Recipes - Fluid Movement + Massage

Curried Quinoa Salad

April 30, 2014April 30, 2014anne

Here is a light and flavorful spring salad that is loaded with crunchy veggies, protein packed quinoa, Greek yogurt, and gently spiced with curry and lime!

Salad Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups quinoa, cooked

1/2 lb broccoli florets, steamed

1/4 cup toasted almonds, coarsely chopped

2 large celery stalks, diced

1 apple, cored and diced (tossed in 1 tbsp fresh lemon or lime juice)

1/4 cup raisins

1/4 cup cilantro, chopped

2 green onions, chopped

Dressing:

1/2 cup unsweetened Greek yogurt

Juice from half a small lemon or lime

1 tsp Dijon mustard

2 tsp curry powder

pinch of cayenne

3 Tbsp olive oil

salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

1. Steam broccoli, and toast and chop almonds. Cook quinoa according to package directions. I cooked mine in the rice cooker, one cup of quinoa to two cups water or broth for about 20 minutes. Let everything chill.

2. Combine all salad ingredients.

3. In a separate bowl whisk together all dressing ingredients.

4. Toss the salad and dressing together.

Enjoy!

This keeps well for a few days in the fridge, and is particularly crisp and refreshing if chilled in the fridge for a few hours prior to serving!

Anne McCranie is a Portland, Oregon based personal trainer and Licensed Massage Therapist. She offers this recipe to tickle your taste buds. Please see your medical professional for specific dietary advice. Do you have a favorite recipe to share? Email Anne Anne@FluidPortland.com or post a comment below.

Silky Egg Breakfast Soup

April 3, 2014June 24, 2025Anne

What can I say, I’m on a bit of a soup kick this winter. As a matter of fact I have a pot of Tom Kha Gai soup simmering away as I type this.

What about soup for breakfast?

While not so common here, there are many cultures that start their day with a warm bowl of nourishing soup. My friend Minga offers this breakfast soup recipe featuring highly nutritious chicken broth and eggs. Eggs have gotten a bad rap over the years. I consider them to be a health food and eat eggs almost every day. Eggs provide high quality proteins, vitamins, nutrients, minerals and good fats.

From Minga:

Growing up in Thailand most of our breakfasts were savory. Often we would have noodle soups, rice soups, meats, veggies and eggs of all kinds to nourish us deeply for a day of activity. Personally, a day without eggs is akin to a day without water. We eat eggs every day unless there is a crisis and we can’t get local farmers’ eggs with golden yolks.

This is one of the soups we love to have in the morning designed after congee, but without the starchy rice component. The recipe below is for 2 people. Feel free to double it or triple it depending on your family size. Red Boat fish sauce is a must in this dish to make it taste really Thai. It’s the only fish sauce I have found without sugar in it.

Ingredients:

2 cups of Thai chicken broth with some of the meat returned to the broth
5 eggs
2 tablespoons fish sauce
salt to taste

Garnish possibilities:

julienned ginger
chopped cilantro
chopped green onion
dried shrimp
fried garlic

Directions:

Heat broth and chicken in pot at a medium heat until lightly boiling. While the broth is heating, blend the eggs in a bowl with a hand blender or mix with a blender.
Pour the mixed eggs into the broth slowly while stirring. Turn the heat to low and cook for 2 or 3 minutes. Add fish sauce and salt to taste.
Serve in portion sized bowls and garnish to taste!
Enjoy!

Thanks to Metta River for use of this recipe and photo. Visit Shawn and Minga’s website for more yummy and healthy recipes, and news on their upcoming workshops.

Shawn Kinsella is a Certified Nutritional Therapist and Licensed Massage Therapist here in Portland. He uses evidence-based nutritional counseling to create a personalized nutrition program that helps restore balance, harmony and vitality to your body.

Minga Lily is an integrative therapist fusing traditional Thai medicine, energy assessment, yogic exercises and dialogue addressing the psyche. She assists her clients in developing ongoing self-care practices to alleviate pain, restore balance and encourage optimal health. Minga enjoys working with clients of all ages who are motivated to maintain self-care routines that sustain and enhance the work she does with them.

Learn more about Shawn and Minga at www.mettari ver.com

Spicy Veggie Soup

January 7, 2014June 24, 2025Anne

Anybody else recovering from an overindulgent holiday? This month I am making a concerted effort to include more veggies and less sugar in my diet.

Are you looking for healthy meal ideas? Try this veggie soup courtesy of my buddy Laura. This soup is so creamy and delicious I couldn’t believe it was dairy free and vegan. Keep reading for the secret ingredient…

Ingredients:

2 Tbsp of olive oil
3 large carrots
4 large ribs of celery (plus the inside ribs, with all leaves attached)
1 large onion
1 large head of broccoli, including stalk
3 cloves of garlic
1 small box (8 oz) of mushrooms
1 small jalapeno
2 cups potato stock*
1 tsp thyme

Method:

Roughly chop all your veggies (you will be blending them later).
Saute in olive oil in a stock pot over med-high heat for a few minutes until they are slightly browned.
Add potato stock and bring to a boil. Cook until veggies are soft, an hour or so.
Turn off heat and let sit for a half hour.
Transfer to blender and blend (NEVER BLEND HOT LIQUIDS) and pour back into soup pot.
Add thyme, reheat soup and serve.

*potato stock is the leftover salted water from boiled potatoes. This gives the soup a creamy texture. You may also use chicken or veggie stock.

Anne McCranie is a Portland Oregon based personal trainer and Licensed Massage Therapist. She offers this recipe to pique your interest in healthy foods. Please see your medical professional for specific dietary advice.

Mini Maple Pecan Pie Recipe

December 6, 2013December 6, 2013anne

Last week we headed to the coast for Thanksgiving. How luxurious to walk on the beach everyday, sleep in, watch movies, eat good food…

I’m going to be honest with you, I made and ate lots of desserts. Usually I am just cooking for myself so I took the opportunity of having a crowd of hungry people around to try out recipes like coconut cream pumpkin mousse, baked sweet potatoes, and this healthier version of traditional pecan pie. In the south pecan pie appears at most holidays, and it is usually loaded with corn syrup. The natural maple syrup in this recipe along with protein and vitamin packed eggs make this a “healthier” version. Still pie, less guilt.

We made this filling and popped it into a pre-made crust (thanks Trader Joe’s). If you are avoiding gluten simply pour the filling into greased ramekins or small casseroles and then bake.

Mini Maple Pecan Pies

Ingredients:

3 Tablespoons melted butter (plus more to grease your dishes)
4 eggs
1 cup maple syrup
1/4 cup coconut sugar (or brown sugar)
splash of bourbon, or vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups of pecan halves

Directions:

1. Heat oven to 350°.

2. In a medium bowl beat the eggs.

3. Mix in maple syrup, sugar, bourbon, and melted butter.

4. Pour into four buttered ramekins (or a pie crust).

5. Carefully and lovingly place a layer of pecans on top.

6. Place on a cookie sheet and bake for 45 minutes.

Citrus Quinoa Spinach Salad

November 2, 2013November 2, 2013anne

This month I am bucking the pumpkin trend! Don’t get me wrong I do love pumpkin bread, pumpkin pie, pumpkin lattes but it is only barely November and I am already pumpkined out for crying out loud. Anyway one of my ladies recently told me about how much she loves this salad and I wanted to share it with you. Cook the quinoa as you prepare the salad (not ahead of time). Adding the warm quinoa wilts the spinach and incorporates the cheese and dressing.

Quinoa (pronounced keen-wah, not queen-o like the superstitious sports fan says in this funny commercial) is a nutrient dense food with anti inflammatory properties. Studies show that a diet rich in colorful veggies, like spinach, may reduce your cancer risk. Did you know that your body absorbs nutrients more easily when you eat your veggies with a good dose of fat? Click on this article to learn more.

This salad starts with just a few basic ingredients – spinach, quinoa, lemon, feta, olive oil and green onion. I added pecans and garlic, feel free to jazz it up as you see fit.

Citrus Quinoa Spinach Salad

Ingredients:

1/2 cup quinoa
zest and juice of 1/2 lemon
2-3 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil
1 tsp red chili flakes
1 garlic clove, pulverized
pinch of sea salt and pepper
6 oz baby spinach leaves, rinsed and drained
1/4 cup sliced green onions
1/4 cup toasted pecans
1/4 cup crumbled feta cheese

Prep:

Cook quinoa according to package directions (I cooked mine in the rice cooker – 1 part quinoa to 2 parts broth for about 15 minutes). Meanwhile, whisk together lemon zest, juice, olive oil, chili flakes, garlic, salt, and pepper in a large bowl. Add spinach, onions, and pecans. Mix in warm quinoa and sprinkle with feta.

Anne McCranie is a Portland, Oregon based personal trainer and licensed massage therapist. She offers this recipe to tempt your taste buds. Please see your medical professional for specific dietary advice.