THE GOOD AND THE BAD

I lasted one week on a spring cleanse and am now in a modified version of the cleanse.  I sort of had plans to keep it up for four weeks (if you can believe it!) but for now I am happy with the decision to increase my intake of vegetables and proteins, limit grains, and omit cane sugar and refined grains.  So a little menu update for you:

The pictures below are a little peek into a couple of the dishes I've been eating over the last week.  Trust me, most of the time it was so boring it's not even worth mentioning.  The lovely spring dandelion greens that I told you about the other day can also be served boiled with olive oil and lemon juice, sea salt and pepper.  I grew up eating dandelions and have fond memories of my dad's cousin Anna scouring our property looking for fresh dandelions.

That amazing tahini sauce made it's way onto our table again, this time lavishly drizzled on steamed quinoa, broccoli, and kale with roasted sweet potatoes and tofu, and some fresh raw radish, carrot and nori squares.

Today I was busy getting ready for the market and baked up some fresh vanilla cake for the Lamington's I sell every Saturday.  Even though I am not eating sweets, that is no reason for Scott to not indulge.  So I made him a little something that goes like this...

MAPLE VANILLA CAKE with Chocolate Hazelnut Spread, Dried Apricot, Vanilla Ice Cream and Chocolate Chips

Vanilla Cake: (from Sweet and Natural by Meredith McCarty)

1 1/2 cups organic whole wheat flour

1 1/2 cups organic unbleached white flour

1 1/2 Tbsp baking powder

1/2 tsp sea salt

1/2 organic vegetable oil

1/2 cup local maple syrup

1/2 cup organic brown rice syrup

1 1/2 cups organic soy, rice or cow's milk

1 Tbsp vanilla

Method:  Preheat oven to 350*.  Line bottom or pan with parchment paper, and brush sides with oil.  Mix together the dry ingredients.  In a separate bowl whisk together the wet ingredients.  Add wet to dry.  Pour batter into pan.  Bake until middle is cooked when you pierce with a toothpick - 20 mins for muffins, 25-30 for standard cake pans, 30-45 for larger pans.  Transfer to wire rack to cool in pans for 10 minutes, then invert.

Nativa Chocolate Hazelnut Spread

Organic Unsulphured Apricots, chopped

Organic Chocolate Chips

Organic Vanilla Ice Cream

Method:  Warm the cake up, then slice.  Spread each piece with the hazelnut spread.  Top with ice cream and sprinkle with apricots and chocolate chips.

STEAMED QUINOA, DANDELION AND HALIBUT with Lemon Tahini Sauce

So I am on a Spring Cleanse that requires I forego most carbs, sugars, fruits, fermented foods, vinegars, yeasts and dairy.  Which led me to the idea for this meal tonight.  You can't really see it because it is hiding underneath this AMAZING tahini sauce.  I used to make this sauce all the time using tamari, but now I have to use Bragg's Liquid Aminos instead, and boy am I glad.  The stuff is amazing.  I love it!  Hope you do too!

LEMON TAHINI SAUCE

1/4 cup freshly squeezed organic lemon juice

1/4 cup e.v olive oil

1/4 cup organic flax seed oil

1/4 cup Bragg's Liquid Aminos

1/3 cup organic tahini

3 cloves organic garlic

1 Tbsp maple syrup (or for this cleanse I used one pouch of stevia powder)

1/8 cup water

Method:  Blend all ingredients together and serve over broiled fish, boiled dandelion and steamed quinoa.

Sweet and Sour Stir Fry

I was so happy to discover that this sweet and sour sauce required the use of my (new) blender.

SWEET AND SOUR STIR FRY

1 pound organic extra firm tofu

2 Tbsp organic tamari sauce

1/2 tsp organic cumin powder

organic black pepper

1 tsp toasted sesame oil

1 Tbsp organic sesame oil

1-2 cups chopped organic broccoli

1 organic onion, chopped

3 organic carrots, chopped

6 organic mushrooms, sliced

1 clove organic garlic, chopped

1 Tbsp organic ginger, grated

Sauce:

1 1/2 cups canned crushed organic pineapple

2 Tbsp arrowroot powder

1/4 cup organic tamari

1/4 tsp organic paprika

1/2 cup organic coconut sugar (or brown sugar or maple syrup)

1/2 cup organic apple cider vinegar

Method:  Preheat oven to broil.  Chop the tofu into cubes and toss in a bowl with the 2 Tbsp tamari, cumin, oils, and black pepper.  Let it sit for 5 minutes to soak up the marinade.  Then lay the tofu into a cast iron skillet and broil in the oven for about 10 minutes, turning them over halfway.  

     While the tofu broils, get your sauce started by tossing the pineapple into your blender and process until smooth.  Mix the arrowroot with some of the pineapple liquid until it is smooth.  Combine all the ingredients in a saucepan, bring to a light boil and then reduce and simmer until it is as thick as you like it.

     Heat a wok over medium-high heat.  Drizzle in some sesame oil and then stir fry the onion, broccoli and carrot for about 3 minutes.  Then stir in the mushrooms and stir fry for another 2-3 minutes.  Add the garlic and ginger, stirring for about 1 minute.  By now your sauce should be ready.  Stir it in and cook for about 1 minute.  Remove from heat and serve with noodles, rice or quinoa.

Indian Dal and Mango Chutney Coleslaw

Dal is a very easy Indian dish to make, and in fact the first Indian meal I mastered.  I usually serve it with white basmati (shh don't tell the fibre police) because I love it so much, but tonight I thought I'd be all healthy and go with quinoa.  The Mango Chutney salad was an impromptu creation using up a virtually empty jar of organic mango chutney I found in the fridge.  I normally buy Patak's Mango Chutney, until one day I found an organic version at Planet Organic.  It is very different from Patak's, a much runnier chutney, but tasty nonetheless.  I added some apple cider vinegar and sesame oil to the jar, shook it up, and presto!  instant mango dressing for our salad.

INDIAN DAL

For last night's dinner I added some chopped kale to this near the end of cooking just to add some more vegetables to our life, but I usually don't.

1 1/2 cups organic yellow split peas, rinsed

1 tsp organic turmeric powder

1 large clove organic garlic, smashed and chopped

2 Tbsp organic butter

2 tsp organic coriander powder

2 tsp organic cumin seed powder

1 organic onion, chopped

1/4 tsp hing (asofetida) powder

1-3 tsp sea salt

2 tsp organic black mustard seeds

Method:  In a medium saucepan, combine the peas and enough water to amply cover them and the turmeric.  Bring to a boil and then simmer for about 1 hour or until the peas are soft and mushy.

     Meanwhile, in a cast iron skillet melt the butter over medium heat and then fry the onion until soft.  Then add the spices and garlic and cook another minute.  Stir into the peas when they are 3/4 of the way cooked.  When the peas are cooked, season with salt to taste.

MANGO CHUTNEY COLESLAW

2 cups, thinly sliced and chopped organic cabbage

1 large organic carrot, shredded

1/4 cup chopped organic cilantro

handful organic cashews

1/4 organic red onion, chopped

1/4 organic red pepper, chopped

1 Tbsp organic mango chutney

1 Tbsp organic apple cider vinegar

1/2 tsp sea salt

1/2 Tbsp organic raw sesame oil

Method:  Toss all ingredients together and let sit for 15 minutes before serving.

Rushing Clouds Dinner

As we ate our supper this evening I looked out at the sky and saw lovely rushing clouds moving past us.  This meal was chosen after a phone call from my sister.  She was excitedly telling me about a great deal she found on a Jamie Oliver cookbook.  I asked her to look up a recipe for chickpeas in it but found none.  But she did find a great one in an International Vegetarian cookbook she owns.  It's a great recipe.  I decided to serve it with Thai Chili Sauce and quinoa.

MOROCCAN CHICKPEAS with Butternut Squash and Zucchini

2 cups cooked organic chickpeas

2 cups organic butternut squash, cubed

3 organic tomatoes, chopped

1 Tbsp fresh ginger, grated

1 tsp organic cumin powder

1 tsp organic paprika

1/4 tsp turmeric

1/4 tsp cayenne

1 2" piece organic cinnamon stick

3 Tbsp olive oil

1 organic onion, sliced into half rings

3 Tbsp organic raisins

3 1/2 cups stock

1 tsp sea salt (but this depends on what stock you use)

1 cup organic zucchini, sliced

1/2 cup organic frozen or fresh peas

cilantro or parsley for garnish

Method:  Saute onions and cinnamon stick in olive oil.  Add spices, stir and then add tomatoes, squash, chickpeas, salt, raisins and stock.  Bring to a boil and then simmer on medium low until squash is soft.  Add the peas and zucchini, cook uncovered until it thickens.  Serve on quinoa or cous cous.

Prep Time- 10 minutes  Cooking time- about 15-20 minutes

QUINOA

1 cup organic quinoa

1 3/4 cups water

pinch of salt

1 Tbsp organic butter (optional)

Method:  Rinse quinoa in a sieve.  Combine quinoa with water, butter and salt in a pot.  Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low, cover and cook about 10 minutes, or until all water has been absorbed.  Remove from heat and let rest 5 minutes.  Fluff with fork and serve.

YOGURT SALAD DRESSING

2 heaping tablespoons organic full fat yogurt

2 Tbsp organic apple cider vinegar

3 Tbsp olive oil

1 Tbsp local honey

some sea salt

some black pepper

Method:  Whisk all ingredients together in a bowl.