Beverages

A most flavorful flourless cake that’s airy light in texture but rich and intense in taste.

Move over, Hoover. The finest vacuum we know, capable of getting a whole load of nasty stuff out of your system in a jiffy, is none other than pineapple. It contains a host of enzymes, including bromelain, which helps dissolve the mucus buildup that’s so common with lung issues. It even aids in flushing fat from the body. (Liposuction in a glass. Who knew?) As for the taste, it pops like fireworks—or like the grand finale in this smoothie, due to the addition of ginger and mint. This great, refreshing smoothie is good for anyone, with just one caveat: If you have a sensitive mouth or throat issues, omit the ginger to avoid irritation. If you have a sensitive stomach, cut the amount of pineapple to two cups and add an additional banana.

Both papaya and pineapple have a lot of enzymes that aid digestion. If you’re having digestive difficulty, drinking some of this smoothie before a meal will help lessen bloating and indigestion.

A lot of people wonder why adding healthy items like flaxseeds to a decent-tasting smoothie destroys the taste. The answer is that the smoothie recipe didn’t take into account the items you’d want to add. The normal fix is to add a ton of sweetener, but I don’t agree with that approach, especially in recipes for cancer patients. But the berry blast of this smoothie plays well with the vital flax and whey. The abundant antioxidants make this smoothie one for the books.

Coconut and mango in one drink? Yum! Coconut is one of those foods that tastes so amazing, you can’t possibly believe it’s also good for you. It’s kind of like waking up to find out that chocolate is guaranteed to grow back your hair and help you run a seven-minute mile. Coconut milk and coconut oil, which is a variation in this recipe, both contain lauric acid. Guess what else contains lauric acid? Mother’s milk. And like that most elemental of foods, the lauric acid in coconut milk and oil has antiviral and antibacterial properties. And as for fat, although coconut contains saturated fat, it’s assimilated better by the body because it’s vegetable based, not animal based (like butter). But forget all the science for a moment. You want to do the happy dance? Drink this.

When I was a kid, nothing could compare to hearing the jingling bells of the ice cream man; it meant I got a Creamsicle. Looking for that taste again and to create something kids would adore, I came up with this recipe. One note: If you have a sensitive mouth or throat issues, omit the ginger to avoid irritation.

There’s this old restaurant called Field’s near where I used to live in Baltimore. Every town has a place like this—or at least used to—with a soda counter, red plastic stools, and sweet-and-sour elderly waitresses in pink candy striper outfits. Going to Field’s was like making a pilgrimage, except instead of seeking wisdom we desired to attain the perfect milkshake. I think this smoothie gives Field’s a run for its money—without creating the world’s largest sugar spike. A little almond butter is the secret ingredient, creating a creamy goodness that will make you want to twirl around in your seat.

This cool, refreshing drink tastes wonderful, and can also help combat nausea.

I’ve been playing with ginger in its various forms for years. From an Ayurvedic (traditional eastern Indian medicine) perspective, ginger “fires” the body’s digestive hearth, to make the stomach and colon more efficient in metabolizing food. Here I’ve combined ginger with cinnamon’s round, sweet flavor to create a modified Chai tea with some great health benefits. Cinnamon regulates blood sugar, while both ginger and cinnamon contain tumor inhibitors. This tea is a great way to wake up both your taste buds and your tummy.

Ginger is one of your best friends during chemo, both for its flavor, which can spark even the most jaded taste buds, and for its tummy-soothing properties. A lot of people think store-bought ginger ale will do the trick, but the actual ginger content in most commerical varieties is minimal. Plus, you often get a whole host of other garbage (can you say high fructose corn syrup?) that you’d be better off without. Enter this recipe, which uses straight-up ginger syrup so you can control the amount of zing in your tonic. The frozen grapes serve the same purpose as your basic ice cubes, but also sneak a bunch of healthy minerals and phytochemicals into the brew.

This tea is a little like a mother’s gentle belly rub for a sick child, as both peppermint and ginger have qualities that relax the smooth muscles that surround the intestine.

Green tea is great for you—and many of its compounds are being studied for their anticancer benefits, but it can be astringent and bitter. Here I’ve added ginger and lemon with either honey or agave to really knock out the bitterness. The result is a refreshing lemonade that’s far healthier than the average store-bought blend. If you really want to amp up the sweetness, squeeze in a few oranges as well.

You may have heard the slogan “You’ve tried the rest; now try the best.” That’s the way I feel about this tea recipe. It was developed ages ago by the fantastic folk at the Commonweal Cancer Help Program, a renowned retreat for patients and caregivers, and they’ve been very kind in allowing me to share their recipe with you. When I am cooking at Commonweal, I often make about six quarts a day so I’ll have some on hand for anyone who comes through the door, and still, it’s never enough. The blend of ginger, cloves, cinnamon, and cardamom is like a backrub in a cup. It turns me into absolute mush, it’s so good.

My mentor, Annemarie Colbin, is both a pioneer in the field of nutrition and healing and an extremely generous woman. The founder of the cooking school I attended, the Natural Gourmet Institute for Health and Culinary Arts, Annemarie has a PhD in nutrition and is the author of Food and Healing, considered a bible among chefs who believe in using food to support health. She’s graciously allowed me to use this recipe from that book; it’s a stress-relieving elixir that’s a calmative in a cup. The only thing I’ve done is add a little ginger and cinnamon. For those days when you need a hug pronto and there’s no one around to soothe your nerves, this kudzu concoction will do the trick.

This lovely tart is great made during peach season, when peaches are at their peak. It can also be made with frozen peaches, but most store-bought brands are underripe and bland. If using frozen peaches, be sure to macerate them a little longer in the syrup/brandy mixture to soften them up. Test for readiness after the first 30 minutes, and continue to macerate as long as necessary, but not so long that they become mushy.

This recipe is a tribute to my Southern grandmother Catherene, who taught me to bake starting at the tender age of three. Part of her family hailed from Georgia and the others from Kentucky. The peaches are for Georgia, and the bourbon is, of course, for Kentucky!

This and the following berry soup are the only fruit soups in this chapter that need a bit of cooking. The wine and spices give it a wonderfully complex flavor.

This aromatic, brothy soup celebrates the spring arrival of fresh bok choy, a favorite Asian green vegetable. This is an excellent way to whet the appetite for an Asian-style vegetable stir-fry with rice or noodles.

This summery version of the classic stew makes use of summer’s lush tomatoes and fresh herbs. Serve with slices of fresh whole-grain baguette or olive bread.