Sunday, January 31, 2010

Yam, Kale, and Orange Stew


For the thirty first and final day of the cleanse, I started with a fruit smoothie (blueberries, blackberries, strawberries, and banana) for breakfast and then finished up the hummus that was made on Friday night for lunch. For supper, I started with a red leaf lettuce, dandelion greens, and arugula salad and then had Yam, Kale, and Orange Stew.

Here is the recipe for Yam, Kale, and Orange Stew (see picture to the left):

2 tbsp olive oil, 1 onion, chopped, 5 garlic cloves, minced, 1 tbsp ginger, freshly grated, 1 leek, chopped, 1/2 cup celery, chopped, 2 medium yams, peeled and chopped, 2 additional cups of vegetables, chopped (I used zucchini and shitake mushrooms), 1 tsp sea salt, 5 cups water, 1/2 cup red lentils, 2 green onions, chopped, 2 cups black kale, chopped, 1 cup cooked chickpeas, 1/3 cup orange juice, freshly squeezed


Heat olive oil in a soup pot over low heat and add onion, garlic, ginger, leek, celery, and yams and saute for 5 minutes. Add additional 2 cups of vegetables and saute for another 3 minutes. Add sea salt, water, and red lentils, bring to boil, and reduce to simmer for 20 minutes (or until yams and lentils are tender). Remove from heat and blend soup to a chunky texture (using a hand blender is easiest, but it is also fine to use a regular blender). Add green onions, black kale, chickpeas (I used chickpeas that were cooked on Friday for the hummus), and orange juice.


Because of the orange juice in this recipe, people with eczema may want to either skip making this recipe or switch the orange juice for lemon or lime juice which tends to be less aggravating for eczema.


Once the stew was dished up, it was seasoned with flax oil and sea salt. This was a very delicious and filling supper to have on the last night of the cleanse!

Saturday, January 30, 2010

A Lucky Saturday too!


For the thirtieth day of the cleanse, I started with a fruit smoothie (blueberries, blackberries, banana) for breakfast and then had the hummus that was prepared last night for lunch. For supper, I started with a red leaf lettuce, dandelion greens, and arugula salad and then I lucked out for the second night in a row and had enough leftovers from the quinoa and steamed vegetables that I didn't have to cook again (see picture to the left of the re-heated meal)! When I do have leftovers to heat up, I preheat the oven to 350 degrees, place 1 tsp of canola oil and enough water to cover the bottom of a casserole dish, add the leftovers and heat them for 15 minutes. This results in warm food in a pretty short amount of time. Another break from cooking was a real treat so close to the end of the cleanse!

Friday, January 29, 2010

Final Lucky Friday!


For the twenty ninth day of the cleanse, I started with a fruit smoothie (blueberries, blackberries, banana) for breakfast and then had the quinoa and steamed vegetables from last night's supper for lunch. For supper, I started with a red leaf lettuce, dandelion greens, and arugula salad and then lucked out and was able to have leftovers from earlier in the week again. Tonight, I had the zucchini boat stir fry and coconut rice, which I heated in the oven -once the casserole dish was removed from the oven, I added chopped carrots to increase the amount of vegetables in the meal. I also made hummus from chickpeas that were cooked earlier in the day (see Jan 1 post for hummus recipe and see picture to the left) and cut up extra carrots to have for lunch tomorrow. I am happy to say the final Friday of the cleanse was another low key and easy food preparation day!

Thursday, January 28, 2010

Quinoa and Steamed Vegetables


For the twenty eighth day of the cleanse, I started with a fruit smoothie (blueberries, blackberries, and banana) for breakfast and then had the pasta and pinto beans from last night's supper for lunch. For supper, I started with a red leaf lettuce, dandelion greens, and arugula salad and then had quinoa and steamed vegetables, another simple supper. I started by cooking the quinoa (1 cup quinoa, 2 cups water, brought to boil, reduced to simmer for 20 minutes). When there were 15 minutes left for the quinoa to cook, I added 1 portobello mushroom, chopped, 2 garlic cloves, minced, and a pinch of sea salt for extra flavor. Once the quinoa was finished cooking, I mixed in 1 green onion, chopped, to add further flavor. I also cooked french lentils (1 cup lentils, covered with water, brought to boil, reduced to slightly lower heat for 25 minutes) while the quinoa was cooking. At the same time, I also steamed vegetables, including carrots, cauliflower, broccoli, green kale, snow peas, and green beans. Once the vegetables were finished steaming, I tossed them with 1 tbsp flax oil, 1/2 lemon, freshly squeezed, and 1 tsp sesame seeds. Once the meal was dished up (see picture to the left), it was seasoned with additional flax oil and sea salt. This was a light and flavorful meal.

Wednesday, January 27, 2010

Pasta and Pinto Beans


For the twenty seventh day of the cleanse, I started with a fruit smoothie (blackberries, blueberries, banana) for breakfast and then finished up the remaining simple stir fry and almond lime sauce from two suppers ago for lunch (I will likely finish up the coconut rice and zucchini boat stir fry for supper on Friday when there are other left over vegetables to fill out the meal). For supper, I started with a red leaf lettuce, dandelion greens, and arugula salad (I was able to get to the grocery store to restock!) and then had Pasta and Pinto Beans. This was a very simple supper. To start, I cooked the pinto beans (1 cup pinto beans, soaked for 4 hours earlier in the day, drained, rinsed, covered with fresh water, brought to boil, reduced to simmer for 40 minutes). Normally, I cut up the vegetables and make the stir fry prior to making the salad, but to give the pinto beans time to cook, I started with the salad preparations first. Once the salad was made, I started heating the water for the rice pasta (tonight I used tinkyada brown rice spirals, which also cooked up very nicely in the large pasta pot) and once boiling, cooked the pasta for 15 minutes. At the same time as the pasta water was heating up and then as the pasta was cooking, I made a stir fry with olive oil, onions, garlic, green onions, portobello mushrooms, zucchini, carrots, green beans, snow peas, broccoli, cauliflower, and green kale. I always add kale to the stir fry last - it doesn't need to be cooked for long, just lightly steamed from the heat of the stir fry. After the kale has been in the pan for 1- 2 minutes, I remove the pan from the heat and cover the stir fry - this will also further steam the kale a little bit and it will be tender when eaten. Once the meal was dished up, it was seasoned with flax oil and sea salt (see picture to the left for finished meal). This was a simple, but satisfying meal.

Tuesday, January 26, 2010

Zucchini Boats and Coconut Rice






For the twenty sixth day of the cleanse, I started with a fruit smoothie for breakfast and then had the simple stir fry and almond lime sauce from last night's supper for lunch. For supper, I started with a red leaf lettuce salad (I need to go to the grocery store to get more dandelion greens and arugula!) and then had zucchini boats and coconut rice. To start with I cooked chickpeas (1 cup chickpeas, soaked for 4 hours earlier in the day, drained, rinsed, covered with new water, brought to boil, reduced to slightly lower heat for 60 minutes) and long grain brown rice (1 cup rice, 2 cups water, brought to boil, reduced to simmer for 40 minutes). Then I started the zucchini boats.

Here is the recipe for the zucchini boats (see top picture to the left):
2 small/medium zucchini, 2 tbsp olive oil, 1 onion, finely chopped, 1 tbsp ginger, freshly grated, 1 cup carrots, finely chopped, 1 cup portobello mushrooms, finely chopped, 1/2 cup almonds, finely chopped, 1/2 tsp sea salt

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Slice zucchini in half and scoop out inside flesh (set aside inside flesh for stir fry). Place zucchini on a lightly canola oiled baking sheet. In a pan, heat olive oil over low heat and add onion and ginger and saute for 5 minutes. Add carrots, zucchini flesh, and mushrooms and saute for another 3 minutes. Add almonds and sea salt and saute for another 2 minutes. Remove from heat and scoop stir fry mixture into the scooped out zucchini boats. Place zucchini boats in oven and bake for 30 minutes. Remove from oven and serve with rice and chickpeas.





To finely chop the veggies (including the zucchini flesh) and the almonds, I used a food processor. As well, I had approximately 1 cup of stir fry mixture left over, so I placed it into a loaf pan and baked it at the same time as the zucchini boats (also for 30 minutes) and will eat it for lunch over the next few days.



After I was finished the zucchini boats stir fry, I cleaned the pan and started the coconut rice.
Here is the recipe for the coconut rice (see middle picture to the left):

2 tbsp olive oil, 1 onion, finely chopped, 1 tbsp ginger, freshly grated, 2 cups green kale, finely chopped, 1/2 cup cashews, finely chopped, 1/2 cup grated dried unsweetened coconut, 1/2 tsp sea salt, 2 cups cooked long grain brown rice, 2 tbsp lemon/lime juice, freshly squeezed

Heat olive oil in a pan over low heat and add onion and ginger and saute for 5 minutes. Add green kale and saute for another 3 minutes. Add cashews, sea salt, and coconut and saute for another 2 minutes. Add rice and mix together. Remove from heat and mix in lemon/lime juice (you can use one or the other or a combination of both).

Because coconut is higher in fat (which accumulates toxins more easily than lower fat foods), it is important to aim to use certified organic dried coconut, if possible. I also used a food processor to finely chop the ingredients in the coconut rice (saves lots of chopping time!). Normally I do eat almonds (and other nuts and seeds) raw, but it is a nice treat to have the added flavour of the baked almonds in this meal.

Once the meal was dished up, it was seasoned with flax oil and sea salt (see bottom picture to the left). This was a very special and yummy meal!

Monday, January 25, 2010

Simple Stir Fry and Almond Lime Sauce



For the twenty fifth day of the cleanse, I started with a fruit smoothie (blackberries and banana - quite seed-y, but very delicious) for breakfast and then had the red lentil stew #3 from last night's supper for lunch. For supper, I started with a red leaf lettuce, dandelion greens, and arugula salad and then had simple stir fry with almond lime sauce (which is a variation on the nut butter and lime juice sauce from the Jan 14 post). To round out the simple stir fry, I also made wild rice blend rice (1 cup rice, 2 cups water, brought to boil, reduced to simmer for 40 minutes). When the rice had 15 minutes left to cook, I added 1/2 cup onion, chopped, 2 garlic cloves, minced, 1/8 tsp sea salt, 3/4 cup shitake mushrooms, chopped. These extra ingredients added to the texture and taste of the rice and the meal overall. I also cooked black eyed beans (1 cup beans, soaked for 4 hours earlier in the day, drained, rinsed, covered with fresh water, brought to boil, reduced to simmer for 45 - 60 minutes). For the stir fry, I used olive oil, onion, garlic, carrots, shitake mushrooms, green beans, snow peas, broccoli, and green and black kale.

Here is the recipe for the Almond Lime Sauce:


1/2 cup almond butter, 1 tbsp ginger, freshly grated, 3 garlic cloves, minced, 1/2 tsp sea salt, 3 1/2 tbsp lime juice, freshly squeezed, 1/2 tsp lime zest (grated lime peel), freshly grated, 1 tsp sesame oil, 2 - 3 tbsp water

Place all ingredients in a food processor and blend until smooth. Place over grains (or pasta).

Once the meal was dished up, it was seasoned with flax oil and sea salt (see picture to the left). This was another tangy and delicious meal!

Sunday, January 24, 2010

Red Lentil Stew #3!


For the twenty fourth day of the cleanse, I started with a fruit smoothie (raspberries, blackberries, and banana) for breakfast and then had the baked butternut squash from last night's supper for lunch. For supper, I started with a red leaf lettuce, dandelion greens, and arugula salad and then had Red Lentil Stew #3! This red lentil stew does share some similarities with the first two, but does have its own unique taste.
Here is the recipe for Red Lentil Stew #3 (see picture to the left):
2 tbsp olive oil, 1 medium onion, chopped, 2 celery ribs, chopped, 1/2 leek, chopped, 3 garlic cloves, minced, 4 tbsp ginger, freshly grated, 2 cups additional vegetables (I used portobello mushrooms, shitake mushrooms, and zucchini), chopped, 2 1/2 cups carrots, chopped, 1/2 tsp sea salt, 1 tsp turmeric, 2 tsp coriander, 1/2 tsp red chili flakes, 8 cups water, 1 cup uncooked red lentils, 1 lemon, freshly squeezed, 1 lime, freshly squeezed, 2 green onions, chopped, 1/4 cup cilantro, chopped, 2 cups black kale, chopped, 1/2 cup cooked long grain brown rice.

Place 1/4 cup long grain brown rice and 1/2 cup water in a small pot, bring to a boil, reduce to simmer for 40 minutes. Place 2 tbsp of olive oil in a large soup over low heat. Add onion, celery, leek, garlic, and ginger and saute for 5 minutes. Add additional 2 cups of vegetables and carrots and saute for 3 minutes. Add sea salt, turmeric, coriander, red chili flakes and stir for 1 minute. Add water and red lentils, bring to boil, reduce to simmer for 25 minutes (or until red lentils are tender). Remove from heat and stir in lemon, lime, green onions, cilantro, black kale and long grain brown rice.

Once the stew was dished up, it was seasoned with flax oil and sea salt. This was a very tangy and satisfying meal!

Saturday, January 23, 2010

Baked Butternut Squash



For the twenty third day of the cleanse, I started with a fruit smoothie (blueberries and banana) for breakfast and had the hummus and raw carrots that were prepared last night for lunch. For supper, I started with a red leaf lettuce, dandelion greens, and arugula salad and then had baked butternut squash with rice, pinto beans, and simple nutritional yeast sauce. The first step I took was to prepare the butternut squash and get it in the oven because it takes at least 1 hour to bake.
Here is the recipe for the baked butternut squash (see top picture to the left):
1 butternut squash, 1/2 medium onion, chopped, 4 garlic cloves, minced, 1/2 tsp sea salt, 2 tbsp canola oil, 1 tbsp dried rosemary, 1 tbsp dried oregano, 1 cup water

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cut the squash in half and scoop out seeds (which are found only at the bottom of the butternut squash). Place the squash in casserole dish (you may have to use a separate dish for each half of the squash). Place 1/4 onion, chopped, and 2 garlic cloves, minced, in the hollowed out part of each of the squash. Place 1/4 tsp sea salt, 1 tbsp canola oil, 1/2 tbsp rosemary, 1/2 tbsp oregano over each half of the squash (in hollowed out part and rest of the orange flesh of the squash). Place 1/2 cup water in the bottom of each casserole dish, cover, and place in oven for 60 minutes or until a fork can easily go through to the bottom of the squash.

Although it takes a while to cook, this is a very easy way to prepare and bake squash and it is delicious! Any type of squash can be prepared in the above way.

Once the squash was in the oven, I cooked pinto beans (1 cup pinto beans, soaked for 4 hours earlier in the day, drained, rinsed, covered with fresh water, brought to boil, reduced to slightly lower heat for 45 minutes) and wild rice blend rice (1 cup rice, 2 cups water, brought to boil, reduced to simmer for 40 minutes). I also made a stir fry with olive oil, onion, garlic, green onion, portobello mushroom, shitake mushrooms, green beans, snow peas, sesame seeds, sunflower seeds, and black kale (see middle picture to the left for the stir fry). I also made a quick and simple sauce to place over the finished meal.
Here is the recipe for the simple nutritional yeast sauce:
1 1/2 tbsp tahini, 1/2 lemon, freshly squeezed, 2 garlic cloves, minced, 1 tsp nutritional yeast, 2 - 3 tbsp water

Mix all ingredients in small bowl until smooth consistency and place over meal.

To dish up the squash, scoop tender part of the squash out of surrounding skin with a spoon (you do not want to eat the baked squash skin). Once the meal was dished up, it was seasoned with flax oil, sea salt, and the simple nutritional yeast sauce (see bottom picture to the left for the finished meal). This was a filling and delicious meal!

Friday, January 22, 2010

Another Lucky Day!


For the twenty second day of the cleanse, I started with a fruit smoothie (blueberries, banana) for breakfast and then had the lentil, yam, and sweet potato stew from last night's supper for lunch. For supper, I started with a red leaf lettuce, dandelion greens, and arugula salad and then lucked out and was able to finish up leftovers from earlier in the week (mainly from the 2 simple suppers), so I didn't have to cook! I had extra chickpeas that were cooked when the simple supper - take two! was made, so I made hummus for lunch tomorrow (see picture to the left and see Jan 1 post for hummus recipe). The hummus and carrots are in stainless steel containers which are a nice alternative to plastic containers. It was a real treat to have another break from cooking at the end of another week of the cleanse!

Thursday, January 21, 2010

Lentil, Yam, and Sweet Potato Stew


For the twenty first day of the cleanse, I started with a fruit smoothie for breakfast (with raspberries, blueberries, banana) and then had the simple supper - take two! from last night's supper for lunch. For supper, I started with a red leaf lettuce, dandelion greens, and arugula salad and then had lentil, yam, and sweet potato stew. Sweet potatoes (which have a yellow skin and are pale yellow inside) and yams (which have a darker brown/red skin and are orange inside) are not nightshade vegetables and are a good replacement for potatoes for people with joint or inflammatory concerns.
Here is the recipe for the lentil, yam, and sweet potato stew (see picture to the left):
2 tbsp olive oil, 1 medium onion, chopped, 2 garlic cloves, minced, 1 tsp ginger, freshly grated, 1 medium sweet potato, peeled and chopped, 1 medium yam, peeled and chopped, 1 leek, chopped, 3 celery ribs, chopped, 1/2 medium zucchini, chopped, 1 cup bok choy, chopped, 1/2 cup parsley, chopped, 1 1/2 tsp turmeric, 1 tsp cumin, 1 tsp coriander, 1/8 tsp cayenne pepper, 1/2 tsp sea salt, 7 cups water, 1 cup dried french lentils, 1 green onion, chopped, 1/2 cup cilantro, chopped, 2 cups black kale, chopped

Place olive oil in large soup pot over low heat and add onion, garlic, ginger, sweet potato, yam, leek, and celery and saute for 5 minutes. Add zucchini, bok choy, parsley, turmeric, cumin, coriander, cayenne pepper, sea salt and saute for another 3 minutes. Add water and french lentils, bring to boil, and reduce to simmer for 40 minutes (or until lentils, sweet potatoes and yams are tender). Remove from heat and stir in green onion, cilantro, and black kale.

Once the stew was dished up, it was seasoned with flax oil and sea salt. This was another hearty and delicious meal.

Wednesday, January 20, 2010

Simple Supper - Take Two!


For the twentieth day (already in the second phase of double digits!) of the cleanse, I had a fruit smoothie for breakfast (with raspberries and banana) and the simple supper from last night's supper for lunch. For supper, I started with a red leaf lettuce, dandelion greens, and arugula salad (with grated red beets, but no carrots because I have run out!) and then had Simple Supper - Take Two! To make the simple supper tonight, I had rice pasta (tinkyada brown rice elbows - which again cooked up very nicely in a large pasta pot), chickpeas (which were cooked earlier in the day to save time when making the pasta - 1 cup chickpeas soaked for 4 hours, drained, rinsed, covered with fresh water, brought to boil, reduced to simmer for 60 minutes), and a stir fry with olive oil, onions, garlic, zucchini, carrots (forgot to save some for the salad!), shitake mushrooms, snow peas, cauliflower, broccoli stalk, and black kale. When the pasta was ready to be drained, I made a quick sauce with 1 lemon, freshly squeezed, 2 tbsp flax oil, 1 tbsp nutritional yeast, 1 tbsp tahini (all mixed together in a small bowl) and mixed it in with the drained pasta - this prevented the pasta from sticking together and gave a 'cheese-y' flavor to the dish. Once the food was dished up, it was seasoned with flax oil and sea salt (see picture to the left). This was a quick and yummy meal!

Tuesday, January 19, 2010

Simple Supper


For the nineteenth day of the cleanse, I started with a fruit smoothie for breakfast (with raspberries, strawberries, banana) and had the sunny quinoa #2 from last night's supper for lunch. For supper, I started with a red leaf lettuce, dandelion greens, and arugula salad and then had a very simple supper (see picture to the left). I cooked wild rice blend rice (1 cup rice, 2 cups water, brought to boil, reduced to simmer for 40 minutes), black eyed beans (soaked earlier in the day, drained, rinsed, covered with fresh water, brought to boil, reduced to slightly lower heat for 40 minutes) and a simple stir fry using olive oil, onions, garlic, carrots, portobello mushrooms, snow peas, cauliflower, broccoli, and purple kale. To add a bit of extra flavor to the stir fry, I added 1/2 lemon, freshly squeezed. Once the meal was dished up, it was seasoned with flax oil and sea salt. Although this supper was as basic as you can get, it always is one of my favorites because of its simplicity and fresh flavors.

Monday, January 18, 2010

Sunny Quinoa #2


For the eighteenth day of the cleanse, I started with a fruit smoothie for breakfast and had the red lentil stew #2 from last night's supper for lunch. For supper, I started with a red leaf lettuce, dandelion greens, and arugula salad (with grated red beets - see top picture to the left to see the vibrant colors of the salad) and then had sunny quinoa #2 (similar to the red lentil stew last night, the sunny quinoa shares some similarities with the recipe from the January 7 post, but also has some different ingredients).

Here is the recipe for the sunny quinoa #2 (see middle picture to the left):
1 cup quinoa, 2 cups water, 1 garlic clove, minced, 1/8 tsp sea salt, 3/4 cup shitake mushrooms, chopped, 1/2 cup parsley, chopped, 2 green onions, chopped, 1/2 lemon, freshly squeezed, 1/4 cup sunflower seeds (preferably raw and unsalted)

Place 1 cup of quinoa and 2 cups of water in medium pot, bring to boil, reduce to simmer (to make quinoa fluffy, add extra water as needed during cooking process). Add garlic and sea salt once quinoa has been reduced to simmer. Once quinoa has been cooking for 10 minutes, add shitake mushrooms and parsley and cook for 10 more minutes. Remove from heat and add green onions, lemon juice, and sunflower seeds.

Quinoa is a high fibre, protein, calcium and iron rich non gluten whole grain that can be used in a number of different dishes as a replacement for rice and is a nice addition during a cleanse.

Prior to starting the quinoa, I started cooking pinto beans (which had been soaked earlier in the day, drained, rinsed, covered with fresh water, brought to boil, reduced to slightly lower heat for 40 minutes). Once the quinoa was started, I started a stir fry using olive oil, onion, garlic, zucchini, portobello mushrooms, broccoli, cauliflower, carrots, purple kale, and seasoned the stir fry with dried oregano. Once all of the dishes were ready, the food was dished up, seasoned with flax oil and sea salt (see bottom picture to the left for finished meal). This was a light and delicious meal!

Sunday, January 17, 2010

Red Lentil Stew #2


For the seventeenth day of the cleanse, I started with a fruit smoothie for breakfast and had the Saturday night special beets and patties from last night's supper for lunch. For supper, I started with a red leaf lettuce, dandelion greens, and arugula salad and then had red lentil stew #2 (it is fairly similar to the red lentil stew from the January 2 post, but there are also some differences).
Here is the recipe for the red lentil stew #2 (see picture to the left):
2 tbsp olive oil, 1 medium onion, chopped, 4 garlic cloves, minced, 3 tbsp ginger, freshly grated, 1 leek, chopped, 1 medium carrot, chopped, 1/2 medium zucchini, chopped, 1 portobello mushroom, chopped, 1/4 cup shitake mushrooms, chopped, 1 1/2 tsp cumin, 1 1/2 tsp turmeric, 1 tsp coriander, 1/4 tsp red chili powder, 1/2 tsp sea salt, 2 1/2 cup dried red lentils, 9 cups water, 2 green onions, chopped, 1/2 cup cilantro, chopped, 2 cups purple kale, chopped, 1 cup cooked short grain brown rice

Place 1/2 cup short grain brown rice in 1 cup water, bring to boil, reduce to simmer for 40 minutes. Place 2 tbsp olive oil in large soup pot, add onion, garlic, ginger, and leek and saute for 5 minutes. Add carrot, zucchini, portobello mushroom, and shitake mushrooms and saute for another 3 minutes. Add cumin, turmeric, coriander, red chili powder, and sea salt and saute for another 1 minute. Add red lentils and water, bring to boil, reduce to simmer for 25 minutes (or until lentils are tender). Remove from heat and add green onions, cilantro, purple kale and short grain brown rice.

Once the stew was dished up, it was seasoned with flax oil and sea salt. This was another filling and flavorful meal.

Saturday, January 16, 2010

Saturday Night Special - Beets and Patties






For the sixteenth day of the cleanse (it is hard to believe the cleanse is now officially half way through!), I started with a fruit smoothie for breakfast and then had the hummus and fresh veggies prepared last night for lunch (see Jan 1 post for hummus recipe). For supper, I started with a red leaf lettuce, dandelion greens, and arugula salad and then had beets and patties for the second Saturday in a row! This week, I had purple beets rather than candy cane beets and I had black bean patties rather than black eyed bean patties. I first put the black beans on (they had been soaked earlier in the day, drained, rinsed, covered with enough water to fill the pot, brought to boil, reduced to slightly lower heat for 60 minutes), and then I prepared the beets. Once the beets were in the oven, I started 1 cup of wild rice blend rice to round out the meal (1 cup rice, 2 cups water, brought to boil, reduced to simmer for 40 minutes). I added 1 cup of finely chopped green and purple kale (and 2 tbsp of extra water) to rice cooking pot when 15 minutes were remaining - this lightly steamed the kale and did not impact the cooking of the rice.

Here is the recipe for the baked beets (see top picture to the left):

6 medium beets, chopped, 1 medium onion, chopped, 3 garlic cloves, minced, 1 tbsp dried oregano, 1 tbsp dried rosemary, 1 tbsp canola oil

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly oil bottom of casserole dish with canola oil and add remaining ingredients. Cover dish and bake for 60 minutes or until beets are tender.



Although olive oil (which I use when cooking on the stove top) has a better balance of monounsaturated fatty acids than canola oil, I do use canola oil when baking in the oven because it remains stable at a higher temperature than olive oil.






Here is the recipe for the black bean patties (see middle picture to the left):

2 garlic cloves, minced, 1 medium onion, chopped, 1/2 small zucchini, chopped, 2 celery stalks, chopped, 1 medium carrot, chopped, 1 green onion, chopped, 1/2 cup cilantro, chopped, 1/2 cup parsley, chopped, 2 cups cooked black beans, 1/2 lemon, freshly squeezed, 1/2 tsp sea salt, 1/2 cup nut or seed butter (I used a combination of almond butter and tahini), 1/4 tsp paprika, 1/4 tsp oregano, 1/4 tsp cumin, 2 tbsp water, 1 tbsp canola oil

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place garlic, onion, zucchini, celery, carrot, green onion, cilantro, and parsley in food processor and blend to finely chopped consistency. Transfer mixture to mixing bowl. Place black beans, lemon juice, sea salt, nut/seed butter, paprika, oregano, and cumin in food processor and blend to chunky consistency. Transfer mixture to mixing bowl and blend with vegetable mixture. Add water to help mixture stick together and form into patties. Lightly oil baking sheet/dish with canola oil and place patties on baking sheet/in baking dish and bake, uncovered, for 40 - 60 minutes (until browned).

Once all the dishes were ready, the food was dished up and seasoned with flax oil and sea salt (see bottom picture to the left for final meal). This was another very delicious and fun meal!

Friday, January 15, 2010

A Lucky Day!


For the fifteenth day of the cleanse, I started with a fruit smoothie for breakfast and had the pasta and mixed nut butter and lime juice sauce from last night's supper for lunch. For supper, I started with a red leaf lettuce, dandelion greens, and arugula salad. I lucked out and still had leftovers from previous suppers (mainly the pasta from last night and the simple stir fry and tahini sauce from a few nights ago), so I didn't have to cook supper tonight! Over the years, I have grown accustomed to spending 60 minutes preparing/cooking supper before sitting down to eat (this also includes doing the dishes), but it is nice to get a break every so often! To ensure that I have lunch for tomorrow, I cut up raw veggies (carrots and cauliflower) and made hummus from the extra chickpeas that were cooked last night (see picture to the left). For snacks during the cleanse, I have been having fruit or raw and unsalted nuts. Because fruit is digested at a different pace than other foods, it is best to eat fruit at least 30 minutes before or 60 minutes after eating other food, so it is perfect to have as a snack (rather than as a dessert, directly post meal). However, I do find that if the fruit is blended or the other food being eaten with the fruit is blended (like in a fruit smoothie), it makes it easier for the digestive system to manage the combination of foods and should place no stress on the system.

Thursday, January 14, 2010

Pasta and Mixed Nut Butter and Lime Juice Sauce







For the fourteenth day of the cleanse, I started with a fruit smoothie for breakfast and had the sweet potato and black eyed bean stew from last night's supper for lunch. For supper, I started with a red leaf lettuce, dandelion greens, and arugula (which I just found at the store today!) salad. Both dandelion greens and arugula are leafy greens that support healthy liver cleansing and are also rich in beta carotene, vitamin c, calcium, potassium, and iron. As well, the dandelion greens are bitter and the arugula is spicy, so they also add great flavor to a salad (see top picture to the left for salad mixture - sorry for the glare!). After the salad, I had rice pasta with chickpeas, simple stir fry, and mixed nut butter and lime juice sauce. I soaked the chickpeas earlier in the day and started to cook them prior to starting the pasta and stir fry, so all the dishes were ready at approximately the same time. I had the tinkyada brown rice spaghetti again, which cooked up very easily in a large pasta pot. I added the mixed nut butter and lime juice sauce to the pasta shortly after it was drained to make the pasta less sticky (see middle picture to the left for the pasta and sauce). For the simple stir fry, I used olive oil and added onions, garlic, zucchini, carrots, green beans, snow peas, cauliflower, bok choy, and green kale.
Here is the recipe for the mixed nut butter and lime juice sauce:
1/2 cup nut butter (I used cashew and almond butter), 1 tbsp ginger, freshly grated, 2 garlic cloves, minced, 1/8 tsp sea salt, 1/8 tsp red chili flakes, 3 1/2 tbsp lime juice, freshly squeezed, 1 tbsp sesame oil, 1 tbsp water

Mix all ingredients in a bowl (or food processor) until smooth, then mix with pasta (or other type of grain).

The pasta with sauce, chickpeas, and stir fry were dished up together and seasoned with flax oil and sea salt (see bottom picture to the left for finished meal - sorry for the shadow!). This was a very filling and yummy meal!

Wednesday, January 13, 2010

Sweet potato and black eyed bean stew


For the thirteenth day of the cleanse, I started with a fruit smoothie for breakfast and had the simple supper with tahini sauce from last night's supper for lunch. For supper, I started with a red leaf lettuce and dandelion greens salad and then had sweet potato and black eyed bean stew. While I was preparing the stew, I also cooked short grain brown rice (1/2 cup rice, 1 cup water, bring to boil, reduce to simmer for 40 minutes) and black eyed beans (1 cup beans soaked for 4 hours, drained and rinsed, refill pot with enough water to fill pot, bring to boil, reduce to slightly lower heat for 40 minutes).
Here is the recipe for the sweet potato and black eyed bean stew (see picture to the left):
1 tbsp olive oil, 1 medium onion, chopped, 2 garlic cloves, minced, 2 sweet potatoes, peeled and chopped, 1 cup celery, chopped, 2 medium carrots, chopped, 1/2 medium zucchini, chopped, 5 cups water, 1/2 tsp red chili flakes, 1 tsp sea salt, 1 cup bok choy, chopped, 1 cup green kale, chopped, 1 green onion, chopped, 2 tbsp almond butter, 1/2 lemon, freshly squeezed, 1/4 cup cashews (preferably raw and unsalted), 1 cup cooked short grain brown rice, 2 cups cooked black eyed beans

Place and heat olive oil in large soup pot, and add onion, garlic, sweet potatoes and celery and saute for 5 minutes. Add carrots and zucchini and saute for another 3 minutes. Add water, red chili flakes, and sea salt, bring to boil, and reduce to simmer for 20 minutes or until sweet potatoes are tender. Place 1/2 cup of broth from stew into small bowl and mix in almond butter and lemon juice until smooth, then add liquid back to soup pot and mix into stew. Add bok choy, green kale, green onions, cashews, rice and black eyed beans (for a thicker stew, partially blend stew after adding almond butter and lemon juice mixture and before adding remaining ingredients).

The stew was dished up and seasoned with flax oil and sea salt and was another hearty and tasty meal!

Tuesday, January 12, 2010

Simple supper with tahini sauce


For the twelfth day of the cleanse, I started with a fruit smoothie for breakfast and then had the nutty rice and pinto beans from last night's supper for lunch. Tonight for supper, I started with a red leaf lettuce and dandelion greens salad and then had a simple supper of wild rice blend rice (1 cup wild rice blend rice, 2 cups water, brought to boil, reduce to simmer for 40 minutes), french lentils (1 cup french lentils, enough water to fill pot, brought to boil, reduce to slightly lower heat for 35 minutes), and a simple stir fry with onions, garlic, portobello mushrooms, shitake mushrooms, cauliflower, green beans, snow peas, carrots, black kale, and mixed savoury dried herbs (parsley, thyme, leek, celery leaf, golden sage, sweet marjoram). I also made a tahini sauce to top off the meal.
Here is the recipe for the tahini sauce:
2 tbsp tahini, 1/2 lemon, freshly squeezed, 1 garlic clove, minced, 2 tsp nutritional yeast, 1/8 tsp sea salt, 2 tbsp water
Mix all ingredients in a bowl and spoon over rice and simple stir fry (this made enough sauce for 2 cups of rice).

Nutritional yeast has a cheese like taste and is a nice addition to sauces. This simple supper (see above picture) was a basic and fortifying meal.

Monday, January 11, 2010

Nutty rice and pinto beans


For the eleventh day of the cleanse, I started with a fruit smoothie for breakfast and had the winter yam stew from last night's supper for lunch. For supper, I started with a red leaf lettuce and dandelion greens salad and then had nutty rice and pinto beans.
Here is the recipe for the nutty rice (see top picture to the left):
1 cup long grain brown rice, 2 cups water, 1/2 cup almonds (preferably raw and unsalted), 1/2 cup parsley, chopped, 1 clove garlic, minced, 1 1/2 tbsp lemon juice, freshly squeezed, 1 1/2 tbsp olive oil, 1/8 tsp sea salt (or salt to taste)

Combine rice and water in pot, bring to boil, reduce to simmer for 40 minutes. While rice is cooking, combine almonds, parsley, garlic, lemon juice, olive oil, and sea salt in a food processor and blend to a chunky consistency. Once rice is finished cooking, remove from heat and mix in almond mixture.

While the rice was cooking, I also cooked pinto beans (which were soaked in a pot in the morning, then drained and rinsed, then the pot was filled with fresh water, brought to boil, reduced to slightly lower heat for 50 minutes, then drained and rinsed) and made a simple stir fry with onions, garlic, portobello mushrooms, shitake mushrooms, zucchini, carrots, green beans, snow peas, and black kale. Once all the food was prepared, it was dished up and seasoned with flax oil and sea salt (see bottom picture to the left) - another yummy and satisfying meal!

Sunday, January 10, 2010

Winter Yam Stew


For the tenth day of the cleanse (it is hard to believe the cleanse is already into double digit days!), I started as usual with a fruit smoothie for breakfast and had the candy cane beets and black eyed bean patties from last night's supper for lunch. For supper, I also started as usual with a red leaf lettuce and dandelion greens salad and then had winter yam stew (see picture to left).
Here is the recipe for winter yam stew:
2 tbsp olive oil, 2 tbsp ginger, freshly grated, 4 garlic cloves, minced, 1 medium onion, chopped, 2 medium yams, peeled and chopped, 1 leek, chopped, 1/2 cup celery, chopped, 2 cups additional vegetables (I used carrots, shitake mushrooms, portobello mushrooms, zucchini), chopped, 1 tsp red chili flakes, 1/2 tsp cumin, 1/2 tsp coriander, 1/2 tsp paprika, 1/2 tsp sea salt, 5 cups water, 1 lime, freshly squeezed, 2 tbsp cashew butter (or other type of nut butter, except peanut butter which is best left out during a cleanse), 2 cups chickpeas, cooked (I cooked the chickpeas when I made the basil and cashew pesto and pasta recipe a few days ago), 2 green onions, chopped, 1/2 cup cilantro, chopped, 1 cup black kale, chopped

Place 2 tbsp of olive oil in a large soup pot and add ginger, garlic, onion, yams and leeks and saute for 5 minutes. Add celery and additional 2 cups of vegetables, red chili flakes, cumin, coriander, paprika, and sea salt and saute for another 3 minutes. Add 5 cups of water, cover pot, bring to a boil, reduce to simmer for 20 minutes (or until yams are tender). Remove pot from heat, add lime juice, and cashew butter and puree with hand blender (or regular blender is fine as well) to a chunky texture. Add chickpeas, green onions, cilantro, and black kale.

Once the stew was dished up, I added flax oil and sea salt - it was another warming and delicious meal!

Saturday, January 9, 2010

Candy cane beets and black eyed bean patties



For the ninth day of the cleanse, I started with a fruit smoothie for breakfast and had basil and cashew pesto and pasta from last night's supper for lunch. For supper, I started with a red leaf lettuce and dandelion greens salad and then had candy cane beets and black eyed bean patties. I was unaware there were so many types of beets available and had thought I had picked up regular beets, but it turns out they were candy cane beets - purple on the outside, but striped red and white like a candy cane on the inside! Even though they were much lighter once cooked, they tasted quite similar to regular beets - delicious!
Here is the recipe for candy cane beets (see top picture to left):
3 cups beets, chopped, 1/2 medium zucchini, chopped, 2 medium carrots, chopped, 1 medium onion, chopped, 3 garlic cloves, minced, 1 tbsp dried oregano, 1 tbsp dried rosemary, 1 tbsp canola oil

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place 1 tbsp canola oil in casserole/baking dish. Place remaining ingredients in dish, cover dish, and place in oven to bake for 60 minutes, or until beets are tender.

While the candy cane beets were in the oven, I also cooked black eyed beans (in water, brought to a boil, reduce to slightly lower heat for 40 minutes). Once the black eyed beans were cooked, they were transformed into black eyed bean patties!



Here is the recipe for black eyed bean patties (see middle picture to left):

2 cups black eyed beans, cooked, 1 1/2 tbsp parsley, chopped, 1 1/2 tbsp cilantro chopped, 1 garlic clove, minced, 2 green onions, chopped, 1 tbsp water, 1 tsp cumin, 1/2 tsp sea salt

Preheat oven to 350 degrees (it was already preheated/baking the candy cane beets). Place all ingredients in food processor and blend until chunky (not creamy). Form mixture into patties and place in a lightly oiled baking dish. Place baking dish (uncovered) in oven and bake for 30 minutes (or more - until patties are slightly browned on top).


While the candy cane beets and black eyed bean patties were baking, I also prepared some wild rice blend rice. Once all the food was ready (see bottom picture to left for finished meal), it was dished up together and was a very tasty and fun meal!

Friday, January 8, 2010

Basil and Cashew Pesto and Pasta


On the eight day of the cleanse, I started with a fruit smoothie for breakfast, and had sunny quinoa and lentils from last night's supper for lunch. For supper, I started with a red leaf lettuce and dandelion greens salad (with grated golden beet - a nice addition!)and then had rice pasta with basil and cashew pesto. Tonight, I had tinkyada brown rice penne, which also cooked up in approximately 14 minutes (another tip for cooking rice pasta is to cook it in a large pot to prevent it from becoming too sticky). Earlier in the day, I had soaked and cooked chickpeas to help speed up supper preparations. While cooking the rice pasta, I also made another stir fry with onion, garlic, green onion, shitake mushrooms, zucchini, carrots, green beans, snow peas, purple and green kale. I also made the basil and cashew pesto to mix with the cooked pasta.
Here is the recipe for the basil and cashew pesto: (see top picture to left)
1 clove garlic, minced, 3 tbsp lemon juice, freshly squeezed, 3/4 tsp dry mustard powder, 3/4 tsp sea salt, 2 tbsp olive oil, 1 tbsp water, 1 cup cashews (preferably raw and unsalted), 2 1/2 cups fresh basil leaves
Add garlic, lemon juice, dry mustard, sea salt, olive oil and water to food processor and blend until smooth. Add cashews and basil leaves and blend to a chunky texture. Add to cooked and drained pasta.

This was a quick and easy meal for an end of the week supper - it was also very flavorful and delicious (see bottom picture to left for finished meal)!

Thursday, January 7, 2010

Sunny quinoa and lentils



For the seventh day of the cleanse, I started with a fruit smoothie for breakfast and had the black bean soup and guacamole from last night's supper for lunch. For supper, I started with a red leaf lettuce and dandelion leaf salad and then had sunny quinoa with lentils and stir fried vegetables. To cook the quinoa (pronounced keen-wah), I placed 1 cup of quinoa and 2 cups of water in a pot, brought to a boil, reduced to simmer for 20 minutes - I like quinoa fluffy and light, so I add small amounts (1 - 2 tbsp per time) of extra water 3 - 4 times throughout the cooking process. At the same time I was cooking the quinoa, I also started 1 cup of french lentils (in water, brought to a boil, reduced to slightly lower heat for 30 minutes, drain, rinse) and a stir fry with onions, garlic, shitake mushrooms, carrots, zucchini, bok choy, and purple kale. Once the quinoa was finished cooking, I added the extra ingredients to transform it into sunny quinoa (see top picture to left)!


Here is the recipe for the sunny quinoa:


2 cups quinoa, cooked, 1/2 leek, chopped, 2 small carrots, grated, 1/2 cup sunflower seeds, 2 tbsp balsamic vinegar, 1 tbsp lemon juice, freshly squeezed, 2 tsp tahini


With pot of quinoa still on stove (burner turned off), add leek, grated carrots, and sunflower seeds. In a small bowl, mix together balsamic vinegar, lemon juice, and tahini - once finished, add to quinoa mixture.


Once the sunny quinoa was finished, I added the green lentils and stir fry, seasoned with flax oil and sea salt and enjoyed a light and delicious meal (see bottom picture to left)!

Wednesday, January 6, 2010

Black bean and guacamole


For the sixth day of the cleanse, I started with a fruit smoothie (see Jan 1 post for more info) for breakfast and had hummus and fresh vegetables and rice cakes (I prefer the lundberg brown rice unsalted rice cakes) from last night's supper for lunch. Tonight for supper, I started with a red leaf lettuce salad and then had black bean soup with guacamole (see picture to the left).
Here is the recipe for the black bean soup:
1 tbsp olive oil, 1 onion, chopped, 2 garlic cloves, minced, 1 celery stalk, chopped, 2 carrots, chopped, 1/2 medium zucchini, chopped, 1 portobello mushroom, chopped, 3 cups water/vegetable stock, 2 cups cooked black beans, 1 1/2 tsp chili powder, 1 tsp dried oregano, 3/4 tsp sea salt, 1/2 cup black kale, chopped
In a soup pot, heat olive oil and add onion and garlic and saute for 2 minutes. Then add celery, carrots, zucchini, portobello mushrooms , chili powder, oregano, sea salt and saute for another 5 minutes. Then add water/vegetable stock and cooked black beans (to prepare black beans, 1 cup of black beans was soaked in water for 4 hours, then rinsed, fresh water added, brought to a boil, reduced to slightly lower heat for 60 minutes, drained and rinsed - this resulted in 2 cups of cooked black beans), bring to a boil, reduce to simmer for 2o minutes. Remove from heat and puree soup (using a hand blender is easiest, but using a regular blender is fine as well), add black kale, dish up, and add 1 tbsp of guacamole per bowl (see recipe below) and enjoy!
Here is the recipe for the guacamole:
2 ripe avocados, mashed, 1 clove garlic, minced, 2 tbsp lime juice, freshly squeezed, 1/8 tsp cumin, 1/8 tsp red chili flakes, 1/8 tsp sea salt, 1/3 cup fresh cilantro, chopped, 1 green onion, chopped
Mix all ingredients together in a bowl and add 1 tbsp to each bowl of black bean soup.
This was a warming and hearty meal for a winter's night supper!

Tuesday, January 5, 2010

Hummus and fresh veggies


For the fifth day of the cleanse, I started as usual with a fruit smoothie for breakfast and had rice pasta and chickpeas from last night's supper for lunch. Tonight I had a light supper of hummus and fresh veggies (see picture to the left). I made extra chickpeas last night (I soaked 2 cups of chickpeas, which makes 4 cooked cups of chickpeas - 2 cups were used in the rice pasta and chickpeas meal and 2 cups were left over for tonight's hummus), so it was very quick and easy to make the hummus tonight (it took 10 minutes). I cut up fresh carrots, celery, and cauliflower to dip in the hummus. Rice cakes and spelt pita (if a person is doing a wheat free cleanse, rather than a gluten free cleanse) are also great for dipping in hummus. A light, but satisfying and filling meal.

Monday, January 4, 2010

Rice pasta and chickpeas


For the fourth day of the cleanse, I started with a fruit smoothie for breakfast and had the simple stir fry from last night's supper for lunch. For supper, I started off with a red leaf lettuce salad and then had rice pasta with chickpeas (see picture to the left). Although pasta is a minimally processed food, I do think it is fine to include on a cleanse. I had rice pasta, rather than spelt or kamut pasta, because I am not having gluten containing grains on the cleanse (if a person is doing a wheat free cleanse, spelt or kamut pasta would be fine). The brand of rice pasta I prefer is tinkyada (tonight I had the spaghetti style brown rice pasta) which I find to be the tastiest and easiest to cook rice pasta I have tried (it is very easy to overcook rice pasta which results in it becoming quite gluey and mushy). Tonight, for the rice pasta and chickpeas, I placed the rice pasta in a large pot of boiling water for 16 minutes, then drained, and tossed the pasta with olive and sesame oil to prevent it from becoming too sticky. I also cooked the chickpeas and stir fry (in separate pots/pans!) at the same time as the rice pasta (see Jan 1 post for how to cook chickpeas and stir fry). The vegetables that were included in the stir fry were onions, garlic, ginger, carrots, zucchini, shitake mushrooms, portobello mushrooms, cauliflower, broccoli, bok choy, and black kale. Once the pasta, chickpeas, and stir fry were dished up, fresh avocado was added and the food was seasoned with flax oil and sea salt. Another simple but delicious meal!

Sunday, January 3, 2010

Simple stir fry - again!



For the third day of the cleanse, I started with a fruit smoothie for breakfast and had leftovers of the red lentil stew from last night's supper for lunch. For supper, I started with a salad (with the delicious dandelion greens!) and then had another simple stir fry (which is one of my favorite meals and will undoubtedly be seen many times on this blog during the cleanse!). For this simple stir fry, I had a wild rice blend rice (see picture of the wild rice blend cooking to the left), which contains wild rice, short grain brown rice, long grain brown rice, and wehani rice. I hadn't been able to find the organic wild rice blend for awhile, but saw a large bag (I eat a lot of rice and buy it in 25 pound bags!) of it at the grocery store a few months ago and snapped it up and have been enjoying it since! The wild rice blend is prepared in the same way as brown rice (1 part rice to 2 parts water, bring to a boil, reduce to simmer for 40 minutes and serve). I also added french lentils (these are dark green small lentils compared to the lighter and larger green lentils) - lentils (and split peas) are an easy legume to prepare as they don't need to be soaked and only take 25 - 30 minutes to cook (legumes don't need a specific legume to water measurement like rice, so I placed 1 cup of lentils in a pot, filled the pot with water, brought to a boil, and reduced to slightly lower heat for 30 minutes). For the stir fry, I used olive oil and extra water as needed and added onions, garlic, ginger, green onions, shitake mushrooms, zucchini, carrots, green beans, cauliflower, broccoli, and bok choy to the pan. I also added a simple sauce of 1 tbsp tahini, 1/2 lemon, freshly squeezed, 1 tsp ginger, 1/2 tsp garlic, 1 tbsp water (mixed together in a bowl and added to the rice, lentils, and stir fry once the food was dished up - see picture to the left for the finished meal). This was a simple, but very tasty supper.


Saturday, January 2, 2010

Red Lentil Stew



For the second day of the cleanse, I started with a fruit smoothie (see Jan 1 post for more info and see picture to left) for breakfast. For lunch, I had leftovers (reheated in the oven) of the simple stir fry that I had last night for supper (also see Jan 1 post for more info). Tonight for supper, I started with my regular salad (with added dandelion greens that I picked up from the grocery store today!). After the salad, I continued with a red lentil stew, which was delicious! In addition to seasoning my lunch and supper meals with sea salt, I also always add 1 tbsp of flax oil after the food has been dished up.


Here is the recipe for the red lentil stew (see picture below):

1 tbsp olive oil, 1 medium onion, chopped, 3 garlic cloves, minced, 1 tsp ginger, freshly grated, 1 medium yam, chopped, 2 - 3 cups of additional vegetables, chopped (I added leeks, carrots, zucchini, shitake mushrooms, portobello mushrooms), 4 cups water/vegetable stock, 1 cup uncooked red lentils, 1/2 tsp red chili flakes (optional), 1 tsp sea salt, 1 tsp turmeric, 1 1/2 tsp cumin, 2 green onions, chopped, 1/2 cup cilantro, chopped, 1 cup black kale, chopped, 1 cup cooked quinoa (optional)


Place olive oil in soup pot, turn on low heat, add onion and saute for 5 minutes. Add garlic, ginger, and yams and saute for another 5 minutes. Add additional 2 - 3 cups of vegetables, 4 cups water/vegetable stock, 1 cup uncooked red lentils, 1/2 tsp red chili flakes (optional), 1 tsp sea salt, 1 tsp turmeric, 1 1/2 tsp cumin, cover pot, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer stew for 20 - 30 minutes, until yams are tender. Remove from heat, add cilantro, green onions, and black kale (and 1 cup cooked quinoa if desired - to cook place 1/2 cup quinoa and 1 cup water in a separate pot, bring to a boil, and reduce to simmer for 20 minutes and remove from heat), dish up and eat!
Although, I eliminate the nightshade vegetables (tomatoes, potatoes, green/red/yellow peppers, eggplant) during the cleanse to further support the reduction of inflammation in my system, I do use some spices/herbs that are nightshades, including the small amount of red chili flakes found in the red lentil stew.



Friday, January 1, 2010

Happy New Year!






The first day of my cleanse has been going well. Rather than posting about certain foods that I will eat each day during the cleanse, I will cover some of these foods in this post. Each day, I will be having a fruit smoothie for breakfast.

The recipe for the fruit smoothie is:

1 banana, 1 cup of mixed fruit (I generally have frozen strawberries lately), 2 scoops of rice protein based liver cleansing powder (such as mediclear/selekta clear/ultraclear - this powder provides protein for the smoothie and support for healthy liver cleansing and digestive tonification), 350 ml of rice (or other non dairy based) milk

Place all ingredients in a blender, blend until smooth, and drink!

I also add probiotics powder to help support healthy gut flora balancing, which supports healthy cleansing, and vitamin c powder to support healthy immune function to the smoothie each day.




I will also be drinking 8 cups/2 litres of water each day to help properly hydrate my system and support my body in cleansing toxins (I may also add the juice of 1/2 a freshly squeezed lemon to 1 of the cups of water I drink to offer further liver cleansing support).


To make the cleanse feel less overwhelming, I always make an extra amount for supper and have leftovers for lunch. Today I had leftover hummus and raw veggies (carrots and cauliflower) for lunch.

The recipe for the hummus is:

2 cups cooked chickpeas, 4 - 5 tbsp lemon juice, freshly squeezed, 2 tbsp tahini (sesame seed butter), 2 tbsp olive oil, 3 garlic cloves, minced, 1/4 cup green/black/purple kale, chopped, 1/2 tsp sea salt, 1/2 tsp sesame oil (optional), 3 - 4 tbsp water

Place all ingredients in a food processor and blend until desired consistency.

If you prefer to not have leftovers for lunch, you could consider making soup or a bean dip on a day when you have extra time and eat it for lunch over the next few days.


I will also be having a salad each day as part of my supper. I generally use green or red leaf lettuce (it is hard to find other greens during the winter!) for the salad and add carrots, cucumber, and walnuts.

The recipe for the salad dressing is:

1 lemon, freshly squeezed, 1 tbsp flax seed oil, 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar, and sometimes raw garlic and/or ginger

Mix all ingredients in a bowl and apply to salad.

This makes enough for 4 salads and stores well in a sealed container in the fridge for a few days.

Here is a picture of the salad I had tonight for supper:

I also aim to have certified organic ingredients for all of my meals to reduce the amount of toxins that I take in through the food I am eating (to see a list of the fruits and vegetables that are most important to have certified organic see www.foodnews.org).




In addition to the salad, for supper tonight, I also had a simple supper consisting long grain brown rice (place 1 part brown rice and 2 parts water (i.e. 1 cup of rice and 2 cups of water) in a pot, bring to a boil, reduce to simmer for 40 minutes and serve), cooked chickpeas (initially soaked in water for 4 hours, then drained, covered with fresh water in a pot, bring to a boil, reduce to simmer for 60 minutes, drain, rinse with cold water, and serve), and vegetable stir fry (using a small amount of olive oil and additional water as needed as vegetables are being cooked and including onion, garlic, leek, shitake mushrooms, portabello mushrooms, green string beans, zucchini, cauliflower, green kale). I also added a sauce made of 2 tbsp sesame oil, 1 inch of freshly grated ginger, and juice of 1 lemon, freshly squeezed, to the rice for extra flavor (this made enough for 2 1/2 cups of cooked rice). I also season my food with sea salt.

Here is a picture of the simple stir fry I had tonight for supper:



For some people with high levels of candida/yeast in their system, mushrooms, fermented foods (like balsamic vinegar) and fruit are also best eliminated when doing a cleanse. Most other people though can effectively reduce their candida levels during a cleanse by removing refined sugar (white sugar, brown sugar, and artificial sweeteners) and possibly unrefined sweeteners (brown rice syrup, pure maple syrup, honey, cane sugar etc). As well, for people with eczema, citrus fruit is also best eliminated when doing a cleanse, although this mainly includes oranges and grapefruits, rather than lemons and limes.