Detox Class with Davina

Today Davina Sandground and I spent the morning teaching a detoxification class.  We talked about how to avoid some common toxins, our bodies natural detox process and foods that help your body detox efficiently.  We made a bunch of recipes and tasted foods that incorporated key ingredients. Below is what we cooked and ate today.

Detox Shake (Adjust these ingredients to your taste but these are basic guidelines to start with)

1/4 Avocado, ½ Apple, 4 Brazil Nuts, ¼ cup Blueberries (fresh or frozen), ¼ cup Cilantro, small piece fresh Ginger peeled, 1 cup strong Green Tea, 2 tablespoons Hemp Seeds, 1 teaspoon Lemon Juice, ¼ cup Ice

-Combine all ingredients except for the ice in a blender and process until smooth. Add ice and blend until thoroughly combined.  If you want it sweeter add a couple dates.

Hot Ginger

Ginger Root (a piece approximately 1” long), 4 cups filtered Water

-Roughly chop the ginger (no need to peel), cover with water and bring to a simmer, and let simmer for at least 15 minutes but up to 30 minutes. I use the same pieces of ginger for 2-3 batches even though each batch is a bit weaker than the one before it is still delicious.

Basil Lemon Water

1 cup loosely packed Basil leaves, 1 Lemon ½ juiced and ½ cut into rounds, 8 cups filtered Water

-Place all ingredients in a glass container. Place in refrigerator for 2 hours to 2 days. The longer the basil and lemon is in the water the more pronounced the flavor will become.

Spicy Grapefruit Relish with Spring Onion

1 Grapefruit- sections removed, 1 Spring Onion very thinly sliced, 1 teaspoon Cider Vinegar, Cayenne or fresh Hot Pepper to taste, pinch of Salt

-Combine all ingredients and eat immediately or store in refrigerator up to one week.

Quick Preserved Lemon

1 Lemon thinly sliced, 1/8 teaspoon Salt, 1/8 teaspoon Honey, Olive Oil

-Combine lemon, salt and honey. Let sit at room temperature for 3-5 hours. Place lemon mixture in a jar and cover with olive oil. Store in refrigerator up to 2 weeks.

 Quick Creamy Fennel and Kohlrabi Slaw

1 cup shaved Fennel, 1 cup shaved Kohlrabi, 1/2 teaspoon Turmeric (or more to taste), 1/2 teaspoon Mustard Seeds (or more to taste), ¼ cup Greek Yogurt, 2 teaspoons Lemon Juice, 1 teaspoon Olive Oil, Salt and Black Pepper to taste

- Combine all ingredients thoroughly. Serve immediately or cover and refrigerate until ready to serve

Kimchi

1 head Cabbage cut in 4- heart removed and leaves separated and cut into approximately 1-2 inch slices, 1 cup shaved Radish, 2 tablespoons Salt dissolved in 4 cups Water (or more if necessary to cover cabbage and radish),1 Apple thinly sliced, 1 teaspoon Garlic minced (or more to taste), 2 teaspoons Ginger Root finely chopped (or more to taste), 2 sheets Nori broken into small pieces, thinly sliced Hot Pepper or cayenne or spice of your choice.

-Place cabbage and radish in a glass or ceramic bowl. Cover with salt water mixture (if necessary add a bit more water so cabbage is covered). Place a plate on top of cabbage to keep all leaves submerged and let sit at room temperature overnight.

-Drain and rinse cabbage thoroughly. Add remaining ingredients and massage leaves so flavoring is fully incorporated. Taste and make any adjustment to seasoning. Place all ingredients in a glass jar with a lid and make sure that all is submerged in liquid (top off with a bit of water if necessary). Check every day to see if there is a slight pop when you open your jar. This will show that the fermentation process has begun. Leave at room temperature for one day after fermentation begins and then place in refrigerator.

Raw Brussel Sprout Salad with Preserved Lemon and Avocado

2 cups finely chopped Brussel Sprouts, 1 teaspoon finely chopped Chives, 2 tablespoons Preserved Lemon (see recipe above), 1 cup finely chopped Parsley, 1 Avocado sliced, Salt and freshly ground Black Pepper to taste

-Combine all ingredients thoroughly massaging with your fingers to make sure it is totally combined. Serve immediately or cover and refrigerate for later.

Detox Casserole

2 cups Kale finely chopped, Olive Oil, Salt and freshly ground Black Pepper to taste, 2 cups Shallots peeled and chopped, 1 cup Basil leaves, 2 cups Artichoke Hearts from fresh, frozen or canned cut into ¼’s, 1/2 cup Hemp seeds, 1/2 cup Brazil nuts, 2 cups Cauliflower chopped

-Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

-Place kale in a casserole pan approximately 9” x 12” and season to taste with olive oil, salt and pepper. Season shallots with olive oil, salt and pepper and spread them evenly over the kale. Top shallots with a layer of basil leaves. Top basil with artichoke hearts.

-In a food processor combine the hemp seeds, brazil nuts, 2 teaspoons olive oil, 1 tablespoon water, salt and pepper to taste. Process until it becomes a spreadable mixture you can add additional water if necessary. Spread nut mixture over the artichoke hearts.

-Season cauliflower with olive oil, salt and pepper to taste and place on top of the nut mixture.

-Cover casserole and cook for 45 minutes. Remove top, turn oven to broil and cook for a few additional minutes until top is browned. Serve hot or room temperature.

Raw Class and Salad Dressings

Davina and I taught another raw class yesterday, half of the attendees were young teenagers– they were awesome, engaged, adventurous eaters who asked lots of great questions– we had fun. We cooked and ate– a smoothie with chlorella and macca, chia seeds with figs and cocoa nibs, a bunch of salads, kim chi, macadamia nut ice cream (no cream or eggs), sesame coconut cookies...  all the recipes are here.  We talked about using recipes as a starting point, for example if you like the chia seeds but are not crazy about the figs then substitute them for strawberries or another fruit that you like.  If tomatoes are out of season leave them out of the Beet Spaghetti.

There was a request for some rich tasting but healthy salad dressings–

Avocado Salad Dressing

1 avocado with pit and peel removed, 1 cup sliced cucumber, 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice, 2 tablespoons fresh parsley, 1 tablespoon olive oil, salt and pepper to taste

Combine all in a food processor or high speed blender, use immediately to dress a salad of greens or other raw vegetables.

Sesame Ginger Dressing

1/4 cup tahini (raw if possible), 1 tablespoon fresh grated ginger, 1 teaspoon soy sauce (nama shoyu which is raw if possible), 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon water, 1 teaspoon sesame oil, 1/2 teaspoon honey

Combine all in a food processor or a high speed blender, use to dress a salad of greens or other raw vegetables.

Raw Class with Davina

 

Today a vibrant group gathered at Davina Sandground's house to talk about the benefits of raw food, make raw food and of course eat.   Davina identified a number of foods that are important in a raw diet and we un-cooked most of the foods on her list.

This is what we ate– my hope is that these recipes will act as starting points for experimentation... feel free to adjust to your personal taste and make sure to incorporate best available and seasonal ingredients.

Davina's Green Juice

kale, celery, cucumber and apple

Morning Smoothie

1/4 teaspoon chlorella, 1/2 frozen banana, 1 tablespoon stinging nettles, 1 young coconut (meat and water), 1/4 cup strawberries and blackberries, 1 teaspoon macca, 1 date

Blend in a high speed blender until smooth, taste and adjust any ingredients.  Serve immediately

Chia with Nut Milk Figs and Cocoa Nibs

1/4 cup raw almonds, 1/4 cup raw cashews, sea salt, 1/2 cup chia seeds, fresh figs sliced, cocoa nibs

nut milk– in a high speed blender combine almonds, cashews, 3 cup filtered water and a pinch sea salt process until totally smooth.  Extra will keep in the refrigerator for at least 3 days.

In a large bowl combine chia seeds and 1 1/2 cups nut milk, stir thoroughly,  top with fresh figs,  and raw cocoa nibs

Cucumber with Hemp Seed Dip

1/2 cup hemp seeds, pinch of cayenne, 1 teaspoon peeled and rough chopped ginger, 1/2 teaspoon nama shoya, 1/4 teaspoon raw honey, pinch salt

In a food processor combine the hemp seeds, cayenne, ginger, nama shoya, honey and salt.  Process until thoroughly combined.  Slowly add water 1 teaspoon at a time until the mixture is a good dipping consistency.  Serve with fresh cucumber slices.

Beet Spaghetti, Tomato, Olive Oil, Olives, Pine Nuts, Basil and Oregano

Beets grated or turned on a Benriner Japanese Vegetable Turner, small tomatoes cut in half, pitted raw olives, raw pine nuts, olive oil, salt, pepper, chopped basil and oregano.  Combine in a large bowl, taste and adjust seasoning before serving.  Chill or serve immediately.

Fermented Cabbage, Radish and Asian Pear

1 head cabbage– core removed cut into quarters and each quarter cut into 3 pieces, 1/3 cup of salt dissolved in 1 cup warm water, 1 tablespoon of finely chopped ginger, 1 asian pear thinly sliced, ½ cup finely sliced radish, cayenne to taste, 2-6 cloves of garlic finely chopped, 1 teaspoon honey

Place cabbage in a large glass or ceramic bowl.  Cover with salt water mixture and mix thoroughly.  Weigh the mixture down with a stack of plates so the cabbage will be submerged in the liquid and let sit for 2-4 hours until the cabbage is slightly wilted.

Rinse cabbage thoroughly and drain.  Return cabbage to a large non-reactive bowl and thoroughly mix in ginger, pear, radish, cayenne, garlic and honey.  Again weigh mixture down with plates and let sit at room temperature until the mixture starts to bubble a bit around the sides, this will take from 24-78 hours.  Once mixture starts to bubble transfer to mason jars and refrigerate.  This will last for at least a month in your refrigerator.

Fennel with Avocado, Sprouted Quinoa and Pea Shoots

1 cup quinoa, 1 head fennel finely sliced, 1 avocado sliced, 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice, 1 tablespoon olive oil, 2 cups pea shoots or water cress, salt and pepper to taste

Sprouted Quinoa–  Place quinoa in a bowl and cover with water.  Let sit at room temperature for 4 hours.  drain and rinse quinoa and transfer to a sheet tray.  Cover with parchment paper and let sit for about 8 hours or until there are small sprouts on the quinoa. Continue with making the salad or refrigerate for up to 3 days.

Salad– In a large bowl combine the quinoa, fennel, avocado, lemon juice, olive oil, greens, salt and pepper.  Taste and adjust seasoning before serving.

Jicama with Pistachio and Pomegranate

1 jicama cut into 8 pieces, 1/2 cup raw pistachios, seeds from 1 pomegranate, 1/2 cup fresh curly parsley roughly chopped, 1 tablespoon olive oil, 2 teaspoons cider vinegar, salt and pepper to taste

Place jicama in a food processor and pulse on and off until the jicama is in small rice kernel sized pieces.  Transfer jicama to a large bowl and combine with pistachio, pomegranate, parsley, olive oil, vinegar salt and pepper.  Taste and adjust seasoning before serving.

Frozen Coconut, Macadamia and Aloe with Paw Paw and Golden Raspberries

2 cups macadamia nuts soaked in water for 6 hours, 2 cups young coconut meat, ½ cup young coconut water, 1/4 cup aloe vera gel, ¼ cup coconut butter, raw honey to taste, ½ teaspoon pink Himalayan salt

Combine the nuts, coconut meat and water, aloe, coconut butter, honey and salt in a hight speed blender and process until very smooth, about 1 minute.  Freeze in an ice cream maker.  Top with fruit (we ate paw paw and golden raspberries) and some roughly chopped macadamia nuts.

Sesame Macaroons

6 cups tightly packed coconut flakes, 3 cups unhulled sesame seeds, 1 3/4 cup maple syrup, 2/3 cup coconut butter, 1 teaspoon sea salt

Combine coconut flakes, sesame, maple syrup, coconut butter and salt in a mixer and process until thoroughly combined.  Roll into small balls and dry in an warm oven at 100-109 degrees until just dry on the outside but soft on the inside, about 8-10 hours.