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.

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.

Course

Breakfast, Dinner, Lunch

Cuisine

Cleanse, Detox, Vegan, Vegetarian

Servings

Ingredients

1 yellow onion
2 cloves garlic
4 ribs celery
4 carrots
1 cup fresh spinach
1 sweet potato
1-2 tomatoes
4 radishes
1 lemon sliced and include the rind
1/2 cups fresh parsley
1/4 cups fresh oregano
salt & pepper to taste
12 cups water

Course

Breakfast, Dinner, Lunch

Cuisine

Cleanse, Detox, Vegan, Vegetarian

Servings

Ingredients

1 yellow onion
2 cloves garlic
4 ribs celery
4 carrots
1 cup fresh spinach
1 sweet potato
1-2 tomatoes
4 radishes
1 lemon sliced and include the rind
1/2 cups fresh parsley
1/4 cups fresh oregano
salt & pepper to taste
12 cups water

Instructions

Roughly chop all of the ingredients and combine in one large pot.
Cover the chopped vegetables in 10 cups of water. Bring the ingredients to a boil then reduce to a simmer for 60 minutes.
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.
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.
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.

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.

Shakshouka with Feta and Fire Roasted Bell Peppers

A few months back, I was on a business trip in Los Angeles where I ate Shakshouka at the La Brea Bakery Cafe. It was delicious, comforting, and seemed easy enough to make at home and for the Meatless Mondays vegetarian blog posts.

Shakshouka is originally a North African egg and tomato sauce dish but has become extremely popular throughout the middle east. It is typically served in a cast iron skillet with bread to soak up the sauce.

I took some liberties with this Shakshouka recipe, mainly because I only had roasted red bell peppers rather than plain and I didn’t want to go to the grocery.

Additionally, I added feta, because I have read that is sometimes done and I’m always looking for an excuse to sprinkle cheese on things.

I should also mention that I did not even pretend I was going to feed this to the kids. My daughter doesn’t eat eggs “EVER” and my son had fallen asleep on the couch at 4:30 because he refused to nap at 2. He was still sleeping at dinner time and there was no way he was going to feel adventurous about food when he finally woke up to eat something. My husband, however, loved it.

This article originally published on http://www.groundingup.com

Visit the Recipes section for more vegan and vegetarian recipes.

If you’re here because you are into yoga, you might like the Tip & Hacks section or Yoga Practice section.

Shakshouka with Feta and Fire Roasted Bell Peppers

Eggs cooked in a savory tomato, onion, and roasted bell pepper sauce and baked with feta cheese. Served over mixed grains our couscous.

Shakshouka with Feta and Fire Roasted Red Bell Peppers

Course

Main Dish

Cuisine

Vegetarian

Prep Time

45 minutes

Servings

people

Ingredients

3 tbsp olive oil
1 yellow onion cut in half and thinly sliced
3 cloves garlic thinly sliced
1 red bell pepper roasted either canned or fresh
28 ounce can whole tomatoes
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp paprika
1/8 tsp cayenne pepper or to taste
3/4 tsp salt or to taste
1/2 tsp ground black pepper or to taste
5 ounces feta or goat cheese
4-6 whole eggs
1 bunch fresh herbs coriander, cilantro, parsley, whatever

Course

Main Dish

Cuisine

Vegetarian

Prep Time

45 minutes

Servings

people

Ingredients

3 tbsp olive oil
1 yellow onion cut in half and thinly sliced
3 cloves garlic thinly sliced
1 red bell pepper roasted either canned or fresh
28 ounce can whole tomatoes
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp paprika
1/8 tsp cayenne pepper or to taste
3/4 tsp salt or to taste
1/2 tsp ground black pepper or to taste
5 ounces feta or goat cheese
4-6 whole eggs
1 bunch fresh herbs coriander, cilantro, parsley, whatever

Instructions

preheat your oven to 375. Prepare this entire dish in a large cast iron skillet if you have one.
Chop or roughly process the whole tomatoes combined with your roasted red bell peppers. Mine came from a jar but freshly roasted bell peppers work as well.
Thinly slice the onion and garlic and saute in the skillet with 3 tablespoons of olive oil until their are very soft and beginning to brown. You may also thinly slice your bell pepper and add it at this stage if you prefer that over the food processor.
Add your tomatoes and peppers from the food processor. Add the spices including the salt and pepper and mix well. Simmer for 10 minutes until the sauce thickens a bit.
Add the feta and stir to combine
Create small wells in the sauce using a spoon and crack an egg into each one being careful not to get any shells in there. Then place the skillet in the oven and cook for 7-10 minutes more.
Garnish and serve.

Recipe Notes

We served this over mixed grains, but I think technically, shakshouka is meant to be served with bread. Either way, it is an easy, delicious, and healthy meatless Monday option.

African Pineapple Peanut Stew

November 20, 2017December 18, 2017jeslarussa

Happy Meatless Monday all. I dug out an oldie but a goodie for this Monday. This recipe comes from the Moosewood Restaurant Cooks at Home cookbook my friend gave me a few years ago when she learned I had gone vegetarian.

The Moosewood Restaurant in Ithaca, New York is well known for its vegetarian cuisine. I’ve never been there, but their cookbooks are a great staple for any vegetarian and vegan kitchen.

Enjoy this delicious stew. Let me know what you think.

Ingredients

1 cup chopped onion

2 garlic cloves, minced or pressed

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

1 bunch of kale or Swiss chard (4 cups sliced)

2 cups undrained canned crushed pineapple (20-ounce can)

1/2 cup peanut butter

1 tablespoon Tabasco or other hot pepper sauce

1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro (optional)

salt to taste

Garnish with crushed peanuts and scallions

Add the pineapple and its juice to the onions and bring to a simmer.

Stir in the kale or chard, cover and simmer for 5 minutes, stirring a couple of times, until just tender.

Mix in the peanut butter, Tabasco, and cilantro (if using) and simmer for 5 minutes.

Add salt to taste, and serve. We served this over mixed grains, but the original recipe recommends serving it with rice, millet, or couscous. We have served it over polenta as well with great results.

The article originally published on www.groundingup.com

Quinoa-Farro Cherry Salad

August 12, 2017jeslarussa

The inspiration for this recipe came from a vegan cookbook called PLUM: Gratifying Vegan Dishes from Seattle’s Plum Bistro. I changed so much about the original recipe that it is no longer gluten, soy, or dairy-free–oops. It is, however, still a protein rich vegetarian salad that we use as a main course or side dish at our house.

Ingredients
1/2 cup Farro ( or pearled farro)
1/2 cup quinoa
1/4 chopped almonds
8 oz fresh cherries, pitted, quartered
1/4 small red onion
1 lime
1/4 fresh parsley
3 mint leaves

Here’s how to make it:

Quinoa and farro have very different cooking times. So, really, you should cook them separately according to their individual cooking instructions. However, I am lazy, so I use pearled farro, which cooks faster, and I soak it for an hour or so before I mix it with the rinsed quinoa and cook it together. That gets their cooking times closer. So make that major life decision and while your grains cook, take care of your chopping.

Pit and cut your cherries. Chop your other ingredients. Toast your almonds in a dry skillet for a few minutes to activate their flavor. Then let them cool before you use them. I go light on the red onion because it seems to stay with me for days, but feel free to increase the amount and use a finer dice. You do you.

Put it all together:
Fluff you grains and let them cook a bit before you put them together with your chopped ingredients. Then, toss it all together, season with salt and pepper, squeeze lemon juice liberally, and garnish with mint. We serve this over a bed of mixed greens, but it works on its own too.

This article originally published on http://www.groundingup.com

Meatless Meatballs Recipe: Deliscious and a complete pain in the ass.

April 14, 2017jeslarussa

A few days ago, I posted this photo to my instagram feed. It is a picture of meatless meatballs for which I found the recipe in the New York Times Cooking section. I said I would try them and report back as I wasn’t sure how they could be tasty or even pretend to be meatballs given what was in them.

Here is a simple Q and A to help you decide if these meatless meatballs are for you:

Q: How did they taste?
A: Just like meatballs, so great.

Q: Are they easy to make?
A: Absolutely not.

Q: Did the kids eat them?
A: No way.

Q: Would you make them again?
A: Yes, but I would chop the mushrooms smaller or run the whole business through the food processor. I would double the batch while I was at it since they are time consuming and a little bit messy. I would freeze the extra batch for a future date when I needed meatless meatballs but didn’t want to go through the production of making them.

Q: How did you serve them?
A: On homemade fettuccine noodles with red sauce and salad. Also, because the kids wouldn’t eat them and the batch was huge, my husband and I ate them on salads all week.

Q: Where can I find the recipe?
A: Right here, Veggie Balls Recipe – NYT Cooking

Just Chana Masala–No Politics

January 19, 2017jeslarussa

You might think that I am about to hand you a recipe for a bowl of black beans, but I’m not. I’m here to do a couple of things:

try out some black chickpeas I got for Christmas (long story)
hack the way we all cook beans (unless you are from India, then I’m pretty sure this is just how you cook beans, but anyway…)
show you how we make chana masala at this house

I can’t properly credit this recipe because I have compiled ingredients and techniques from various places over the years and I’m way too lazy to list them all here; just know that it came from somewhere other than me.

Ingredients
1.5 cups dried chickpeas (we used black chickpeas for fun)
1 tsp baking soda
2 black tea bags
oil as needed
1 cup thinly sliced onions
1 tsp fresh ginger
1 tsp garlic
cloves
cardamom seeds
cinnamon stick
1/2 cup chopped tomatoes
1/2 cup potatoes
1 green chili
1 1/4 tsp garam masala
1/2 tsp chili powder
1/8 tsp turmeric
1-2 cups vegetable broth

Behold the black (desi) chickpea. These are similar to the lighter chickpeas, known as kabuli chickpeas common in the canned bean and bulk food area of the grocery store, but they are smaller, with a rough and tough outer skin, and obviously, they are black. Note: there seems to be a stray kabuli in the batch, but I let him stay because I liked his attitude.

Before you can do anything with dried chickpeas of any color, you need to soak them for 8-10 hours. Use a large bowl because they will double in volume as they rehydrate.

When it was time to cook the beans, I put them in a pressure cooker and added just enough water to cover them along with some cardamom and cloves. I also added 1 tsp of baking soda and 2 black tea bags because I read that adjusting the PH levels of the water will better penetrate the skins of the beans and help them hydrate all the way through.

The bean science worked and these beans were firm but not dry. They also had a complex flavor because of the mix of spices and the black tea.

Now, sauté your onions and garlic for 3-5 minutes or until they just begin to brown.

Add your tomato and a teaspoon or so of salt and continue to sauté for another 3 minutes.

Then, add your turmeric and chili powder. Cook this all together for 2-3 minutes.

Remove it from the heat and let it cool for a few minutes.

Blend it into a smooth paste in your food processor and set aside.

Now, back to the skillet. Add a tablespoon of oil, a cardamom seed, a few cloves, and a small cinnamon stick. Sauté for 1-2 minutes to wake them up.

Then, add your potatoes. Most recipes call for more chopped onions at this stage, and it doesn’t really matter too much what you use because we are just adding bulk to the sauce. I chose potatoes, because I just didn’t want to eat that much onion in one meal. But it is up to you.

It is now time to add the paste you made in the food processor. Stir until all the ingredients are well combined.

Add the garam masala and sauté for another 2-3 minutes.

Add your beans and 1-2 cups of vegetable broth. I used all 2 cups because I like my beans saucy. Stir until well combined and sauté until heated through.

Serve over white rice with sliced green chili and yogurt. The kids and I didn’t use the green chili because palates just can’t handle anything spicy but we add it for my husband, for whom nothing will ever be spicy enough.

This article originally published on www.groundingup.com.

Barley-Stuffed Peppers from ThugKitchen

December 3, 2016December 29, 2016jeslarussa

These Barley-stuffed peppers from ThugKitchen have become a staple at our house. I have wanted to get them up on the blog for a while. So here you go.

A note about this recipe: In our humble opinion, it needs cheese. So, we add 1/4 cup of shredded parmesan to the actual stuffing mix and then we sprinkle shaved parmesan as a garnish. Obviously, doing this makes the recipe “non-vegan” but we are cool with that.

Ingredients

2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 onion, chopped
2 ribs celery, chopped
1 carrot, chopped
3 to 4 cloves garlic, minced
2 teaspoons dried thyme
1 1/2 teaspoons dried oregano
1 cup pearled barley
1 tomato, chopped

2 tablespoons sherry vinegar or red wine vinegar
2 cups vegetable broth
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground pepper
4 bell peppers, whatever color you find cool
1 1/2 cups cooked kidney or white beans
1/4 cups chopped fresh parsley

1–In a medium pot, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the onion and cook until it starts turning golden, about 3 minutes. Add the celery, carrot, garlic, thyme, and oregano and cook for another 2 minutes. Throw in the barley, tomato, and vinegar and stir. Add the broth, salt, and pepper and let it come to a low simmer. Cook, uncovered, until all the broth is absorbed and the barley is tender, about 15 minutes.

2–While the barley is simmering, heat your oven to 375° F. Cut the tops off the bell peppers and scrape out the seeds. Place them in an oiled pie place or loaf pan, something where their asses won’t be sliding around once they’re stuffed.

Grease a baking dish and squeeze them in there.

More cheese!! Then cover them with aluminum foil for baking.

3–When the barley is done, fold in the beans and turn off the heat. (This filling can even be made a day or two ahead of time, no fucking problem.) Fill the bell peppers up to the top with the filling, cover them tightly with foil, and bake until the peppers are tender, 45 minutes to 1 hour. Let them rest for 5 minutes after coming out of the oven, ’cause those fuckers are hot. Top with the parsley and serve.

Thanks to ThugKithen for the recipe. We didn’t technically ask them for permission to publish their recipe, but those assholes can just fucking get over it.

This article originally published on http://www.groundingup.com.

Pumpkin pie from fresh pumpkin completely unnecessary.

November 25, 2016December 29, 2016jeslarussa

I admit that fake news circulating on social media made me question everything I thought I knew about pumpkin pie; one of my top 5 favorite foods. Could it be that I had gone my whole life without having a “real” pumpkin pie? Had I been duped by canned pumpkin puree?

Obviously, I was going to have to make a pie from scratch from fresh pumpkins to convince myself I hadn’t missed something critical. And now that that is out of the way, I can check it off of my culinary bucket list and go back to using canned “pumpkin”, thank God.

Here is how I did it:

Bake the pumpkin

After gutting the pumpkin and chopping it up into quarters, put it on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper, cover it tightly with foil, and then bake it at 325 degrees for 1 1/2-2 hours. Just this step alone takes longer than it would take you to make an entire pie using canned pumpkin. Just thought you would like to know.

Puree the pumpkin

Once the pumpkin has cooled enough for you to be able to touch it, cut away the orange rind and put the pumpkin meat into your food processor for a good blending.

Strain the pumpkin

You will then need to strain the processed pumpkin until it achieves the consistency of canned pumpkin. This took 3 hours.

3 hours of straining through cheese cloth pulled out 3 cups of liquid. You can’t skip or rush this step or you will have pumpkin soup instead of pie.

Finally,make your pie

I use the pumpkin pie and pie crust recipes from my Joy of Cooking cookbook, but use whatever your go-to recipe is. Your pie will likely be more yellow than it would be if you used canned pumpkin.

Serve and eat

In the end, we had a fresh pumpkin pie that tasted just like a canned pumpkin pie. This is clearly a situation in which food engineering in favor of convenience is serving humanity very well. Also, one of my guests asked me what was wrong with the pie; it seemed to be the wrong color; Sigh.

This article originally published on www.groundingup.com.

Pistachio Pesto Pasta: Our most requested recipe

October 28, 2016December 23, 2017jeslarussa

I’m finally getting around to writing up our most requested recipe. This is a recipe for Pistachio Pesto Pasta otherwise known simply as “Green Pasta” at our house. I can’t claim this recipe as my own because my husband tore it out of Bicycle Magazine sometime last year and asked that we try to make it. We did, and now it is a staple in our menu rotation at home.

Here is the link to the article if you want to read about how awesome pistachios are as an energy source or if you like to read about bikes and people who ride them. Otherwise, follow the instructions below.

Pistachio Pesto Pasta Recipe

Ingredients
1 cup salted, shelled pistachios
2 cups spinach
1/2 cup basil leaves
1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
zest and juice of one lemon
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1/4 cup olive oil
kosher salt to taste

Add the pistachios to the bowl of your food processor and pulse them approximately 20 times, then STOP. Do not over process at this point or you will have pistachio butter when you are finished.

Add all the other ingredients to the pistachios in the bowl of your food processor and process until all the ingredients are well incorporate but you still have a few small pistachio chunks.

Combine your pesto with warm pasta. A few notes here: this pistachio pesto is THICK and works best when mixed into short pastas like penne, macaroni, or whatever I have shown in the picture. Also, it mixes better when the pasta is still hot.

And here you are–Green Pasta. Gram for gram, pistachios have more muscle building protein than beef and because this recipe is packed with spinach, there is no need for you to harass your kids about eating their salad and you don’t have to make one, so everybody wins with this recipe.

This article was originally published on www.groundingup.com.

Veggie Lasagna With Tofu Ricotta

October 16, 2016December 29, 2016jeslarussa

We regularly serve this excellent fresh vegetable lasagna with spinach and zucchini from the Food Network. However, it doesn’t have much in the way of protein so I did some experimenting with tofu ricotta.

Tofu Ricotta Recipe
16 oz. extra firm tofu, drained of excess water
2 tbsp olive oil
3 cloves minced garlic
1/4 c finely chopped onion
1/4 c nutritional yeast
2 tbsp fresh oregano
1 tbsp fresh basil

Toss all the ingredients into the bowl of your food processor.

Pulse the ingredients together in the food processor approximately 20 times or until the ingredients are well mixed and have a crumbly consistency.

Layer your tofu ricotta in the lasagna as you would regular ricotta. We added parmesan cheese, garlic cloves, fresh basil and oregano, salt and pepper, and an egg to our tofu ricotta.

I served our lasagna with the tofu ricotta at a dinner party on Saturday night. No one seemed to notice that the ricotta had been swapped out with tofu. I’m going to call that a win.

Be sure to head on over to the Food Network to grab the whole recipe for this delicious vegetarian lasagna.

This article was originally published on www.groundingup.com.