A "non" dish for everyone

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

In Defense of Food

A friend of mine lent me a book recently In Defense of Food: An Eater's Manifesto by Michael Pollan. I have been making my way through it and have enjoyed it and the things I'm learning...nothing totally ground breaking, but just reiterations of these tenets: Eat (real) food, not too much, mostly plants.

What I really like is the reference to "real food" or "whole foods" - there are so many manufactured and processed and additive-injected foods these days. While I'm not bashing these foods (hello, cheese and chocolate are processed) but I like that reminding people that an orange can do so much for your health, as can spinach or blueberries, or oatmeal.

Reading Pollan is like a smart-alec former biology professor - his personality shines through and it's refreshing when you are reading more dry content (eg. soil mineral deficiencies or colon cleansing). It's good for foodies, health-conscious folks, and anyone interested in learning more about what they eat.

Read it and eat. Available at Borders!

Another great pasta night, that's RIGHT!

So, armed with my Cooking Light, I was determined to make a delicious, healthy meal for C and I. We both were sorta undecided, having had Mexican and Latin cuisine all weekend, so we opted for this very spring-y, Italian dish and were glad we did...it was delicious:

Ingredients
3/4 pound broccoli rabe or broccolini, cut into 4-inch pieces (about 1 bunch)
8 ounces uncooked farfalle (bow tie pasta)
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 cups thinly sliced leek (about 2 large)
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper
2 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
1 pound turkey Italian sausage (we used chicken sausage from Whole Foods - 1 sweet, 2 spicy)
1/2 teaspoon grated lemon rind
1/2 cup fat-free ricotta cheese
1/4 cup (1 ounce) grated fresh Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

Steam broccoli rabe/broccolini 3 minutes or until wilted. Remove broccoli rabe, rinse under cold water; drain and reserve 3/4 cup cooking liquid. Cook pasta according to package directions, drain and keep to the side (I did this part last so that it was still warm when I added it)

Heat oil in a large (and deep) nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add leek to pan; cook 2 minutes or until wilted, stirring occasionally. Stir in pepper and garlic; cook 2 minutes, stirring occasionally. Increase heat to medium-high. Remove casings from sausage. Add sausage to pan; saute 4 minutes, stirring to crumble. Add 1/2 cup reserved cooking liquid; cook 5 minutes or until sausage is done. Add remaining 1/4 cup reserved cooking liquid, broccoli rabe, pasta, and rind to pan; toss to combine. Cook 3-5 minutes or until thoroughly heated and mixed. Remove from heat; stir in cheeses and salt.

Makes 8 servings (serving size: 1 1/4 cups) and is perfect for dinner parties or weekday lunches. The sauce is somehow creamy and light, salty but not overwhelming...the ratio of cheese was perfect. We served ours with a crusty baguette and butter...followed by a Thin Mint.

With the suggested serving size, the dish is only 285 calories and tastes like 500...mmmm.

Cleansing, Part Due

Well, as I write this I am sucking down a homemade smoothie, after eating my flaxseed oatmeal and banana and taking the a.m.'s dose of fiber. Mmm, fiber. I have to tell you that my body is responding more to this cleanse than the last one (Sept '06) and I think it's a positive response. So far, I've dropped about 5 pounds - I was not using this as a weight-loss program by any means, but it's nice to get a jumpstart. Not sure about C, but I'll have him check into that.

By far the hardest parts are the weekends...we got through the first one by purchasing a delightful product - gourmet, wholegrain, jalapeno tortilla chips. They're unbelievably good and good FOR YOU. Check 'em out here. Not a minute too soon, either, since C was totally jonesing for some snack food.

To stand a cleanse, you are met with your fair share of temptation...we had it three-fold last Saturday. We went to the Revolution opening game (Go Revs!) and we had to:
A) Tailgate (no beer, no sausages, no steak tips, no chips, no cookies)
B) Keep warm in the 32' Boston wind (no beer)
C) Survive the vendors with all their treats walking up and down the aisle repeatedly (no hotdogs, no popcorn, no cotton candy, no licorice, no hot chocolate, no beer (again))

Chris was a champ and I owe him a big sausage at Fenway in the near future. Also, some beer and a pizza since he missed out on that last night...eeks. Sounds like a lot of catching up to do in the near future.

But hey, we still feel better!

*Interested in our cleanse? This is the product we are using - check it out HERE.