5 foods to boost your immune system

Experts agree a nutritious diet will help strengthen your body’s ability to fight infections.

Photo by Ela Haney from Pexels

Admittedly, there have been times in these last 12 months I’ve wanted to curl up in a corner with a jar of Nutella and a spoon. We are all weary of COVID-19, but as Dr. Anthony Fauci recently said in an interview, the U.S. is “facing a whole lot of trouble” as COVID cases continue rising.

But instead of retreating to a dark place with supply of chocolate, good nutrition is important—now more than ever. If you'd like, go ahead and jump to the end of this post and grab the recipe card for Creamy Sweet Potato and Shrimp Curry.

The University of California, Davis recommends these foods to boost your immune system:

1. Vitamin A (beta carotene) helps your intestines and respiratory system. Wondering how carrots could help my lungs be strong, followed that rabbit hole otherwise known as Google. According to the National Institute of Health, Vitamin A is involved in making and maintaining epithelial cells. These cells are found on our skin, as well as the inside of our throats, intestines, blood vessels, and organs. Epithelial cells, according to Arizona State University, are often the first thing a virus will attack. So, eat your carrots, sweet potatoes, spinach, broccoli and red bell peppers.

2. Vitamin C helps with the formation of antibodies that give our bodies the power to fight infections. My dad always loaded up on Vitamin C during the winter; he rarely had a head cold, let alone flu. Citrus, strawberries, bell peppers, and kiwis are good sources for this vitamin.

3. Vitamin E—found in avocado, vegetable oil, nuts, and seeds—work as an antioxidant, which help to protect cells.

4. Zinc deficiencies have been linked with immune dysfunction, according to UC Davis. That’s why it’s important to include zinc-rich foods like beans, seeds, nuts, and seafood in our eating plans.

5. Proteins have amino acids, which are essential for T-cell function (the cells that protect against viruses. Lean meat, poultry, seafood, eggs, beans, nuts, and seeds all have protein.

So, what does this mean to the person responsible for making family meals?

Jennifer McDaniel, a registered dietician based in St. Louis, is the founder/owner of McDaniel Nutrition Therapy. She’s also co-author of the Mediterranean Table Cookbook.

This isn’t a sponsored post; I merely came across her company’s website while researching my story, and she seems to have good, practical advice. Since I’m certainly not an expert, you might contact her team if you want to dive further into nutrition. You also might find her article interesting (as I did). The point about Vitamin D was fascinating.

I’ve thought more this past year than ever before about what I eat. Admittedly, what I put in my mouth bounces between curling up with the jar of Nutella to incorporating more vegetable-forward dishes into my week.

One simple change I’ve made is moving away from my former typical lunch—a sandwich with deli meat and cheese—to dishes like a frittata or homemade vegetable soup. Of course, being home all the time gives me the leisure to prepare lunches like this, but even folks who work outside the home can do something similar. It just takes a bit of planning and cooking a meal in advance of when you want to eat it.

Still, if food doesn’t satisfy all my taste points and feeds me emotionally, I won’t eat it. A bowl of micro greens would certainly be healthy, but I can’t get excited about them. I can, however, get excited about this Creamy Sweet Potato and Shrimp Curry that I recently made and served over rice.

Sweet potato and shrimp curry with spinach is a healthy and comforting bowl to enjoy this winter.

Inspired by a recipe I saw on the Pinch of Yum site, this warming bowl of goodness not only hit the flavor points for me, but it felt like I was eating something good for me.

Sweet potatoes and spinach delivered Vitamin A to my system, and the shrimp provided protein and Zinc. The sweetness of the coconut milk and the warmth of that beautifully complex curry paste rounds out this totally satisfying dish that you can enjoy for lunch or dinner.

If you’re like me and grew up in the Midwest, curry might seem a bit too adventurous. “Oh, that’s too spicy for me” or “I don’t think I’d like that” are comments often heard in Missouri when it comes to different cuisines and their ingredients. Hey, we can’t physically travel right now, so bust out of your little corner of the world through food!

That’s what I do. A trip to the Pan-Asia Supermarket not far from my home is a total experiential outing for me. When I visited last month with my friend, Leslie, who is an expert at Japanese cooking, it felt like I had been somewhere! All types of different foods, smells—I wish I had allotted more time.

The market had an entire aisle of curry powders and pastes. I tried a jar of Rogan Josh paste. It has a smoky yet sweet taste with warming spices like cardamon and clove. Utterly delightful. I’ll likely explore different curry pastes (red, yellow, green) before trying to make my own, but I found a good primer on curry (the spice blend and the dish) from Raw Spice Bar.

I promise, this recipe is easy to make, and is no more spicy than the bowl of chili you might have made last weekend. Put some good vegetables into your tummy with this sweet potato curry.

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Creamy Sweet Potato and Shrimp Curry

Ingredients

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

½ medium yellow onion, chopped

2 sweet potatoes, peeled and cubed

2 tablespoons Rogan Josh paste

1 (14-ounce) can regular coconut milk

1 cup vegetable broth

3 cups baby spinach

2 cups medium precooked shrimp, cleaned, thawed

1 ½ teaspoons oyster sauce

Lime for garnish

Directions

In a stock pot, heat oil over medium high heat. Add onion and cook until soft and fragrant. Add sweet potatoes and stir to coat with oil. Add curry paste and oyster sauce. Stir until well combined.

Add the coconut milk and vegetable broth.

Cut shrimp in half and add to stock pot. Simmer over low heat for 15 minutes until thickened. Stir in spinach and let it wilt into the mixture.

Serve over white sticky rice with a lime quarter on the side.

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MORMON SOUP is another warm bowl with plenty of veggie goodness

https://www.threewomeninthekitchen.com/post/mormon-soup

Surf 'n' turf Super Bowl appetizers

The best of Missouri beef and Florida seafood come together in tasty appetizers for your family’s game day gathering.

Take a bite of barbecued brisket sliders this year as you watch the Chiefs play the Bucs in Tampa.

Super Bowl this year sure will feel and look different. Fewer fans will physically gather to watch the game at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida, and around the U.S. If you’re planning to tune in with (hopefully only) your immediate family members, you still can plan a fun menu. And because Kansas City (barbecue) and Tampa Bay (seafood) are going head-to-head in the game, why not do a sort of surf ‘n’ turf appetizer combo?

Spicy Slow Cooker Brisket Sliders will pair nicely with Sweet Shrimp Cups. And the great thing about the brisket recipe is you’ll have plenty left for a meal the following week. I’d recommend making just enough of the shrimp cups to enjoy the day of the game. Beef won the coin toss, so let’s go!

I tweaked a brisket recipe from the Missouri Beef Industry Council for these sliders that are topped with a vinegar cole slaw. Honestly, you had me at brisket.

To answer the question, "Where's the beef," it was in Kansas City for more than 100 years. The Kansas City Stockyards opened in 1871 on the Kansas City of the Missouri River, and played a significant role in the West's ongoing expansion. In 1923, more than 2.6 million cattle were received. The stockyards closed in 1991 but the area is attracting businesses, restaurants, and city dwellers.

It’s no accident that Kansas City’s barbecue scene also began in the 1920s. According to the Kansas City Barbecue Trail page, Henry Perry is credited with setting up the city’s first pit. Today, places like Gates and Arthur Bryant’s anchor the trail, but I’ve got to give a shout out to Jones Bar-B-Q in Kansas City, Kansas, because of the two sisters (Deborah and Mary) that smoke the meats and make the family’s special sausage and barbecue sauce. Check them out if you’re in town, but back to our brisket.

Be sure to set up and start cooking the brisket the morning of the game (or the day before) so your sliders are ready by kickoff. Put the Kansas City spin on the sliders with the right sauce.

In Missouri, we like the tomato-base barbecue sauce that usually has the right balance of sweet and tangy. Great debates have been made over Kansas City versus St. Louis barbecue styles, but honestly, can’t we just gather around the table?

To make a sauce for the shredded brisket, combine a cup of ketchup with ½ cup brown sugar, ½ cup of molasses, ½ cup apple cider vinegar, 1 tablespoon smoked paprika, and ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes in a medium sauce pan over a medium-high heat and once it looks ready to begin a boil, turn it down to a low simmer and cook for about 20 minutes. If you need to thin it out, use some of the liquid from the slow cooker.

I know it’s considered a “Carolina thing,” but I love topping a barbecue sandwich with crunch coleslaw. My grandma’s recipe combines a cup of sugar with a few shakes of dry dry mustard, celery seed, a good pinch of salt, ¾ cup vegetable oil, and 1 cup white vinegar. That’s enough to dress a bag of cole slaw mix.

Sweet Shrimp Cups

I know a lot of people will have chicken wings, pizza, and dips for the game, but why not try something a little different—appropriate for a historic Super Bowl. These tasty bites come together in almost no time (it takes longer for them to cool than to bake and fill) and will make 24 cups. If it’s just the two of you this year, just use one of the pie crust sheets for an even dozen.

These seafood cups would also make a good lunch if you pair it with a salad or a cup of soup, so even if your family wants to stick with the traditional appetizers for game day, you can have these in your recipe box for another day (like virtual happy hour with your girls).

So there’s a surf ‘n‘ turf idea for Super Bowl. Who will you be cheering for? As a Missouri girl, I have to hope the Chiefs will pull out a victory, but honestly, I’ll likely be tuned into Puppy Bowl XVII; I’m more of a baseball fan. Go Cards, and to the team owners, just sign Yadi already!

Try these other appetizers for game day: British Sausage Rolls

Luscious Limoncello Cheesecake

When life gives this Kansas-City-area cook lemons, she makes a remarkable dessert.

Lisa Waterman Gray enjoyes gelato while traveling.

When I put a question to my friends to name the best thing they’ve ever baked—it is National Baking Month after all—I didn’t expect to get more than 40 replies with delicious recipe ideas. Ranging from chocolate chip cookies to an award-winning hand pie made with bacon, bananas, whiskey, and the Southern favorite Goo Goo Clusters, plus something I’d never heard of (Japanese milk bread), my circle of home cooks inspire me all the time.

A few of them said various cheesecakes were their best baking recipe, but when Lisa Waterman Gray mentioned her limoncello cheesecake, I had to find out more.

Limoncello is a liqueur produced largely in southern Italy and served as a digestif. Each time I take a sip, my mind transports me to my first European trip. I was in my 20s (a LONG time ago) visiting Rome and Tuscany, which is where I was introduced to this drink. I wasn’t fond of the country’s most popular liqueur, Campari, but this lemon-flavored drink I’d often get after dinner was marvelous; it was if I was sipping Tuscany from a delicate, tiny glass.

Thus, a limoncello cheesecake made me feel tingly all over, so I messaged Lisa, whom I had met years ago during my time as a travel writer and editor. She graciously agreed to share more story details and the recipe.

Travel and food are best mates, and when Lisa isn’t writing about a destination for one of the many regional and national publications or websites to which she contributes, she’s leading the charge in the Kansas City area for the slow food movement and spotlighting local restaurants.

Several years ago, the chef at Kansas City’s renowned Jasper’s Italian restaurant, Jasper Mirabile Jr., gave Lisa (who lives in nearby Overland Park, Kansas) a bottle of his homemade limoncello. She wanted to do something to thank him, so she developed a cheesecake recipe using the ingredient and delivered it to the chef, who also had a sweet tooth.

“After he tasted the cheesecake, he said he had a special dinner in the works—where he creates a menu that may not reflect anything on the usual restaurant menu—and asked me if I would make five cheesecakes for the dinner. The title was right on the menu, and he invited my husband and I to come at no charge,” Lisa said.

Limoncello cheesecake is finished with a lemon curd sauce.

That event spurred more culinary creativity for her, and she created a few additional cheesecake flavors, including cranberry and white chocolate, lime pistachio, and raspberry chipotle, the latter using a sauce made by and father-and-son duo from Fredericksburg, Texas, whom Lisa met while visiting the city on assignment.

Lisa discovered cooking in her 20s while at college. Her sorority house had a full kitchen, which she had access to. “The fellow I was dating cooked up a pan of sautéed mushrooms, and I thought I had died and gone to heaven,” she said.

After 40 years of baking and cooking, Lisa says her biggest challenge is fighting boredom.

“There are plenty of nights I say to my husband, ‘I don’t feel like cooking so can we forage tonight?’” she said.

Her strongest food memories as a child include her mother’s chocolate chip cookies and black bean soup. The family also made a lot of Italian food. After finishing graduate school, she moved to Kansas when she was 23 years old. She’s written a travel guide about the state and is well informed about the area’s food scene.

And in recent years, the greater Kansas City area has received a good deal of national press for its food and drink. During Restaurant Week, hundreds of establishments developed special menus and dining specials for area residents to enjoy.

But when she’s craving comfort food, Lisa said she’ll go for something sweet or Mexican food. “I really do love green chilies,” she said.

She also loves using ingredients that are in season, a hallmark of the slow food philosophy. Recently, to make a pumpkin pie, Lisa roasted and puréed a small pumpkin, but there wasn’t enough in the end to fill a pie. So she blended in leftover sweet potatoes.

In fact, Lisa gave this bit of advice to home cooks. “Don’t be scared to try something or to change a recipe to your own taste. As my own personal rule of thumb, the first time I make (a dish), I make it the way the recipe reads, but I’ll change it the next time.”

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More recipes from other inspiring home cooks

1. Dorothy Reinhardt's sour cream coffee cake

2. Katie Reinhardt's mock filet mignon

3. Deborah Patterson's shrimp orzo

4. Diane Carson's sausage roll appetizer