Day 3 of Detox

Day three I deviated a bit from the GOOP plan because it's not terribly convenient for me to make smoothies or oatmeal at my job. Instead of having oatmeal for breakfast, smoothie for lunch, and various juice concoctions for dinner, I did this:
- Wake up: 7:00 - glass of room temp lemon water
- Mug of herbal tea: 7:30
- Smoothie made with almond milk, frozen mangoes, raspberries and blueberries and protein and greens powder: 8:00
- Coconut Water: 11:00
- Asian Pear: 1:00
- Butter lettuce, cucumber and avocado salad with carrot ginger miso dressing: 2:30
- Braeburn apple: 4:30
- Dinner: 1/2 can Anderson's Pea Soup (I didn't make my own soup because I was on the go. This soup is vegetarian, gluten and fat free and doesn't have any detox no-no's but I still felt guilty eating it: 7:00
- Snack - handful of roasted peanuts in the shell
- Smooth Move Tea and tsp of olive oil before bed

Cravings for cheese and peanut butter were intense. The worst part of the day was the salad. I was SO looking forward to it but the heartburn I experienced last time I had this dressing was NOTHING compared to what I felt today. It felt like my chest was in a vice. A vice made of fire. With spikes in it. It hurt SO much I could barely breathe.  Clearly my body reacts poorly to something in that dressing. I think it might be the shallots or the ginger. I only ate half the salad which left me pretty hungry but I was able to resist temptation and stay strong.

Here is the recipe for the broccoli and arugula soup I had yesterday. It looks gorgeous and tastes almost as good :)

- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 clove garlic, thinly sliced
- 1/2 yellow onion, roughly diced
- 1 head broccoli, cut into small florets (about 2/3 pound)
- 2 1/2 cups water
- 1/4 teaspoon each coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 3/4 cup arugula (watercress would be good, too)
- 1/2 lemon

Heat the olive oil in a medium nonstick saucepan over medium heat. Add the garlic and onion and sauté for just a minute or until fragrant. Add the broccoli and cook for four minutes or until bright green. Add the water, salt and pepper, bring to a boil, lower the heat and cover. Cook for eight minutes or until the broccoli is just tender. Pour the soup into a blender and puree with the arugula until quite smooth. Be very careful when blending hot liquids; start slowly and work in batches if necessary (you don’t want the steam to blow the lid off). Serve the soup with a bit of fresh lemon. Makes two servings.

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Detox Diet Day Dos

Todays detox took roughly this form:

- wake up: 9:30 (slept in! crazy!)
- Glass of room temp lemon water: 10:00
- Giant mug of herbal tea: 10:40
- Smoothie made with almond milk, frozen mangoes, raspberries and blueberries and protein and greens powder: 11:45
- Coconut Water: 1:00
- Handful of raw almonds: 2:30
- Dinner of Detox Chicken and brown rice: 5:30
- Dessert/Snack of CranPeary Granita

I didn't eat enough today because my schedule was out of whack. I woke up late feeling a little yucky and didn't want my smoothie until late. I basically skipped out on lunch and ate lunch for dinner. I don't recommend this but I wasn't hungry enough to stuff more meals into the day. The chicken recipe was not my fave. You really missed the salt and it was too "chicken-y" for my taste. I just don't like poultry no matter how much I try to convince myself I do. Unless it's fried with some sort of garlicky dipping sauce, count me out. I was, however, craving protein so I tried to eat at least half of one large boneless, skinless breast with a heap of steamed brown rice.

I still don't feel like I have loads of energy. I think going to the gym at some point will help. Some yoga might help kick things into gear.

The highlight of today was my granita. This is a recipe I made a couple of days ago to try out my new ice cream maker (X-mas gift from sous chef!) I would tweak this recipe if I weren't using it for the detox but as it is now, it really hit the spot. Leaving the pulp and cranberry seeds IN and not straining them gives this dish an interesting texture. It's more toothsome than your average sorbet or granita but when you're detoxing, that can be a welcome change.
Here is the recipe:

- 1 package (12 ounces) fresh cranberries
- 2 ripe pears, peeled and cored
- 1/2 cup agave nectar, or to taste
- 1/2 cup pomegranate juice (or cranberry or cranberry blend)
- juice of 1/2 of small lime

Chop pears into chunks and put into food processor.

Add cranberries and liquid and blend until completely pureed.

Pour mixture into ice cream maker and turn it on.

Check mixture after 20 minutes. When it's frozen through, transfer to an airtight container and freeze for an additional 2 hours or until it has reached your desired consistency.
Serve!

Adapted from http://blog.fatfreevegan.com

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Detox Week: 1 down 6 to go!

Today was the first day of my week long detox diet. So far, so good! Using recipes from GOOP, I feel great about the food I've eaten today. So far I have lost 13 pounds, my hair has grown two inches and I have so much energy, I no longer need more than 20 minutes of sleep per day! Yeah, no. Not really. Truth is, I feel kind of crummy. I think this is to be expected. It's called a detox for a reason, out you toxins, out!
I started the day with lemon water then some minty herbal tea. Mmmm. Lovely way to start the morning. Breakfast was a smoothie made with fresh blueberries and almond milk with some protein and greens powders thrown in for good measure. It was super tasty and kept me full for a long time.
Mid-morning I had a coconut water. I love that stuff. It has to be icy cold though or it tastes like hot tub water. Gross.
Lunch was a salad and O! what a salad it was: butter lettuce, radicchio, avocado and cucumber. The best part was the dressing. Here is the recipe:
- 1 large carrot, peeled and roughly chopped
- 1 large shallot, peeled and roughly chopped
- 2 tablespoons roughly chopped fresh ginger (easy to peel, use a spoon!
- 1 tablespoon sweet white miso
- 2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
- 1 tablespoon roasted sesame seed oil
- 1/4 cup grapeseed oil
- 2 tablespoons water

Pulse the carrot, shallot and ginger in a blender until finely chopped. Scrape down the sides, add the miso, vinegar and sesame seed oil and whiz together. While the blender is going, slowly drizzle in the grapeseed oil and the water.

This dressing is SO flavorful. Detox or no detox, I will be eating this dressing a lot in 2010. Unfortunately, it gave me awful heartburn so tomorrow I will remember to take an acid reducer in the morning.

Afternoon snack was a handful of pepitas and sunflower seeds. Meh. Filled me up enough.

Dinner was another GOOP recipe, broccoli and arugula soup. It was ok. Very filling and warm. I am enjoying this diet so far. Feeling full but knowing I am eating healthy, cleansing foods makes me happy. At this point I'm not having any major cravings and I look forward to tomorrow!

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New Year Fresh Start

My body is mad at me. I have been stuffing it with sugar, fat, junk and cheese. Cheese, cheese, cheese and cheese. Mmmmmm. I love cheese. I've been planning for a while to start the new year off with a gift for my cranky, abused body. I am going to do a riff on Gwyneth Paltrows GOOPY detox diet. The recipes are there if you're interested, if I adapt them, I will make a note here. I make no promises but I am planning to blog about my progress daily. I have done (bad) detoxes (master cleanse) before, and though I expect this diet to go much more smoothly since it's a lot healthier, I know that it helps to be able to vent and have some forced accountability so I am going to put it all out there and up here. I encourage anyone who feels inclined to join me and share your experiences and gripes.

I plan to start this whole dealy bob on Saturday Jan. 2. Why not start on Jan. 1? Because you HAVE to eat black eyed peas on New Years Day and detox friendly black eyed peas are not taste bud friendly. The more peas you eat, the better your luck so to ensure the best of luck I will be drenching my peas in yummy vinaigrette and mixing them up with shallots, corn, tomatoes, red peppers and jalapenos and eating them with CHIPS and CREAM CHEESE! Mmmmm. I can taste the luck already!

The gist of the detox is no gluten (obvy), no dairy or soy, no red meat, no alcohol or caffeine and limited salt and sugar. I am hoping that if I start being nice to my body with the diet, gym and yoga time and a massage, I can start the new year with energy, vitality and positivity that will propel me into 2010 and the new decade! LETS DO THIS!

Here is the plan for Day 1:

Wake Up - Glass of room temperature lemon water
AM - Herbal tea
Breakfast - Blueberry and Almond Smoothie
Mid AM - Coconut water
Lunch - Salad with Carrot and Ginger Dressing
PM Snack - A handful of mixed pumpkin and sunflower seeds
Dinner - Broccoli and Arugula Soup

*The inspiring pictures in this post were taken on my grandparent's property in Missouri this fall. Look at my little dog. She's the cutest.

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Crispin Pears

Sometimes my sous chef calls things by weird names. He likes to nickname pretty much everything and for the past few weeks he's been referring to Christmas as Crispin. Whatevs.

That name turns out to be perfect for a dessert I made last night. The dessert is literally: crisp... in... pears. It's ridiculously easy to make but the rich flavor of the pear makes it taste both homey and luxurious. Another bonus is that it doesn't dirty a million dishes and it's easy to make just one serving so you don't end up gorging on the extras or leftovers. We had it for dessert but it would also make a great breakfast or brunch treat for a cold weather day.

Serves 2 (easy to double or triple)

- 1 ripe Bartlett or Anjou pear peeled and sliced in half down the middle
- 1/4 cup gluten free oats
- 2 Tbsp chopped roasted pecans
- 1 Tbsp unsalted butter
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 2-3 Tbsp brown sugar
- small pinch kosher salt
- 1 Tbsp honey
- 1 Tbsp warm water

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Mix together oats, pecans, butter, vanilla, sugar and salt and set aside.

Once your pears are peeled and cut in half, use a melon baller or strawberry huller to remove the seeds
and carve out a nice sized nook for your crisp ingredients to nestle in.

Cut a small disc of pear off the back of the pear so it can lie flat on your cookie sheet without wobbling. Set the pear halves on a cookie sheet with the hollowed out core areas facing up. Mix honey and warm water and stir to thin out the honey a bit. Brush this mixture liberally all over the pear with a pastry brush. Spoon crisp mixture into the hole in the pear and mound it up so you have a good amount of crisp in/on each pear half.

Bake for 25-35 minutes or until pear is turning just golden at the edges and the crisp is a nice, dark golden brown. Remove from oven and cool for 5 minutes then serve with ice cream or whipped cream.

Adapted from Acquired Taste

PS After all my whining, I got a new camera! I used Crispin money to get myself a Canon Rebel XS. Now I just have to learn how to work the sucker! 

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Asparagus and Prosciutto Frittata

You may notice some disparity between the photo quality of this and previous posts compared to that beaut of an apple cranberry crisp recipe. This is because I borrowed a SUPER fancy (read: expensive) camera from a very nice (read: trusting) friend. Those of you who know how clumsy and accident prone I am know how much trust was involved in letting me babysit a camera worth more than my refrigerator and oven combined. I normally shoot the pictures on this blog with a decent point and shoot camera but the more I compare my blogs to others out there, the more I covet their beautiful, magazine worthy photo spreads. My kitchen is teensy and has zero natural light whatsoever. That is my excuse and disclaimer for the pictures of this recipe which don't quite stack up to the stunning, Pioneer Woman inspired pictures of my last creation.

Now that that's over with, on to the food! After determining that my kitchen was simply bereft without a sturdy, seasoned cast iron skillet, I went on the hunt for an affordable but durable one and found my match at Target for about $18. I scoured the internet for recipes that would make the best use of it and decided that a frittata would be just the ticket. I had been sitting on a gorgeous bunch of asparagus from a local farmers market and I knew that it would be perfect with the addition of some salty prosciutto and a nice nutty cheese. Here is what I came up with. It was delicious and seeing it slide right out of my new skillet was a real thrill; not quite as thrilling as putting the skillet away after just a swipe of a paper towel and NO WASHING! Gotta love that cast iron!

- 7 eggs
- 2 tbsp mascarpone cheese
- 1/2 clove or 1 small clove of garlic finely chopped
- 1/2 yellow onion finely chopped
- 1 lb asparagus cut into 1 inch pieces
- 2 tbsp canola oil
- 1/4 cup sharp gouda cheese (I used Rembrandt) shredded
- 2 slices proscuitto cut into thin strips

Pre-heat oven to 300.

Heat canola oil in a 9"-12" cast iron skillet over medium heat and add onions.

When they start to soften add the asparagus and cook until bright green and just barely tender.

Add garlic and sautee 1-2 minutes more.

In a mixing bowl, whisk together mascarpone and eggs until thoroughly combined.

Pour egg mixture over the asparagus, onions and garlic. Sprinkle with a substantial pinch of salt and the gouda cheese then top with the strips of prosciutto.

Place the skillet in the oven for 15-20 minutes. Place under the broiler for 1-2 minutes to brown the top. Remove, let cool for a couple of minutes then sprinkle with chives and more shredded gouda.

Slice and eat. Goes great with a simple green salad with balsamic vinaigrette!

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Cranberry Apple Crisp (and a sappy story)

When I was a kid growing up on Caledonia Circle, I was lucky enough to have some excellent cooks in my midst. Sadly, being the picky little bugger that I was, I didn't appreciate most of the culinary talents of the grown-ups in my life until I moved to LA and started work on becoming one myself (a culinary talent, not a grown-up.) My block was home to Italian grandmas that treated me like one of the family and showered me with food and love, a Jewish family next door whose vegetarian feasts tended to clash with my uber-picky tendencies, another Italian family across the street whose patriarch kept me filled with homeade sweet bread, bean soup and PIES, PIES, PIES. Topping of the list of neighborhood folks who attempted to feed me were my long suffering parents.

My mom and dad figured out early on that there was no way I was eating that, thus they taught me how to make iceburg lettuce salads with ranch and buttered noodles with parmesan cheese and we all went on our merry ways; me avoiding most meats, greens, nuts and above all , the dreaded ONION and them enjoying the gastronomic delights of our culturally diverse neighborhood. There was one aquired taste that I enjoyed, even as a kid. I shared this prediliction mostly with my pet rabbits and my habit was fed by my neighbor, the Pie King (side note, he is now the organizer of our small town's annual pie contest!) I loved (and still love) apple peels. The Pie King would stop by our house when he was making a batch of pies and bring with him a big plastic bag full of curly tendrils made from granny smith apple peels that were ostensibly for our rabbits. I was always amazed at how long they were; he usually managed to get the entire apple disrobed in one piece. I would accept the bag of peels on the bunnies behalf and then eat the entire bag, sucking up each peel like a giant spaghetti noodle until my stomach hurt. Only then would any scraps be delivered to the hutches of Razz or Pepper or Honey (getting a theme here? We're food people.)

Last week I decided to use my leftover bag of Thanksgiving cranberries to make a gluten-free (of course!) cranberry apple crisp. This is the first time I have ever peeled an apple like the Pie King used to. I didn't manage to get an entire apple peeled without any breaks in the spiral but I the corckscrews I made and munched brought back a lot of warm memories.

This will be my first Christmas away from this family and I wish I could be there with them to show them that I've overcome my pickiness (mostly) and also to eat and cook with them and learn from their infinite culinary wisdom. This recipe is for them, especially my fellow gluten-free warrior!

Gluten Free CranApple Crisp:

Filling:
- 5 crisp, tart apples (I used a combo of 1 honeycrisp,  2 arkansas black and 2 granny smith) cut into 1/4 inch slices
- 1 bag fresh cranberries (take out two cups to cook, leave the rest whole and uncooked)
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- 2 tbsp. fresh lemon juice
- 1 tsp. lemon zest
- 1 Tbsp sugar

 Topping
- 1/3 cup pure maple syrup
- 1/2 cup Bob's Red Mill Gluten-Free Biscuit and Baking Mix
- 1 cup gluten free oats
- 1/4 cup chopped, toasted pecans
- 1/2 stick unsalted butter
- pinch of sea salt

Pre-heat oven to 375 degrees

Cook 2 cups of fresh cranberries in a small saucepan with 1/2 cup of water and 1/2 cup of sugar over medium heat until the berries have all popped and the mixture has slightly thickened. Set aside to cool.

Mix cooked cranberries with whole cranberries, vanilla, lemon juice and zest and sea salt.

Add apples and sugar and allow mixture to sit for 10-15 minutes so the juices and sugar mix.

Mix dry topping ingredients with a fork. Melt butter and add to maple syrup then add the liquid mixture to dry ingredients, still mixing with a fork.

Place fruit in baking dish and top with the topping ingredients, spreading the crisp mixture evenly across the top so that no large holes remain.

Bake for 40 minutes or until the juice begins to bubble up through the crust and the crust is browning at the edges.

Serve warm with ice cream. This is a tart treat that is perfect for chilly weather!

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