Clean Eating, Detoxification & Anti-Inflammatory Recipes & Lifestyle Blog - The Healthy Apple

Recipes Peach and Heirloom Tomato Salad

Recipes Roasted Beets + Onions with Blood Oranges

Recipes Curried Squash Soup

Detoxes + Cleanses Peach and Heirloom Tomato Salad

Recipes Roasted Beets + Onions with Blood Oranges

Soups Curried Squash Soup

I started TheHealthyApple.com, in my early 20's, to share all I was learning about healing myself from more than two dozen chronic health issues. Just before my 40th birthday, I closed that part of my journey and began a new chapter. I'm now bringing consciousness and beauty to everyday life at AmieValpone.com.

Rest assured, you can still access the resources and information gathered here on alternative medicine, living an anti-inflammatory lifestyle and understanding the multitude of mind body connections.

Thank you for your ongoing love and support - you've given me the courage to believe in myself. I look forward to seeing you at AmieValpone.com.

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Recipes Curried Squash Soup

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Recipes Garlic + Ginger Celebration Squash with Sesame Seeds

Recipes Roasted Beets + Onions with Blood Oranges

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amievalpone

Today I’m launching my new website, AmieValpone.

Today I’m launching my new website, AmieValpone.com. This marks the next step in my life - what it looks and feels like to be healed. I am so proud of how beautiful this site is - it feels like a work of art.

There are a handful of new recipes and articles you can explore (more to come). The soft and airy videos at the top of each page are my favorite part - a glimpse into my everyday NYC life and my sun drenched loft. I’m shaky while typing this because it feels surreal - I had the vision of a healthy life for almost two decades and now it’s here and it’s simultaneously exhilarating and scary - but I think we all know that fear doesn’t stop me. I take time to look it in the eye, thank it for coming and let it go bit by bit so I can continue to step into the life that’s been patiently waiting for me to play with.

I want to thank you for being here especially when I felt defeated, ashamed and lost with a mind and body that were shutting down with over two dozen diagnoses while modern medicine could no longer help. Healing yourself is terrifying, it’s unknown territory and takes bravery to release what we’ve been heavily programmed to believe is “true” about health to discover for yourself what really works. I assure you, the joy and pleasure on the other side is so worth it.

Rest assured, I’m keeping my former website TheHealthyApple.com as a resource hub for anyone embarking on their own healing - it’s a huge site with 14 years of content I created while exploring new ways of eating and various healing modalities. Together, with dedication and courage, both sites can be stepping stones in reaching your fullest potential. I hope you enjoy my next step, AmieValpone.com, as much as I do. ✨

p.s. The desktop version is even more magical than the mobile version with various collages throughout each recipe feature + so much more. Lots of hidden gems for you to explore.

All videos created by: my high school classmate, the one and only Matt Catalano @mattp.aul whose craft and dedication to this project have left me in awe. Thanks buddy; I appreciate you. What fun (and an honor) to create with you! 🙏

White linen dress made by: my second family (aka @fahertybrand).

Charred lemon dressing is my new thing. Here, I’

Charred lemon dressing is my new thing. Here, I’m drizzling it over a simple spring salad of fresh apricots, gorgeous fuchsia spring onions, a bit of celery, some chives + mint. I kept the warm lemon dressing a bit chunky with roughly chopped garlic + fresh ginger for an extra bite and pop of flavor.

You can easily use any fruit such as apples or oranges in place of the apricots here. This is such a happy-looking salad. Enjoy.

Celery Salad with Charred Lemon Ginger Dressing

Serves 2-4

Ingredients

1 head celery, thinly sliced and ends trimmed
2 small apricots, halved and pitted
1 small spring onion, thinly sliced
Handful of chopped chives
Handful of fresh mint leaves
Drizzle of olive oil
1 lemon, halved
1 large garlic clove, minced
1 tsp roughly chopped fresh ginger
Crushed red pepper flakes, optional
Sea salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste

Method

Combine the celery, apricots, spring onion, chives and mint leaves in a large bowl.

Heat a small skillet over medium heat and add a drizzle of olive oil. Place the lemon halves face down on the skillet until they are brown and slightly charred, about 2-3 minutes.

In a small bowl, combine the charred lemon juice with a drizzle of olive oil. Add the garlic, ginger and sea salt and pepper, to taste. Mix well and spoon over the celery salad. Sprinkle with crushed red pepper flakes and season with salt and pepper. Serve.

Store leftovers in a sealed container for up to 2 days.

#apricot
#celerysalad
#springrecipe
#easyrecipe
#vegetarian
#glutenfree

Feels like summer. ✨

Feels like summer. ✨

This is spring on a plate. It’s gold. Crisp crum

This is spring on a plate. It’s gold. Crisp crumbs of toasted buckwheat, silky noodle-like strips of cool cucumbers and sweet parsnips are joined by the bright acidity of fresh lime juice, making this a simple salad for a spring day.

It’s quite wonderful + New Yorkers like myself are so ready for salad season as we embrace the birth of springlike (and summer) weather this week after what felt like another round of winter in April.

Yes, you can eat parsnips raw + if you haven’t yet, I highly recommend it. And yes, buckwheat is gluten-free. It’s nestled in the grain aisle at the foodstore somewhere in between the quinoa and rice. It’s nutty + fabulous with a nice dose of protein.

Shaved Cucumber + Parsnip Salad

Serves 2

Ingredients
3 medium cucumbers
2 large parsnips, peeled
⅓ cup walnuts
¼ cup buckwheat (yes, this is gluten-free)
Handful of radishes, trimmed and quartered
2 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
Juice of ½ lime
Fresh mint leaves
Sea salt, to taste
Aleppo pepper or freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Method
Shave cucumbers and parsnips into wide ribbons using a Y-shaped vegetable peeler. Set aside.

Toast the walnuts in a small dry skillet over medium heat, shaking often, for about 5 minutes or until fragrant and lightly toasted. Transfer to a plate and let cool. Use the same skillet to toast the buckwheat over medium heat, shaking often, for about 4 minutes or until fragrant. Transfer to a plate and let cool. Watch carefully as both of these can burn very quickly!

In a large bowl or serving platter, combine the shaved cucumbers and parsnips, radishes, toasted walnuts, toasted buckwheat, olive oil, lime juice, mint leaves, sea salt and pepper; gently toss to combine. Serve immediately.

Store salad leftovers in a sealed glass container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Leftover toasted buckwheat can be stored separately in a sealed glass container for up to 2 weeks.

#buckwheat #walnuts #mint #cucumbers #parsnips #springsalad #lime #simplerecipe #slowliving #springrecipe

I shaved a few parsnips + cucumbers this weekend a

I shaved a few parsnips + cucumbers this weekend along with a handful of beautiful, fresh ingredients from the farmers market + made my new favorite spring salad. It’s light. It’s crunchy. It’s lovely.

I’ll be sharing the recipe this week in a Reel but this capture truly made me smile. I felt it was too gorgeous not to share a little sneak peak because my new healed life revolves around sharing what I love, what lights me up + fills me with those little butterfly feelings of finding beauty in simplicity.

For me, this is spring on a plate! Stay tuned.✨

I made this sun-dried tomato pesto for the first t

I made this sun-dried tomato pesto for the first time back in December + I’ve been meaning to share it ever since- so I made it again earlier this week because while the weather is still a bit chilly in Manhattan, I’m roasting as much as I can until the heat rolls in this summer.

This, like all my recipes, is quite simple. Two deeply plum colored eggplants, rich golden olive oil, a few delicate fresh thyme leaves + sea salt mingle in the oven yielding a tender + succulent meaty veggie that’s paired perfectly with pesto- and this isn’t just any pesto.

The intensity of sun-dried tomatoes whirled round + round with lemon juice, a kick of heat from garlic + shallots, and some creaminess from a handful of walnuts all smoothed out with a touch of olive oil, makes this pesto one of my favorites. If you have leftovers (which isn’t likely because if you’re like me you’ll finish up any last bits with a spoon) the pesto works well in place of mayo on sandwiches + dolloped on top of any protein of your choice: fish, chicken and so forth.

It’s a rather delightful dish. I think you’ll enjoy it.

Roasted Eggplant with Sun-Dried Tomato Pesto

Ingredients

Eggplant
2 large eggplant
1 ½ Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil, plus more if needed
Fresh thyme
Sea salt

Sun-Dried Tomato Pesto
7 large sun-dried tomatoes (dry, not soaked in oil)
1 large shallot, peeled and minced
⅓ cup walnuts
2 large garlic cloves
2 Tbsp water
1 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
Juice of ½ lemon

Serving
Flat leaf parsley, torn

Method

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper. Set aside.

Slice the eggplants in half lengthwise, straight through the stalk (we’re roasting the stalk but please do not eat it). On the cut side of each eggplant half, make two parallel incisions that slice ¾ of the way through the meat of the eggplant, then make two more parallel incisions at a 45 degree angle, which will resemble a diamond pattern in the flesh.

Continued in Comments below…

You’re welcome to call this whatever you’d lik

You’re welcome to call this whatever you’d like. For me, it’s a pizza crust. My body has never done well with grains or yeast so when it comes to making breads + crusts, I tend to use almond flour + then toss in some sort of veggie (today it’s shredded zucchini) to give the recipe a little oomph + natural sweetness.

This thick + tender crust reminds me of waitressing in college, serving deep crust pizzas + always wanting to sit down and dive in with the customers. And so, here I am twenty years later, still in the mood for a thick crust that slightly resembles what I dreamed about eating so many years ago.

Many of you loved the sweet potato pizza crust I shared over the winter so I wanted to try to make another crust - a bit different this time - something with more of a spring flare to it, which led me to create this simple zucchini crust topped with thick globs of a really lovely ginger avocado sauce. Then, I polished off each slice with a handful of delicate microgreens.

The whole shabang is as light as a spring breeze while also being quite sustaining. I’ve eaten it all week for breakfast + lunch, although it was meant to be a dinner recipe. Do whatever you want with it + eat it whenever you’d like - just have fun making it + eating it. That’s the only requirement. I think you’ll be very pleased.

And lastly, don’t worry if you can’t find microgreens, you can use fresh mint, basil or tarragon instead, all of which are a nice touch for warm weather recipes.

Zucchini Pizza Crust

Serves 6-8

Ingredients

Crust
4 medium zucchini, shredded
4 large garlic cloves, grated
2 ½ cups almond flour
3 large eggs
¾ tsp sea salt

Sauce
1 very ripe avocado, peeled and pitted
2 Tbsp water
1 tsp minced fresh ginger, plus more to taste
½ tsp sea salt
Small handful fresh parsley
Microgreens, for serving

Method

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F. Line a rimmed baking sheet or baking dish with parchment paper. Set aside.

Place the shredded zucchini in the center of a cotton kitchen towel, bring the corners together and twist to make a pouch and use your hands to squeeze and extract the liquid.….continued in comments below.

I’m roasting the last of my sweet potatoes befor

I’m roasting the last of my sweet potatoes before the weather heats up in Manhattan so these are probably the last ones to get cozy in my oven until fall. I was in the mood to make something that would have my taste buds dancing a bit more than usual so there’s a heck of a lot of flavor in these cute little rolls.

I not only used the Swiss chard leaves to wrap the rolls but I also thinly sliced the beautiful ruby stems and added them to the filling for a nice crunch. There’s some sweetness in here from the sweet potatoes and lemon zest but also a nice hit of spiciness from the marriage of ginger and cayenne. It’s an adorable little recipe that’s convenient for dinner and then served as leftovers for lunch throughout the week. Enjoy.

Ingredients
1 head Swiss chard, stems trimmed and thinly sliced
2 small sweet potatoes
Olive oil
1 shallot, peeled and diced
1 tsp lemon zest
½ tsp cumin
½ tsp ginger
½ tsp sea salt
¼ tsp cayenne pepper
Tomato sauce, for serving

Method
Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Prepare a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper. Place the sweet potatoes on top, pierce with a fork and use your hands to generously coat the skins until glossy. Roast for 45 minutes or until the sweet potatoes are very tender.

Meanwhile, bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add the Swiss chard leaves one at a time while holding onto the stem and let the leaves sit in the boiling water for 1 minute or until very tender. Remove from the water and lay flat on a kitchen towel. Repeat with the remaining Swiss chard leaves. Gently blot the leaves with the towel to soak up any excess water. Set aside.

Remove the sweet potatoes from the oven, set aside to cool for 5 minutes then slice each potato in half vertically and scoop out the flesh (save the skin for later use - I eat this as a snack with almond butter). In a medium bowl, add the sweet potato flesh, thinly sliced chard stems, diced shallot, lemon zest, cumin, ginger, sea salt and cayenne pepper; mix well to combine. Season to taste.

Continued in comments…

I’m on a bit of a coconut milk kick these days a

I’m on a bit of a coconut milk kick these days and finding it to be a creamy cure for everything. The star of this silky smooth soup is carrots - I literally opened the bag and dumped them onto my baking sheet, roasted them quite simply with olive oil and sea salt then puréed the roasted golden logs with coconut milk, water and a few soft spices. It’s worth making this soup during these warmer spring months before it’s too hot to use your oven.

Lastly, don’t skip the serving suggestions - they add a nice mild crunch and pop of sweet and peppery flavors. Enjoy.

Coconut Carrot Soup

Serves 2

Ingredients
1 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
1 (1 lb) bag carrots
1 tsp sea salt, divided
⅓ cup well-shaken full fat coconut milk
3 cups water
2 tsp cumin
1 tsp ginger
½ tsp cardamom

Fresh thyme, for serving
Sesame seeds, for serving
Fresh ground black pepper, for serving

Method
Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.

Place the carrots onto the prepared baking sheet, drizzle with oil and sprinkle with ¼ tsp sea salt. Use your hands to rub the carrots until well coated and glossy. Roast for 30 minutes or until very tender and golden brown. Remove from the oven and set aside for 2 minutes to cool slightly.

Trim the carrot stems with a sharp knife and discard. Transfer the carrots to a high-speed blender. Here I’m using the @vitamix. Pour in the coconut milk and water followed by the spices and remaining ¾ tsp sea salt. Purée until velvety smooth. Season to taste with spices and sea salt.

Transfer to serving bowls. Serve warm with fresh thyme, sesame seeds and freshly ground black pepper.

Store leftovers in a sealed glass container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. Note: this does not freeze well so I don’t recommend it.

#carrotsoup #slowliving #coconutmilk

I know we’ve rolled far out of sweet potato seas

I know we’ve rolled far out of sweet potato season but I really look forward to the deep warmth of a roasted sweet potato every so often. Tonight, I roasted a large sweet potato, peeled it and scooped the flesh into the center of a delicate galette made with hazelnut flour.

There’s a subtle touch of sweetness in here from the sweet potato, of course, but also from a few dashes of cinnamon and fresh thyme. The flavors are quiet yet perfect for a simple breakfast. I served each slice with almond butter and a pinch of sea salt. Enjoy.

Sweet Potato Galette

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.

Place one large garnett sweet potato in the center of the baking sheet, pierce with a fork, then rub with olive oil until glossy and well coated. Roast for 45-60 minutes or until the sweet potato is very tender.

Meanwhile, to make the dough, combine 3 cups hazelnut (or almond) flour, 3 large beaten eggs, 1 Tbsp plus 1 tsp extra-virgin olive oil, 1 Tbsp cinnamon and ½ tsp sea salt. Mix well then roll the dough into a ball and flatten with a rolling pin, rolling the dough into a large circular shape about ¼ inch thick. Set aside.

Remove the sweet potato from the oven and decrease the oven heat to 350 degrees F. Set the sweet potato aside to cool for 5 minutes, then remove the skin and save for a later use (I like to eat this as a snack because it’s so sweet). Transfer the flesh to a small bowl with 2 Tbsp. unsweetened applesauce (I used cinnamon applesauce), 2 tsp cinnamon, 1 tsp cardamom, ½ tsp sea salt and leaves from 3 fresh thyme sprigs. Mix well and pile the mixture into the center of the dough circle, leaving a 1 inch border. Use your hands to pleat the dough by pressing the parchment paper towards the center. Brush the crust generously with 1 egg white and sprinkle with sea salt. Roast for 30 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from the oven, let cool for 5-10 minutes, then slice and serve warm.

Store leftover slices in a sealed glass container in the refrigerator for up to 6 days. Bring leftovers to room temperature (or gently reheat) before serving.

#galette #sweetpotatorecipe #galetterecipe #sweetpotato

Last night’s soup recipe all warmed up for lefto

Last night’s soup recipe all warmed up for leftovers tonight. ✨

I’ve been in the mood for soup all week for a fe

I’ve been in the mood for soup all week for a few reasons. One, being that I find it wonderful to make a batch of warm soup for dinner and then enjoy it throughout the week for lunch. I feel myself smiling when I open the fridge around noon each day for the rest of the week to find glass jars of soup waiting for me to dive into.

Second, the art of making soup feels so soothing to me. Am I alone here? I mean, all I do is chop, slice and combine a few veggies then add liquid, sea salt and a bit of spice and let the stovetop do all the work for me. It feels simple and luxurious in a strange way but maybe the simple luxury of making soup is my new “healthy” normal.

Today, the end result was this light, clean, uplifting number that I’ll be making again. Enjoy and happy spring.

Spring Leek Soup

Saute 1 large diced red onion with 1 Tbsp olive oil and ½ tsp sea salt in a large heavy pot until the onions are translucent and very tender, about 7 minutes over medium heat, stirring often. Add ½ tsp ginger and ½ tsp cumin and saute for another 2 minutes.

Stir in 4 cups water, ¾ cup full-fat coconut milk (stirred well), 3 thinly sliced large leeks, 1 cup frozen peas and ¼ tsp more sea salt. Bring to a boil then reduce to a simmer for 20 minutes, covered, or until the leeks are very tender.

Remove from the heat and scatter 1 thinly sliced jalapeno and a few fresh mint leaves into the soup, stirring well. Portion soup into serving bowls and serve warm. Serves 4-6.

Store leftover soup in sealed glass containers in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. I froze one glass container so I’ll keep you posted on how long it lasts in the freezer. Reheat soup before serving.

#leeks #springsoup #peas #leeksoup #easysouprecipe #springrecipes