Playin’ The Edge

My detox is almost finished and I’ve only posted one recipe so far!  I’m posting this one for yoga-buddy Joanne whose getting her head around starting her detox - you’ll love these babies! 

I saw this recipe in a Nigel Slater cookbook a couple weeks ago while I was planning this detox and thought - by god this is almost detox-friendly!  If I’d been more organized I would have made them up and thrown them in the freezer pre-detox so I had more ready-made food.  I’ll do that next time.

Thai Meatballs

1 pound of ground pork

2 green onions chopped

a small bunch of cilantro chopped

1 or 2 small hot peppers seeded and chopped

2 cloves of garlic squished

1 slice of fresh ginger squished

1 or 2 stalks of lemongrass, peel off the tough outer leaves and dice up the inside bit (lemongrass is not exactly on the detox list but they must be a herb or veggie right?  If you’re hardcore skip it they’ll still be awesome)

It’s best to throw all this in a food processor so you can do less chopping, but mix it up with whatever tools you have on hand.  Dump some oil in a frying pan and while it’s heating make up balls, walnut-sized and then squish them a little so they have an easier time getting cooked through.  I kept the pan pretty high, toasted them good on each side and then turned the heat down to let them cook all the way through. 

2 Suggestions for Eating:

1. While they’re frying put a cup per serving of chicken stock in a pan and add veggies, the slowest cooking ones first.  Some suggestions - sliced carrots, cauliflower, broccoli, chopped spinach.  Add a fresh herb like mint, basil or cilantro for extra flavour.  Once the veggies are cooked enough, throw it all in a big bowl, toss a few meatballs on top and grab your chopsticks to chow down.

2. Throw some meatballs on top of cooked brown rice and veggies and sprinkle all with Braggs soy sauce.  That’s the unfermented stuff that’s ok to eat while detoxing.

Indian-Style Lentils

Heat a T of oil in a saucepan.  Add a chopped onion and cook until it begins to soften.  Sprinkle with 1 tsp of curry, cumin and coriander, a 1/2 tsp of salt and a sprinkle of pepper. Add a couple nickel-size slices of fresh ginger and squish in 2 cloves of garlic. Add 1 1/2 cups of lentils, 2 c of chicken stock and 2 c water. 

Bring to a boil while you scrub up a couple carrots (if organic, or peel if not organic).  Slice them in.  Let everything simmer with the lid off-center for 30-40 minutes until the lentils are soft.  Feel free to add any other veggies you like.  I added a handful of chopped up cilantro at the end.  Let it cool a bit and it’ll thicken.  Serve over brown rice.  Makes 4-6 servings. 

I’m not one of those folks who can eat the same thing for multiple meals, especially when I’m detoxing, it just depresses me.  So I enjoyed the lentils a couple of times and threw the rest in the freezer for later in the detox.  Another thing I want to try is to water the lentils down some, throw half in the blender and mix it back together for lentil soup. 

Ah it’s that time of year again, I’ve bought the kit and stocked the kitchen.  I’m also enjoying an artery-clogging meal of this amazing baked rigatoni dish I found in a Donna Hay cookbook. 

The pasta is gooed up with ricotta, parmesan, eggs, and sour cream and I added garlic and crisp bacon for good measure.  And I’m getting extra enjoyment cos I won’t be having any of *that* stuff for 12 days.  But it’ll feel good to mark the dismissal of winter food eating and remind myself what a green veg looks like. 

Here’s what I got in case it’s helpful to any other detoxers out there:

- the biggest bag of organic brown rice I could find - repeat it with me “brown rice is a detoxer’s friend”

- puffed rice cereal

- unsweetened plain soy milk (it doesn’t taste great but what else are you going to put on the cereal?)

- frozen veggies for when I get lazy

- frozen fruit for putting on cereal or whirring up a smoothie with soy milk

- eggs (I’m going to fry up some peppers and onions the night before, and then throw them in a container with a beaten egg and cilantro to nuke for breakfast)

- chick peas to make this recipe in the slow cooker

- almond butter to put on anything that doesn’t move for snacktime (or I’ll make oat cakes on the weekend)

- brown rice cakes - see “almond butter”

- pistachios - I noticed these babies hiding on the 20% list of page 13.  You can bet I’m going to be cracking a handful of those babies with a piece of fruit at snacktime

- the costco-size bag of almonds - repeat it with me now “almonds are a detoxer’s friend”

- a box of organic chicken stock (you have to check these carefully to make sure they’re not full of MSG and unprounceable ingredients)

- lentils to make an indian lentil rice thing, stay tuned for the recipe

- ground pork to make some kickin’ thai meatballs, stay tuned for the recipe

- a bag of sliced up cabbage for coleslaw, hopefully I’ll get to that recipe too

- some new vanilla roobois tea to trick myself into thinking I’m drinking red wine (I’ll be much too sober for it to work, but I can try)

I’m feeling virtuous already.

In Nova Scotia, we’re big oat cakes eaters, you can find them everywhere.  My mother-in-law gave me her ancient recipe and I’ve altered it, like removing half the butter, to make it more healthy.  I  wondered if I could mess with it again and make a Wild Rose detox version. 

Now first my disclaimers.  This ain’t the best oat cake you’ve eaten, but it is a good portable snack that you can eat while on the Wild Rose detox.  The other good thing about these oat cakes, as my Honeybunny says, is they’re not brown rice.  (A little detoxer’s inside joke there). 

Here’s how to do it: 

Turn the oven on to 350 and make sure your racks are middle to high in the oven.  Dump 1/2 cup dried plums into the food processor.  Whir it up until it’s a paste.  Add 1/2 cup slightly softened butter and 1 egg - whir it up together.  Add 1/4 tsp cinnamon and salt.  Add 4 cups oats - pulse and scrape the edges until it’s combined.  (Flour is a no-no on this detox, so go easy).  

Take handfuls of the dough and flatten each into a hamburger pattie sized oatcake.  Place them on a cookie sheet.  If you like a soft oatcake, keep them 1/2 inch thick.  If you like something crisper, go 1/4 inch thick - I used a rolling pin to flatten them right on the pan.

Bake for 8-10 minutes if they’re thin, 10-12 for the thicker version. 

Slather with butter or almond butter hot out of the oven and you won’t feel like you’re detoxing   Carry around for a snack when you’re tired of almonds.  Or anytime you need a break from brown rice.

There comes a time in the life of every detoxer, where you say - damn, I’ve worked hard! I deserve some pancakes!  So do it, here’s how:

Combine 1 1/2 c of oats and 1/2 c of cornmeal with 2 cups of plain soy milk and let stand 10 minutes.  Add 1/4 c wheat germ, 1 egg, 1 T Baking Powder, 1 T veggie oil and 1/2 tsp salt.  Blend together.

Make sure your pan is good and hot (medium high heat) and oiled if it’s not non-stick.  Drop spoons of the batter into it.  When the edges start to look cooked and you see some bubbles, flip.  Put them flat on a cookie sheet in the oven at 200 until you’ve gone through the batter.

These pancakes are fairly light and have a good texture.  I cooked up some mixed berries to put over top.  They were also good leftovers warmed up in the toaster and topped with almond butter.  Yum.

Breakfast can be challenging on the detox.  I’ve been doing hot cereal in the a.m.’s and when i’m in a rush I take a container of puffed rice cereal and soy milk. 

“Porridge” has such a bad rap.  It seems like those of us were who were forced to eat it as kids remember gluey tasteless stuff and those who weren’t forced felt really lucky. 

But it can be OK.  Here are some suggestions.

Start with 3/4 c of good organic oatmeal.  If you like texture find the big flake stuff or try spelt flakes, they’re a bit more flavourful and keep their texture more than oatmeal.

Throw in some nuts.  The Wild Rose charts don’t go into detail but here’s a list of approved nuts from the Wild Rose cookbook - almonds, hazelnuts, sunflower seeds, sesame seeds, pumpkin seeds, pecans, walnuts, flaxseeds or flaxmeal.

Add some extra flavour and sweetness by chopping up 3 or 4 dried plums.  They’ll break down a bit when you cook it.  Or try chopping or grating in a small apple.

Add some spices like cinnamon or nutmeg if you like those.

Barely cover the contents with hot water and microwave it for a minute.  Then stir in some soy milk or more water until the consistency is slightly waterier than you’ll want.  Nuke for another 30-45 seconds.  Stir and then let it sit for a bit with the lid on.  Then enjoy with a big mug of coffee or herbal tea.

Post Mortem:

So I’ve finished my detox for another six months.  I haven’t been as hard-core sticking to the diet as I usually am, but it’s been a challenging time and I figure it’s a heck of alot better than how I *could* have been eating.  It’s given me the motivation to try to keep on track as well as I can as we head toward the Holiday season.  We’ll see how long it lasts.  Happy detoxing! 

Repeat after me from the Wild Rose food chart that’s probably taped to your fridge ”Fish (eat all you want even if over 20% of total diet)”.   I absolutely love salmon so that’s what I used, but these would likely work well on any fish fillets.  Here are three options to keep it interesting.

I usually schmear sweet stuff on my salmon, maple syrup or something like mirin wine if I’m doing an asian version.  The sweet stuff makes a nice glaze on baked salmon and of course it tastes great.  So what can I use while detoxing?  I found dried plums on the list, so I came up with this one and it turned out well:

Glazed

3 T olive oil

3 dried plums cut into pieces

fresh ginger (a slab the size of a quarter, peel and cut into chunks)

1 garlic clove (cut into chunks)

Throw all in blender or processor and blend until smooth.  Goo it onto the fillet.  It’ll go on thick, or cover two fillets so you have one for a friend or lunch the next day.  Bake at 425 for 15 or more minutes depending on how done you like it. 

And spices are our friend on this detox, so try this one for good flavour:

Indian style

2 T olive oil

1/4 t each of cumin, curry, chili powder, tumeric, salt

good shake of pepper

This is actually enough for 2 fillets, but i don’t have a measuring spoon smaller than 1/4 t. Bake at 425 for 15 minutes or more depending on how done you like it. 

Keep it simple but tasty with this option:

Simple Asian Style

1 T sesame oil

1 chopped up green onion

 1 garlic clove squeezed through garlic press

1 quarter size slab of ginger squeezed thru garlic press

good shake of sea salt and pepper

Mix and smear over a salmon fillet. Bake at 425 for 15 minutes or more depending on how done you like it. 

Go-withs

Baked Potatoes - Since you’ve got the oven heated, it’s a good opportunity for bake potatoes.  I started 4 potatoes in the microwave (5 minutes) and then finished them in the oven with the fish.  Bake extra when you do potatoes, they’re good leftovers.

Millet - Also let’s talk millet.  It’s an odd grain that you don’t see around very often, but if you like a good texture, try it.  It has a mild taste that goes great cooked in organic chicken stock.

Creamy is a texture I miss on this diet, and that’s why I like this soup.  It’s got great flavour and freezes well too. 

Corn Chowder

1 chopped onion

1 T olive oil

2 garlic cloves

3 c organic chicken stock (check the ingredients, but organic brands usually have the ingredients you can eat on the detox)

2 medium sweet potatoes peeled and chopped into 1/2 inch or so bits

2 c frozen corn

salt and pepper and any other spices you like

Instructions -  fry the onion in the oil for a couple minutes and add the garlic.  Then add the stock and potato bits, bring to a boil, and then simmer until the potatoes are starting to get soft.  Add the corn and other ingredients.  Add any additional seasonings (I like heat so I added alot of pepper and a bit of chipotle).  Simmer for 5 more minutes.  Then throw half of the soup in a food processor or blender and blend it up.  Add it back and check the seasoning.  Makes 4 servings.

Variation: if you’re going for the “eat all the fish you want” challenge in the detox, throw in a fillet of fish cut into pieces and simmer in the last 5 minutes.

Here’s a real easy throw-together meal option:

Throw a 14 oz can of rosebud beets into a lunch container.  Cut the big ones in half.  Add 1/2 c of your favourite beans (I used chick peas for crisp texture but might try lentils next time).  Add a cup of chopped up salad veggies (I used cuke, green onion and a bit of lettuce), add 2 Ts of chopped up fresh herbs (I used cilantro).  Slosh a bit of olive oil overtop.  Sprinkle with pepper and sea salt.

The beets are so sweet (and good for you!), I love ‘em.  This recipe has good texture and fillingness. 

Tip: beans are really freezable, so if you open a can for this, throw the rest into a baggie and freeze it flat so that you can just grab a few to add texture to a salad or pasta anytime. 

I normally do this detox in the spring and figure I should eat alot of fresh fruit and salads. And at that time of year - bring it on! But because it’s fall I want food that’s warm and filling. And looking at the food lists, you’re *supposed* to eat lots of onions, garlic etc. etc. So I asked myself - what do I like to fry up with onions? So I made this.

Chick Pea Tomato Stew

1 T olive oil
1 medium onion
3/4 lb of ground turkey or chicken
3 garlic cloves
1 big can of ground tomatoes (28 oz or 796 ml)
2 t of chipotle or a small chopped jalepeno
1 t cumin
1 t rosemary or oregano
1 19 oz (540 ml) can garbanzo beans, then fill the can twice with veggies. I used one of matchstick cut carrots and one of frozen corn.

Fry onion in oil, add ground meat and garlic. Cook until meat is cooked through. Add other ingredients, cover and simmer, stirring once in a while until veggies are cooked to your liking.

This is good by itself or over brown rice. Made about 4 servings.