My 2 Favourite Food Sources of B12 & The Delicious Recipes I Make With Them
B12 is a nutrient that I notice is often low in my clients with low energy, digestive issues, sleep problems, depression, hypothyroidism and those over 45 years old.
The reasons for B12 deficiency can be varied. One reason is that we’re simply not getting enough of it in our diet. This blog is to help in that department!
The two lesser known sources of dietary B12 that I want to bring you into the know about here are:
Clams (!) with a whooping 83 mcg of B12 per 3 oz (10-12 clams). I’m sharing a favourite dairy free chowder recipe below - so exciting to have a dairy-free comfort rich version of this classic!
Nutritional Yeast with 5 mcg of B12 per tablespoon. Nutritional Yeast is tasty and gives foods a cheesy-without-the-cheese flavour. I often sprinkle this on a stir fry, find it lovely on popcorn with ghee and then there’s using it as a coating on tofu as in the infamous Tofu Melt recipe my wonderful soul sistah Cathy Maniwa shared with me when we co-led cooking workshops in the late 1990’s! This recipe has stood the test of time and my kids palates. Play around with amounts to see what you like best.
Tofu Melt Basic Recipe
Pat dry and then slice a block of tofu into thin pieces (how thick you slice them is up to you - thick enough that it doesn’t fall apart).
Marinate the slices in container with a mix of ginger powder (or whatever spices you fancy) and Tamari/Soy Sauce. Enough to get on all the pieces of tofu. Tofu takes up the flavours of whatever it is marinated in quite well. The longer you marinate the more flavourful. Having said that I will make this with as little as a 5 minute marinating time!
When you are done marinating put 1/2 - 1 cup of Nutritional Yeast on a plate and roll the slices in the yeast so they are coated on all sides.
Bake them in the oven at 400 F (15 minutes each side) or fry them in a pan with coconut oil or avocado oil.
You’re done! 🙌 Eat them straight up, add them to a veggie or stir fry dish, bring along as a hiking snack, add to a glory bowl or bowl of rice with cilantro and avocado and a bit of drizzled ghee or flax oil or goddess dressing. No limit to the possibilities!
I got super hungry writing this … and there’s more …
Dreamy, Dairy-Free Clam Chowder – Amy Meyers
Ingredients
3 (6.5 ounce) cans chopped clams undrained (1 frozen bag works around 370 grams)
2 1/2 cups chicken broth divided
1 cup white onion minced
2-3 cloves garlic minced
1 cup celery diced
1 cup carrots peeled and diced
2 cups white sweet/white potatoes cubed
1/4 cup olive oil
3 Tbsp arrowroot powder
1 can full fat coconut milk
1 Tbsp apple cider vinegar
1/2 tsp fine sea salt
8 slices cooked bacon sliced, for garnish (optional)
fresh chives thinly sliced, for garnish (optional)
Instructions
Stovetop Method
Add minced onion to a large skillet over medium heat, and combine with drained juice from the clams. Sauté for about 5 minutes until golden in color.
Add garlic to the skillet and sauté for 2 minutes.
Add celery, carrots, and potatoes to the skillet, along with 1 ½ cup chicken broth. Cook over medium heat until all the vegetables are tender.
While the vegetables are cooking, combine olive oil and arrowroot starch in a large saucepan over medium heat. Whisk the mixture until smooth. Whisk in coconut milk and remaining chicken broth, and stir constantly until thick and smooth.
When the vegetables are tender, add to the saucepan along with liquid from skillet. Do not boil.
Add clams to the mixture just before serving. You don’t want these to cook with the soup, or they will overcook and become tough. When the clams are heated through, stir in vinegar, and season with salt.
Optional: Garnish with thinly sliced chives and bacon to serve.
Note: if you have people in your home who don’t care for clams just dish up their bowl before you add the clams or add less clams altogether. The base soup is tasty of itself!
Enjoy, enjoy, enjoy …
I have worked up a massive appetite typing this out and am off to replenish!
To your healthful, delicious life! xo, Dr. Monika
Looking for someone to support you in feeling your best inside and out? I have been practicing naturopathic medicine for over 20 years now and life coaching for the last 5. If you are ready I would love to support you in making the changes that would align you with the energy, clarity and well-being to live your truest, most beautiful life. Let’s deal with any symptoms once and for all and chart a course of you feeling really great.
Click here for to book online/connect …
