Juice Fast

3 Days into the Juice Fast portion of my Spring Cleanse.. and I feel amazing.
Heres the scoop: For 9 days I did the Master Cleanse (see previous post.)
Then I transitioned that immediately into a Juice Fast. Which technically should be called a JUICE FEAST. Check out all these fruits and veggies I'm getting!!
I haven't eaten any food in 11 days.
This is awesome. I felt absolutely stellar at work today, like there is a light at my core, just bursting forth into everything. Like ecstasy. I was a ball of happy energy all day, and since Ive got home, Ive just been bouncing around my apartment.
Its probably not for everybody, but I think I really needed this. Making this commitment has arose a wave of physical, emotional, and spiritual rejuvenation in my life.

Shelly's Kitchen Sink
1/4 head Romaine
Big Handful Spinach
1/4 bunch Parsley
1 Cucumber
2 stalks Celery
4 Orange Carrots + 1 Purple Carrot
1 Pear
1 Apple
1 inch or 2 Ginger
1/4 of a Beet


This is my GO-TO feel GREAT drink any-day, but especialllly when I'm juice fasting. During a juice fast, I can get by on 3 of these a day and feel MARVELOUS.

This is a variation of my favorite juice ever, Main Squeeze's Ring of Fire. The juice that started it all.. my first :) And when I brought my juicer home for the first time, you better believe that I made a huge pitcher of Ring of Fire & drank that whole thing.

Shelly's Light my Fire
3 Jazz apples
1 Valencia orange
1 Navel orange
1 blood mandarin
1 purple carrot
1/4 large beet
ginger
handful of spinach

Master Cleanse

I recently "master cleansed" for 9 days. For those of you who aren't familiar with the concept.. for 9 days, I didn't eat any food. I only drank mineral water and water that had been mixed with lemon juice, maple syrup and cayenne pepper.

On day 9 I began incorporating vegetable juice, whatgrass shots and miso broth.

Today is day 10. I'm still juicing, I haven't eaten anything yet, and I feel amazing. I plan to continue for a few more days, then break my fast with a raw salad.

During the fast, I have managed to keep a 40hour work week, volunteer 4 mornings on a farm, and dog-sit an 80lb Weimaraner.

I've been getting 8-9hours of sleep, have only needed 1 mid-day nap and managed to keep good energy all day.

On day 9, in the afternoon, I began to get irritable, and decided to transition from the Master Cleanse to the Juice Fast.
Within an hour I felt completely euphoric. I had a ton of energy all day and even had a hard time falling asleep. In the late evening, when I began to really wind down, I was hit by an intense stream of focused and creative thoughts, which I spent hours cultivating and recording.

I often cleanse with the change of the seasons, but nothing this intense. Usually, on a cleanse I will eat very small and nutrient dense meals. I really enjoyed my experience this time and in the future I plan to do more juice and liquid fasting.
Initially, this experience was meant to make me feel better. At work, I eat a huge variety of foods.. its my job. All I do there is learn, teach and share food knowledge. I eat a lot.
And since we just got through the holiday season, Ive been a little off my healthy game, and maaaaybe drinking a little too frequently. 
This cleanse is a way to reset my body and mind to begin this new season. By only in-taking these liquids I was able to release a lot of toxins from my body and take in a ton of nutrients. Not to mention, my skin and hair look great, I'm much more energetic, happier and I've dropped at least 12lbs.

This turned out to be a very rewarding journey for me. I'm able to reflect more clearly on the role that food plays in my life. I've gained spiritual, mental, emotional and physical reward from making the effort to abstain from food for this long, and I believe, that for the long term, this will be a very impacting experience on my life.

Master Cleanse Drink
2.5 quarts water
1.5 c lemon juice
3/4 c grade B maple syrup
1t cayenne

I made this drink fresh every morning in a big glass jug and brought it to work, and to the farm, with me. This recipe should make 10 8oz servings, which was perfect for me. Some days I drank all of it, other days I had a little leftover.

The lemon juice helps release toxins. People worry about the acidity of the lemon, but in reality lemon juice becomes alkaline inside the body, which means tremendous benefits.
The calories in lemon are 95%carbs and 5% protein.
Lemon contains Vitamins C, A, E, Folate and Choline, Calcium, Magnesium, Phosphorus, Potassium and other trace vitamins and minerals.

The grade B Maple syrup is where I was getting my calories. In 3/4 c maple syrup there is about 630 calories, 159 g of carbs and 159 g of sugar. Its also loaded with the minerals manganese and zinc. It contains vitamins A, B2, B5, B6, Folic acid, niacin and biotin.

Cayenne Pepper coats your throat, giving you a "just finished eating" feeling. It contains vitamins A, E, C, B6, K and manganese.

Fresh Almond Milk

Soak Almonds overnight. In the morning, pop them out of their skins.
Its easy! And fun : ) 

Then put them in a Blender. You should blend 1 part almonds with 3-5 parts water. Blend it good.

Here, I'm using my nut milk bag to squeeze the milk from the almond pulp. There will be quite a bit of pulp left behind, once you've finished squeezing the milk out of the bag.

Alternatively, you can push the milk through a fine mesh sieve.

Reserve your milk in a jar and store it in the fridge. Use it in smoothies, soups, sauces, breakfast, just drink it, do whaaatever you would normally do with store bought milks. And enjoy :)

Stay tuned for recipes using the reserved pulp. I often will blend it with mustard, herbs, tamari etc and use it as a spread. You could dehydrate it and use it as almond flour. You could ferment it and eat it like a funky cheese.. You could sweeten it up serve with breakfast or dessert.. oh the possibilities..

Pea Shoot & Arugula Pesto

A pile of gorgeous Pea Shoots from Green Gate Farms!! I picked these myself, 

they're sprouting up everywhere!!

The Pea Shoot is just the top few inches of a new pea plant.. they grow like wild, so it doesnt do any damage to trim off the tops before they become big ole adult pea plants.

You can pick a pea shoot and eat it straight away.. it tastes like a blend of spinach.. and peas!! They wouldn't cook very well because they're so tender and delicate, but they'd be nice wilted into some pasta, on a pizza, sandwich or tossed in a salad. The arugula is growing like crazy too, so I decided to combine the two in a pesto for friends.

There are as many ways to make a pesto as there are people in this world. Feel free to play with the measurements til you have one that you love. Pesto freezes really well in tupperware, or in an ice cube tray (pop em out and store em in a ziplock bag in the freezer!)

I use miso instead of cheese. Try it sometime!

Pea Shoot Arugula Pesto
2 c packed pea shoots
1 c packed arugula
1/2 c cilantro, optional (i had some laying around)
toasted walnuts
olive oil
white miso
lemon
garlic

Combine the ingredients in a blender or a food processor. Or make a rustic pesto, by knife or suribachi! A suribachi is like a mortar and pestle, only the bowl is ribbed.

For my guests, I served this with

Carrot & Turnip Saute
4 baby turnips, or 2 large, shredded
5 carrots, shredded
olive oil
salt

Heat the olive oil, add the veggies and season with salt. Cook for 3-4 min on med-low.

Crostini
Delicious bread, sliced thin
dredged in olive oil, minced garlic & herbs
and toasted under the broiler

raw Ranch Battered Kale Chips

In the above photo, beautiful green Lacinato Kale and Red Russian Kale, which I harvested myself at Green Gate Farms. Beside the kale lies a bowl of my rich and creamy nut-based Ranch sauce.

Here is the kale, heavily battered, in a luscious cashew & pine nut based ranch

In the dehydrator they go! Lined on wax paper at 109 degrees

Ranch Battered Kale Chips

1 head Lacinato Kale
1 head Red Russian Kale
2 c cashews, soaked 3 hours
1/4 c pine nuts
white miso (to taste, for salt)
2-3 cloves garlic
2-3 scallions
dill & parsley, fresh or dry
2 t ground mustard
2 lemons juiced

This is one of the recipes that I developed for our final project at plant-based Culinary School. I'm not sure if  you can duplicate the silky smooth texture of this batter without a Vita-mix blender. But you could try!

Its important to soak the cashews before blending. Soaking germinates (sprouts) the nuts and also, fattens and softens them. After a couple of hours they take on a purplish hue. Sprouted nuts, seeds and grains are one of the healthiest foods on the planet. 

Blend the 2c cashews with 1 1/2 c water. adjust by adding more water if necessary. Add the rest of the ingredients and taste your batter. If it needs more salt add a touch more miso.. if you think it needs a brighter flavor add more lemon.. if the herbs and spices aren't coming through enough then adjust accordingly. 

Its important to note that flavors concentrate in a dehydrator. So you may want to slightly under-season the batter.

These need to dehydrate at 109deg for at least 24hours. It may sound like a long time, but its totally worth it and you'll impress your friends. Have fun!

Cashew Milk

 Ain't it pretty?! I'm in love. This is my luxury product that I allow myself to always have on hand. I keep raw cashews in my freezer and make this milk a couple times a week. You can make it as thin or as thick as you like.
I use this milk for anything that you would normally use cow, soy, rice, almond, hemp.. etc. I especially love it in my morning VEGA smoothie!!

1 part cashews, soaked 3 hours

After you soak the cashews, drain and rinse them.
Then blend them with 3-5 parts water, depending on how rich and creamy you want your milk to be.
You may want to push it through a fine mesh sieve or invest in a nut milk bag to remove any cashew pulp that may be leftover from the blending process.

I save my cashew pulp, season it, and use it as a spread. I may season it with lemon, garlic and herbs or mustard, or soy sauce...

Heres a TIP! Instead of blending with water, blend with a flavorful broth and add your creamy cashew broth to a delicious soup. 

ALSO you could blend 1 part cashew- 1 part water and make a super thick, rich and decadent cream that you can season with vanilla & maple syrup... you could add a banana and orange juice and serve it with berries.. or on breakfast.. YUM!!

Risotto Mexicana

1 c Arborio Rice
4 c very flavorful vegetable broth
1/3 of a beer
1 white onion
3-4 cloves garlic
1  bay leaf
oregano
cumin
paprika
cayenne
6 T roasted salsa
2 tomatillos, diced
1 roasted pepper, diced
cilantro
salt
garnish- fresh tomato, lime & more cilantro
*serve with guacamole and refried beans

Heat 1 T oil in a pan, add the onion and cook for several minutes, until aromatic and golden. Add the garlic and arborio rice and cook for a few additional minutes. Add the beer and let it simmer til it evaporates. Season the rice with the bay leaf, oregano, cumin, paprika and cayenne, then begin adding broth one ladle at a time.
Stir the risotto frequently, allowing the broth to cook down into the rice before adding more. You keep adding the broth until you reach the desired texture of your rice. It should take at least 30minutes. In the last few minutes of cooking add the salsa, peppers, tomatillos and juice of 1 lime
Taste for salt and stir in cilantro at the very end.

Tamale Chowder

Welp. This is a masterpiece. I'm in love. Total prep& cook time was right around 4hours. I probably could've done it in 3, but forgot to soak beans in advance, so I prepared most of the ingredients last night then woke up, cooked the beans and finished the soup.
YOU can make this soup in 1.5 hours if you use canned beans, store-bought broth & tamales.


1 large white onion
5 cloves garlic
6-8 c vegetable broth
assorted roasted peppers - I used red & green bell, poblano, anaheim and 4 jalapenos
5 tomatillos, diced small
1 sweet potato, diced very small and roasted
1 c cooked pinto beans
1/2- 2 c prepared masa (or 4-5 cooked tamales)
1/2 lime, juiced
cilantro
garnish- freeze dried corn, cilantro, lime

Stay tuned for the complete recipe!!

Roasting Peppers

There are several ways to roast a pepper. You can easily achieve this on a grill, over the open flame of a gas stove, or under a broiler. My favorite way is on a grill, but in my apartment I roast peppers as follows..

First, slice em in half, remove the stems, pith and seeds. Rub oil over the skin side of each pepper, them put em under the broiler.

Once the skin starts to brown, bubble and pull away from the flesh.. you have success!

Now to easily remove the skin from the sweet roasted flesh is to store them in an air tight container. You can toss em in a ziplock bag, a brown paper bag... tonight I had this tupperware handy so in they went. Keep the container in the fridge for about 20 minutes. Once they've cooled you can easily peel them.

13 Bean Dahl

1c Bob's Red Mill 13 Bean Mix (I love Bob)
5 c water
small piece Kombu
2 T coconut oil
1/2 T ginger
1/2 T fennel seeds
1 t cayenne
4 t coriander
2 t cumin
3 medium tomatoes diced, or 2 cans
1 t salt
optional garnish with tumeric cashew cream, (recipe follows) bean sprouts and fried chickpea noodles

Tumeric Cashew Cream
cashew cream (1 part H20 + 1 part cashew, blend until smooth)
shake of tumeric
dash of salt
pinch of cayenne

 Soak the beans overnight. Then cook 1 c beans in 5 c water for an hour or until soft.
Meanwhile, heat oil in saucepan. Add the ginger and fennel seeds and cook for 1 minute. The oil should be hot enough to should hear it sizzle, but not so hot that it burns. Then add cayenne, coriander, cumin and cook for an additional minute. Now, add the diced tomatoes and cover. Cook until the tomatoes have completely fallen apart and the mixture has become a sauce. Now stir in the beans and simmer for 10 minutes.

Tuscan Potato Soup w Herbs and Truffle Oil

1 large leek, diced
1 yellow onion , diced
1 stalk celery, diced
6 cloves garlic, minced
8 med yukon gold potatoes
5-6 cups vegetable stock, or more to reach desired consistency
3 tomatoes, quartered, roasted then skinned
fresh rosemary, marjoram & sage
truffle oil to garnish

Root Soup: Potato Turnip & Horseradish Chowder

 I love horseradish. I've been thinking a lot about it lately and its about time I started including it in more recipes. I interned at the Farm today and scored some turnips, picked up some potatoes at the store.. and this recipe was born.

My Yukon Golds and Baby Turnips before they get diced and tossed into the soup pot.

Leeks and onions gettin happy in the pot

Everybodys gettin hot, just waiting for the broth

Mmm a beautiful sight. Flavors marrying, layers building, soon we'll head to the blender and make a puree.

1/2 large yellow onion, diced small
2 leeks, diced small
3 cloves garlic
2 T oil, I used a blend (almond, coconut, olive)
7-8 medium yukon golds, diced small
6-7 small turnips, diced small
vegetable broth to cover, about 5 cups
2-3 T horseradish
2 cloves
1 bay leaf
1 T minced marjoram
2T chives
salt & black pepper

Heat the oil in a large pot. Add the leeks and onions. Season with salt. After several minutes of sauteing add the garlic and cook for an additional minute.
Add the potatoes and turnips, a bit more salt, stir and cook for about 10 minutes. Once they start to get soft add the broth, horseradish, cloves, bay leaf and marjoram.
Cook for 15 minutes or until everything is very soft. Puree the majority of the soup in a blender, then add it back to the pot.
Stir in the chives, then season to taste with salt & pepper.

Best Way To Dice an Onion

If there is an onion in your pantry.. you should be able to come up with something delicious to eat.

This is by far, the most used vegetable in my kitchen.

Pickled, grilled, caramelized, roasted, sauteed, fresh, fried.. these guys are the base for most cuisine and pair well with any savory dish.

Onions have properties which are anti-inflammatory, anti-cancerous, anti-cholesterol, antioxidant and are believed to be an aphrodisiac.

In some lesser developed countries onions are used to reduce swelling, scars, to treat blisters, bee stings, boils and sore throats.

Could you imagine living in a world where onions are as rare and expensive as .. oh, lets say a black truffle?! I shudder at the thought.

• Slice off as little of the papery end as possible

 

• Cut the onion in half, by slicing directly through the root end

•  Lay it on the flat side, then begin making cuts like "flaps." Be careful not to slice them all the way off, but leave each flap intact at the root end. After this point, I should be able to pick up the onion by the root & it should still hold together

•  Now make cuts longwise from end to end, being careful to keep all the pieces together as much as possible.

• Here comes the dice! Carefully, bring the knife down from top to bottom, slicing your strips and layers into a dice.

Prepping Leeks

A member of the Lily family, leeks look like overgrown green onions or scallions. 

They have a slightly sweet, mild onion taste. 

Ideally, they're used early in the cooking process to build a depth of flavor. 

Leeks are often braised, fried, sauteed, roasted, grilled, steamed and boiled.

• First, you'll want to start by chopping off the tough green tops. I like to save them for making vegetable broth, so I keep them in my freezer, in a bag full of scraps.
• Now slice the tender bottoms of the leeks in half and rinse them really well. Lots of mud and dirt like to hide in between the layers

• From here, depending on your recipe and desired cut your technique will vary. To dice the leeks small, I make several cuts longwise through the vegetable.

• Hold the leek carefully, while you slice width-wise to create a small dice.

Cinna-Apple Maple Banana Oats

1/2 c steel cut oats
1 1/2- 2 c water and/or milk (its nice to mix the two, if so add milk at end)
1 apple diced
1 T coconut oil
3 T almond or peanut butter
1 banana, chopped
cinnamon
raisins
pinch salt
serve with maple syrup

In a saucepan heat the coconut oil and add the oats, stir to toast the oats for 2min. Add water then bring to a simmer, add the apples, cinnamon, raisins, and salt then cover. Simmer on low for 20min. Add the banana and stir in the nutbutter, then continue to cook for at  least 5 more minutes or until you reach the desired consistensy. Garnish with maple syrup & enjoy

Chickpea Eggplant Puttanesca on a bed of Arugula

Spring is Coming!!! I picked these edible flowers at Green Gate Farms. I work there about twice a week doing all kinds of different tasks. Just about every time I go I do something different. I always get to pick some food and take it home with me. The white flowers are from the arugula plants and the yellow are from a more mild green called Mizuna.

2 c cooked Garbanzos (chickpeas)
1/4 onion
3 cloves garlic
olive oil
jar of good puttanesca sauce  (I cheated!! I had one in my freezer)
capers and green olives, if desired (too make it more puttanesca-ey)
1 eggplant roasted and chopped (see previous post Roasting Eggplant)
Arugula

Heat the olive oil and cook the onion until it softens and becomes translucent. Add the chickpeas & garlic then cook for an additional minute. Stir in the pasta sauce, eggplant, capers and green olives (if desired)

Serve very warm on a bed of Arugula.

Creamy Cran-Orange Pistachio Farina

1 c water
pinch salt
1/3c Cream of Rice Farina (Bobs Red Mill)
vanilla, dash
1 orange, supremed  (See post, Supreme Citrus)
dry cranberries
pistachios
maple syrup, light drizzle

Bring 1 c of water and a pinch of salt to a boil. Stir in the Rice Farina then add cranberries and a dash of vanilla extract. Turn the heat to low and while it cooks you can supreme your orange.
Once the water has cooked in, this should only take a couple of minutes, serve with the oranges, their juice, pistachios and a light drizzle of maple syrup. Then enjoy the rest of your day!!

Spiced Swiss Chard & Mung Bean Stew

Mung Beans cooking with a piece of Kombu

Mis en place, while everyting my broth and beans are cookin'

Onion and bell pepper cooking in sesame oil and lots of spices

Puree 1/3 of the the stew then add it back in!

6 c vegetable broth (see previous post Let There Be Broth)
1 c dry mung beans, cooked in 3 c water
sesame oil
1/4 onion, diced
1 red bell pepper, diced
3 cloves garlic, mined
1 bunch Swiss Chard, stems chopped and leaves chiffonade (see post Teach the World to Chiffonade)
**dry spices: tumeric, ginger, cumin, coriander, 1 clove, fennugreek, white pepper, mustard

Prepare the Vegetable broth. Meanwhile cook the mung beans in water and prepare the rest of your ingredients

Heat 1 T sesame oil in a pan. IF USING WHOLE SPICES add them to the heated oil and allow them to cook for 2-3 minutes. This will soften them and toast them. IF USING GROUND SPICES add them at the end, directly to the stew. I used about half whole and half ground.  Use what you've got.
**I didnt specify the amount of each spice because... it doesnt really matter. This is a great combo. I probably used about 1/4-1/2 teaspoon of each.. besides the clove and white pepper.. I went easier on those. Just toss in 1 or 2 cloves and a few cracked white (or black) peppercorns.
After your whole spices have cooked in the oil for a few minutes add the onion and red bell pepper. Allow them to cook for about 5 minutes.

Once your mung beans have cooked, add the vegetable broth and spice/onion mixture to the beans. Simmer for 10 minutes. Add the chard at the end.

Teach the World to Chiffonade

Start by placing similar leaves in a pile 

Then roll them up!

like this

Next, slice the leaves into strips.  

Chiffonades vary in size from large to very fine. 

This one is somewhere in between

This cut is great for soups, salad, sandwiches, pizzas..