Detox Broth

A few years ago, when I participated in a 30 Day detox program through my yoga studio, someone gave me a recipe for detox broth. I had heard of juice cleanses, that crazy cayenne pepper and maple syrup cleanse, and the Betty Ford Clinic, but I had not as of yet, heard of a detox broth.

The recipe that fellow yogi gave me consisted of onions and a few root veggies and water and that was about it. I never actually prepared the recipe because it just didn’t sound that good and seeing as I don’t live atop a toxic waste dump, I don’t technically need a detoxing. But it did get me thinking about the idea of detox broth and set me on the path to a version that was not only drinkable, but actually enjoyable.

Detox Broth Recipe

In general, I aim for a broth that tastes like my midwestern grandma’s vegetable soup, which is no easy task considering the first ingredient in her vegetable soup is beef or pork shoulder. Oh, Iowa, I love you.

I’ve provided a list of ingredients and quantities for those of you who feel more comfortable cooking with an actual recipe, but honestly, I recommend just winging it. Add more of what you like the flavor of. My broth is never the same twice because I usually only make it when I have a bunch of vegetables laying around without a purpose in life.

If you are on an IBS diet, than you’ll want to steer clear of the vegetables that will cause a flare up. Here is a list. I have heard that tomatoes can bother people on anti-inflammatory diets, but I include them because a life without tomatoes seems hardly worth living.

I guess some people drink their broth cold, but that’s not my style. If you subscribe to ayurvedic philosophies, you’ll tell me the hot broth is good for my Vata dominant dosha. I love it, so you might be right.

Want more?

Visit the recipe section for vegan and vegetarian recipes

And don’t forget to comment below with what you put in your broth. I’m always looking for new variations to try.

This article originally  published on www.groundingup.com.

Print Recipe
Detox Broth
A vegetable based broth designed to aid in digestion and taste good. There really isn't much to this recipe from an instructions standpoint. I'm sure we could complicate it with lots of steps and timing, but that's really not necessary in this case.
Detox Broth
Servings
Ingredients
Servings
Ingredients
Detox Broth
Instructions
  1. Roughly chop all of the ingredients and combine in one large pot.
    chopped vegetables for detox broth
  2. Cover the chopped vegetables in 10 cups of water. Bring the ingredients to a boil then reduce to a simmer for 60 minutes.
    simmer the detox broth
  3. The vegetables will have lost much of their color and will be extremely soft when the broth is ready. At this point, a few cups of water will have cooked off, so you can add more water and continue to boil, or call it good and move on to the next step.
    Simmered detox broth
  4. It's now time to separate the vegetables from the broth. I send it all through a colander first to separate the large vegetables from the broth. I then send the broth through a sieve with cheese cloth to remove a lot of the vegetable fiber that comes through the colander holes. You only need to do this if fiber from certain vegetables bothers you. You can also reduce the amount of fiber in your broth by cutting back on the cooking time. The longer you simmer, the more the vegetables break down and the more fibers you up drinking.
    straining detox broth
  5. Pour the broth into some form of storage vessel and you are all set. I like to use 8 and 16 ounce canning jars. You can freeze the broth or just store it in the refrigerator if you plan to drink it in the next 5 days.
    Detox Broth
Recipe Notes
You'll notice that my broth is pink. That's because I use purple kale and tomatoes, which make it that color. If you have a sensitive stomach, I suggest you omit anything form the cabbage family.

Chia Seed Pudding with Pomegranates and Kiwi

To me, chia seed pudding seems so bizarre. I mean, who looked at their chia pet and said, “I bet I can make a great pudding from these seeds!”? Nothing about a chia pet appears to be edible let alone appetizing. And yet, here I am, experimenting with chia seeds for breakfast and desserts.

Because it’s Christmas time, I wanted to create something festive using seasonal fruits. That means pomegranates and kiwis were first on my list of toppings to use for maximum food styling points. I have created versions of this for Thanksgiving as well using pomegranate and persimmons and pears. You could go really crazy and use figs and dates and chopped toasted nuts. Anyway, the options are endless and I strongly encourage you to use your imagination.

You can make this pudding with milk, water, or juice rather than almond milk, but keep in mind that the absorption rates differ quite a bit depending on the liquid you choose, so you’ll need to be willing to experiment or search the web for other recipes where someone has done it successfully.

There is a wide variety of flavored almond milk on the market as well, so if that’s what you are using, cut back on the maple syrup and the vanilla. I recommend always using plain unflavored almond milk so that you have control of the flavor, but hey, you do you, okay?

In other news, but still related to chia seed pudding, my kids are in love with this recipe. I suspect it is because they live for pomegranate seeds, but I’ll take it. Anytime I can get my kids to embrace something as nutritionally action packed as chia seeds, I take the win.

Please enjoy the recipe and use it all year long with whatever is in season. Use the comments section to let me know what you are putting in your chia seed pudding these days.

Happy Holidays and Namaste!

This article originally published on www.groundingup.com. 

Print Recipe
Chia Seed Pudding with Pomegranates and Kiwi
Vegan chia seed pudding with pomegranates and kiwi fruit. Almond milk, chia seeds, maple syrup, cinnamon, vanilla, salt. Top with your favorite fruits or nuts. Here we used pomegranates and kiwi because it was Christmas.
chia seed pudding
Course Breakfast, Dessert
Cuisine Vegan
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 0 minutes
Passive Time 12 hours
Servings
people
Ingredients
  • 1 1/2 cups almond milk plain, unflavored
  • 1/3 cup chia seeds food grade
  • 3 tbsp maple syrup you can also use agave nectar or regular sugar and adjust accordingly
  • 2 sticks cinnamon or 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon if you don't have sticks
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • 1 tsp vanilla or to taste
Course Breakfast, Dessert
Cuisine Vegan
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 0 minutes
Passive Time 12 hours
Servings
people
Ingredients
  • 1 1/2 cups almond milk plain, unflavored
  • 1/3 cup chia seeds food grade
  • 3 tbsp maple syrup you can also use agave nectar or regular sugar and adjust accordingly
  • 2 sticks cinnamon or 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon if you don't have sticks
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • 1 tsp vanilla or to taste
chia seed pudding
Instructions
  1. Combine all the ingredients in a bowl and whisk until well mixed and chia seeds have absorbed some liquid. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight or for about 12 hours. You'll know it's ready when the consistency is thick and the chia seeds have a light halo around them.
    chia seed pudding ingredients
  2. chia seed pudding combined
Recipe Notes

I have often mixed this in a large mason jar. You can dump it all into the jar, give it a good shake, put the lid on and toss it in the refrigerator. This makes more than one service and it's nice to have a container with a lid to store it in. Just a thought. Enjoy.