Lunch/Dinner Recipe 7: Chicken Skewers with Yogurt Dressing and a Black Bean Salad

While I am happy to use tinned beans when beans are a component of a larger meal (such as in the Mexican Feast), when making a full salad based on beans I would definitely go through the hassle of using dried beans that need to soak overnight. While I have only made this salad using black beans you should be able to substitute it with most types of beans as per your preference.

Bean Salad
300 g black beans, soaked overnight and drained
2-3 tblsp olive oil
2-3 tblsp lime or lemon juice
1 tsp ground cumin
Salt and pepper or Herbamare for seasoning
150 g green string beans, steamed and then topped and cut into 2-3 pieces each
4 spring onions, finely sliced
1 avocado, sliced

Bring the beans to the boil in a large saucepan; once boiling reduce the heat and simmer for app. 45 minutes or until al dente (follow instructions on the back of the pack). When cooked, drain them well. Put the warm black beans in a large bowl, add olive oil, lime/lemon juice and cumin. Season with salt and pepper or Herbamare and leave to cool.

Blanch/steam the green beans until they are cooked but still crisp; rinse under cold water and cut into shorter pieces. To complete the salad, mix the green beans and spring onion with the beans and top with slices of avocado.

Chicken Skewers
I use chicken breast 'mini fillets' for this and they are easy to put onto a skewer and quickly fry on a griddle (or normal) pan. I estimate 3-4 skewers/mini fillets per person.

Before putting them on the hot pan, season with lemon juice, salt/Herbamare and pepper. I put a tiny bit of vegetable oil on the pan before cooking just to make sure they do not burn to the pan. Cook them for 3-5 minutes on each side until they are cooked through and none of the meat is pink.

Yogurt Dressing
In a food processor or blender whizz together:
150 g Greek yogurt
A handful of coriander
10-15 mint leaves
1 clove of garlic
Zest from one lemon
Season as per your preference with a bit of salt and a small squeeze of lemon juice

Put all the components together on a plate and serve.
Enjoy!

Lunch/Dinner: Hearty Salads

 Obviously, salads fit beautifully with detox and they are typically quick to make. Some people feel they cannot get full if they don't have some sort of protein or carbohydrate with their meal; if you find yourself in that category, add one or a couple of the ingredients from the 'Additionals' category below. However, for those who sometimes like to have a light dinner or if you come home very late one night and don't want something heavy, the salad alone will be a nice, light and very healthy meal to have.

Salads don't really need recipes - cook/boil as few of the ingredients as possible; not only will it please the 'Raw Food Gurus' but it will definitely be even better for you and it will be less work and less cleaning up after.

Here is a list of ingredients - pick one or a couple from each 'category':

• Lettuces: Lambs leaf, iceberg, rocket/ruccola, baby spinach etc
• Fresh herbs: Flat leafed parsley, mint, coriander/cilantro etc
• Vegetables: Peas, green beans, broccoli, asparagus, broad beans, carrots, cauliflower, mini corns, mushrooms, avocado etc
• Nuts and seeds: Sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, sesame seeds, pine nuts, cashew nuts, almonds
• Detox friendly cheeses: Feta, goats cheese, buffalo mozzarella
• Dressing: I would either use a great live oil, lemon juice, and Herbamare (or salt and pepper) or mix up some pesto (such as the Seggiano basil pesto used in my earlier post: http://alkalinefoods-ahealthierlife.blogspot.com/2011/01/speedy-lunchdinner-recipe-1-buckwheat.html) with olive oil to make it a bit more liquid.
• Additionals: Grilled marinated artichokes, boiled egg, griddled tofu, grilled chicken, quinoa, brown rice, gluten-free pasta etc

Enjoy!

Breakfast/Brunch Recipe 2: Smoked Salmon with Poached Egg, Wilted Spinach and Asparagus

As with the 'Breakfast/Brunch I' post, I already posted a recipe for something very close to this in my earlier blog "Breakfast part II - Lazy weekend mornings", but wanted to make a re-post of a few of those recipes for those who might want a photo to guide them.

I served this with blinis but truthfully I prefer it with quinoa so that is an easy change one can make. And then of course you can have whatever style egg you prefer - I feel poached goes well with this as it gives a bit of 'sauce' for the dish. This was again a quick one to make because I had blinis in the fridge already - and the same would be the case if you had some cooked quinoa ready.

Serving 1
2 blinis or a serving of cooked quinoa, either of them should be warm
1 big handful of spinach, wilted
4-5 asparagus, steamed
2 slices of smoked salmon
1 poached egg
Lemon juice, salt and pepper

Poaching the egg
This is much easier than it looks to be! Boil a pot of water and add salt and a squeeze of lemon juice. Spin the water so that it rotates around the middle; crack the egg open and drop the raw egg into the center of the pot. Put the lid on and cook for 3 minutes (that will give you a firm white with runny yolk). Prepare a small bowl of cold salted water into which you drop the egg once it is cooked. Leave the egg in for app. 30 seconds and then drain it on a piece of paper towel.

Arrange all the components on top of the blinis/quinoa and season with salt, pepper and maybe a little olive oil and lemon juice.

Enjoy!

Kitchen Machinery

I am suddenly realizing that I, over the last few days, have 'introduced' a number of kitchen machines which are indeed very helpful in the kitchen. In case you don't have much already, here is a list of the machines I think are quite helpful to have:

The must have is:
A food processor - this is just a brilliant kitchen gadget and so useful for a long list of things (cutting, grating, mixing, blending etc). For anyone who is busy, a food processor is even more essential as it will save you a lot of time.

The very important additional one to have is:
A vegetable juicer - please see my earlier blog: http://alkalinefoods-ahealthierlife.blogspot.com/2011/01/vegetable-juices.html  for the reasons why it may be worth getting a juicer and what type of juicer I recommend.

And finally, the nice extras to have are:
A blender - reason for it not being essential in my opinion is that a food processor can do most of the things a blender can do for you. But I think something like the Detox Shake (http://alkalinefoods-ahealthierlife.blogspot.com/2011/01/detox-shake.html) is done better/more easily using a blender.
A vegetable steamer - I don't have one myself!!! It is however something that I had been wanting to buy for a while but just haven't got around to (and now I have been told I will get one for my birthday!). The vegetable steamers these days are incredibly advanced and have all sorts of 'vitamin preservation functions' etc. But obviously, one can live without it - at least I have for many many years, and the downside of them is that they are very 'space consuming'.

Lunch/Dinner Recipe 6: Oven-baked Salmon Fillet with Red Rice and Steamed Vegetables

This is a relatively quick and easy dish to cook. The longest preparation component is the red rice which needs to cook 35 minutes. If you are in a rush substitute with normal brown rice or quinoa. In that event you should be able to finish this in app. 25 minutes. Start by cooking the rice and then preheat the oven to 180C. While the oven is heating up, prepare the fish in an oven proof tray. Once the fish is in the oven, I deal with cleaning and steaming the vegetables and finish preparing the rice.

The rice
1 cup red 'Camargue' rice
1 star anise seed
3-4 cardamom pods
2 tblsp mixed seeds
Vegetable bouillon granulate
Olive oil
Herbamare

My friend Erika, who is an amazing chef, taught me this recipe. Take 1 cup of red rice with 2 cups of water and then add 1 star anise seed, 3-4 cardamom pods and a little vegetable bouillon granulate for the cooking process. Follow the cooking instructions on the package in terms of timing.

The star anise seed and cardamom pods are removed when the rice has cooked. Once cooked, she adds a 'swig' of very good olive oil and 2 tblsp of mixed seeds and seasons it with Herbamare.

If you are however short on time (or ingredients) normal brown rice or even quinoa can easily substitute the above. Another alternative is to use the rice I made for the Mexican Feast which goes very well with this dish too (see post: http://alkalinefoods-ahealthierlife.blogspot.com/2011/01/dinner-recipe-4-mexican-feast.html)

The fish
Salmon (or trout) fillet with skin, app. 150 g per person
50-100 g feta cheese (I cooked two fillets and used 50 g)
A bit of lemon juice
Pepper

Gently wash the fillets under running cold water and dry off on a piece of paper towel. Put them skin side down in an oven proof tray and squeeze lemon juice over, season with pepper and finally crumble a dense layer of feta over them. I would NOT season it with salt as the feta is salty. Bake in the oven at 180C for 15-20 minutes (if your fillets are fairly small or thin they may be done after 15 minutes so make sure you don't overcook them as they become dry).

Vegetables
Mixed green vegetables steamed or blanched - you can choose among any detox friendly vegetables. I tend to like sugar snap peas and broccoli for this dish and would use a good handful of peas and roughly 5 broccoli 'flowers' for each person.
A handful of flatleafed parsley
Olive oil, lemon juice and Herbamare (or salt and pepper) for seasoning

When you have finished steaming your vegetables, toss them with a drizzle of good olive oil, a squeeze of lemon juice and some fresh chopped flatleafed parsley for extra taste. Season with Herbamare or salt and pepper.

Breakfast/Brunch Recipe 1: Veggie Quinoa with Fried Egg

This is a total 'protein bomb' breakfast! I already posted a recipe for something very close to this in my earlier blog "Breakfast part II - Lazy weekend mornings", but wanted to make a re-post of a few of those recipes for those who might want a photo to guide them.

This took me about 15 minutes to make because I already had some cooked quinoa in the refrigerator from earlier this week. In order to minimize the washing-up, I started by cooking the mushrooms in a non-stick frying pan, then added quinoa and spinach and when that was done quickly used that same pan to fry the egg. One cutting board, one knife and one pan to clean up after - quick!!

Serving 1:
1 egg (or more if you are very hungry)
1 clove of garlic, crushed
1 tblsp olive oil
10-12 mushrooms, cut into smaller pieces
A bit of fresh lemonthyme (you can also use flat leafed parsley or whatever other fresh herb you like with mushrooms)
A handful of fresh spinach, roughly chopped
Olive oil, lemon juice and Herbamare or salt and pepper for seasoning
Cooked quinoa (as per your appetite)
Optional: Avocado and buffalo mozzarella

Heat up the olive oil and add the garlic. Let it cook for a bit before you add the mushroom. Cook for app. 5 minutes and add the lemonthyme. Whenever you feel the mushrooms are done, add quinoa and spinach and cook it until everything is hot and the spinach is nicely cooked.  Season with a drizzle of olive oil, lemon juice, salt and pepper (or Herbamare). Cook the egg as per your preference and serve. I added a bit of avocado and some buffalo mozzarella to this plate but that's optional.

Season as per your liking with Herbamare or salt and pepper.

Enjoy!

Vegetable Juices

Vegetable juices are a wonderful and important enhancement to your diet during detox (and life in general). I have been reading up on the benefits of vegetable juices (and raw food in general) from the 'Raw Food Gurus' and it practically leaves one feeling that whatever you do not eat raw has zero nutritional value and leaves your intestinal walls built up with a heavy coating which ultimately results in all sorts of diseases. I am in the category of people who think they take it a step or 10 too far and are a bit too idealistic, but some of the theories and research conclusions put forward are definitely worth paying attention to. And one important point they make is that vegetable juices are VERY good for you!

I would recommend you to get an excellent juicer that gets the most out of your produce - I have "The Champion" juicer (which is a masticating juicer - see more below); it is made in the US but in the UK you can buy it at: http://www.ukjuicers.com/champion-2000-juicer-silver

You can basically use any combination you like of the detox friendly vegetables so it's a chance to get creative with your veggies. One 'blend' that I have found very tasty and refreshing is:
1 medium-large beetroot
2 medium-large carrots
1 celery stick
A 'packed' handful of spinach
½ lime (you need to cut the skin off)
A small piece of ginger

This combination (which was a total of 525 grams of vegetables) made 300ml / ½ pint of juice.

Why vegetable juices
From "The Original Raw Vegetable Juices" by N.W. Walker: 'Solid food requires hours of digestive activity before its nourishment is finally available to the cells and tissues of the body. While fibers in solid food have virtually no nourishing value, they do act as an intestinal broom during the peristaltic activity of the intestines, hence the need to eat raw foods in addition to drinking juices. However, the removal of the fibers in the extraction of the juices, enables juices to be very quickly digested and assimilated, sometimes in the matter of minutes, with a minimum of effort and exertion on the part of the digestive system.'

Why a masticating juicer
The most common juicers in the market are centrifugal. While they have become better over the years, I would highly recommend getting a masticating juicer over a centrifugal one. The vital part of vegetables - that which contains the greatest concentrated value - is the most difficult to reach as it is hidden deep within the fibers. Hence the need for a thorough mastication of all raw vegetables when you juice them. The more completely the juice is extracted, the more efficiently it will work in the body. Additionally, masticated juices last longer (up to 24 hours) while juices made on a centrifugal juicer must be drunk right away. So while the masticating juicers are slightly more expensive, over the long run they produce the most effective outcome (both of the vegetable - you will see that there is very little pulp left when juicing on a masticating juicer - and for your body). Finally, it has a slightly thicker consistency and tastes much better. Out of the 525g of fresh vegetables I juiced, I ended up with 300ml / ½ pint of juice and 200 g pulp.

Using the masticating juicer

Lunch/Dinner Recipe 5: Japanese Inspired Soba Noodle Salad

Soba noodles are made of buckwheat and work well for a slightly Japanese inspired dish (most of you will probably know it from some Japanese soups). As with pasta, make sure that the product you buy is actually made of 100% buckwheat. I was just rummaging through my pantry and found a pack of 'Brown Rice Udon noodles' where 50% of the ingredients was wholewheat flour!

As you will see on the back of the packaging, soba noodles should be rinsed in cold water after being boiled and they thus lend themselves quite well for a salad.

Serving 4
250 g soba noodles boiled as per instructions on the packaging
100 g edamame beans, steamed (if you have trouble sourcing these you can use broad beans or peas instead)
250-300 g shitake mushrooms, sauteed (see below)
1 tblsp fresh ginger, finely chopped
1-2 tblsp toasted sesame seed oil
250-300 g firm tofu, griddled and cut into small squares
1 tblsp Furikake (Japanese seasoning - see picture at the end of the post) containing black and white sesame seeds, nori seaweed and red shiso leaves). If you can't source Furikake then it can be substituted with nori seaweed in small pieces.
4 spring onions, finely sliced (I use the white part and a little bit of the lower green part)
A bit of lime juice
Herbamare

Dressing
3-4 tblsp toasted sesame seed oil
1-2 tblsp lime juice
1 tblsp fresh ginger, grated
2 tsp honey
Herbamare

Tofu
Start with the tofu as that needs to 'drain' on some paper towel before you griddle it. Cut the 'brick' into slices that are about 1 cm thick. Place the slices on paper towel and pad paper towel on top of the slices to drain it. You may need to change the paper towel 2-3 times to get enough liquid out of the tofu or it will burn too much when you griddle it. You can leave it on the paper towel while you do some of the other processes. When you get going with griddling the tofu, make sure the pan is very hot before you put them on. Turn them after a few minutes when you can see that the griddle marks are dark brown and repeat on the other side. When they are finished cut them into smaller squares to mix into the salad.

The griddled tofu

Sauteed Shitake Mushroom
Wash and cut your shitake mushrooms. Put 1 tblsp of toasted sesame seed oil into a hot non-sticky frying pan and heat it up a bit before you put in the chopped ginger and shortly thereafter the shitake mushrooms. Lower the heat to medium and cook them for 7-10 minutes and season with a squeeze of lime juice and some Herbamare.

Dressing
Mix ginger, toasted sesame seed oil and lime-juice and season with honey and Herbamare until it has a well-rounded taste.

To serve
I first mix the cold, drained soba noodles with the dressing to give them a good coating. Thereafter I add all the other ingredients leaving a bit of Furikake seasoning and spring onion to dress with at the end.

Dinner Recipe 4: Mexican Feast

Mexican food lends itself very well to detox living. I love this food and find it a true treat to have - whether or not I am on detox. Preparation time for this 'feast' is a an hour and a quarter to an hour and half, which is the time it takes to make the fish ceviche (you can make all the other components while the fish 'cooks'). It can definitely be made faster by substituting the ceviche with grilled chicken strips and the ginger and onion rice with either plain brown rice or quinoa.

¡Buen provecho

I categorized the recipe as 'Dinner' instead of my normal 'Lunch/Dinner' primarily because it takes longer to make and thus I doubt many would want to cook it for lunch only. I also don't think it is the most ideal thing to bring for lunch the next day unlike all the other recipes I have put on so far. You can of course bring some tortilla chips with you to work and have that with a bit of cold beans, rice and guacamole but overall I feel this is definitely more of a dinner recipe.

Shopping list (serving 4):
350g salmon fillet
6-7 limes
Large bunch of coriander
1 medium sized red onion
A bunch of spring onion
1 medium sized white onion
2 cloves of garlic
2 ripe avocados
Fresh ginger
Iceberg lettuce
300g brown rice
1 liter vegetable stock
1 can of black or refried beans
A small tub of half fat creme fraiche
Corn tortillas or tacos (make sure they are made with 100% corn)
Salt, pepper, vegetable oil and olive oil

Start with the ceviche. Make sure the fish is super fresh as it will only be cooking in the lime juice. I tend to use salmon fillet but yellowtail would also work well. As soon as that is 'cooking' get going with the rice as that also takes a bit of time to cook. While these two components are cooking you can make the guacamole, warm up the beans and chop your lettuce. Lastly, as you are putting everything into serving bowls you warm up the corn tortillas (while the tacos can be served cold)

Ceviche
350g salmon fillet (skinned and boned) rinsed under cold water and cut into 4-5mm thick slices
Juice and zest from 4 limes
1 small red onion, finely sliced
2 tblsp coriander, chopped
Salt

Mix the salmon with the juice and zest of 3 limes and sprinkle with a teaspoon of salt. Cover and leave at room temperature for an hour (or set in the fridge for 2-3 hours) stirring the fish gently every now and then to allow it all to come into contact with the marinade. Put the sliced onion to soak in a little lightly salted water to soften it and reduce its pungency. Once the fish has turned opaque, drain it and toss with remaining lime juice and zest, coriander and drained onion.

The cooked fish ready to be drained and dressed with the rest of the ingredients

Ginger and Onion Rice
300g long-grained brown rice
2 tblsp vegetable oil
1 tblsp crushed garlic (3-4 cloves)
1 tblsp grated/finely chopped ginger
1 medium white onion, finely chopped
3/4 liter vegetable stock
Salt and pepper for additional seasoning (if needed)

Heat the oil in a medium saucepan over low heat and add garlic, ginger and onion. Cook for app. 15 minutes until the onion is soft. Add the rice to the pan and stir-fry for 3 minutes until the grains are well-coated with oil. Increase the heat to medium-high and add 3/4 liter of vegetable stock. Bring to the boil and reduce heat to a simmer and cook, covered, for app. 50 minutes (until the rice is al dente and the liquid has soaked into the rice). If there is no more liquid and the rice is still not al dente then add a little extra vegetable bouillon or water. Taste and if needed season with salt and pepper before serving.
NB: Please note that this is a fairly large portion and probably more than you need for this meal. However, it goes very well with other dishes (in fact, one of the next dishes I will be posting is ideal to have it with) and since it takes a bit of time to make, regardless of whether you make a full or half portion, you might as well make a full portion.

Guacamole
2 ripe avocados
A large handful of coriander
Juice from 1-2 limes depending on how tangy you like it
3-4 spring onions - I primarily use the white part of it
1 tblsp olive oil
Salt for seasoning
Optional: Tabasco sauce (which is strictly not detox but you may want to add that extra 'zing')

Put all ingredients into a blender or food processor and whizz until it has a smooth texture. Add lime juice, salt and pepper/tabasco as per your preference. If you like your guacamole a bit more chunky leave out half an avocado and mix that in at last so that it doesn't get 'whizzed' as much as the rest of the mixture.

Black or Refried Beans
I tend to use the ones from a can so simply follow the instructions on the back of the can for warming up before serving.

Serve all of the above with warm corn tortillas or tacos, creme fraiche and finely chopped iceberg lettuce.

The Rules

I was having a look through my old posts last night and realized that I earlier promised to put the rules in a separate blog so that it would be easier for people to reference.

Importantly: Start every day of your detox with either a cup of hot water with lemon or a green tea.

The overall rules of the detox are:

1. No red meat (chicken and fish are fine)
2. No dairy - however, a number of exceptions: Plain bio-live, Greek and goats milk yogurt, ricotta cheese, cottage cheese, goats cheese, feta cheese, halloumi and buffalo mozzarella are all ok.
   
3. No alcohol
4. No fruit, except bananas
5. No vegetables from the nightshade family (such as potatoes, aubergines, cucumbers, tomatoes or peppers).
6. No sugar - and therefore no foods that contain such. Honey is however allowed.
7. No gluten
8. No yeast
   
9. No artificial flavorings or sauces (tomato sauce, vinegar, mustard); herbs & spices are fine
10. No soft drinks, teas or coffees, except herbal and green tea

Lunch/Dinner Recipe 3: Quinoa Salad

While this isn't in the 'speedy dinner' category, this is still quite a quick meal to put together.  The main preparation part is to saute the mushrooms which you can do while boiling the quinoa (which takes about 15 minutes). As per my earlier post about 'Quinoa', I used a mix of red and white quinoa for this salad.

All ingredients ready to be mixed with the cooked quinoa

Serving 4
1 cup quinoa - rinse well before boiling as per instructions on the packaging; I add a tsp of Merigold vegetable bouillon granulate to the water to add taste.
400 g mixed mushrooms
2 cloves of garlic
A small bunch of lemon thyme or flat leafed parsley, finely chopped
1 avocado, cut into squares
A handful of pine nuts gently roasted on a dry pan
150-200 g buffalo mozzarella, cut into squares
100 g/7-9 grilled marinated artichoke hearts (you can buy these at good supermarkets and at most delis)
Finally you can add any other 'green vegetable' (sugar snap peas, string beans, broad beans, asparagus, broccoli) steamed or blanched - for this one, I added lightly steamed asparagus
Lemon juice, olive oil, salt and pepper (or Herbamare, which I prefer to use) for seasoning 

Sauteed Mushrooms
Put olive oil and garlic in a hot pan; once the garlic has fried for a bit put in the mushrooms and turn the heat to medium. Stir until they are cooked. Add in flat leafed parsley or lemon thyme and season with salt and pepper.

To serve, put the quinoa on a platter and 'dress' with all the ingredients. Season with lemon juice, a good olive oil and some Herbamare (or salt and pepper).

It looks a bit like 'a dogs breakfast' but I promise it tastes wonderful!

Quinoa

Red and white quinoa - cooked

Quinoa has become a lot more 'known' and accessible over the past few years but I still come across people who have never tasted (or cooked) it so, given it's wonderful qualities, I thought it was worth a separate comment. My technical and nutritional knowledge of quinoa is no greater than what any of us can read on Wikipedia so here's the link in case you want to know more: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quinoa. For those of you who aren't that interested in reading up on the ins and outs of the grain, briefly, it is an ancient South American grain which has some fantastic attributes such as containing a very high level of protein, being gluten free and it tastes delicious. Texture-wise it comes closest to couscous; taste-wise it is slightly more nutty than couscous and rice.

I believe there are 3 different seeds commercially available, but the two you will see the most are white and red quinoa. The red quinoa seed has a bit more bite to it and I therefore like to mix the two for my salads, savory breakfasts, dinner dishes etc. When I make quinoa paddies I however always use purely red quinoa because I can't get enough 'bind' with the white.

Cooking quinoa is really easy. You use 2 parts water to 1 part quinoa. Rinse the seeds well before cooking and add a bit of vegetable bouillon granulate to the water for extra taste. It needs to boil for app. 15 minutes, bring it to the boil at max heat and then lower heat to a minimum and leave it there until all the water has been soaked up and it is light and fluffy.

Pudding Recipe 1: Blinis with Greek Yogurt, Banana and Almond Brittle

This is one of the closest dishes I have come to in terms of a detox-pudding and I have successfully served it at dinner parties. I posted almost the identical recipe in my Lazy Weekend Mornings breakfast blog in December (http://alkalinefoods-ahealthierlife.blogspot.com/2010/12/breakfast-part-ii-lazy-weekend-mornings.html) - this one is just a little more 'fancy' with the almond brittle and I have left the blinis unsweetened.

Blinis can be a bit like cardboard to be honest! I guess the idea is that it is what you put on top that matters in terms of taste. You can make the blinis sweet by adding a bit of honey or by using almond milk instead of soy milk, but since I tend to make a bigger batch so that I have them for a savory breakfast dish (Like 'The Detox Eggs Benedict in the previously referenced blog) or a quick snack the following day(s), I keep them unsweetened and get the sweetness from the banana and brittle instead.

Ingredients

Toppings
Greek yogurt
Banana
Almond brittle

Blinis
Most buckwheat flour bags have a blini recipe on the back and I simply substitute the non-detox ingredients with detox equivalents. This recipe is from the back of my bag of flour (except for the salt):

The batter should be smooth and airy

2 eggs (medium sized)
175g buckwheat flour
½ tsp bicarbonate of soda (or baking powder) - this is strictly not detox compliant but this is one of those times where I think it is ok to 'cheat'
300ml unsweetened soy milk (you can also use rice or almond milk - just be aware that almond milk is quite sweet so it would not be as nice to use the blinis for something savory)
1 tblsp vegetable oil
A bit of salt

Whisk the eggs until frothy. Beat in the flour and bicarbonate of soda and add the soy milk while beating well to keep a smooth batter. Finally add the vegetable oil. Heat a heavy frying pan and drop in app. tablespoons of batter per blini. You can make the blinis as large or small as you like - I got around 20 from this batch. Cook until the underside is golden and it has lots of holes in it (as per the photo). Then turn over and cook the other side.





Almond Brittle
Almonds, roughly chopped - you need a small handful per person
1 tblsp honey per handful of almond
A drizzle of ground cinnamon

Roast the almonds on a dry, hot easy-slip frying pan for 2-3 minutes while tossing them regularly. Keep the pan hot and add honey and cinnamon. It will start boiling/bubbling and will quickly caramelize. Cook for 3-4 minutes and then pour it out on a piece of baking paper/parchment to cool.

To serve, arrange 2-3 blinis on each plate; scoop 2-3 tblsp Greek yogurt on top and dress with ½ banana thinly sliced and the almond brittle.

Detox Shake

This is a quick, refreshing, slightly sweet and quite filling meal/snack which is super quick to whip up as long as you have a good blender!

For one glass (as per picture) you need:
1/2 banana
A handful of almonds
A scoopful of icecubes
1/2 cup almond milk

Chuck it in the blender and whip it up until it has a consistency you like.

If you like your smoothies to be thick, add a bit more banana. If you like it thinner add a bit more almond milk.

Enjoy!

Speedy Lunch/Dinner - Recipe 2: Polenta with Sauteed Mushrooms and Soft Goats Cheese

I just made this for lunch - quick and delicious! Make sure you buy a pre-cooked polenta and it will take app. 5 minutes to cook it. Again, if you make this for dinner one day, it also does well as a lunch the day after so make sure you make enough so you can bring it to work.

Serving 4:
1 ½ cups polenta
Vegetable bouillon (you will probably need about 1 liter for this quantity of polenta)
400-500 g mushrooms (you can use whatever type you prefer - i tend to mix chestnut and oyster)
2 tblsp olive oil
1-2 cloves of garlic - crushed
½ bunch lemon thyme or a good handful flat leafed parsley - finely chopped
Salt & pepper
150 g goats cheese

Polenta
Bring ½ liter of vegetable bouillon to the boil in a pot. Stir in 1 cup of pre-cooked polenta flour. Keep stirring until it reaches a thick consistency - you will likely need to add further water/bouillon until you get the right consistency. If you like it on the softer side keep adding liquid until it reaches a consistency you like.

Sauteed Mushrooms
Put olive oil and garlic in a hot pan.

Once the garlic has fried for a bit put in the mushrooms and turn the heat to medium. Stir until they are cooked. Add in flat leafed parsley or lemon thyme and season with salt and pepper.

Serving
Spoon up polenta and put 2-3 slices of soft goats cheese and mushrooms on top. Enjoy!

Speedy Lunch/Dinner - Recipe 1: Buckwheat Pasta with Pesto

There will be evenings when you either don't have time or don't feel like spending time in the kitchen. This recipe is super quick as it really only takes as long as it takes to boil the pasta. As mentioned previously, when using things like buckwheat pasta make sure it is made with 100% gluten free products.


Serving 4
4 handfuls of gluten free pasta (I suspect it is around 250-300 g) - you can add or subtract as you like - I used buckwheat (this one was 80% buckwheat/20% rice flour) but you can also use brown rice, corn or any other gluten free pasta.
4-5 tblsp basil pesto (you can add as you see fit) - I previously recommended Seggioano's pesto; other than not containing parmesan it is also delicious
A handful of pine nuts - dry-roasted on the pan
2 handfuls fresh rockets - roughly chopped
Optional: 1/2 buffalo mozzarella cut into smaller squares
Olive oil, salt and pepper for seasoning

Boil the pasta as per the instructions on the package or until al dente. Mix it with the pesto adding as much as you see fit. Mix in the other ingredients and serve. You can season it further using a good olive oil, salt and pepper.

Lunch/Dinner Recipe 2: Butternut squash and green bean salad with tofu and tahini

Most people's response to tofu is to wrinkle their nose! I never ate tofu (except for in my miso soup when having sushi) until I met my partner Matthew who is vegetarian and thus depends on tofu as a source of protein (and it has other benefits such as low in fat and high iron level). I found it surprisingly delicious when Matthew cooked it for me and have since learned how to prepare it and enjoy it. The 'secret' to tofu is that it is a great carrier of taste - ie whatever you marinate it in will become the flavor of it. This is especially great when you are not on the detox and you can soak it in ingredients like tamari and soy and make it a delicious addition to your stirfry. A great way to prepare it detox-friendly is to griddle it on a griddle pan and serve it with tahini (as I have done in this recipe).

Tahini is a sesame paste which unprepared doesn't taste of much, but with added spices etc has a delicious taste not too dissimilar to hummus (and is in fact one of the ingredients used for making hummus). I have included a recipe of how to prepare it below.

I also use tofu and tahini as a snack so if you are so inclined make some extra tofu and cut it into slightly larger pieces (though still max 1 cm thick) to dip in tahini. It tastes great both warm and cold.

Butternut squash is one of those vegetables/fruits that cause a bit of debate as to whether it is alkaline or not! I have had it during my detox periods and have not found it to cause any sort of reaction (which you do have if you have a piece of chocolate) so my take is that it is appropriate for it. If you disagree then you can substitute it with another vegetable such as broccoli or asparagus which will both go well with the other ingredients.

Serving 4
200 g butternut squash cut into pieces
4 celery stalks finely sliced
2 tblsp olive oil
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp ground coriander
Salt & pepper
150 g green beans, blanched and cooled
A handful pine nuts, dry roasted on a non-stick pan
4 sprigs spring onion sliced
A handful rocket
250 g firm tofu

Preheat oven to 180°C. Place the butternut squash and celery in a medium baking dish and drizzle with olive oil, cumin, coriander, salt & pepper. Place in the oven for 35-40 minutes, or until the butternut squash is tender. Remove and allow to cool.

Cut the block of tofu so that each slice is no more than 1 cm thick.  Lay the slices on paper towel and gently press to remove excess moisture. Heat a griddle pan – once very hot, put the tofu on and cook for approximately 3-4 minutes on each side, or until the tofu is golden brown with darker griddle lines. Remove from heat, let it cool for a few minutes and cut into smaller cubes


Tahini
2-3 tblsp Tahina paste
½-1 clove garlic, crushed
2 tblsp freshly squeezed lemon juice
2 tblsp ground cumin (to taste)
1 tblsp vegetable oil
2-3 pinches Maldon sea salt
water

For the tahini, whisk the tahina paste with water with a fork until the paste and water has a smooth consistency. Add lemon juice, garlic, cumin and salt to taste. Depending on how thick you like the tahini to be you can add more water or lemon juice as you see fit. The tahini will get thicker with time - ie if you leave it in the refrigerator until the next day it will have become thicker again but you can then again make it thinner by adding water or lemon juice.

Mix together the butternut squash, celery, green beans, spring onion, pine nuts, rocket and tofu.

To serve: Divide the salad up on 4 plates and drizzle with tahini.