anti inflammatory foods Archives - Healthy Happy Life Secrets

Sourdough Bagel – with Healthy Matcha

Sourdough bagel made with matcha is hard to match-ah when it comes to the healthy matcha marble effect you can swirl in. Someone already took an irresistible bite out of this one, backside up.

In this bagel recipe, you’ll not need to cut around a bagel. This bagel comes already halved out of the oven. The benefit is you don’t have to do extra slicing work. 🥯

..AND you can make the topping side toasty brown and crunchy if that’s what you like. That’s what I’m talkin’ about! 😋 But for a softer side, bake about 5 minutes less than the recipe time calls for.

To make this sourdough bagel, you probably have all the ingredients you already need in your kitchen pantry.

If you have flour, you can make this!

Since it’s made from sourdough, you won’t even need dry yeast. Time and air will do the heavy (sour bread dough) lifting.

…That results in light and airy pockets inside the bagel bread. And sourdough is more digestible than regular bread or store-bought that can have sugar, so you’ll possibly feel better (and lighter).

And with this recipe, you may never go back to store-bought processed bagels 🥯

While warm and fresh, after baked, the sourdough bagel is best eaten same day, 2-3 days after, or you can freeze them.

But straight from the oven when it’s piping hot, and ready is delightful!

To make the sourdough bagel:

Knead the dough as you would (instruction in recipe below).

Then let the sourdough proof (and turn sour) in room temperature for 2-3 days.

(In case you’re wondering about the step order.)

And after sourdough proofed (see the sourdough bubbles), as you shape your dough for your baking, you can add in (lightly knead in) your matcha powder just before it goes in the oven.

Matcha Sourdough Bagel Heathy Points

Matcha is a green tea and you can find it in powder form along with other tea types, these days. It has healthy ECGC, an antioxidant. And an amino acid that’s known for calming anxiety and stress. That also naturally supports sharpening your cognitive abilities like mind focus. Who couldn’t use more of that, some days (or daily)?

Also your sourdough comes with a lower GI (as in glycemic index that most breads are higher in). Basically, sourdough is more of an anti-inflammatory bread food vs. processed white bread.

Then after baked, when you pile on lean protein and healthy fat ingredients like wild salmon lox (with Omega 3s for more anti-inflammatory goodness), you’re actually getting a healthy meal and not just mostly high carb calories… that’s not ideally what your body wants to start with in the morning.

And maybe also add fermented cabbage or an avocado (source of macronutrient) that are other types of greens that pair well with matcha and savory meals. And maybe an avocado smoothie to break a fast?

This sourdough bagel is hard to match-ah!

Matcha Sourdough Bagel

Use one cup of flour per regular size bagel (with two halfs).

Course Appetizer

Cuisine American

Author Brandy @ Healthy Happy Life Secrets

Equipment

Baking pan
Silpat silicone baking sheet
container with a top or cover

Ingredients

1 cup bread flour
1/2 cup water
1 tsp coarse salt
1 Tbsp matcha powder
1/4 tsp olive oil (optional)
poppy seed (optional)

Instructions

Make the bagel dough: Add flour to bowl with water and salt. Start with 1/4 cup of water and add enough water for the dough to all come together and is slightly sticky (but not soaking with water). Knead the dough for about 7-9 minutes by mixer machine (or by hand) and form a small dough disc (shape won't matter as your dough will expand and spread in your container).
Proof (and sourdough) the dough: Add dough to a container with a lid or cover with plastic wrap. You can drizzle olive oil at the bottom of the container if you like for flavor (optional). Leave out for 2-3 days in a shaded/cool room temperature kitchen spot. If you want to speed up sourdough, bring out to a warmer room temperature spot. You will know it's ready when you see dough bubbles and the dough has a fragrant aroma (not too sour). If it gets too sour for your liking, put in the refrigerator for a few hours and it will calm down. When you add bench flour also, it will do the same.
Shape the bagels: "Pour" and scrape out the sticky-ish dough all-in-one from the container onto the baking pan. Roll in a little bench flour (like bread or semolina flour). Split into two long bread dough strands. Add dashes of random matcha powder to create a marble effect. Optional (for rolls): you can pour (onto baking pan) in one layer into a rectangle shape for a bread loaf you can cut up.
Tip: For a traditional bagel round ring shape with a hollow middle: pour the sourdough around a small circular object -- (like a smooth small oven-safe cup or metal piping tip) and onto a Silpat lined baking sheet pan that will leave a hole (in the ring center) -- until the dough ends meet. Make 2 bagel half shapes. Add poppy seeds on tops, or any flavor adds you want to make.
Bake at 350°F/180°C about 35-45 minutes or until edges and bottom are golden brown and depending on the "toast" type/soft vs hard bagel you like. Let cool and remove the circular object. Tip: Between the grip of the thumb and forefinger on one hand, shake the object back and forth until it loosens and then push through to loosen.

Easy Berry Tea Scone – Low-Sugar

An easy berry tea scone can be a low-sugar healthy dessert. When I don’t know what to bake, and have a sweet craving, it’s a scone!

Whether you pronounce it sgonn or scone, it’s a score that will be gone soon!

…Like this raspberry lavender scone plate that’s irresistible during heart month and for a Galentine’s dessert 💕

Pair heart healthy raspberries and dark chocolate (with flavanols that improve blood flow) for a tasty anti-inflammatory effect.

And if you’re wondering what separates a scone apart, here’s my take…

A scone is a breakfast pastry, a sweet snack like a cookie, and more elevated than a bar. It’s also an EASY bake you can make low-sugar and healthier with your delicious flavors!

Cut round like a pie, but looks flat like a pancake (before the oven)… a scone comes out of the oven wedge heel-raised elevated, puffs up in the center, and crunchy inside and around in all the right places.

You can be creative and dream up your own easy scone flavors to life. This is the new food wheel… with berry and white chocolate. 😊

And if you cut the wedges before it goes in the oven, like this…

…You’ll have less crumbs on the baking board and more in your mouth.

Plus with cut wedges, whether you share or not, you’ll know how many wedges are left… before it’s sgonn. 😋

That I’m sure is fast. It’s a good idea to go ahead and make 2 scones side-by-side to anticipate its appeal.

And if you have an event you need or want to bring a dessert to, a scone is a smart, foolproof one!

You can’t mess it up, and it will be a hit 🙌

On that note, the reason I really like a scone is you don’t have to do any prep work.

For starters, the few, small pats of butter you use can be straight from the fridge or freezer and works better.

Because cold keeps the fat separate with small pieces in the dough, so that when it goes into the magical oven, steam happens and creates air pockets so you get an airier scone like you expect in breakfast pastries.

That’s the fascinating baking science part.

And with the texture working for your easy berry tea scone, you can add almost any sweet food ingredient that inspires you.

Think of the variety of tasty, healthy anti-inflammatory flavors (aka flavanols).

…Like spices, healthy smoothie powders, extracts, berries, honey, tea, and fruit. And for the wet ingredients, you can use tea like Early Grey bergamot or lavender that I added.

Perfect pairings for weekend Sunday brunch or afternoon tea! 🫖

A technique I like: in a mug, add warm tea water to honey to liquefy, plus the tea all together. Let it cool and then add to the dough mixture.

You can also shredded coconut or zest like in a low-sugar orange scone (that’s like confetti 🎉).

Think also of healthy cake ingredients you can use.

…But without any egg or milk (if you choose).

Which means a easy berry tea scone can live longer if you want it to last on a room temperature plate.

All in all, this is a delicious dessert for any occasion that no one will know there is very little sugar (and no table sugar) if you choose.

Shhh!… unless you tell ’em.

Because honey and butter alone are a delicious pairing that is enough for a delicate and decadent pastry.

But why leave it there? Healthy tea and fruit in an easy berry tea scone adds an elevated taste.

And while I pulled 13 pantry and fridge ingredients in total (in the recipe), you can make this with half as many ingredients or less if you want to keep it simple… starting with some flour, butter, liquid, and sweet.

And to keep it healthier, use a healthier flour blend (e.g. almond or gluten-free flour), less butter, honey, and brewed tea. Up to you!

One thing in common is your easy berry tea scone will be delicious. See what you can come up with using my recipe as inspiration. 🍥

Enjoy your berry scone tea tasting!

Easy berry scone with raspberries for heart healthy.

Easy Berry Tea Scone

This is a berry tea scone that you can make your own flavors and ingredients with the instructions provided

Course afternoon tea, Breakfast

Cuisine American, british

Servings 8 pieces

Author Brandy @ Healthy Happy Life Secrets

Ingredients

3/4 cup almond flour
1/2 cup all purpose flour
2 Tbsp butter, cold small pieces
1 tsp lavender tea (brewed and cooled)
1-2 tsp raw honey
1 Tbsp blueberries
1 Tbsp raspberries, dried or fresh
additional berries for tops
1/4 tsp cinnamon spice
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking powder
1 Tbsp white chocolate (optional)
1 tsp vanilla extract

Instructions

Fully hand mix ingredients into a 4" dough disc. If you find that the scone dough is too dry (and won't stick together), add a little inspiring liquid that can be water, or flavored teas to get a dough that sticks together and slightly moist to the touch. If you find the scone is too wet or sticky, add some dry ingredients like spices, almond flour, and/or healthy powders.
Press additional sweet ingredients like berries randomly to the tops.
Cut 4" scone into 8 pie wedges.
Bake at 325°F/165°C for about 35 minutes (or until browned all around).

Anti-Inflammatory Lifestyle to Prevent Eczema

The adult eczema that I first experienced in 2020 and then recurred in 2021, I’m happy to say has never made a significant return. Embracing an anti-inflammatory diet and changing my sugar habits I know has supported this.

Especially foods and baking ingredients that have eat-from-the-rainbow polyphenols 🌈 and antioxidants.

…And below 👇 you can learn how to get better informed about anti-inflammatory foods to choose from in my free anti-inflammatory diet guide offer. 🌈

Because you get to choose and be your own health advocate.

And now after some years of personal history for me to look back on, I can share what has worked for me in my eczema skin flareup prevention journey.

…And I think could definitely help others… maybe you?

My hope is that I can inspire a healthier eating anti-inflammatory lifestyle for everyone.

And at the very least (if you find skin unwanted challenges), you know that the foods you eat can help be the transformative solution.

Because skin irritations as warnings are no fun.

And common eczema (that’s irritating) is different for each affected person, as we each carry a different body that expresses inflammation differently.

But everybody, as you age, can benefit from anti-inflammatory diet tips.🫶

Looking back to these more recent past years, there were moments when I saw the pink irritated skin wanting to flareup, but know better now since I nip-it-in-the-bud by preventative skin moisturizing (generously using daily lotion and self-care).

So any eczema possibilities went away within a TV commercial break. The main point here is: eczema is about self-care. 🫶

And information is power.

It’s self-empowerment.

When you know what to do, that’s the difference between guessing… and maybe exacerbating the issue… or staying stunted, not knowing what to do or which way to go.

And specifically for eczema that’s a dry skin issue.

That can worsen with hot or cold weather that’s often on the forecast.

Our skin is the largest organ in the body. And it needs lots of moisture.

Anything preventing that can be a culprit to disturb the balance in any part of the skin that covers our entire body.

Sometimes we forget… and can detail care for our cars or belongings better than our own bodies. Reminders are good.

And eczema skin can be sensitive like new baby skin, so it needs TLC.

It’s tricky because it shows up differently and on different parts…

Where it can look like a sunburn or frostbite, or acne variations. Either way, I knew the irritated skin cause is from being outdoors earlier that day or pollen-related allergies.

But that hasn’t stopped me from all day hiking… I think you gotta live a little, weigh the benefits, and pick your battles wisely!

Again, this is how being informed is power.

Because you’ll know it’s the same cause.

…Like when there is irritation on my typing fingers. That’s where eczema began in 2020. And now when I see a pinkish glow light up there, I know right away what to do…

I reach for moisturizer as the quick remedy.

So if you ever have question about whether it’s eczema on your skin, maybe this could be the answer…

Give your skin a drink of a water with (non-clogging) moisturizers (like you would consume for your body and to avoid headaches). 💦 Water is life.

Then repeat.

And even better, you can prevent eczema flareups with the foods you eat. And specifically anti-inflammatory diet foods that I’m passionate about.

Sugar for me is the biggest no-no. And I know this is true for many other sweet tooths out there.

A little sugar is okay, but the 25 grams (or about 2 Tbsps) allotment mentioned per day is too much for eczema (and anti-inflammatory living) from my experiences.

…And is why I created my own baked low-sugar desserts that are based on my sweet childhood dessert and catering work memories.

Because I would see on television food shows that I love, to add 1 cup of sugar in the mixing bowl or thereabouts, and sometimes more. And a cup btw is 200 grams of sugar per recipe that would be doing your body no favors especially if you didn’t share the dessert.

And how do I know that too much sugar exacerbates eczema?

Because when I tipped the scales on my body, enjoying the happy foods with sugar (that could easily be store-bought fruit juice or candy), I got the pink light warning.

…The same warning that I accidentally itched when I didn’t know better in 2020.

I connected the dots.

And as sugar can show up on irritated, crawling skin, it’s even worse undetected in the body. Diabetes 2 is one of the fastest growing lifestyle diseases (that’s preventable).

So with body inflammations, it’s about playing a game of not-tipping-the food scale (with inflammatory foods).

Any person who can’t eat sugar (diabetics) or is borderline can tell you how reading ingredients and labels becomes an active part of grocery shopping life and daily meal prep.

And along those connecting-the-dot lines, eczema is a pre-health inflammatory condition warning.

…Where I’m actually glad I got that warning (as uncanny as that may sound as I ended up in the hospital)… because it got me to change my eating habits one food at a time. And grow even more healthy conscious.

Acute inflammation is a warning to chronic or recurring inflammation, that’s a leading cause of chronic diseases (that are the highest causes of mortality).

And an anti-inflammatory lifestyle will help prevent this, that we’re not usually taught to do unless we’re intentional.

So before eczema, I believed in an anti-inflammatory diet and that was the only diet book I followed… and then after my first eczema experience, I was completely sold.

And eating less sugar aligns with an anti-inflammatory goal of eating healthier.

I was on this low-sugar quest (finding the healthiest and lowest grams of sugar per cookie on the store shelves).

All sugars are not created equal in inflammation. Some types are perfectly fine for me (…and I’ll spell that out further below).

Even though moderation and mixing-it-up (variety) is still a smart, healthy strategy.

So giving up all sugar is not really what I’m suggesting… I think that would be NO FUN and missing out on daily joy. Plus nature put sweet taste buds on the tip-of-the-tongue for a good reason.

And on my sugar journey, years before I did a sugar fast as part of the start of a new year with my church 🎉 and by my 30s, had cut out sodas, donuts, and drank less juices.

I hadn’t arrived to my desires, but year after year I was heading in the healthier direction.

And then many years later in 2020, I started learning to bake sweets I’d never made before.

Today, all I make for sweet bake consumption are low-sugar recipes. Small amounts of fruit, honey, cinnamon, and monk fruit sugar can be all the sugar add.

You can always zhugh the sweet at the end, on top, or individual consumption.

Like for picky sweet eaters.

…Let them candy bar their own tops. 🍬

That’s something I learned about working in catering and party planning for hotels and restaurants for years. The zhugh is important.

It’s part of what is remembered in a celebrated way and special. And each day should be an event.

In catering, I learned food details are the cherry on top. And love is in the details. A little sparkle you add that can be a honey glaze, orange zest, or a dusting of cinnamon can be the healthy dot and dash. And to prevent eczema with exclamation points. ‼️

It’s the little things that add much (but not much to eczema).

Balancing happy and healthy (and moderation) eating is how you strike the sweet spot.

Where you can splurge one day, challenge yourself to fast on the splurge the next day, and maybe upcoming days.

A sugar fast is a good challenge.

It starts in the kitchen.

I don’t have a bag of loose sugar waiting to be used and am intentional about what sweet snacks or ingredients I bring home these days.

Like coconut flakes or a variety of nuts that are just as easy to source gather.

I leave them in plain sight as healthy-somethings food inspiration.

And those as examples of simple ways I gradually got control of my sugar cravings.

It doesn’t have a hold on me or my taste buds. And it doesn’t have to on yours either.

I’ve learned to confidently bake without table sugar from all my fun kitchen experimentation (that’s now been in 4 different home kitchens)

Being aware, aligned, and focused on inflammatory prevention is how I can breathe sigh-ingly… and report no lasting effect eczema flareups.

That aligns with healthy eating and an anti-inflammatory diet that focuses on food-as-medicine and eat-from-the-rainbow 🌈 healthy principles. All while enjoying delicious food pairings that pleases a foodie.

Early in my 20s, I learned about antioxidants in a college semester I took off, pre-anti-inflammatory diet living. I volunteered for the American Cancer Society down the street, where I remember their bright fruit food poster hung on my wall (for future inspiration?).

And funny (or ironically), whole foods didn’t go out of style. Decades later, they’re still around… and are still the superfoods. There’s so much nutrient-dense food variety to choose from that the body loves.

It’s a winning proposition because the body and person is happy. 😊

And on that mission, I invite you to learn more about an anti-inflammatory lifestyle diet, eat-from-the-rainbow foods 🌈, and how to wisely eat your way toward anti-inflammation, anti-eczema, and your longevity.

You can get the FREE informational anti-inflammatory food guide that has hours of research condensed to easy food lists and charts, to inspire and align you to what healthy foods to choose from when you’re grocery food shopping and preparing meals. 🍽️

Stay happy & healthy!

Pepperoni – Spiced Tofu Protein (Anti-Inflammatory)

Pepperoni made from tofu is plant-based and a healthy protein snack or topping-add to your pizza without guilt. Below, it’s the new pepperoni 🍕

And even further below is how to make this liked (or disliked) food (depending on the taster), a regular part of your healthy food meal prep for grab-and-go protein. Or add to pizza food.

Unlike regular cured meat-based pepperoni that’s hands-down liked, tofu is a healthy topping sub on pizza. Regular pepperoni is high in saturated fat, sodium and acidity.

But tofu is the opposite. It’s lean. low-sodium, and considered an alkaline food.

If you experience heartburn often from certain foods, tofu pepperoni could be one protein substitution answer.

It’s also a one big block full of calcium, iron, and fiber.

…So when it’s put that way, maybe worth a go?

And maybe help sway your tofu decision in your upcoming grocery trip. Or may open your eyes to make you look at tofu in a new light.

Plus, if saving grocery money matters to you, tofu could be a good protein savings.

Tofu disguised as pepperoni could be the idea to give the creamy protein block a needed new identity (for you). If you can get your mind to agree to the tofu look and taste as similar… or at least agreeable with enough salt and spice tastes added, then you get all its benefits.

And if you’re not too familiar with tofu (or never tried the food before)…

Tofu is the Japanese name.

The other common names are bean curd or soybean curd.

It’s a soy food. You can also find soy in edamame and soy milk where you may know other soy ingredients.

But unlike those soybean products, tofu is easy to find. Today you can find it in most mass grocery stores.

It’s usually in a white container that the protein spongy-looking block looks like it would fit in, and what you find when you get inside the no-mistake-it’s-tofu packaging.

But tofu won’t end up looking like a spongy block after you crumble up the tofu protein. That’s also a legume.

Because it’s soy, it’s a legume.

Legumes are the larger plant-based food category.

It’s a broader category of plant-based foods that gives you a healthy food variety to choose from and additional fiber to add to your diet.

But usually you just call out the food name instead of legumes. Like beans, peanuts, and peas.

And if that’s what you’d like to add more of in your diet, maybe try a 15-bean turmeric soup…

With all the variety out there and plant-forward foods growing abundantly outside, it’s easy to see why natural foods is a forward path to food sustainability.

…And is great for those who don’t eat meat, and for those who do.

Plant-based tofu pepperoni can be the first thing you reach for when you’re hangry for a snack or wondering what to eat.

Spiced up, tofu pepperoni can have similar tastes to meat pepperoni.

Easy-to-find spice powders like paprika and chili powder give a closer-to-pepperoni reddish color.

You can add sharp and punchy spices flavors like fresh garlic powder and cumin. Plus, salt balances well with oregano for an herb-y taste.

Oregano is one of the healthiest antioxidant herb spices on our planet. It has a sweet peppery note and goes well with any savory Italian dish or red tomato sauce.

To make the tofu pepperoni:

From a standard 3″x4″tofu block (14 oz) that comes in a common tofu plastic container found in grocery stores, cut the tofu into 3 long rectangle pieces so then you have 3-3″x 4″ rectangles. A regular bread knife works well for this task as tofu is soft and smooth like butter.

From there, you can cut out the round pepperoni shapes. Since the tofu rectangle is about 3″x 4″, a round cookie cutter about 1-1/2″ (4 cm) works well. I didn’t have a round cookie cutter that size (and you probably don’t either), but I found a 1-1/2″ round spice container top worked perfectly. So look around your pantry and kitchen. A small juice glass could even work.

If you have perfect cuttings, then you can cut out 12 pepperoni that you can then cut again each pepperoni round in half (because they’ll be thick). I like to do it this way because it’s easier to cut smaller flimsy tofu pieces. But you do you!

So you’ll end up with 24 pepperoni plus tofu scraps that you can make into a tofu scramble 🥣 or tofu scrap (a new dish?). 💭

Then, make a spice dip. Add in all the spices you’ll be using with a little water (as the glue), and dip each tofu pepperoni in.

Dust with additional red paprika. I find a tea infuser works for this step because the small, even holes lightly dusts just enough for the reddish color effect (without adding too much of the spice).

Do this with all the pepperoni round slices.

In the process, I found I lost a few because tofu is soft and more delicate to work with. I forgot they weren’t hardy like meat.

Those broken ones went to the edible tofu scrap pile that will also get cooked up.

And in your sautée pan, cook tofu pepperoni rounds for about 15 minutes total, gently flipping over once, about halfway through.

Then they’re ready for eat-alone snacks and on pizzas. They will stay good in the fridge for 3-5 days (and you can also freeze them for longer).

On pizzas, since the tofu is already cooked, you can add them as pepperoni toppings during the last 5 minutes in home pizza oven baking.

And if you want to accompany the tofu rounds with more plant-based eating, you could add herbs and microgreens and make a salad. 🌱

Tofu Pepperoni (Protein and Plant-Based)

This is a way to substitute pepperoni on your pizza or for better protein snacking.

Author Brandy @ Healthy Happy Life Secrets

Ingredients

1 container tofu
1 Tbsp paprika (plus more for sprinkling)
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp chili powder (of 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper for heat)
1 tsp oregano
1 tsp cumin (optional)
1 tsp turmeric (will add a light orange color)
1/2 tsp black pepper
1 tsp sumac (optional)
1 tsp salt
water

Instructions

Mix dry ingredients in a separate shallow bowl..
Cut wet tofu block into 3 (3"x4") rectangles. Cut round tofu pepperoni shapes using a round cookie cutter (or a round kitchen item like a round spice lid top for the tofu pepperoni round size you desire). Cut tofu rounds if thicker than 1/4".
Mix spices with a small amount of water (about 1/2 the spice amount). Dip each tofu pepperoni round side in the spiced-water.
Evenly sprinkle additional paprika (for red color) on each tofu pepperoni round. Tip: use a tea infuser with small evenly-spaced holes to maximize pepperoni color effect but not adding too much additional paprika.
On the stovetop, cook tofu pepperoni on medium heat in a skillet for a total of 15 minutes, about 7 minutes on each side (flipping tofu pepperoni rounds once)
Use as a topping to pizza that can be baked in near the end or enjoy the tofu pepperoni as eat-alone snacks. They will last for 3-5 days in the cool part of the refrigerator.

Ceviche – Healthy Shrimp Protein Appetizer

Ceviche is a great shrimp and protein appetizer (or shrimp salad). It’s a healthy snack (or meal) that also brightens a table.

Decorating food tables with food is something I know about having planned hundreds of parties at Mediterranean cuisine restaurants.

And my humble start began creating catered events in American hotels, so making food at home brings it all full circle.

I have history with ceviche that was a hip trend in my catering days that went along with tapas (small plates).

I remember the Spanish restaurant I was at had a menu as big as Cheesecake Factory’s menu (without all the ad pages 😊).

And while I didn’t see ceviche on the menu often, Rosa Mexicano at National Harbor in the DC area was my go-to.

They crushed ripe avocados at your table to make fresh guacamole.

And what’s more exciting than fresh foods… that you can make yourself at home for very little cost! Tasty fresh guac is only a few fresh ingredients.

Avocados are the star and waiting for them to ripen faster is the hardest part if there is any. You can leave at warmer room temperatures on those efforts.

And also place next to other ripe fruit and/or a closed brown paper bag to speed up.

The beauty is perfectly fresh soft/ripe avocado has a short shelf-life of a day or two. A lot like cilantro.

For guacamole with a bite and for your ceviche, you want to use fresh cilantro. If you don’t like cilantro as some don’t, you can use fresh dill or parsley.

And for an unforgettable ceviche, you can lean on the trifecta ingredient effect of: red onions, cilantro (or fresh culinary herb), and lime juice.

If you finely chop the onions, they will be a delight in the melange.

Then you can add supporting healthy food ingredients and enhanced flavors. Like radishes, oranges, and tarragon herb spice added.

This is not a wimpy ceviche.

It’s for foodie tastes, and Chipotle healthy food sensibilities.

And saving the best for last: the protein seafood item.

Seafood is healthy lean protein with zinc that impacts immunity and metabolism, and Omega 3s for optimizing the health of vital organs (heart, brain, and eye health).

It’s an anti-inflammatory category of foods.

You can store seafood (and fish) in the freezer until you’re ready to use.

Shrimp can be one of those staple freezer bags.

One you can bring out anytime and cook up to enjoy with homemade shrimp cocktail sauce (no ketchup). Squid and Old Bay scallops are also a favorite you can pair with your ceviche.

I’m biased about the Old Bay seafood spice blend because I’m from that Delmarva area that douses Old Bay (that’s not an Old Spice deodorant) on everything savory. It’s in the water’s air. And I even douse on my ceviche.

To reel in the ocean-y ceviche appetizer to green land, I added asparagus spears and cilantro stalks. It’s now a salad.

And I made additional ceviche salad with oranges so it’s a tropical salad. Notice the salt rim that’s just too martini glass good.

Ready to make this?

Ceviche with shrimp served in a martini glass.

Ceviche - Shrimp Healthy Protein Meal

This is a healthy light protein filled appetizer, meal, or snack you can enjoy year round with your favorite ingredients. You can share this or enjoy this for yourself!

Course Appetizer

Servings 1 person

Author Brandy @ Healthy Happy Life Secrets

Ingredients

1 dozen shrimp (or seafood of choice)
1/2 red onion, finely chopped
10-12 leaves cilantro, finely chopped
2 tsp lime juice (add more as desired)
1 tsp orange juice from a whole orange
1 wedge small orange wedges
2 tsp sweet bell pepper or pimento pepper
2-3 radishes, minced (optional)
1 avocado, small pieces (zhugh on top)
tarragon herb spice (zhugh on shrimp)
salt (for glass rim)

Instructions

Cook the shrimp (or seafoods of choice).
In a bowl, toss onions, cilantros, peppers, radishes, and oranges like a salad with the juices. Let the juice marinade in the salad for a few minutes..
Then add salad to a martini or other presentation glass/bowl/vessel. Add salt to the rim (optional)
Using a spoon, add small avocado pieces on top. Add shrimp. Sprinkle tarragon on top. Share and enjoy!