.
4. Reserve remaining dressing, if desired, to use when serving.

Serves 4-6.

11/13/2025

Did you know that there are 14 risk factors *you can change starting right now* to reduce your risk of developing Alzheimer’s or a related dementia? Brain Health’s own Healthcare Executive Director Brad Cole will discuss what you can do at each stage of life - early, middle and late - to reduce your dementia risk. This virtual talk takes place Nov. 13 from 9-10 a.m. Sign up now: https://bit.ly/47IaFai

11/11/2025

What we're making: Blueberry Baked Oatmeal

Thanksgiving can be delicious and good for your brain! All November, we’re sharing our favorite recipes so you can put these mouth-watering dishes on your menu! 🦃🍗
⬇
Blueberry Baked Oatmeal, contributed by Celeste Blackmon, one of our Speech-Language Pathologists, can be prepared ahead of time, saving you time in the morning. It also reheats well, either as an entire dish or in individual servings—great for when you have overnight guests and everyone leisurely arises for the day. This recipe can be doubled easily to feed a crowd. You can also make it ahead of time and freeze in individual pieces for later.
⬇
🫐Blueberry Baked Oatmeal🫐
⬇
🥄Ingredients
3 cups of old-fashioned rolled oats
2 teaspoons of baking soda
1 teaspoon of cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon of sea salt
2 eggs, lightly beaten
½ cup of pure maple syrup
1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
½ cup of milk
1 pint of blueberries
1 cup of chopped pecans
⬇
🗒Instructions
• Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. In a medium-sized bowl, combine the dry ingredients (oats, baking soda, cinnamon and sea salt). Mix well.
• In another bowl, combine the two eggs, lightly beaten, maple syrup, vanilla extract and milk. Whisk together.
• Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and mix using a spoon or spatula. Fold the nuts and the blueberries into the batter, taking care to be gentle. You do not want to overwork the blueberries—you want them to stay whole.
• Grease a 9 x 9 baking pan. Pour in the oatmeal mixture and spread it evenly. Bake for 35-40 minutes until the center is set. Allow it to cool for 15-20 minutes before slicing and serving.
• Serve the dish as-is or with a drizzle of maple syrup or dollop of plain Greek yogurt

11/10/2025

Did you know that education, strength and exposure to pollution can affect your likelihood of developing Alzheimer’s or another dementia? If you’re interested in learning about the 14 risk factors you can change to reduce your risk of developing these diseases, sign up for this virtual talk taking place Nov. 13 from 9-10 a.m. Our own Healthcare Executive Director Brad Cole will discuss what you can do at each stage of life - early, middle and late - to reduce your dementia risk. Sign up now: https://bit.ly/47IaFai

University of South Carolina Brain Health

11/25/2025

11/25/2025

11/25/2025

11/24/2025

11/24/2025

11/20/2025

11/20/2025

11/19/2025

11/13/2025

11/11/2025

11/10/2025

Address

Telephone

Website

Alerts

Contact The Practice

Shortcuts

Share

Category