Cleasning and a recipe for Detox Soup

This week my friend and I started teaching another class, this time on cleansing and juices, smoothies, and soups for the purpose of cleansing.  Most people hear the word "cleansing" and think you've got to go on some crazy fast.  Not true, the single most important thing you can do to cleanse your body is increase your water intake.  Our bodies are made up of more than 70% water.  Most people live in a chronic state of dehydration causing symptoms like headaches, back pain, skin problems, arthritis, digestive problems and many others.  For more information click here for and excerpt of The Seven Pillars of Health, a resource I highly recommend.

Most health experts recommend doing some type of colon cleanse before doing anything else, the reason is if your digestive system isn't cleaned out you wont be able to handle the toxins released from say a liver cleanse and you could end up feeling very sick.  This is the hand out we gave to our class.  We served water with lemon, made fresh apple juice, a smoothie with greens in it and, soup.  My mission once again is to show people that eating (and drinking) for your health does not have to taste bad :) 

While researching for this class I've come across a number of websites and blogs with great recipes.  Instead of reinventing the wheel and coming up with my own soup recipe I used someone else's for this weeks soup.  You can find the original post here. 

Normally I wouldn't peel any of the vegetables especially if using organic but this time I did.  It came out delicious.  Let me know what you think.  A Votre Sante!

Vegan Mulligatawny Detox Soup Recipe

Ingredients:

1 tablespoon avocado oil (or olive oil)
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 inch fresh ginger, grated
2 teaspoons mild organic curry powder or paste
1 teaspoon organic turmeric
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper, more or less, to taste
1 medium sweet or red onion, peeled, diced
4 medium carrots, peeled and diced
1 cup cauliflower florets, chopped
2 large Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored and diced
1 medium sweet potato, peeled and diced
2 heaping cups thinly shredded cabbage
1 quart fresh spring water
2 cups organic fresh veggie juice blend (or your fave V8-style juice)
1 14-oz. can organic chick peas, drained
A small pinch of sea salt, to taste
1 14-oz. can coconut milk, stirred
Juice from 1 medium lime, or to taste
1 tsp honey

For garnish:

Thin apple slices or shredded apple
Chopped fresh cilantro, if desired

Instructions:

 

Heat the oil over medium high heat in a medium size soup pot. Add the garlic, ginger, curry, turmeric and cayenne and briefly stir for to season the oil. Add the onion, carrots, cauliflower, apples, sweet potato and cabbage, and sauté until softened, about 7 to 10 minutes.

Stir in the spring water, veggie juice, and chick peas; season with a touch of sea salt, if desired. Bring to a boil and reduce heat, cover and simmer the soup, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are tender, about 20 to 30 minutes.

Add the coconut milk, lime juice and honey. Stir well. Taste for seasoning adjustments. Heat through gently; don't boil.

Recipe of the week: Quinoa Tabouli

I've been craving Mediterranean food, I love it, it's just a little heavy on the wheat.  So I had some left over quinoa and decided I'd use that in my tabouli.  Quinoa is actually part of the seed family, it's high in protein and fiber and gluten free, I've been eating it for over 20 years, it's also one of two "grains" that are on the alkaline food scale (millet is the other).   I added some olives this time too.  Let me know what you think.  A Votre Sante!

1 to 2 bunch(s) of parsley with the stems removed
3-4 tomatoes diced or 1 can of petite tomatoes, juice removed
1-2 cucumbers peeled and diced, depending on the size of the cucumber
3 green onions chopped (any onion will work)
1/3 cup fresh lemon juice
3 Tbsp olive oil
1 can olives drained
1 1/2 cups cooked quinoa (you want it room temp or cold)
salt and fresh cracked pepper to taste

In a large bowl add all of the vegetables, parsley, olives, and quinoa.  In a separate small bowl mix the lemon and olive oil, pour over and toss well.  Salt and pepper to taste.  Refrigerate or let it sit for about 30 minutes before serving so the flavors meld.   Eat by it self or serve with pita bread.  Enjoy.

Recipe of the week: Grain Free Almond Bread

For Lent I gave up gluten and it's been harder than I thought.  I've been tweeking this recipe for a few weeks now and I think I've finally got a good one.  Be aware that the texture isn't exactly like bread, it's a bit more spongey because of the eggs.  You can use melted coconut oil instead of the olive oil if you like, I tried it that way and didn't care for it.  You can also add herbs or seeds, I've made it once with Italian seasoning and once with flaxseeds, poppyseeds, sesame seeds, and sunflower seeds....one Tbsp of each.  Let me know what you think.  A Votre Sante!

Grain Free Almond Bread
1 ½ cups almond flour
2 tablespoons coconut flour
2 tablespoons flaxseed meal
¼ teaspoon sea salt
1 ½ teaspoons baking soda
4 eggs
¼ cup olive oil
2 tsp honey, optional
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar

Instructions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees and grease a standard loaf pan.  Set aside.
Mix almond flour, coconut flour, flax meal of salt, baking soda in a bowl, set aside.  Add in eggs, oil, honey, and vinegar.
Pour batter into prepared loaf pan and bake for 30 to 35 minutes or until the top is golden and a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.  Enjoy.

Recipe of the week: Blood Orange Julius

As a kid I loved Orange Julius, every time we went to the mall I would beg my mom to get me one.  I heard you can still get them at Dairy Queen but now as a health conscious adult I would rather make my own, so I know what's in it.  We had a bunch of blood oranges off of someone's tree so I thought I'd make my version with those.  I used almond milk in mine but you could use regular milk or coconut milk.  You could also use sugar (about 1/4 cup) instead of the stevia.  A Votre Sante!

1 -1/2 cups fresh squeezed orange juice
1 cup almond milk
1 tsp vanilla
2 packets stevia
a handful of ice

Blend in the blender and enjoy!

Recipe of the week: Pesto & Vegetable Stuffed Portobellas

I really like mushrooms, portobellas and baby portobellas in particular.  I found some that were larger than I normally see and I thought they would be great stuffed, and they were.  If your mushrooms are smaller, you'll be able to fill more than six mushrooms, if you have left over filling you can always use it on a sandwich or in an omelette.  I used prepared pesto, canned artichoke hearts (in water), and fresh spinach for mine.  You could use frozen spinach and artichoke hearts, you would just need to thaw and drain them.  Let me know what you think.  A Votre Sante!


6 large mushrooms, cleaned, dried, and stems set aside
2 cups spinach leaves, torn into small pieces
2 Tbsp pesto
3 artichoke hearts quartered and chopped
2 Tbsp sun dried tomatoes chopped
Parmesan cheese
Fresh basil

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Remove the stems of the mushrooms and set aside.  Rinse the tops and dry, then bake on a baking sheet for 5 minutes.  Chop stems of mushrooms and set aside.  In a bowl add spinach, tomatoes, artichoke hearts, mushroom stems, add pesto and toss until the vegetables are lightly coated.  Remove mushrooms from oven and add filling.  Bake for an additional 10-12 minutes (until the mushrooms are tender).  Remove from oven and add a sprinkle of Parmesan and a little fresh basil, bake for 2 more minutes.  Remove from oven and serve, enjoy!

Recipe of the week: Balsamic Roasted Beets

I haven't made a new recipe in a while because I've been busy.  With football season going until December 15th and working a lot during the holidays I just haven't had the time.  I even baked cookies from a mix for Santa on Christmas Eve!  (Hey it was after 8pm, who wants to make cookie dough at that hour?!)  The other day I made these beets and they were a hit, easy and only 5 ingredients.  You could definitely double or triple this easily but I only had the 2 beets, so I used what I had.  Let me know what you think.  A Vorte Sante!

2 large beets halved and sliced
2 Tbsp butter
2-3 Tbsp balsamic vinegar
salt to taste
pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 400.  Slice beets that you've rinsed, removed the tops of and halved (save the tops for juicing).  You'll need an oven proof pan for this.  In your pan, melt your butter on the stove, then add your beets and 2 Tbsp of the vinegar, I used about 1/2 tsp salt and a few turns of my pepper mill.  Stir and place in your preheated oven.  Bake until the beets are tender with a fork or knife.  Mine took about 6 minutes.  Remove from the oven and add another splash of balsamic vinegar.  Serve warm.  Enjoy.

Recipe of the week: Braised Brussels Sprouts with Shallots

A few weeks ago, a friend made this for a work party, they were amazing!  She didn't have the exact amounts of what she used (come to find out her boy friend who is a chef at The Salted Pig in Riverside helped her a bit), so I played with the ingredients a few times and the last time I nailed it.  People ate these that don't even like Brussels sprouts!  These are a bit on the Asian side but go well with most things.  Let me know what you think.  A Votre Sante!

1 1/2 lbs Brussels sprouts
2 shallots finely chopped
3-4 cloves of garlic minced
1 bunch green onions finely chopped
2 Tbsp olive oil
1/2 cup rice wine vinegar
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 tsp red chili flakes
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper

First, cut Brussels sprouts in half, then finely chop or mince the rest of your vegetables.  Heat olive oil in a large skillet, add Brussels sprouts flat side down.  Once they start to brown, about 5-8 minutes add the vinegar, sugar, salt, and pepper, coating the sprouts.  Add the shallots, green onions, and garlic, sauteing until translucent, (about another 5 minutes) add red chili flakes.  Pour into bowl and serve, enjoy!

Recipe of the week: Chocolate Pumpkin Smoothie

This time of year pumpkin is in everything including smoothies.  I had some left over pumpkin after making this recipe for a crustless pumpkin pie.  I love pumpkin chocolate chip cookies so I thought I'd try combining the two flavors in a smoothie and this is what I came up with.  It was a great after workout pick me up, let me know what you think.  A Votre Sante!


Chocolate Pumpkin Smoothie

1 cup milk of choice (I used almond milk)
1/4 canned pumpkin
1 scoop chocolate protein powder
1 Tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder
1 Tbsp chia seeds
dash of cinnamon
ice (optional)

Add everything to the blender until ice is blended and enjoy.

Recipe of the week: Roasted Eggplant Soup

Recipe of the week:  Roasted Eggplant Soup


We had our first fall rain yesterday, and it's chilly today so I decided to make soup.  Sadly, this lovely fall weather isn't supposed to last, it's going to be in the upper 80's again next week.  Jade and I had a soup similar to this in Seattle a couple of years ago, it's a little like eggplant Parmigiana in a bowl, serve with some bread, cheese, and a salad and you've got lunch or dinner.  Let me know what you think.  A Votre Sante!

2 small eggplants chopped into about 1 inch pieces
3 small or 2 medium zucchini chopped slightly smaller than the eggplant
1 onion sliced
1 large can of diced tomatoes
1-2 cloves of garlic
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 tsp salt
pinch of red pepper flakes
1 tsp sugar
fresh ground pepper
1 Tbsp fresh chopped basil (or 1 tsp dried)
4 cups vegetable broth

Put the chopped vegetables in a 9X13 pan.  Add olive oil, red pepper, black pepper, and garlic.  Roast in a 375 degree oven for about 35 minutes, or until eggplant is tender.

Transfer roasted vegetables to a soup pot, add tomatoes, broth, sugar, basil, and add a little more salt, pepper, and red pepper if you want to.  Bring to a boil, then turn down to simmer for about 20 minutes.  You can stop right here if you want your soup really chunky.  I put mine in the blender on chop in batches until it was in very small chunks.  That's it, serve with some more basil and Parmesan cheese if you like.  Enjoy!

Recipe of the week: Lemon Basil Brussels Sprouts

I feel as though I'm finally starting to come out of my funk, the proof is I've cooked 4 out of the last 5 days!  A few months ago my friend and I had lunch and PF Chang's and they'd recently put "lemon scented Brussels sprouts" on the menu, we both loved them.  This is my attempt at duplicating their recipe.  I used my food processor for this so if you don't have one, you'll have to slice everything.  Lots of people don't like Brussels sprouts, I'm not one of them.  This is going to become a regular recipe at my house.  Let me know what you think.  A Votre Sante!

Lemon Basil Brussels Sprouts

1 lb Brussels sprouts
1 lemon (for zest and juice)
1 one inch piece of ginger peeled & grated
3 green onions
1 Tbsp Thai basil (or regular basil if you can't find Thai)
1 clove garlic
olive oil
1 tsp salt
pepper

Using the slicing blade on the food processor, slice the Brussels sprouts and onion.  Transfer vegetables to a bowl and add the zest of the lemon, ginger, and salt.  Toss with the juice from the lemon.  In a large skillet heat about 1 Tbsp of olive oil, add garlic cook for about 2 minutes then add vegetable mixture.  Cook for about 6 to 7 minutes (half way through add the basil), add fresh ground pepper and more salt if needed.  Enjoy!

Recipe of the week: Pina Colada Smoothie

I love pineapple, it's my favorite fruit, I could eat a whole one by myself.  Pineapple is high in digestive enzymes and has many health benefits, you can read about them here.  This smoothie has been my breakfast the past few days.

The few weeks have been really hot and humid here.   In this weather I have a hard time regulating my body temperature, I can't do anything about the weather but I can control my internal temperature.  I decided to eat mostly raw food for at least a couple of weeks.  (I seem to be easily susceptible to heat stroke, ever since the first time I had it at nine years old).

I use unsweetened coconut milk from Trader Joe's but you could use the canned if that's what you have.  It will add some fat and calories though.  You can always throw in some protein powder for a post workout drink, it's also good with some chia seeds and shredded coconut.  Let me know what you think.  A Votre Sante!

8 oz coconut milk
1 cup fresh pineapple
1/2 banana
handful of ice

Blend the ingredients and enjoy!

Recipe of the week: Gazpacho

Last week I made this and my husband posted about it on Facebook saying how much he loved it but he called it martian salsa....silly.  I don't like cucumbers but after every one raved about it, I had to try some, it was actually pretty good.  I blended most of it, then chopped another cucumber and more tomatoes to give it some texture.  Let me know what you think.  A Votre Sante!

Gazpacho

2 large cucumbers, peeled
1 jalapeno
1/2 bunch of cilantro
1 red onion
6 tomatoes
3 stalks of kale, woodsy part removed
2 limes
kosher salt
fresh ground black pepper


Cut one cucumber and 3 of the tomatoes, jalapeno, kale,  and red onion into chunks, and 1/2 of the cilantro (stems removed) put them in the blender and blend on the chop setting  Pour into a large bowl.  Chop the other cucumber and remaining tomatoes and add to blended mixture.  Add the juice of the limes, the rest of the cilantro leaves.  Salt and pepper to tasted (I used about 1 tsp of salt 1/2 tsp of fresh ground pepper).  Let sit for about an hour, serve with chips and avocado if you want or just eat it plain.  The longer it sits the spicier it seemed to get.  (Remove some of the jalapeno seeds if you don't like a lot of spice)  Enjoy.

Blackberry kale salsa

I get emails from Whole Foods and last week there was one saying they were having a berry recipe contest. Last fall I tried to enter one and there seemed to be a glitch on their end because mine didn't post, which was sad because it was a good one you can see it here.  So, with the berry contest they said no refined sugar and only 7 ingredients, not including things like oil or salt & pepper.  Seven ingredients isn't a lot, especially if you're baking, so I decided to remake my kale salsa but with berries.  I decided blackberries would hold up the best to the peppers and onions, I had it with grilled salmon and vegetables and it was delicious.  Let me know what you think.  A Votre Sante!

                                                               My 7 ingredients


6 oz fresh blackberries
4 kale leaves, chopped (removed the middle woodsie piece)
4 green onions chopped, both green and white parts
3 tomatoes diced
juice of 2 limes
1 jalapeno finely chopped (1/2 the seeds removed)
1/4 bunch cilantro, stems removed
kosher salt to taste
fresh ground pepper to taste

Chop your onions, tomatoes, kale, and jalapenos.  I halved some of the large blackberries.  Mix in a medium bowl.   Add the lime juice, blackberries and cilantro.  Season with salt and freshly ground pepper to taste.   Let sit for a few minutes and serve.  Enjoy.

Recipe of the week: Super foods smoothie

Most people are trying to find away to eat more vegetables, even Jamba Juice is now adding veggies to smoothies.  The darker the color of fruit and vegetables the better for you and we all know the benefits of dark chocolate.  Chia seeds and maca powder are nutritional power houses, if you want more information you can google them....you can always make it without them if you don't have any.  This ends up tasting like a chocolate covered cherry.  A Votre Sante!

1 cup unsweetened almond or coconut milk
1/2 cup frozen cherries, berries or a combination of both
1 Tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder
1 scoop chocolate protein powder (optional)
1 Tbsp maca powder
1 scoop chia seeds
1/2 beet sliced


Blend in the blender until smooth.  Enjoy!

Recipe of the week: Kale Salsa

I'm a big fan of using what you have for dinner or any other meal.  We were out of salsa and I was too lazy to go to the store to get some so this is what I came up with....basically cleaning out my frig.  Let me know what you think.  A Votre Sante!


3-4 kale leaves, chopped
small handful of fresh basil leaves cut into small pieces or strips (Chiffonade)
3-4 green onions chopped, both green and white parts
2-3 tomatoes diced
1/2 cup fresh pineapple diced
juice of one lime
1 tsp olive oil
3-4 slices of pickled jalapenos (I had some in the frig)
1 tsp of pickled jalapeno juice
dash of cumin
dash of cayenne pepper
salt to taste
pepper to taste

Chop your vegetables, fruit, and jalapenos.  Mix in a medium bowl or larger if your doubling or tripling this...you might want to based on my families response!  Add the lime juice, spices, and jalapeno juice.  Let sit for a few minutes and serve.  Enjoy.

Recipe of the week: Sweet potato hash

The other day I had a couple of left over sweet potatoes, I used them up by making a hash. We liked it so much I'm making it again tonight. This is a vegan recipe, if you want to make it Paleo, don't use the beans...you can always add meat to it. Let me know what you think. A Votre Sante! Sweet Potato Hash 2-3 medium cooked sweet potatoes peeled and diced 1-2 Tbsp olive oil 5 oz mushrooms (I used Crimini) 1 large zucchini quartered and chopped 3-4 green onions chopped (white and green) 1 can black beans hand full of cilantro 1/2 tsp salt pinch of cumin pepper to taste In a large skillet, heat oil, saute mushrooms on medium heat for 2 minutes then add the zucchini. After 2-3 more minutes add the green onion and sweet potatoes. Drain the black beans and add salt, pepper, and cumin. After everything is heated thoroughly add the cilantro. Remove from heat and serve. Enjoy.

Recipe of the week: Post workout smoothie

I love smoothies and tried this combo a couple of weeks ago when I had finished a monster leg workout at the gym followed by a Bodyrock.tv workout. Research suggests that chocolate milk is a better post workout drink than almost anything else. Last year when I was trying to help my son put on some weight for football every night after practice I made him something like this minus the nut butter and he gained 20lbs of muscle and 2 inches in about 8 weeks. Let me know what you think, I think this one tastes like everyone’s favorite candy…peanut butter cups. (I usually use almond milk but you can also use coconut milk, when I make them for my son I use 2% milk).

8 oz milk
1 scoop protein powder (whatever your favorite is)
1 Tbsp unsweetened dark cocoa powder
1 Tbsp peanut butter (or almond butter)
a hand full of ice

Blend in the blender until its frothy and enjoy!

Recipe of the week: Vegetable Zinger

Nothing packs a nutritional punch like vegetable juice.  Fresh vegetable juice, not the kind you get at the store.  I like to add a 1/2 a piece of fruit to mine just to sweeten it up a bit.  I really like pear in this combo but I didn't have any ripe ones so I used 1/2 an apple instead.  I call this vegetable zinger because the lemon and the ginger give it a kick.  If you don't like ginger then don't use it, ginger is very good for your digestive system .  If you don't have any kale you could try using spinach.  Let me know what you think.  A Votre Sante!

What you'll need:
A juicer and organic produce

3 stalks of celery
2 carrots
1 beet
5 leaves of curly kale
1 lemon
1 1 inch piece of ginger
1/2 an apple

Drink within 30 minutes of juicing for maximum benefit.

Recipe of the week: Spinach Frittata

I'm a big fan of breakfast for dinner.  Pancakes, omelettes, waffles, frittatas, vegetable egg bake, you name it we'll eat it for dinner.  Tonight I was short on time and only have one kid at home so I whipped up a frittata.  I'm a big fan of using whatever you have in the frig so along with the spinach and tomato I threw in a few mushrooms  and the last bit of Gorgonzola I had and viola in less than 30 minutes.  You can use just about anything you have on hand.  A Votre Sante!

3 cups spinach
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 tsp chopped garlic or 1 clove chopped
1-2 roma tomatoes chopped
4-5 chopped mushrooms
3 eggs
3 egg whites
1/2 cup shredded cheese (I used Monterey jack)
1 Tbsp Gorgonzola
salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
In an oven proof pan (mine is cast iron), saute garlic and spinach in the olive oil for about 2 minutes.  Add the tomato and mushroom, saute for another minute.  Set aside.  Crack and beat eggs and egg whites, add a little bit of salt and pepper.

Pour the egg mixture over the vegetables and top with cheese.

Bake for about 13-15 minutes or until the eggs are set and the cheese is bubbly.  Enjoy.

Recipe of the week: Vegetable soup

All around the world tonight people are partying like rock stars because it's Mardi Gras, or Fat Tuesday.  Which means that tomorrow is Ash Wednesday, the beginning of Lent.  In years past I've done a Daniel fast for Lent, which you can read about here, this year I'm doing something different but I thought I'd share a vegetable soup recipe I came up with a couple of years ago.  Sometimes I double or triple this so that I have it, one part of fasting that I've found difficult is having something quick to eat when you're hungry.  This is good hot or cold, it has a V8 juice kind of taste to it cold.  A Votre Sante!

1 Tbsp olive oil
1/2  chopped onion
1 clove garlic
3 stalks of celery chopped
5 carrots chopped
1 small head of broccoli
1 zucchini
1 large can of diced tomatoes
2-3 cups of vegetable broth
1/2 yellow bell pepper chopped
1 tsp Italian seasoning or basil
salt and pepper to taste

In a large soup pot saute onion and garlic in olive oil, add carrots and celery.  After about 2 minutes add the can of tomatoes, broth, and the broccoli.  After about 5 or 6 minutes add the pepper and zucchini (they don't take as long to cook and I don't like mine mushy).  Simmer for about 20-25 minutes.  (You can easily throw everything in the crock pot instead)  Enjoy.