PINEAPPLE CAYENNE DETOX

This gorgeous pineapple sat in my kitchen ripening for four long days. Although the anticipation was slightly painful, it did bring me a little joy each day just having this tropical accessory in the home. And when it came time for juicing, it did not disappoint- I could drink this glorious juice recipe every morning for the rest of my life, if pineapples were only so abundant in Canada. 

PINEAPPLE CAYENNE DETOX: an immunity booster, energizer and toxin detox. 

INGREDIENTS: (yields 2 servings) 

  • ½ pineapple
  • ½ cucumber 
  • 1 apple 
  • 1 lemon
  • 1- 2 inch piece ginger root (to taste) 
  • a pinch of cayenne pepper 

Wash and prep fruit and vegetables by removing the rinds of the pineapple and lemon, and removing the core of the apple. Cut everything just small enough that it will fit into your juicer with ease. Juice the above ingredients and add cayenne pepper at the end, stir and serve.  

HEALTH BENEFITS:  

PINEAPPLE: anti-inflammatory, digestive benefits, rich source of vitamin C and antioxidants, as well as an excellent source of magnesium. 

APPLE: reduces cholesterol, rich source of vitamin C and antioxidants, and promotes heart health. 

CUCUMBER: natural cooling and hydrating properties, digestive benefits, and a rich source of vitamin B.

LEMON: natural detoxifier, rich source of vitamin C, and contains limonene that promotes immunity and helps fight infection. 

GINGER: anti-inflammatory, anti-cold and anti-flu agent, clears microcirculatory channels of the body, promotes heart health, and improves absorption of nutrients.

CAYENNE: anti-irritant, circulatory stimulant which aids in the detoxification process, promotes heart health, and supports weight loss. 

Enjoy! 

ZUCCHINI & SOBA NOODLE SPINACH BASIL PESTO

La Cucina Povera is an Italian phrase meaning "poor kitchen" or "peasant cooking." In the past, this peasant cooking style aimed to use those ingredients on-hand and available in the kitchen, garden, farm or ocean. Simply put: making do with what they had. Humble dishes, made of the highest quality ingredients available, that spoke for themselves.  

In our apartment, even when the state of the cupboards and fridge are grim, generally some form of nut, legume, vegetable, and/or grain can be found. This Cucina Povera inspired dish is a favourite of ours during those times, and has become a regular on the weekly rotation. Not only for the convenience of the ingredients, but with nourishing, fresh and savoury flavours, it's so delicious I'd miss a week without it.  

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We use a Spiralizer for the zucchini. I'd like to say you could finely slice your zucchini or shred it, but changing the texture and consistency of the dish would completely change the flavours and experience. If there is one kitchen tool I will never regret purchasing, it's the Spiralizer. Efficient, quick and clean, the value of this little device will exceed your expectations. Also, I'll be sharing plenty of ways to use it in posts to come. Do yourself a favour and grab one today. 

Kale chips are easy to make, and really elevate the dish. Sure, you can enjoy it without, but you won't mind the extra step once you experience the sea salt flavoured crunch throughout. 

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Zucchini & Soba Noodle with Spinach Basil Pesto is topped with sun-dried and cherry tomatoes, cashews, pine nuts and kale chips. Loaded with protein, amino acids, B vitamins, minerals and antioxidants (the list goes on), one can guiltlessly take comfort in this dish while enjoying a glass of red.

INGREDIENTS: (yields 2 servings) 

  • 200g buckwheat soba noodles 

  • 1 large zucchini 
  • 10 cherry tomatoes halved (yellow or red) 
  • 3 large sun-dried tomatoes finely sliced 
  • ½ bunch of kale 
  • 2 tbsp olive oil 
  • crushed cashews and pine nuts to top
  • sun-dried tomato oil to drizzle over 

SPINACH BASIL PESTO INGREDIENTS: 

  • 2 cups fresh basil
  • 2 cups organic spinach
  • 2 cloves garlic
  • ¼ cup raw walnuts
  • 2 tbsp hemp seeds (optional if you don't have these)
  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • 2 tbsp nutritional yeast
  • 2 tbsp fresh lemon juice
  • ½ tsp salt (to taste)
  • fresh ground pepper (to taste)

    COOKING INSTRUCTIONS: 

    1. Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees F. De-stem kale, wash, dry, and tear into smaller pieces. Toss with olive oil and sea salt. Line baking sheet with parchment paper and evenly distribute kale on sheet in a single layer. Bake kale for 10-15 minutes, watching carefully and rotating pan once. Once crisp, set aside to cool. 
    2. Bring water to a boil and drop buckwheat soba noodles in. Reduce water to a simmer and cook noodles for 7 minutes or till al dante.
    3. While noodles are cooking, prep vegetables. Wash and half cherry tomatoes and slice sun-dried tomatoes. Set aside. Wash and spiralize zucchini using the blade closest to the soba noodle width (about spaghetti size). 
    4. Drain and place soba noodles in a bowl of ice cold water to rinse off remaining starch and to quickly cool. Ring water from noodles by hand squeezing. Set aside in fridge to dry and chill.  
    5. Once kale chips have cooled and soba noodles are dry and chilled, toss both zucchini and soba noodles in Spinach Basil Pesto. Click here for the pesto recipe. 
    6. Plate and top noodles with tomatoes, nuts, kale chips and season with a drizzle of sun-dried tomato oil. 

    SPINACH BASIL PESTO

    Pesto is far more versatile than given credit for- my recent appreciation for this Italian staple has opened my eyes to the many possibilities of form and flavour it can take on.  

    I'm certain the list of ingredients that I've been experimenting with would have your Italian grandmother rolling over in her grave. A classic Italian Pesto consists of basil, garlic, pine nuts, olive oil and parmesan. However, I was sure we could squeeze more nutrients and vitamins in there, after all, it's green! After dabbling with basil substitutes such as swiss chard, kale, and spinach, playing with cheese versus no cheese, and replacing pine nuts with every nut under the tree, I stumbled across a recipe that achieves both nutritional value and great taste. 

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    Nutrition Stripped Spinach Basil Pesto recipe includes the key ingredient to any great pesto: basil. Without basil, however which way you make it, its flavour will simply be lacklustre. Three other reasons why I think this recipe is awesome: walnuts, hemp seeds and nutritional yeast. These include an amazing combination of essential fatty acids, omega 3, vitamin B-12, amino acids and protein.

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    A food processor, Vitamix, or Jamie Oliver's pestle and mortar technique can be used to prepare this recipe. So, go whip up your batch! You'll have enough for my Zucchini & Soba Noodles with Walnut Spinach Pesto (recipe to be posted later this week), and some left over for other creative inspirations such as pesto toast with poached eggs, pesto portobello parmesan pizza, lemon pesto hummus, and tomato pesto grilled cheese.

    GINGER LEMON & TURMERIC TEA

    We all feel run down from time to time. Generally, we'll ignore the first weary signs of exhaustion and just push on through until we are suffering from illness and in need of repair. Knowing this, when I woke this morning and was feeling less than awesome, I asked myself, "what does my body need?". The answer was a Ginger, Lemon & Turmeric Tea. Made up of natural detoxifiers, anti-inflammatories and super foods, this concoction is jam packed with immune system boosting agents.  

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    GINGER LEMON & TURMERIC TEA: a daily detox, stress reliever and/or cold remedy. 

    INGREDIENTS: (yields 1 serving)

    • 1 ½ cup hot water 
    • ½ lemon, juiced 
    • ½ tsp grated ginger 
    • ½  tsp turmeric powder (or grated fresh turmeric root) 
    • a pinch of cayenne pepper 
    • raw honey, to taste 

    While water is boiling, grate the ginger, and place in a small tea basket to keep the ginger from getting in the way while sipping the tea. Then add lemon, turmeric, cayenne, honey and ginger to mug and pour hot water in. Stir and enoy. 

    Turmeric will settle to the bottom, so ensure to continuously stir the tea to reap the full benefits of the turmeric.  

    HEALTH BENEFITS: 

    LEMON: a natural detoxifier, rich source of vitamin C, and contains limonene that promotes immunity and helps fight infection. 

    GINGER: antioxidants, anti-inflammatory, and clears microcirculatory channels of the body which include the sinuses and throat. Also, ginger is a warming agent and promotes sweating, which is healthy when sick. 

    HEALTH BENEFITS: 

    TURMERIC: antioxidants, anti-inflammatory, and considered to be highly cleansing of the body especially in the liver.

    CAYENNE: anti-irritant helping ease sore throats and coughs, and circulatory stimulant which aids in the detoxification process.

    RAW HONEY: antioxidants, and a rich source of minerals and B vitamins that help support the function of the heart, muscles and nervous system.

    Today was a refreshing reminder that a simple morning routine could help promote feeling better on the daily, not just from time to time, and after it's too late.  

    PEA AND RADISH TARTINE

    This morning I picked, "Le Pain Quotidien" off the kitchen shelf. A beautiful cookbook and impulse purchase while paying for coffees and croissants at a cash register in New York.

    Alain Courmont, chef turned baker, incorporates his belgian roots with organic and vegan influences from his time spent in California. I love the fusion of the two and his overall philosophy about bread, "it's much more than mere sustenance; it's a way of life. As our loaves emerge from the ovens, warm and fragrant, friends gather around our communal tables to share in the time-honoured tradition of breaking bread. The hum of the conversation fills the air, jam is passed around the table, and, ever so gracefully, time slows." 

    The page below caught my eye and with most of the ingredients handy, the result was a mixture of fresh peas hummus, radish, tahini and mint on organic, wood-oven, sourdough bread.  We substituted poached eggs for the pancetta, and topped with sunflower sprouts, which made for a lovely brunch. 

    PEA HUMMUS RECIPE: 

    • 1 cup shelled fresh peas (or frozen peas defrosted) 
    • 2 tbsp tahini 
    • 1 tbsp olive oil 
    • 2 pinches of sea salt 
    • cracked pepper to taste 

    Put the peas, tahini, olive oil, salt and pepper into a food processor or use a handheld blender to blend in short bursts of 10-15 seconds, until you have a smooth puree. 

    To serve, spread the hummus on a loaf of fresh bread (I used a sourdough), top with pancetta or substitute poached eggs, thinly sliced radish, and mint. The added sunflower sprouts made for a nice touch, but the dish would be equally lovely without them.  

     

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