Spring Cleaning Detox

Heyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy Ladies and gentlemen.
 (gentlemen this is going to be diet talk, don't let me bore you, go watch the news or something.)


I bet you are wondering how my detoxing went so I figured I'd give you a long rambling update.  


I started The Juice Master's  3 Day Juice Detox which he outlines in his book, Keeping It Simple, which came free when I bought a juicer (This one, which I LOVE) after reading Kris Carr's Crazy Sexy Diet.





I wanted to jump start my healthy eating program as outlined in the Crazy Sexy Diet with The Juice Master's 3 day detox, so I did that last week.  And let me tell you 3 days without food turned me into a cranky old monster. RARRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR!!!!   BUT, Hallelujah! I did lose 5 pounds in 3 days!  Nick said this is not surprising considering there was NO food in my stomach.  Gah I hate it when he's right!  Unfortunately I don't think those 5 pounds are gone for good because I think I have already gained two of them back.  But whatever.  I'd like to tell you I reached "enLIGHTenment" like the juice master promised but that, my friends, would be a load of donkey kong.  Too bad, cuz I am usually searching for enlightenment.


So anyways yesterday Nick and I officially started The Crazy Sexy Diet (seriously the name is so embarrassing) Today I had to tell my boss I couldn't have the eclaire he was offering me because I'm on a Crazy Sexy Diet and then I winked at him.... (ok thats a lie I told him I was detoxing and considering he is a middle aged male he still thought this was funny and ridiculous)  Also Nick has told his colleagues that he is on the "Crazy Sexy Diet" which is also embarrassing for him.  Since he is a dude and all.  Good thing I taught him the phrase "no homo" which I learned from Chad Johnson's facebook followers.  So useful.  Thanks Chad for your contribution to society.  Too bad the use of the word homo is seriously offensive in England since they are very politically correct over here.  So if Nick really did say to his colleagues "I am on the Crazy Sexy Diet, no homo" he would probably get fired or at least scolded.  OK just wanted you to know I make up stories.  hope you see their comedic value.


So anyways the crazy sexy diet is no animal, no gluten, no dairy, no caffeine, no alcohol.  And LOTS of veggies!  And green juice (which is why I had to buy a juicer).  I'm also supposed to get exercise and meditate (whaaaaaaaaa?  yes it's a bit of new age hippy bologna) but I missed my bus to the gym this morning and went back to bed where my husband was spooning my dog, luckily they made a teensy bit of room for me.  sluts.  Yikes, ok I am ADD today, but I would just like to say that yesterday I had a bad headache and today I am sad.  For no reason.  Except I keep thinking I am homesick because summer is just around the corner and Britain pretty much has no summer, and I like my summers to be Wet, Hot, American and WILD.  And only the wet part is possible in Britain.  


Please let me know if you want to continue being updated on this Crazy Sexy business.  I have 19 more days...


Over and out.


Kelly Leigh

Just Call me Cellulite Sally

OK so since I found out I get to go to the states this summer I am having a major dilemma.  The thing is, in England there is rarely a need to let the sun even see your legs, not to mention get into a swimsuit!  You might say I've let myself go.  And this is bad news my friends, because you see I must get my thunder thighs into a rather form fitting bridesmaids dress and a bikini for all those pool days I am planning on!  Lucky for me Deliciously Organized  posted a Summer Cleanse on their blog.  Hallelujah!  This is just what I need!

I started on Monday with the no caffeine, no gluten, no animal products, and no sugar diet.  You can read more about it here.  I can tell you that it has been hard, I'm not having too many problems coming up with things to eat, but I feel pretty rough, like I'm having a very mild hang over all the time.  Apparently this is my body getting rid of junk - and get rid of junk it has!  I've lost about half a pound a day so far.

Anyways if you're interested, holler at your girl!  I'd love to see recipes you come up with and hear your results!  If you're not interested now you might be after I tell you about this delicious thing I concocted the other night....

Peach Salsa

Ingredients

• 4 peaches
• 2 medium tomatoes
• 1 small onion
• handful of parsley
• 1 fiery red pepper (sorry I bought them at the market and they had no name)
• 1 scant tablespoon sea salt

Chop it all up, throw it in a bowl and call it a day!  The flavors do get better if you let it sit though, so you might want to make it up a little while before you're planning on eating it.

We had enough of this to use two nights in a row, and it was so dang good.  The first night I had it with some baked tofu, while Nick made himself a piece of chicken (yeah I don't cook that stuff, but I tolerate it as long as he doesn't kiss me after dinner).  

But the second night we put it to even better use. Check it out....

A bed of lettuce, wild rice, black beans, peach salsa, and fresh guacamole.  This is my kind of meal.  Totally fresh, clean and packed full of flavors.  You should eat this whether or not you're on some crazy cleanse.

Look out for more detox recipes as the week goes on.  My friend, Sarah, is coming to visit tonight though and I think I might slip up when shes here!  Eeeek wish me luck!

Radish Leaf Pesto

Dear Friends,

Fat camp is going OK.  I'm learning how to eat healthy and seasonal food.  Yesterday I made radish leaf pesto.  I thought I hated radishes, but I gave them a try anyways.  Here is the recipe in case you were wondering...

Radish Leaf Pesto

• 2 large handfuls of radish leaves, stems removed
• 30 grams of hard cheese, like pecorino 
• 30 grams pine nuts
• 1 stalk of wet garlic, or one clove garlic
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 tablespoon cider vinegar

Then you just blend all the ingredients in a food processor.  And its done like - bingo, bango, bongo.

Tony Perkins said you can eat it with radish chips or thin it out with vinegar and oil and use it as a salad dressing.  Or you could make crepes with mushrooms and goat cheese and serve it like this...

It is surprisingly delicious.

In other news, it's been raining here so we haven't gotten to go off the blob yet.  But it was OK this morning and we went hiking.  I've also been doing arts and crafts. I will have to show you soon.  Hope all is well where you are.

Love,

Kelly

PS.  Send chocolate.

Rhubarb Pea Soup

I needed to get rid of that left over rhubarb from the crumble I made a little while ago.  Rhubarb seems to be largely ignored as an ingredient in savory dishes, which really doesn't make any sense to me considering it looks like a piece of celery.  I wanted to say screw you to the convention of only using rhubarb in desserts, and prove that it is a versatile veggie and can be served up in a healthy way, it can function without its buddy the strawberry and stand happily alongside another vegetable.  Ok, thats enough with the anthropomorphism of vegetables, but this is how rhubarb pea soup was born.

Ingredients

• 1 onion, diced
• 1 hunk of butter
• 2 and a half stalks of rhubarb, peeled and chopped
• 1 bag of frozen peas (907 grams was used in this)
• 1 veggie stock cube
• 3 cloves of garlic
• small handful of fresh mint

Place large pot over medium heat.  Melt a knob of butter in the pot and add onion and rhubarb.  Heat until the rhubarb falls apart, it will form a bit of a soft mushy mixture with the onion.  Then add 4 cups of water to the pot, the bag of peas, a veggie stock cube, garlic, and mint.  Simmer until the peas are tender.  About 10 minutes.  

Blend soup with an immersion blender and garnish with fresh mint and pretty flowers.

This is a really tasty spring time dish.  It's still chilly here in England so a little warming soup is welcome, but it has the fresh clean flavors of spring.  The rhubarb adds a little tartness to jazz up an otherwise sweet soup.  

Whole Wheat Banana Pancakes

Last night Nick and I had a lengthy discussion about immigrating back the US and when would be a good time to do that.  In the end we concluded that moving home right now (when we were planning on moving back to the US this time last year) would be really risky.  The fact that I can't get a job in England, makes Nick scared that neither of us will get a job when we move back home, and having us both be unemployed is certainly not the life anyone wants.  But it makes me a little sad that our current timeline for moving to the states is based on the outcomes of this damn recession.  Screw you recession!  You're really effing my life up right now.

Anyways, always one to eat my feelings, I whipped up some good old American style pancakes for brunch this Sunday morning.

Ingredients

• 1 1/4 cups whole wheat flour
• 3/4 cup white flour
• 3 tablespoons sugar
• 4 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 2 cups whole milk
• 2 large eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/4 cup melted unsalted butter (plus extra for frying)
• 2 large bananas chopped 

In a large bowl combine all the dry ingredients.  In another bowl, whisk together milk, eggs, and vanilla, then add the melted butter and whisk again.  Add the wet ingredients to the dry, mixing well  and then add the bananas.  

Melt a little butter over medium heat and cook the pancakes until nice and golden, about two minutes per side.

Then smother them in organic pure maple syrup.

Oh Yeaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah.......

Seriously these might be the best pancakes ever.  I'm usually an Aunt Jemimah box mix kinda girl myself, but they only sell that shit on the black market and totally overpriced here.  And while I am a fan of everyone's favorite aunt, I mean she sure does help you whip up some pancakes in a pinch, I do think that these home made from scratch babies are kinda putting her to shame.  

Moist, delicious, and they got an extra little somethin somethin from those bananas and cinnamon.  I think you'll love them.  Oh and they're made with whole wheat so they're "healthy" right?  Rhetorical question -don't answer that.

Purple Broccoli with Orange Ginger Dressing

Look at this pretty purple broccoli we got from Riverford last week.  I've never even seen purple broccoli before so I really had no idea what to do with it.  But I wanted something light and springy for dinner tonight so I whipped up an orange ginger dressing for the broccoli and served it over cous cous. 

I used two big handfuls of purple sprouting broccoli, threw them into a pot of boiling water for about 3 minutes, and plunged them into ice water to stop them from cooking.  

Ingredients for Orange Ginger Dressing

• Freshly squeezed juice from two oranges
• Zest from 1 orange
• 1 shallot
• 1 inch piece of ginger
• 2 tablespoons of sour cream
• 1 teaspoon sugar

Mix all the ingredients for the dressing together.  

I made some couscous, cooking it with apple juice instead of water to make it extra fruity and flavorful. 

Put the broccoli on top of the couscous and then pour the dressing over the dish.

This dish felt totally fresh and clean and healthy.  The orange was the overwhelming flavor, but the ginger added a little something extra.  The only disappointing thing about this was the broccoli lost its vibrant purple color when it was cooked.  

Okra Stir Fry

Those of you who know me, know I have a bit of an obsession with Indian food.  I know I'm so pale I'm practically see-through, but I'm pretty sure I actually WAS Indian in a past life.  I mean that would explain the fact that I can't go into an Indian restaurant without scarfing down enough food to make up for the fact that my very white parents had neglected to serve curry on a regular basis for my entire childhood.  One of my favorite dishes is Bhindi Masala, basically okra cooked in spices - though please don't depend on me for any literal translations.

I don't know why, but despite my love for it I have been a bit hesitant to delve into the world of Indian cooking.  I think the number of spices can be a little overwhelming, not to mention expensive if they're not already stocked in your pantry.

However, now that I'm a grown-up married person and I have an impressive collection of spices, I no longer have any excuses.  So here goes, my first attempt at a Bhindi dish, from Curry Bible.

Ingredients

• 280g/10oz Okra
• 1 red pepper
• 1 onion
• 2 tbsp vegetable oil
• 1 tsp mustard seeds
• 1/2 tsp cumin seeds (I just used a bit less ground cumin)
• 3 large garlic cloves, chopped
• 1/2 tsp chili powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp garam masala

Slice off the tops of the okra, and then chop into bite-sized pieces.  

Slice the red pepper, and dice the onions.

Heat the oil in a wok over medium heat, and when hot add the mustard seeds and cumin.  Remove from the heat and add the garlic, stirring for about a minute until it's lightly browned.

Then add the okra, red pepper, and onion, increase the heat to medium-high and stir fry for two minutes.  Add the chilli powder and salt, and stir-fry for three more minutes.  Add the garam masala for stir-fry for one minute.  Remove from the heat and serve with rice.

This was SO easy.  I don't think I followed the instructions minute to minute perfectly, but it still turned out delicious.  The spices gave it a nice smokey flavor, and it was so colorful.  As a bonus - I think it's quite healthy!

While I don't think this will stop my all too frequent Indian deliveries, I think it could put a nice dent in them and add a little something to my cooking repertoire.

Pumpkin Patties with Goat Cheese on Mixed Greens

OK, OK, I know I cook pumpkin A LOT... but bear with me for awhile here.  I only have one left after this recipe.  And before we know it spring will be here and squash will be out of season, out of sight, and I'll have to start cooking food that maybe you'll appreciate more than pumpkin.  However, until that time comes I am going to shove this pumpkin recipe down your throat in hopes that maybe someone out there will decide to make something pumpkin inspired (that isn't dessert) and will fall in love with this winter vegetable in the same way I have.  

Without further ado, I bring you my very own recipe for Pumpkin Patties!

Ingredients

• half a medium sized pumpkin, rind cut off, and grated (with food processor unless you're working on your guns in the new year)
• 4 apples, 2 grated and 2 chopped
• 1/2 cup whole wheat flour
• 1 egg, beaten
• 2 tablespoons brown sugar
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon 
• 1/4 tsp all spice

Combine all ingredients in a large bowl and mix well.  Form them into hamburger sized patties.  In a pan, melt a bit of butter and heat your patty until it's golden on both sides.  You'll be able to fit four or five in at once.  At this point, you may want to place your patties on a baking sheet and put them into the oven to keep warm while you finish cooking the rest of them.  It should make about 15 patties - hooray for left overs!

Place patties on a bed of mixed greens, sprinkle with goat cheese and toasted pine nuts, and dress with a simple balsamic vinaigrette.  And thank me, because I think this is on your diet plan.

Kale with Apple and Onion, and Lime Butternut Squash

For the past two days at work they've been providing us with free pizza and french fries.  While every now and then I love pizza, this isn't my usual choice of food, and having it for two days running definitely made me crave a few good veggies.  I got home early tonight and whipped these two dishes up for dinner.

Lime Butternut Squash
Ingredients

• 1 small butternut squash, a little over a pound
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 2 teaspoons lime juice

Preheat the oven to 400 F.  Peel the squash, cut length wise and scoop out the seeds, then slice across to form 1/2 inch thick pieces.  Throw into a roasting pan.

Add in one tablespoon olive oil, one tablespoon of butter, and two teaspoons of lime juice.  Pop into the oven for about 40 minutes, stirring half way through.

Meanwhile, there's plenty of time for cooking something else, in my case Kale with Apple and Onion.

Ingredients

• 1/2 pound of kale tough stems removed
• one small white onion 
• two cooking apples
• 1/2 teaspoon Garam Masala 
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1/4 cup water

Chop your onion into 1/4 inch wedges, and saute in a medium sized pot with 1 tablespoon of olive oil over medium high heat until the onion is golden brown.  Add your apples, chopped into wedges, as well as the garam masala to the onions.  Cook until the apples are tender and then add your kale.  To this add 1/4 cup of water and simmer until kale is tender.

Here are the two dishes side by side.  A healthy menage of sweet and tart flavors.

The butternut squash got nice and crispy on the outside, while the inside stayed soft and the lime added a bit of bite.  The kale dish also played on the same flavors because of the sweetness from the onions and tart of the apples.  Both dishes are healthy and tasty, though Nick found the kale a bit chewy.  I think this is a good meal to whip up when you need something easy and healthy.