It Only Hurts When I Detox

After all that Christmas cheer, coming back down to reality with a thud is a total bummer. While I do consider myself a realist, it still stings a bit, especially when I am forced to come to terms with all the poor nutritional choices I'd been making since Thanksgiving in the name of celebration. 2009's answer to all that over indulgence was a 7 detox- no sugar, caffeine, dairy, wheat or alcohol. I found the original version a little lacking in well, food so I upped the protein and added in more healthy snacks so I wouldn't collapse during all the exercise I planned to do. One week and 4 pounds lighter I felt pretty great- it even helped me kick a lingering bronchitis cough.

2010 began with mild sinus infection so with notes from last years detox plan, a recent viewing of Food Inc., and the added incentive of participating in Ten in '10 Healthy Challenge, I was ready to begin Week One. The first three days I had a 24/7 headache, a side effect I did not experience last year. Guess I'v been a very bad girl this Christmas. I finally relented and allowed myself a half a cup of coffee and kicked the headache about an hour later.

Since then I've been feeling pretty good and although I have no intention of saying goodbye to my vices altogether, this detox is a great way to reset my system and refocus my attention to more conscientious eating habits. For the remainder of Ten in '10 I plan to continue eating healthy and only treat myself on the weekends which means I can have a Saturday night date with sugar, but no going steady. I'll continue to meet my goal of exercising 6 days a week and Monday was the first of many "vegan once a week days. Eating vegan can be tricky but have been getting a lot of help by reading up on vegan recipes on blogs like Never Home Maker, We Haight Cookbooks, , Pink Stripes. I'm a big fan of homemade soup in general so Friday might I made Lentil, Kale and Potato Soup from Manifest Vegan. It fit right in to my eating plan and was a great way to use up leftover vegetables.

Thanks Lori for a great, healthy jumpstart in the new year! If you are interested in joining the challenge or just want to follow along, go here.

Lentil, Kale and Potato Soup
adapted from Manifest Vegan
2 yukon gold potatoes, chopped into small pieces
1 small brown onion, chopped
1 bunch of kale, chopped
1 cup dried lentils, rinsed
2 cloves garlic, minced
3 1/2 cups vegetable broth
3 1/2 cups water
handful of parsley, chopped
1/4 cup lemon juice
2 tsp lemon zest
1 1/2 tsp cumin
drizzle of olive oil
salt and pepper to taste
1/4 tsp coriander

Combine, potatoes, kale, garlic, bay leaf, lemon juice, water and broth in a large saucepan and bring to a boil. Place onions, parsley, lemon zest, cumin and coriander in a saute pan and drizzle with olive oils. Saute until onions become slightly translucent then to the pot. Once the soup begins to boil reduce heat and simmer until lentils and potatoes are cooked through. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

To Bisque Or Not To Bisque

It is finally starting to feel like fall around here, a season which brings out my inner soupaholic. Yeah that's right, I'm going to come right out and admit I'm addicted to soups, making it and eating it, and I have no intention of stopping. Of course my food magazine obsession is certainly an enabler here- last week it was Two Bean Soup With Kale from Cooking Light and this week, Fennel Apple Bisque.
Sunset had a huge section of irresistible looking soups but the bisque was at the top of the list. A few minor alterations to the original recipe resulted in a smooth, mildly sweet soup. I'm hooked.

Fennel Apple Bisque
adapted from Sunset, October '09
1 fennel bulb, chopped, fronds saved for garnish
1 large fuji apple, peeled, cored and chopped
1 onion, chopped
4 cups vegetable stock
1 tbsp butter
freshly grated nutmeg, salt & pepper

Melt butter in a large saucepan and saute onions until tender. Add vegetable stock, apples and fennel and bring to a boil. Simmer until fennel is soft, about 15 minutes. Puree soup in a blender, thinning with more stock is necessary. Reheat soup in the pan and season to taste.

Zucchini Relief Initiative 2.0 - Yellow Squash Soup

Yellow squash cupcakes anyone? Ok, maybe not but I still had 2 huge squash leftover from my friends pre-Olympic trip garden harvest. Since the zucchini soup worked so well, I thought I'd try this recipe from Epicurious. I substituted vegetable stock and added cayenne pepper, honey, a splash of balsamic vinegar and lots of paprika. Next time I make this I plan to either saute the squash longer or oven roast it first to create a smoother texture because the skin of the squash didn't puree well so the soup was a bit gritty at first. All in all though, a great summer lunch and another answer to your squash surplus dilemmas.

Zucchini Relief Initiative

It is a very dangerous time of year. It is squash season. If you grow it, you are inundated with it. If you have friends who grow it, don't leave your car unlocked or you might find a bag of them on your seat. One innocent offer to bake zucchini bread for a friend with freakish large zucchini on her hands and my desk has become the official dumping ground for all unwanted squash products! Regular zucchini bread, chocolate chip zucchini bread, chocolate zucchini cupcakes...I needed some relief but i still had 3 zucchini in my fridge! Thankfully Epicurious came to my rescue with a recipe for Zucchini Basil Soup.

I love making soups in the fall and this one was so easy to make and tastes great hot or cold. I used more garlic than the recipe called for and added cayenne pepper for a little kick. Served with a dollop of greek yogurt, this makes a wonderful summer meal. And it gets rid of a lot of zucchini!
Check out the recipe here.