Moroccan Vegetable Tagine with Olives and Cinnamon-Ghee Almonds

From Dr. Will Cole's book Ketotarian

Holistic care and medicine has been a passion of mine for over 20 years. For me going through a rabbit hole on new modalities for heath and vitality is an exciting night in! I’ll make a good chai latte (herbal) and pour over new studies and data regarding supplements and herbs. I suppose the reason behind this topic that ignites a scholarly passion for me, is that for most of my adult life I lived with chronic pain and inflammation. Dealing with autoimmune issues at a young age pushed me into researching non-western medicine for finding relief.

I am so thrilled when I meet someone who finds interesting and innovative ways to blend diet, herbs, and supplements to one’s daily regime for maximum efficiency. Dr. Will Cole is someone who I respect in this field. I only wish I had known him in my twenties!

Moroccan Vegetable Tagine with Olives and Cinnamon-Ghee Almonds (Vegan, Vegetarian)

Prep: 20 minutes

Cook: 20 minutes

Serves 2

¼ cup ghee, divided

2 yellow, orange, or red bell peppers, cut in small dice

1 small red onion, cut in small dice

1 teaspoon minced garlic

1 teaspoon minced ginger

¼ plus 1/8 teaspoon sea salt, divided

1/8 plus a dash ground cinnamon, divided

1/8 teaspoon ground cumin

Dash ground cayenne pepper

1 tablespoon tomato paste

1 small zucchini, cut in small dice

1-1/2 cups packed fresh Swiss chard leaves, thinly sliced

1 cup preservative- and sugar-free vegetable broth or stock

¼ cup green olives, pitted and halved

1/2 cup raw unsalted almonds, coarsely chopped

2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh cilantro or parsley leaves

1. Heat 2 tablespoons of the ghee in a deep 10-inch skillet over medium-high heat. When hot, add the bell pepper, onion, garlic, ginger, ¼ teaspoon of the salt, 1/8 teaspoon of the cinnamon, cumin, and cayenne, and sauté until the onion is translucent, about 4 minutes. Stir in the tomato paste and cook for one minute.

2. Add the zucchini and sauté until tender, about 5 minutes. Stir in the chard leaves and sauté until wilted, about 3 minutes. Add the broth and olives and bring to a boil over high heat. Once the mixture comes to a boil, cover the pan, and reduce the heat to medium-low. Simmer until all of the vegetables are tender and the sauce thickens slightly, about 10 to 15 minutes. Stir in another 2 tablespoons ghee; let melt.

3. While the tagine cooks, heat the remaining 1 tablespoon ghee in a small skillet over medium heat. Once melted, add the almonds and remaining 1/8 teaspoon of salt and a dash of cinnamon. Toast until light golden brown, about 3 minutes (do not let burn).

4. Ladle tagine between two large bowls, and sprinkle each portion with nuts and cilantro.

1) What makes your heart sing?

Being a part of someone’s journey to wellness is a humbling and sacred position to be in. I get to talk to people all around the world about their health, get to the root cause and give them answers. If that doesn’t make your heart sing, what will?

2) How did you find yourself on the path to holistic medicine?

My family was into wellness decades before it was trendy. Growing up in rural Pennsylvania outside of Pittsburgh in the 80s and 90s, I was the weird kid drinking herbal tonics and strange health foods before it was all over Instagram. It was difficult getting my friends to want to come over since they knew they wouldn’t be getting any junk food snacks. From there I owned it for myself and not just something I did because my parents told me to, found functional medicine and haven’t looked back since.

3) Thyroid issues seem to be becoming an epidemic. I know for myself and my daughters we are always dealing with that area.
What are some causes to the thyroid issues being more common and what are some simple things we can do to help our glandular systems.

Research estimates that only one-third of our health problems are due to genetics. Meaning close to 70 percent of our health problems are due to lifestyle factors that we can control. The science of today takes into account the field of epigenetics, the environmental factors that turn off and turn on your genetic expression. The foods you eat, the foods you don’t eat, the supplements you take, toxins you may be exposed to, your stress levels, exercise and sleep, all of these epigenetic factors are constantly and dynamically instructing your genes what to do . The majority of thyroid problems we in our world today are somewhere on the autoimmune-inflammation spectrum. Whether that is Hashimoto’s or Graves disease or some inflammatory response impacting thyroid hormone conversion or the brains communication with the thyroid (HPT axis).

It’s important to work with a practitioner who can run diagnostic labs to discover the underlying cause of your thyroid issues to determine the best course of action moving forward in terms of diet, natural medicines, and lifestyle changes.

4) Do you have a secret to staying vibrant and vital?

You can’t heal a body you hate. Listening to my body and loving myself enough to fuel my body with nourishing foods, movement and stillness. Self-care is a form of self-respect.

5) How long did it take you to create the Ketotarian Diet?

Ketotarian was born out of my own personal health journey and my years clinical experience seeing what worked and what didn’t work for my patients around the world. I saw the benefits of conventional ketogenic and plant-based diets but also where they fell short. Ketotarian is the alchemy of the best of both the plant-based and keto diets. Ketotarian has men keto-vegan, keto-vegetarian and keto-pescatarian options so there is something for anyone who wants to be plant-centric but still get the benefits of being keto or fat-adapted: lowered inflammation, more energy, better brain function and becoming a fat burner.

6) I know for myself my health began improving when I added healthy fats. Why are fats so crucial for us?

Most people are depending on various forms of sugar and foods that turn into sugar (grains and other carbs) for energy throughout their day. Our bodies burn it off quickly putting us on a blood sugar roller coaster, constantly hangry and irritable if we don’t get our next carb or sugar fix. Like kindling on a fire, sugar is a burst of energy but it short lived. Fat is what our bodies were designed to thrive off of and is akin to a log to a fire for our bodies – slow burning and long lasting. If you look at it from an evolutionary and biological perspective we started off our lives relying on fat in the form of breast milk for energy and development. Even formulas add in MCTs from coconut oil to simulate the nutrients in breast milk. Our brain, hormones, immune system and cells all need healthy fats to thrive.

7) What are 5 ingredients you always have stocked in your pantry or refrigerator?

Without a doubt you’ll always find avocados, coconut, spirulina, dark leafy greens like spinach, and nut butters in my pantry. As long as I have these nutrient-dense staples I can stay on track with my Ketotarian lifestyle even when I am in a hurry or have anything else on hand.

8) What is your favorite breakfast for energy through the day?

My typical morning consists of intermittent fasting until lunch with a cup of earl grey tea with bergamot. Giving my body a break from food in the morning amplifies the anti-inflammatory benefits of the Ketotarian diet and speeds up the autophagy process – your cells method of self-cleaning. The bergamot in the earl grey tea further enhances autophagy! If I am not fasting though I like to have a smoothie loaded with coconut milk, an avocado, a small handful of blueberries, and spirulina. It’s packed with healthy fats to give my brain an energy boost and keep my blood sugar steady until lunch.

9) Where can we purchase your book?

We have the Amazon, Barnes and Noble and Indie Bound links to Ketotarian at https://drwillcole.com/ketotarian/. You can also get it wherever books are sold!

Photos courtesy of Dr. Will Cole. Recipes Reprinted from Ketotarian.

Tags:almonds, food, ghee, olives, recipe, tagine, vegan, vegetarian