A variation of the Thanksgiving Pot Pie with a savory mash of root vegetables
• 1 cup of beets, parsnip, turnip, carrot, butternut or kabocha squash, onions, medium dice
• 2/3 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
• 3/4 sprigs fresh sage, finely chopped
• 6 sprigs of thyme, desprigged
• s/p to taste
To make root vegetable mashed potato topping, add equal parts of parsnip, turnip and carrot with water to cover by an inch, boil for 30 minutes till soft. Puree.
I think we can all agree that the weather outside if frightful but here’s to pot pies to make it delightful….
I like putting them in individual pie tins, but you can buy the standard aluminum tins or even mini loaf tins. Just make the stuffing and top with the various mashed topping in lieu of a crust. You can make a whole bunch and freeze, reheating in 350 oven until hot.
This is basically a loose mushroom stuffing without the bread crumbs, topped with a cauliflower mashed potato crust
• 1 cup of celery, carrot, onion, parsnip, cremini, shitake or portobello mushroom, medium dice
• 2/3 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
• 3/4 sprigs fresh sage, finely chopped
• 6 sprigs of thyme, desprigged
• s/p to taste
Toss all ingredients in a baking tray with coconut oil or butter, roast in preheated 400 degree oven for 30 minutes.
To make the mashed cauliflower “potatoe”, add florets with an inch of water, boil for 20 minutes till stems are soft. Strain and puree in blender with s/p, add pat of butter if desired.
I don’t know how this happened; I am not a baker. I roasted beets in the oven and removed the skins while it was still hot. The beet skin had caramelized and the natural earthiness of the beets deepened and I got a whiff of dark chocolate. I make beet sorbet ice cream; awesome but still not considered baking.
Hmmm…So in the blender goes 2 medium gorgeous glossy roasted beets (I said farewell to them thinking it will wind up in the trash) a heaping spoon of unsweetened cocoa powder, two drizzles around the blender of agave nectar and a squirt of liquid stevia. The zest of a clementine and pinch of sea salt finished it up the madness and the whirring began. We can stop right here. Perfect. Warm. Chocolate pudding. It’s neutral, goes with any type of meal unlike the avocado or sweet potato based chocolate puddings and I have a feeling it’s gonna be on the fast track going out; roasted beets have a reputation of doing that.
I stare at my beet pudding and it is deep and dark and rich like velvet. RED VELVET CHOCOLATE CAKE! (I think the pudding might have up and smacked me) But I am not a baker.
But I have millet flour and I vaguely remember a vegan recipe for chocolate cake…. So here we go:
• 2 cups roasted red beet puree
• ¼ cup of agave nectar (more or less is adding stevia or not)
• ½ cup millet flour
• 1 tbs baking soda
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• zest of an orange, any type
• 1 tbs red vinegar (or apple cider vinegar)
• pinch of salt
Combine all the wet ingredients and mix with dry. (Work quickly because the baking soda and vinegar starts bubbling and whilst the cake bakes, it makes it moist and fluffy).
Put in mini loaf pan greased with a little coconut oil or a cupcake tin and bake in preheated 350 degree oven. 25 to 30 minutes. You want it slightly soft in middle.
I normally juice until dinner but I ate it while I was typing this. It is was warm and rich and with the texture of sweet earth . No pungent beet flavor but definitely a richness that might warrant more agave nectar or stevia but I liked it just the way it was.
Happy baking!
Almond Dofu Puddings and More
I used to make Almond Dofu which is a store-bought pudding-like Jello that you find in Asian markets. The “Dofu” refers to the tofu like quality of the pudding which is misleading because there is no tofu involved, only agar agar which a vegetarian gelatin substitute made out of seaweed.
My son saw the box at the store the other day and reminisced about it. (It was during his early childhood years) I forgot all about agar agar! It is a great product and will bind foods and you can make puddings, cream, even savory dishes with it like corn pudding….
But here is a healthy version of the Almond Dofu:
• 4 cups unsweetened almond milk
• 4 tablespoons of agar agar flakes
• 2 tablespoons of almond extract
• Sweetener of choice (I used 1 whole dropperful of vanilla stevia)
You have to simmer the above for at least 5 minutes to dissolve flakes. Once it is fully incorporated you can let it rest and it will thicken at room temperature or you can throw it in the fridge to expedite it. I pour my mixture into individual ramekins for portion control.
Want Coconut Pudding? Use coconut milk and coconut extract instead….
How about Chocolate Pudding? Are we sick of it yet?
• 4 cups unsweetened almond milk
• 4 tablespoons of agar agar flakes
• 2 tablespoons of unsweetened cocoa powder
• Sweetener of choice
• tiny pinch of seasalt
Of course, I like chocolate puddings with a bit of orange zest so I throw that in too… Just simmer as above and let it rest. But I like to throw it back in the blender when it has thickened to make it lighter and more like whipped chocolate cream (add a couple of tablespoons of water while blending)
BEST TIP FOR PUDDINGS ALL WEEK LONG….You can also keep a stash of the liquid (4 Cups) and agar (4 tablespoons) ratio on hand, already simmered for 5 minutes. Throw it in an ice cube tray in freezer and use a couple of cubes of this gelatin per pudding. Just add in your main flavor ingredient (try fruits like bananas too) and your sweetener of choice. Experiment with extracts. This is a perfect vessel for it.
My husband’s favorite salad of all time is my version of a Caesar salad but I make it with escarole instead of romaine because it is heartier and slightly bitter. With raw anchovy dressing made out of raw egg yolks and anchovy, it really packs a punch and satisfies both our larger than life palates.
I hand tear the escarole and use as is or I will grill the escarole, quartered with core intact to keep it fairly together and I char it lightly to get a smoky flavor. The dressing is an emulsion of raw egg yolk and olive oil, 3 to 4 anchovy filets, white wine vinegar (or lemon), 2 to 3 garlic cloves and a handful of parsley. The salad is topped with shredded raw sheep pecorino; not an everyday salad, for sure but sometimes we’ll have a family sized salad bowl each, share a bottle of wine and call it a day. (chocolate doesn’t count)
But Natalia has a great raw Caesar dressing in one of her earlier books that I recently fell in love with again. I revised it a bit and added a Japanese twist. The recipe is as follows:
• 3 to 4 stalks celery, roughly chopped
• 2 to 3 garlic cloves
• 1 tablespoon of miso (I like the mild white miso)
• Juice of 1 to 2 lemons
• Drizzle of olive oil if desired (it was in the original recipe as well and although not necessary, it does bind the dressing very nicely, making it smooth and glossy)
• Sea salt/ pepper to taste
I add crushed toasted nori flakes or even better, 2 ounces of hijiki seaweed. Hijiki is available dried and you rehydrate it in water. Let it sit for 15 minutes, drain and season with salt and pepper before use. This dressing is rich and creamy and the miso and garlic combination is a complete knock off of anchovies without it being too overwhelming. Romaine, green leaf or red leaf lettuce all work equally fine in this recipe.
If you opt for this salad, make miso glazed eggplant as the main entrée. Look for Japanese or Italian eggplants, cut in half and smear it with a thin layer of miso (add a bit of water to thin it out and a drop of stevia to balance out the miso) and a sprinkle of chopped scallions. Bake in a preheated 375 degree oven for 15 to 20 minutes.
A roasted Japanese yam for dessert will really make this meal complete. (I scrub the yams and cut into ½ inch rounds and dry roast in oven at the same time as the eggplants; taste like chewy cookies!)
This was one the best recipes to come out of the Culinary class last week. We had leftover roasted kabocha squash from our Vegetable Green Coconut Curry Stew. So the next day, we whipped up the kabocha squash with coconut milk, agave nectar, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, allspice, maple extract and vanilla. We put in an ice cream machine and within half an hour, we had vegan ice cream that was so complex in taste and reminiscent of butterscotch. But it needed to be a bit smoother, maybe a bit sweeter, maybe more cinnamon-y because the allspice dominated a bit, maybe forget the maple extract and add real maple syrup…and a drizzle of maple syrup with some star anise flavored sea salt! That was Amanda’s contribution, thank you, so brilliant! It was a lot of fun brainstorming and tasting this dessert that clearly had lots of potential.
So taking everyone’s advice, I made it again today. The trick is to STEAM the kabocha so it is velvety smooth. I cut it in half and put it in a steamer for 40 minutes. I let it cool and then scraped it off the skin. I nixed the agave nectar and maple extract and used maple syrup. .The finishing touch was a sprinkle of sea salt and a drizzle of maple syrup on top of the ice cream just like we did in class. It is really amazing.
• 3 cups steamed kabocha squash puree, chilled
• 2 cups coconut milk
• 1/2 cup maple syrup plus stevia to taste
• 2 tablespoon of pumpkin pie spice (cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, allspice)
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon sea salt
Blend in high speed blender, adding water if needed for a smoother silky texture. Put in ice cream machine and follow directions.
I introduced this recipe at my Culinary class. I’m not into making plant based foods taste like “meat” or “fish” so this was really extraordinary because my intention was really pure:)But it is really uncanny how the texture, taste and overall appearance is spot on like the real thing.
King oyster mushrooms are long woody looking mushrooms, bit phallic, if you ask me. I like to grill them with a teriyaki glaze (nama shoyu, sesame oil, garlic, ginger, agave nectar). But I overcooked a puny one by accident and it deflated a bit and got very spongy and soft in middle (we’re still talking mushrooms here) Just like scallops!
The best way to eat regular scallops is in brown butter so I treated the mushrooms the same. Just cut the mushrooms into 3/4 inch slices and saute in a pan with a tiny pat of butter. Let the butter foam and sizzle out first before adding mushrooms. Let it heat up a bit and then add a tablespoon of water to keep the heat going. You also need the water to steam up the mushrooms so it is cooked all the way through. I keep adding water and flipping until I get desired softness and also the “seared” look. It’ll take less than 3 to 4 minutes. It really does sear up nice and brown! Add s/p to taste.
You can eat the scallops over anything like steamed spinach or kale. I like to saute finely diced carrot, onion, celery, garlic and thyme and eat it on a bed of the aromatics with a handful of arugula and a hint of balsamic vinegar….
PLEASE TRY THIS! I got great feedback from students making it for their friends and family.
The following recipe is really great and versatile. You can use it as a base for thin crust pizza, as pita chips, sandwich bread, etc…. Za’atar is a Middle Eastern spice blend usually with thyme, oregano, sumac & sesame seeds. Plain oregano is also fine.
• 8 cups cauliflower rice, al dente
• 1 cup goat or sheep feta, crumbled
• 2 eggs
• 1 tbs za’atar
• 1 tsp paprika
• s/p to taste
To make cauliflower rice, steam cauliflower or blanch in hot water. I cut my cauliflower heads in half and put into my XXX Large steamer 🙂 You might need 1 or 2 heads depending on the yield. You can pulse it a food processor till it resemble short grain rice; 4 to 5 pulses max. (A cheese grater works great too)
Whip up 2 eggs and add the crumbled feta and spices. Layer a baking sheet with parchment paper and form batter into a large rectangle (or circle for pizzas). You want it 1/3 inch thick since it will flatten out a bit. Sprinkle a bit more spices on top and bake in a preheated 400 degree oven till slightly browned (20 to 30 minutes).
I like my flatbread with a roasted red pepper sauce, marinara sauce or as pita chips. Really, it is super easy and delicious!
Everyone that knows me, knows I am hopelessly addicted to Potato Chips. I have no problem juicing till dinner, then having a big salad, some cooked veggies or fish, eschewing nuts, grains, goat cheese or chocolate for days on end but every couple of days, I end my meals with a bag of potato chips. I like it. No excuses. Even as a chef, I can’t find a decent replacement. (Not talking Terra style chips either; Salt and Vinegar kettle chips, to be frank). Also, I don’t want to be perfect. What will I give up then? (Yes, that was excuse #1)
Well, I have been making this for months now and I have managed to keep my chip craving under control by replacing it with this recipe. Originally it was a Pizza Kale Salad but I made too much so I dehydrated the rest. So make a lot and eat half and chip out the other half!
• 1 head of kale, remove stems but keep leaves intact as possible (shrinks up in dehydrator)
• 1 pint cherry or grape tomatoes
• 1 cup sundried tomatoes, rehydrated
• 3 to 4 garlic cloves1 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
• 1 tbsp dried oregano
• 1 tbsp dried basil
• sea salt/pepper to taste
• 1/2 cup nutritional yeast
Put both type of tomatoes and garlic in food processor and pulse a few times keeping it rustic, not smooth. Massage the kale with the tomato spread and add in the dried herbs and spices. Season with salt and pepper. Sprinkle with nutritional yeast but DO NOT let it get absorbed and disappear into the kale. You want it touching the surface of the kale so when it dehydrates, the cheese flavor is pronounced. This also allows you to use less yeast……if you don’t like or do nutritional yeast, you can use 1/2 cup cashews instead (throw it in with the tomatoes)… if you don’t do cashew, just omit entirely but then consider a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil to make it all cohesive….
I use cherry tomatoes because I like how the tomato skin dries and clings to the leaves. Sundried tomato is optional but it does make the tomato flavor more intense. You do need to rehydrate it although you wind up dehydrating it only because you don’t want the sun dried tomatoes all pruny while everything is still losing moisture.
I put my dehydrator on full blast for the first couple of hours and then lower it to 110 degrees for a technically “raw chip” but if that is not an issue, keep it on full the whole way (6 hours).
For conventional oven setting, just put on the lowest possible setting and keep an eye… I can’t say I’ve tried it this way but others have and worked well.
DETOXIFICATION AND THE MENSTRUAL CYCLE (May 25, 2010)
Marie writes, “I stopped taking the pill a little over a year ago, and started the Detox4Women meal plan. I have only gotten my period once since then. I’m a little worried. Why is this? And when will it return? My husband and I want to start trying to get pregnant.”
There are several parts to answering this question. First, I want to address oral contraceptives, as well as all hormone-based contraceptives (rings, shots, etc. I am keeping pharmaceutical brand names out of this). I do not wish to contradict medical advise, I am not a doctor. However, my experience with many many women dealing with the same issue is that after stopping a hormone-based contraceptive, the menstrual cycle can take a long time to return to normal. I have seen it take over two years. My own cycle took even longer to return to normal after stopping the pill, and this was even before I began to cleanse and work with Natalia. After only a few months, most medical professionals will recommend that you get back on some form of birth control to bring your period back. This decision is at your discretion, I only ask that you make an educated and informed decision. This is a fact: almost all of my clients who stop the pill while cleansing do not see a full return to normal menstruation for at least one year.
Secondly, I’d like to address what is really happening in our bodies when we menstruate. Yes, it’s the body preparing a womb for a potential fertilized egg as we’ve been taught. But there is a second component. Our bodies are storing toxins in menstrual fluids so that they will be kept away from our baby. The release of blood-like fluids every month is a powerful detox! The body stores the toxins so they cannot interfere with pregnancy, and then releases them when no egg is fertilized. Men should be so lucky! This is a detoxifying monthly function that is specific only to the female body, and is a great aid in mobilizing toxics we ingest and encounter through poor air quality, compromised water, etc. However, this is why periods have become such a trial for us. They are starting in younger and younger girls, lasting for up to eight days, smelling strongly, and are accompanied by intense emotions and cramping. This is the result of our toxic load! We can look forward to shorter, lighter, cleaner, and less emotional visits from Aunt Flo as our bodies become cleaner. It is sometimes said that a perfectly clean body will menstruate without a fluid release (read: no toxins were stored for removal). I’m not sure this is possible in the modern world, but it illustrates the profound change that comes with cellular cleansing.
The third issue in this question is the effect of the cleansing program itself on the female cycle. Just like every other system in our bodies, the reproductive system is profoundly effected by our toxic load. All of you out there who struggle with poly-cystic ovarian syndrome, PMDD, uteran fibroids, etc understand better than anyone. As we begin to awaken and release toxic matter, these systems will slowly start to reset, and regulate themselves without the influence of bacteria, carbonic gas, yeasts and fungus, environmental estrogens, and not to mention the influx of animal-sized doses of hormones that make up the biomass of conventional meats (and dairy). This is not an overnight process. But please rest assured, a clean body can perfectly regulate every system better than we could ever have dreamed. Patience, and progress. Keep moving forward knowing you are doing the absolute best thing for your reproductive system, and that all of the issues you experience will come out in the wash (literally!).
You need to know that this detoxifying regime will never harm your body’s cycles, but will only help them to become perfectly regulated. You also must throw out any timeframe you have put upon your process. We have the stored toxins of our lifetime, combined with the damages of generations of accumulation on our lineage. I would never make a 6 month, yearlong, or even five year promise to you. Some of these things run dark and deep. Perseverance and trust are what you need now, not false timelines to keep you motivated with baseless information. You know this intuitively. Think about all that we have dome to this planet, reflected in our poor bodies. Could you fix the problem with a 10 day juice fast? Never. It’s time to set aside your panic and deadlines, and fall in love with the process. The promise I will make is this: If you are cleansing your body you are walking in the right direction and taking the only possible steps towards restoring your body to the vitality it deserves.
Natalia has said what I am about to say before, and please forgive me if I am not as delicate as I could be with these issues. I have deepest empathy for all of us. Reproductive issues are the result of a failing planet. We are a true reflection of the clogged and poisoned waterways, the smog, and the deforestation. We cannot escape the damages we continue to do to fragile ecosystems, and fragile reproductive systems. This is the mess we have made: many men and women have become so toxic that their bodies decline to produce viable offspring. Men have testicular cancer, prostate cancer, and erectile disfunction. Women have ovarian cysts, uterine tumors, and devastating monthly cycles. These are the facts, and the only right step we can now take is the start to clean up what we’ve done. We have all played a part in this destruction, and now we have a chance to be heroes to the generations to come. Keep this in mind as you’re cleansing. The female and male reproductive organs press directly against our over-worked, impacted, clogged colons and intestines. What more evidence do you need?
Last, I just want to give a nod to the importance of pre-conception cleansing. If you can give your son or daughter a clean nine-month home, clean breast milk, and superior DNA blueprints that come with this lifestyle of cellular cleansing, you are already winning parenting awards. There is no greater gift.
