Several years ago, I joined various colleagues in Boston in completing a 14 day cleanse - this was not the "master" cleanse w/ cayenne pepper, maple syrup madness - but one focusing on clean foods. Clean foods are defined as non-wheat, non-meat, non-caffeinated, non-dairy, non-alcoholic, food-from-the-earth type foods. Needless to say, C quit after 4 days and was miserable* when I did it a second time...I liked the overall premise, but it was REALLY hard to stick to when I went to NYC for a friend's birthday, but I digress.
While in
Beaver Creek a week ago, I stole the most recent issue of
Bon Appetit and perused the magazine this past weekend. It's a slim issue, but packed with great recipes that I truly see us incorporating into our mealtimes. One such recipe was for quinoa risotto with mushrooms - a very cleanse-friendly food, that I highly recommend. Quinoa is great for cleansing AND vegetarians as it is a great source of protein, high in fiber, and is gluten-free and easy to digest.
Since my brother and his girlfriend often make vegetarian meals, I'm posting this especially for them to try - it's hard to pronounce, but once you have quinoa I think you're a convert:
1 cup quinoa (rinsed)
1 tbsp olive oil
1 1/2 cups chopped yellow or white onion
1 clove garlic, pressed or minced
1 8 oz pckg crimini (baby bella) mushrooms, sliced
6 oz of shiitake mushrooms, sliced
3-4 strands of fresh thyme, de-stemmed
1 cup dry white wine (sauvignon blanc/chablis or the like)
Some shredded parmegiano cheese, if preferred
Bring 2 cups of salted water to boil - add the quinoa and cover, simmering over medium-low. Let this cook until there is no water, approx 10-12 minutes.
While quinoa is cooking, heat olive oil in a large saute pan. Add the onion, cook until translucent and soft, approx 5 minutes. Add the garlic, mixing it into the onions, cook for about 1 minute. Add the mushrooms and the thyme, mixing everything together. Cook until mushrooms are soft, about 5 minutes. Add the wine; let the wine cook off and stir occasionally until mixture thickens and liquids are reduced (about 3 minutes).
Add the quinoa to the mushroom mixture, stirring to mix thoroughly. Season with salt and pepper and serve! We both put about a tbsp of shredded parm/asiago blend on ours for added saltiness :)
This should make 4 entree servings, or 6 side servings. We served it with a fennel tomato salad and it was a lovely, earthy, vege-friendly meal! Highly recommended.
*not the entire time, but pretty much against all future cleanses
While in Napa this past fall, C and I spent a lot of time "commuting" and whiling away the hours on the lovely St. Helena highway (Rte 29). We tried to plan around the must-dos and restaurants on our list, therefore creating a circle of wineries and vineyards per diem. What strikes me as funny now is that we passed Turnbull every day - it was far enough south on the east side of the road, has an easily identifiable sign, and is close to the Silverado turn-off. Plus, we visited the neighboring vineyards of Cakebread, Grgich and Rubicon.