A Lovely Spring Cleanse

I was recently at a dinner with the family and my good friend told me that frankly she was quite sick of the lack of updates to my blog. In fact I think the word "threat" may have been used.  So... here I am! And let us play a bit of catch up.
Last month I did a "nutritional cleanse" which basically means there is a super long list of foods I'm supposed to refrian from for a month, consistent exercise, attend a few informative classes (about health and food), and get regular treatments from my doctor which were somewhat similar to going to the spa. Doesn't sound too bad, right? Check out my list of bad foods:

• Dairy
• Wheat/Gluten
• Soy (including tofu, soy milk, or edemame)
• Sugar
• Eggs
• Corn 
• Caffeine
• Alcohol
• Nightshades (Tomatoes, Potatoes, Peppers, etc)
• Citrus
• Peanuts
• Pork
• Shellfish

Yikes, right? When this list was displayed in the class people's mouths fell open. Yikes indeed. Not only would I be without cheese or bread or PIZZA for an entire month, but it also looked as though I was going to have to prepare every single meal for the duration. Now I love cooking, but its tough for me to cook for every meal, every day. Usually time, hunger, and a lack of ingrediants are my biggest obstacles. And try to find a pre-made meal anywhere that does not contain any of the above. Go ahead. I dare you. I don't live in city anymore. There are no vegan, health food coops around here. We have safeway. So I had to get creative.


So let's see the good list:

• Beans, Lentils, and Rice
• Aramanth, Quinoa, Millet, and Buckwheat (actually gluten free, despite the name)
• Beef, Chicken, Fish
• Non-nightshade veggies
• Non-citrus fruit
• Honey, Agave, or Maple Syrup
• All Nuts except Peanuts
• Dairy Alternatives (Rice, Almond, Coconut, and Hemp <- my fav)
• Herbal Tea

It was rough, but you know what? I felt great! No joke. I lost a little bit of weight, about 10lbs in 20 days. I had more energy. I slept better. Even my skin and hair seemed healthier. Of course I missed my bad foods so much that I don't feel quite as awesome anymore, but I'm working on it. On the plus side. I came up with some great recipes for some clean wholesome food.

Red Lentil Soup
Splash of olive oil
1 onion, chopped roughly
2-4 carrots, chopped roughly
1-2 celery stalks, chopped roughly
1/2 tsp salt
2 c red lentils, rinsed & picked over
3-4 c chicken stock
1 Tb cumin

1-2 tsp curry powder

1 can coconut milk
chopped cilantro (optional)
hot sauce (optional)

Heat olive oil in soup pot or dutch oven. Cook onion, carrots, and celery until onions are tender. Toss in the salt, lentils, chicken stock, & spices. Simmer until vegetables are tender and lentils have begun to break down. In batches, puree soup in a blender and return to the pot OR use an emerson blender (a magical tool) to blend in right in the pot. Blend until creamy. Add the coconut milk. Serve hot and topped with cilantro and hot sauce, if desired. 

Asian Breakfast Hash
Splash of olive oil
1 c sliced criminis
2-3 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 c raw cashews
2 c cooked kasha (toasted buckwheat)
1 handful spinach, chopped
pinch salt & pepper
2-3 scallions, chopped


Heat the oil in a frying pan. Cook up the mushrooms, garlic,  and the cashews until browned. Throw in the buckwheat and heat it up. Throw in the spinach, cook until it wilts. Salt and pepper to taste (or soy sauce if you can have that.) Served topped with green onion. 


Healthy Easy Fried Rice
Splash of olive oil
3/4c raw cashews
2-3 cloves garlic, miced
2c chopped veggies (I use whatever I got in the fridge, but these work well: broccoli, cabbage, onions, carrots, kale, chard, spinach, mushrooms, boc choy, etc)
2c cooked brown rice


Heat the oil in a pan, brown the garlic, saute the veggies until tender. Add the rice, cook until heated. Top with hot sauce or soy sauce if desired.
These three recipes were my favorites. I also had a few of failures. Once I tried to make a dairy free-sugar-free, tapioca pudding. Not good... no sir, not good at all.