Cilantro & Tamari Arugula Chicken Salad
Blood type matters when it comes to our chosen food life. Type Os run the world and dominate health trends, while the Type As, Bs and ABs often experience inflammation, exhaustion after eating, stubborn inauthentic weight, brain fog, and digestive distress trying to follow the Type O recommendations - think protein-heavy (especially animal), low carb, and lots of whole dairy.
I am a type A and have been moving more and more towards honoring what aligns best with my blood. A really big step for me has been the reintroduction of whole food soy. I have avoided soy since 2008 and had a hard time accepting that my body might thrive on it, even in natural forms. Since January 2026 though, I have been consistently beginning my day with pure whole soy milk and reintroducing tamari (a gluten-free style soy-sauce). I’m still holding out on my conclusions, but so far so good.
What I have found is that the use of tamari is a lovely substitution for a lot of dressings or condiments that call for vinegar. Vinegar is detrimental to type As when eaten regularly. I have always looooved sour and tangy foods that contain vinegar, like pickles, mayo, balsamic, apple cider vinegar, and mustard, but my body has rarely thrived on them. Throw back to the ole days of GAPS and Western A Price diet and wow were those meals were rough for me! Since lowering my fermented food - especially vinegar-based fermented food - over the last handful of years, I have felt significantly better. I said bye to kombucha and the classic vinegar-filled bone broth too. Much less inflammation and much less mediator/mast cell reactions. That being said, I miss the sour tang, and while tamari is not the same, it offers a depth and complexity of taste to food that I need.
Sooo here is an example of how I swap out vinegar-based dressings with a simple splash of tamari alongside olive oil. It’s easy and leaves the mouth delighted!
Fennel Frisée Winter Salade
Recipe Ingredients
Fennel Bulbs
Ghee
Juicy Sun Dried Raisin
Walnut Halves
Meyer Lemon
Fresh Frisée
Napa Cabbage
Radicchio
Parmesan Reggiano
Entree Additions:
Canadian Ham / i like Niman Ranch
Prosciutto, diced or torn
Recipe Instructions
Warm a tablespoon of ghee in a dutch oven or saute pan. Clean and slice your fennel bulbs and add. Toss gently in melted ghee and allow to cook until soft. Juice 1/2 a meyer lemon, save the skin, and add along with a handful of raisins and walnuts. I like to press the walnuts with the side of my chef knife to “wake them” up a bit before adding. Toss lightly in the warmth. Turn off the heat and let sit.
Slice your cabbage and radicchio into thin strips and then chop smaller for easy bites, chop your frisee as well. Add as much of each as you desire to your serving bowl. Scoop a large helping of the fennel batch on top and gently mix. Shave a large amount of parmesian over the whole plate and then using a microplane gently grate the lemon skin over the top, just enough to add some color and healthy gut love.
To dress you can freehand this or pre-mix: Olive oil, juice of meyer lemon, sour cream and sea salt. Play with it and adjust to your preference. If dressings make you nervous, combine in a separate container, whisk and add a little more of whatever is needed, slowly, to find your preferred ending, then add to salad.
If you’d desire to make this heartier or to use as an entree, then add a salted heritage pork in the form of sliced Canadian ham or prosciutto; it’s lovely!
