Leah Botton Garden of Health

11/02/2024

11/24/2023

04/27/2023

It was a rainy and cloudy day, but the flowers were absolutely breathtaking.
I’ve missed the tulip festival the last two years and it seems in those two years. I forgot what an outstanding job the gardeners in charge of this festival do! It is my understanding. This is the largest tulip festival outside of Holland. If you’re in the Skagit area this month definitely come check it out.

09/10/2022

New haircut, whos dis?

11/04/2019

The word of the day is “inflammation”. Almost all illness can be traced back to this word.
Keeping our body at a low inflammation point is so important from 🧠 brain function to regular mobility!

💛Turmeric is getting its moment in the spotlight right now. You may have seen “Golden” tea, milk or coffee or turmeric supplements popping up everywhere. It is an extremely powerful anti-inflammatory.

Turmeric is a wonderful spice that is activated by low heat (meaning you can’t accsess it’s full flavor spectrum if you sprinkle it on cold items and as items cook the flavor will continue to develop)

Nutritional yeast not only is an excellent source of non animal protein, it is loaded in B vitamins and Folate but it is also an excellent addition to your diet to combat inflammation. Unlike turmeric, which needs heat to “wake it up” heat can damage the taste of this so make sure to coat it with a fat or it will burn and taste terrible!

Roasting cauliflower is an easy way to let this vegetable come to life without the sulfur taste that can come with cruciferous vegetables.
If you like the edges to caramelize just don’t shake the pan as often.

*some of the pics were accidentally deleted so I improvised so that you can still see the ingredients.

Recipe- preheat oven to 400*

1 head Cauliflower cut into florets
1 1/2 teaspoons Turmeric
1 -2 tablespoons Nutritional yeast
2 tablespoons avocado Oil
Salt to taste

In a large bowl toss the cauliflower florettes with a bit of oil add the remaining ingredients.
Pout onto a low edge pan sheet and roast in the oven for 45 minutes.

10/23/2019

Asparagus, or “Sparrow Grass” as it is known is some parts of the USA is a spring vegetable.
It has been recorded being used in the kitchen and medicine cabinets since the year 3000 BCE, and for good reason.
Most people will relay that the most memorable aspect of asparagus is the mildly odd odor in the urine after digestion due to its high sulfur content, and why should p**p get all the fame- with a nice diet of asparagus all the waste matter can smell bad, maybe it should be nicknamed “the great equalizer”.... But I digress….
Asparagus comes either with a thick “woody “stalk that should be peeled at least halfway up the stalk or pencil asparagus that just need the ends trimmed. It cooks SO fast (blanching is best) and if you place it directly into cold water it will keep a stunning green color that is such a nice addition to pasta or salads because it just screams “Don't eat me!”, jk, it screams SPRING! Which its not right now, but again, I digress.
Here is what you need to know about asparagus
Its relatively available most of the year (thank you carbon footprint)
It cooks so fast, that it makes a perfect side dish to a 15 min dinner
Because of the high levels of the amino acid asparagus,it is a natural diuretic. In other words, this can help flush excess fluid and salt from your body,decreasing swelling in the hands and feet and may help prevent urinary tract infections and possible build up of kidney stones.
It's delicious.

I added some fresh pears and pomegranates to the finished dish for extra color and bright flavors and opted for red onion as it has a midler sweeter taste to balance the already present sulfur in the asparagus.

Recipe
1 bunch of pencil asparagus, bottoms trimmed
½ red onion
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 pear diced
1 seeded pomegranate
Oil and salt

Directions
Heat a wide flat skillet with water, when it starts to swirl v***r add salt- now it should start to boil.Add asparagus and cover for just a few minutes. Remove and place on a dish.
Heat the same skillet with enough oil to coat, when it starts to develop a ripple its ready to add in onion and garlic, turn on low and let these bad boys develop a nice sweet flavor by keeping the heat low and giving it some time- your nose is your guide here- when it starts to smell good, give it another minute or two and it's done. Remove and place on the asparagus. Allowing any oily onion garlic to coat the asparagus as well.

Right before serving add pomegranate seeds and chopped pears and enjoy!

You can buy pre seeded pomegranate OR place the halved pomegranate in a bowl of cold water and using your fingers and thumb flick them out of the “paper” casing. The cold water will keep everything from getting stained as well as your hands… and it keeps the seeds nice and crunchy!

10/17/2019

I wanted this first post after such a long hiatuses to be perfect.
I wanted it to be filled with the proverbial confetti that would demonstrate my love for all of you, a way to say “I value you and made this special meal so that you would know how much I love sharing my recipes”
And so day after day I hesitated, thinking that “this dish just wasn’t good enough, not unique enough, not special enough” to be the first post after so long.
Yesterday my oldest daughter came home with parsnips that she picked from school at her garden class.
I thought - “oh perfect!! I will make something magical and that will be the first post back” ... but then I looked at them and realized that the best use of such fresh parsnips would be to simply toss them in oil add some spices and roast them- and immediately my next thought was “that’s too simple, I can’t post that”
Yet, maybe that’s the perfect way to reunite;
no bells, no whistles, no pretension, just the simple act of cooking in it most basic form.
A gift of food, humble and full of love from me to you.

I hope u enjoy it and I would love any comments for recommendations on what you would like to see more of.

Recipe
Pre heat oven to 400
1 bunch of parsnips, peeled, trimmed and chopped
2-3 tablespoons of olive oil
Enough mushroom seasonings to coat (u could also use any dry rub mixture u love)

Directions
Toss the cut parsnips with all the oil and sprinkle the seasonings.
Place on a cookie sheet and roast in the center of the oven for 20 min
Toss with a bit more oil and enjoy!
(this is great as a snack, side or as an addition to a green salad)

09/26/2017

🌴 Coconut, cashew, almonds, chia seeds and cranberries.

✋Made by Creative Snacking Co.

These guys have 🔬
7 carbs
1.5 grams fiber
4 grams sugar
1 gram protein
In 1/4 cup.

I ❤️ them with a cup of plain Siggis yogurt.

My baby did NOT want me to take these away for pics!

*kosher, has nuts and seeds, no gluten or dairy present but produced on dairy and gluten equipment.

06/20/2017

🐠⏱🍴
I am all about easy dinners- this one takes about 12 min start to finish.

**Wild Salmon (especially wild king salmon) is an excellent source of omega 3 as well as high in B6 and B12 both important for energy, While farmed salmon are usually high in PCB as well as food coloring.

I am using bottled basil and pine nut pesto for ease, and some goat feta cheese as a crust for this quick dinner.

** I have a crazy good hook up for wild salmon straight from the boat, send me a pm if u want me to hook u up too!!😋

Spread pesto on salmon and sprinkle feta on top
(U can squeeze lemon if u like it acidic)
Bake at 400 for 10 min and broil for 2-3 min

Enjoy!!