From Broth to Soup

Here are the left over vegetables from my broth of the last two nights turned into a very nice soup.

serves 2-3
5 minutes

1. Add 3 cups of water to the left over vegetables from the broth.
2. Put 3/4 of soup into a blender and puree. Return to pot.
3. Heat and serve with a quarter lime and some Thai fish sauce.
   

Learning how to chew again

After 17 days of just liquids I have finally returned to chewing. I've started off with my basic seed mixture to start me back on solid food. I eat 3/4 of a cup of this throughout the day when I am tree planting and it really does give you a lot of energy for the amount you are eating. A quarter cup of this at lunch gives you about 200-250 calories and should be enough to fill you up for awhile. It doesn't get much healthier than this. I like to mix this up in small batches so that I eat it in one sitting. This way the smaller seeds don't get left behind at the bottom of a big container. Eating this with a spoon is a good way to get a bit of everything in each mouthful.

makes 1/4 a cup

• handful Almonds
• good handful Pumpkin seeds
• 1 Tbsp Sesame seeds
• 1 Tbsp Sunflower seeds
• 1 Tbsp Flax seeds

1. Mix all the seeds together in a small container.
2. For a bit more flavor you can dry roast the mixture with a small amount of Tamari sauce until the smaller seeds start to pop.
3. Throw in any dried fruit if you want a bit of moisture in this mix.
   

Recipe - A Tangy Broth

I made this simple soup broth last night and it tasted amazing, so I figured that I might as well make it again while I exit my cleanse. Perhaps it tasted so good because I haven't eaten in 15 days.

Serves 2-3
40 minutes

• 1 cup diced yam
  
• 1 medium onion, sliced thin
  
• 4 cloves garlic, sliced thin
• pinch of cayenne
• 1 Tbsp dried Wakame seaweed
• 1 tsp Yellow (or Red or Green) Thai Curry paste
• 1/2 tsp turmeric powder
  
• 1 tsp olive oil
• half a small lime
• 1 tsp Thai Fish Sauce (optional but recommended)
  

1. Sautee the first 3 ingredients at medium high in a heavy pot with the olive oil, curry paste and turmeric until onions turn slightly brown.
2. Add a bit of water, the cayenne, and seaweed. Turn to low, cover the pot and cook for a further 10-15 minutes.
3. Add 4 cups of water, bring to a boil, and then simmer on low for a further 15 minutes.
4. Remove from the stove and pour soup though a strainer.
5. Add 1 tsp fish sauce per serving. (optional)
   
6. Serve with a slice of lime to squeeze in
   

Eat this wonderful broth as is (very filling on it's own!) or use it as a base for any soup recipe calling for vegetable broth. Keep the vegetables to have a soup instead of a broth or mix them in with rice, pasta, scrambled eggs, or anything else you can think up.

Coming off the Master Cleanse

The first day off the Master Cleanse went well. I drank orange juice all day and then had two small bowls of vegetable soup broth for dinner. Oranges are cheap right now, so for a few bucks I'm able to drink all the fresh squeezed orange juice that I desire. My favorite beer glass seems to hold just the right amount for a good serving. Today I'll do the same as yesterday; juice and vegetable broth. When it came down to eating my vegetable broth last night I actually hesitated as I felt a little sad about truly ending the cleanse. A part of me didn't seem to want to start eating. Mind over matter indeed.

50 Limes, 100 Thai chiles, 1 Litre Maple Syrup

I've just finished a 10 day cleanse called the Master Cleanse. I had a 10 day window of no kids and no work so I finally attempted this as it's something I've wanted to do for awhile now. The first 2 days were the most difficult as I had a nasty headache the whole time from not having my usual 2 cups of coffee in the morning. Day 3 was dominated by a persistent lower back ache. But day 4-10 were as effortless as mixing up the concoction of limes, cayenne, and maple syrup that I drank all day. I can't say that I noticed any dramatic changes in my body but I did lose over 10 pounds over this 2 week period. The most interesting part was how little I thought about food and eating once I hit day 3. I easily could haave kept going but I had already surpassed my 7 day goal and I had things to do that made going past 10 days impractical. I'm easing back to eating solid food with juice and soup for a few days. So spring is here and my body and brain have recieved a much needed and tune up and flush out. Give it a try, it's easier than you might think.