When you're trying to get 9-13 servings of veggies in everyday, you have to start at breakfast. And what a delicious challenge it is! I've been sharing my favorite "V for B" ideas on Instagram lately. Here's one more winner to add to your repertoire.

Makes 4-6 servings

Ingredients for the Hash

• 1 large sweet potato, diced
• 1 bunch of kale, de-stemmed and chopped
• 1 large leek, sliced into half-moons
• 2 cloves garlic, crushed
• 1/2 tsp dried thyme
• 2 Tbsp avocado oil
• salt and pepper to taste
  
  

Ingredients for the Sausage

• 1 lb ground lamb
• 8 sun-dried tomatoes
• 1 tsp dried thyme
• 1/2 tsp fennel seeds
• 1/2 tsp oregano
• salt and pepper to taste

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.
2. Cover sun-dried tomatoes with hot water and soak for 10 minutes to soften.
3. While the tomatoes are soaking and the oven is heating, toss sweet potatoes with enough avocado oil to coat (about 1 Tbsp but don't be shy about adding more!). Season with salt and pepper and place in a single layer on a cookie sheet. Bake for 15 minutes.
4. Drain and coarsely chop the soaked tomatoes.
5. Mix spices together in a small bowl. Using your hands, combine with ground lamb, spices and tomatoes. Form the sausage into 4-8 patties and place on baking sheet.
6. When the timer goes off the the sweet potatoes, shake the cookie sheet and rotate 180 degrees in the oven. Put the sausage in and set the timer for 10 minutes.
7. Meanwhile, toss the kale, leek and garlic with remaining Tbsp of avocado oil. Season with salt and pepper. If you have a third cookie sheet...and a third rack in your oven, transfer the kale mixture to its own cookie sheet. If you don't have 3 of everything, just hold it.
8. When your 2nd timer goes off, flip the lamb patties and rotate the pan 180 degrees. Shake the sweet potatoes and check for doneness. If a fork easily pierces them, add the kale mixture to the oven (either by putting the cookie sheet in OR by adding the kale mixture to the sweet potatoes, stirring to combine and blowing the whole oven a kiss).
9. Cook for another 10 minutes or until the internal temp of the sausages reaches 160 degrees F, the kale is wilted and dark green and the sweet potatoes are easily pierced with a fork.
10. Serve a hot pile of the sweet potato hash with a sausage patty. Optional: fry an egg to tie it all together!

If you have a home garden, chances are you are flush with raspberries right now! 

I don't eat much fruit because as far as I'm concerned fruit is only good when it's in season and close to the source. Living on the North Coast means we have a small window in time to enjoy fresh berries, cherries, apples and pears. 

I grow two varieties of raspberries - red and yellow - and plan to add a black raspberries next spring. Our berry vines are overflowing with summer bounty right now, so every night I'm out picking fruit...and shoving it right in my mouth! 

Raspberries bring something special to the table - more than just deliciousness. They are the best source of ellagic acid, a polyphenol (antioxidant) nutrient that has potent anti-cancer activity. In animal studies, ellagic acid has slowed the growth of cancer cells and helped make them inactivate1. 

Ellagic acid also shows up in research on beauty and aging, showing some promise for reducing wrinkles and skin damage caused by UV-B rays (that will make my mom happy)2. Can you imagine your esthetician advising you to eat more raspberries for your skin health? Best. Homework. Ever! 

The power of plants continues to awe and amaze me. 

While I love fresh raspberries more than anything, I just cannot keep up with the volume of raspberries coming in from my backyard (can I just say what an awesome problem that is to have?!). I'm not much of a baker and try to limit my sugar intake anyway, so this week I worked on a new smoothie recipe that combines a couple of my all-time favorite anti-cancer ingredients. For fun, I made it a little thicker than you can slurp through a straw. 

​Hope you like it! 

Ingredients:

• 1 cup non-dairy beverage or coconut water
• 1/2 cup frozen raspberries
• 1/4 cup frozen avocado
• 2 Tbsp flaxseeds
• 2 tsp matcha green tea
• 1 scoop unflavored protein powder (optional but recommended if you're eating this smoothie as a meal)
• 1 Tbsp unsweetened shredded coconut, toasted
• 1 Tbsp hemp hearts
• 1/4 fresh raspberries

Directions

1. Blend together the non-dairy beverage, frozen raspberries, avocado, flaxseeds, matcha and protein powder (if using) in a high speed blender until smooth. Pour into a bowl. 
2. Top with toasted coconut, hemp hearts and fresh raspberries. Eat with a spoon. 😉

I love me some dinner in a bowl. 

One of my favorite memories from traveling in China was eating with a bowl of rice in one hand and chopsticks in the other, serving myself bite after bite of spicy green beans and crispy tofu. There may be fewer chopsticks in my weekly meal plan, but the principle of rice paired with a few flavorful dishes has persisted. 

This recipe highlights my favorite things about summer eating: seasonal veggies and lots of herbs. Shop at the farmers market for the best ingredients. 

Serves 4

Ingredients

• 1 cup pink or brown rice, soaked overnight*
• 14-oz firm organic** tofu
• 1-2 Tbsp sambal
• 1-inch ginger, grated on the fine side of a box grater
• 1 1/2 Tbsp organic** tamari or soy sauce, separated
• 1 1/2 Tbsp toasted sesame oil, separated
• 2 Tbsp cilantro, chopped
• 2 Tbsp basil, chopped
• 1 qt (4 cups or more) snap peas, strings removed
• 3 scallions, chopped
• 3 garlic scapes, chopped or 1-2 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 tsp sesame seeds (optional)
• 1 sheet toasted nori (optional), crushed

Directions

1. ​Drain your soaking rice in a wire mesh strainer. Rinse and put in a small saucepan. Add 2 cups of water, bring to a boil. Cover and reduce heat to a slow simmer. Cook for 20-25 minutes, keeping an eye on the liquid level to prevent burning. 
2. Bring 6 cups of water to a boil in a large saucepan or skillet. 
3. Drain tofu. Cut into 1/2-inch x 1/2-inch cubes. Place in a container with a tightly fitted lid. Add sambal, ginger, 1 Tbsp each tamari and toasted sesame oil, cilantro and basil. Put the lid on and give it a good shake to evenly distribute the seasonings over the tofu. This can be done in advance to marinade the tofu - the flavor just gets better with time! 
4. Add the snap peas to the boiling water and cook for 3 minutes, or until the peas are bright green. Reuse that wire mesh strainer, drain and return to the pot/pan. Place the sliced scallions and garlic scapes to the peas, stir and cover for a few minutes to mellow the bite of the alliums. 
5. While the peas are finishing, divide the rice and tofu into bowls. Add the peas, sprinkle with sesame seeds and nori flakes. Serve with tamari, toasted sesame oil and sambal so your diners can personalize their bowls.
6. Enjoy (chopsticks optional)!

​
*Soaking whole grains for 6-12 hours provides two nutritionally beneficial gifts:

1) It starts breaking down phytic acid, an anti-nutrient that has anti-cancer properties, but also binds to zinc and other minerals in our food, prohibiting their absorption in our digestive tract, and 

2) It shortens the cooking time by almost 50%! That means you might be more likely to choose brown rice and other whole grains over their refined counterparts.  To soak: Measure your rice into a large bowl or saucepan and cover with 1-inch of water. Cover and leave on your countertop for up to 12 hours. Longer soaking is fine, but you'll want to rinse and refresh your water after 12 hours and/or move the soaking mixture to your refrigerator. 

**Soy is one of the most heavily engineered crops in the US, making buying organic soy products a priority.