Did you know that your skin is the largest organ in your body? Our body’s natural shield has many uses and is always working. Your skin:

• Acts as your body’s first line of defense against harmful germs and UV light.
• Has its own microbiome, a tiny army devoted to keeping you safe.
• Sheds 30,000 skin cells each minute! With that kind of turnover, we want to support our skin with a healthy diet.

Below is a list of nutrients that are essential to healthy skin at every age:

Easy Salmon Salad

Ingredients:

• 1-2 medium salmon fillets
• 1 teaspoon of salmon and 1/4 cup olive oil
• salt and pepper to taste
• 4 cups romaine lettuce chopped
• 1/2 cup sliced red bell peppers
• 1/2 cup sliced cucumbers
• 1/4 cup thinly sliced red onion
• 1 sliced and pitted avocado
• 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice
• 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/4 teaspoon onion powder
  

Instructions:

• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
• Use 1 teaspoon of olive oil to coat the salmon. Season salmon with salt and pepper on both sides. Place fillets, skin side up, in the oven for 12-15 minutes, or until flaky.
• While salmon is baking, bring together lettuce, peppers, cucumbers, red onion and avocado in a large bowl. Set aside.
• In a small jar, mix garlic powder, onion powder, lemon juice, the remaining olive oil, salt, and pepper. Cover the jar and shake well.
• Remove salmon from oven. Let cool for 5 minutes.
• Dress the salad and serve with the salmon. Enjoy!

Pre-made spice blends at the grocery store make cooking easier but they tend to be pricey. Did you know you can mix up your own taco seasonings for pennies on the dollar compared with the cost of a pre-made packet? Plus, you can control the spiciness or salt to what you like.

Use dry herbs and spices that you’ve bought recently. Dried herbs and spices don’t go bad, but they do lose their flavor over time. Before creating a blend, make sure your ingredients are still fragrant and vibrant in color. If you’re using whole spices and herbs, grind them in a clean coffee grinder for maximum flavor. Store leftover spice blends in a tightly sealed container and label it. Once it’s gone restock and keep cooking! Feel free to tinker with blends based on your taste – the possibilities are endless. Save this guide and add a tablespoon or two the next time you need a spice blend for a dish.

Taco Seasoning

Try it in chili, tacos, burgers, or a steak marinade.

Ingredients:

• 2 tbsp. chili powder
• 1 ½ tsp. chipotle powder
• 1 tsp. salt
• 1 tsp. onion powder
• 1 tsp. cumin
• ¾ tsp. garlic powder
• ¾ tsp. sweet paprika
• ¼ tsp. oregano

Everything Bagel Seasoning

This works on everything! Try with eggs or avocado toast.

Ingredients:

• 1 tbsp. poppy seeds
• 1 tbsp. dried minced garlic
• 1 tbsp. dried minced onion
• 1 tbsp. toasted white sesame seeds
• 1 tbsp. flaky sea salt

Cajun Spice Mix

This is often used in jambalaya and gumbo or rubbed on a protein before grilling or over oven-baked fries.

Ingredients:

• 1 tbsp. plus 1 tsp. sweet or smoked paprika
• 1 tbsp. dried oregano
• 2 ½ tsp. dried thyme
• 1 heaping tsp. of cayenne pepper
• 1 tsp. onion powder
• 1 tsp. garlic powder

Italian Bread

Add to sauces, meatballs, or rub on a protein.

Ingredients:

• 1 tbsp. dried basil
• 1 tbsp. dried parsley
• 1 tbsp. dried oregano
• 1 ¼ tsp. garlic powder
• 1 tsp. dried rosemary
• 1 tsp. dried minced lemon peel (optional for brightness)
• ¼ tsp. crushed red pepper

Shawarma Seasoning

Traditionally “shawarma” refers to a style of cooking meat on a split. This take on the blend is warm and savory for the meat.

Ingredients:

• 2 tbsp. ground cumin
• 1 tbsp. ground coriander
• 1 tbsp. sweet paprika
• 2 tsp. black pepper
• 2 tsp. turmeric
• 1 ¼ tsp. granulated garlic
• 1 tsp. cardamom
• 1 tsp ground cloves

Josie Thiele, CHN Nutritionist: “Shepherd’s Pie was a classic comfort food in my home growing up. Every Christmas Eve we would prepare a Shepherd’s Pie for dinner, freezing portions to reheat during the winter months.”

• Shepherd’s Pie is an Irish dish made of ground meat cooked in gravy with mixed veggies topped with a mashed potato crust.
• Shepherd’s pie has been a staple in Ireland since the 1700s. It is a great way to use meat and vegetables before they go bad. Back then lamb was more on hand for Irish shepherds and used for this meal.
• In Britain, they changed it to make “cottage pie”, which used beef, a more costly and pleasing cut of meat at the time.

Try using other meat or veggies you have on hand. Instead of lamb, try beef, lentils, or meat alternatives (like Beyond Meat).

For the Potatoes:

• Add the potatoes to a medium sized sauce pan and cover with water.
• Boil potatoes for ~8-10 minutes until they are fork tender.
• Drain and return to sauce pan.
• Add butter, greek yogurt, milk, salt and pepper to the potatoes.
• Mash until smooth.

For the Filling:

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
• Heat oil, ground meat, salt, and pepper in a large skillet over high heat.
• Once the meat has browned, add in onion, garlic, and mushrooms and sauté for 5 minutes, or until vegetables are tender.
• Stir in thyme, rosemary and tomato paste and cook for ~ 1 minute.
• Add in flour and cook for another minute, keep stirring.
• Add the broth, allowing to a simmer for 3 minutes until liquid is reduced.
• Stir in frozen peas, carrots, and corn and remove from heat.
• Spread filling onto a baking dish.
• Spread the mashed potatoes on top of the filling.
• Place in the oven and bake for 15-20 minutes, until the filling is bubbling out on the edges.

May Lemon, CHN Nutritionist: “In the fall, I look forward to hot teas and nourishing soups to build my immune system and keep the flu at bay. Growing up, my Grandmother would always make Coix Seed Soup when the weather changed from Summer to Fall to boost our immune systems. She said it removes dampness and prevents phlegm and it is easy for adults and children to drink. In my family we use Coix seed in our desserts and meat soups. It is our medicine in our everyday foods.”

Coix seed (Yi Mi) is a round white seed with a bland and mildly sweet taste and a slightly chewy texture. Since it is a seed, it is a complete protein and a good source of fatty acids, vitamins, minerals, and fiber. Coix seed is very common in Chinese supermarkets and herbal stores.

1. Place coix seed and honey dates in your pot and rinse with cold water until water runs clear. Drain the water.
2. Add 6 cups of water to the pot.
3. Cook on medium heat for 1.5 hours or until the seeds are soft and the dates have softened and fallen apart.
4. Cover with the lid and let sit for 30 minutes to steam the soup.
5. Spoon out the soup and coix seed into small bowls and serve.

TIP: For faster cooking, you can use a pressure cooker on high for 20 mins.

Did you know “World Jollof Day” has been celebrated since 2015 every August 22nd? Jollof or jollof rice, is a dish from West Africa. The dish traditionally consists of rice, cooking oil, and vegetables such as tomato, onion, red pepper, garlic, ginger and Scotch bonnet chili peppers. To enhance the color of the dish, tomato paste (purée) is added. As seasoning, spices, salt, stock cubes, curry powder and dried thyme are used. Chicken, turkey, beef or fish are often served with the dish.

Sulaimon Yusuff, CHN’s Lab Director, says, “My memories about Joloff Rice growing up in Africa is that whenever you are served Jollof, it always means it’s a special occasion – Birthdays, Weddings, special holidays and family events all include Joloff on the menu!”

For the Stew Base:

• In a blender jar, combine tomatoes, red pepper, onion, Scotch bonnet or habanero, and stock. Blend until a smooth puree forms, about 2 minutes.
• Transfer the stew base to a large saucepan, cover partially with a lid, and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce the heat to medium-low and cook, stirring occasionally, until reduced by half, about 30 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside.

For the Jollof Rice:

• In a 4-quart pot, heat 2 tablespoons of oil over medium heat. Add half the sliced onion along with the bay leaves, curry powder, dried thyme, a large pinch of salt, and a large pinch of pepper. Cook, stirring, until the onions soften slightly, about 3 minutes.
• Stir in tomato paste and 2 teaspoons butter. Cook, stirring continuously, until the tomato paste darkens, about 3 minutes. Stir in reserved stew base, cover partially with lid, and cook at a gentle simmer over medium-low heat until reduced by half, about 15 minutes.
• Stir in stock and bring to a boil over high heat. Season with salt and pepper.
• Stir in rice until evenly coated in sauce. Cover the pot with a double piece of foil or parchment paper, crimped down around the edges to seal, then top with lid to trap the steam. Reduce the heat to the lowest possible and cook for 20 minutes, then uncover pot and gently stir rice. Cover again and continue to cook until rice is just cooked through, about 15 minutes longer. If rice is undercooked and/or still wet, cover and cook 5 minutes longer.
• Stir in sliced tomato along with the remaining sliced onion and the remaining 1 teaspoon butter until fully melted.
• Remove from the heat, cover, and let stand for 10 minutes. Serve.

The stew base can be prepared in advance and refrigerated for a week in an airtight container, or frozen for up to 3 months.

Jollof rice keeps well—in fact many people love leftover jollof. Thaw leftovers overnight in the fridge, then warm on the stove top over gentle heat, or in the microwave.