1. Soak the mung dal for 10-15 minutes. Rinse and strain the rice and mung dal. 
2. Heat oil over medium-high heat. Add kitchari spice mix and heat while stirring until the seeds start to pop. Add cinnamon and ginger.
3. Stir in rice and mung dal.
4. Add 4-6 cups water. Add bay leaves.
5. Bring to a boil and reduce to a simmer.
6. Simmer for about 1 hour, until kitchari has a porridge-like consistency (adding more water if necessary). Add veggies in at about the 30-minute mark and continue to simmer. (I have added veggies at the beginning and it works!)
7. Add salt and pepper to taste.
8. Serve warm, with fresh cilantro on top.

​

Well, it's spring cleanse time for me! I'll share a few more nutrient-packed recipes that I enjoy. First off, here's how to sprout some beans! These pack a punch of nutrients and add an interesting nutty crunch to salads, stews or stir-fry (oh my!).

Step 1: Start with a handful of dry beans (I used mung beans-- they're weird and green and cool and I feel super healthy using them :)
You can use just about any bean like lentils, chickpeas, adzuki, white, black. What cool bean have you tried?
​Soak them overnight (or 8 hours) in water. Mason jars look hipster, so that's why I like them. Any container that you can drain water in and out of will do. They will triple in size so start small.

Step 2: For the next 3-5 days, rinse the beans with water a few times each day and drain the water out. Basically you want to keep them looking just barely wet, without being soggy. 
Some awesome people have cheese cloth lying around (do you?), and those rockstars could use that to cover the jar for easy rinsing. Pantyhose would also work. I'm too lazy (and am also afraid that I probably DO have a pair of pantyhose from the 90's buried somewhere) that I just use my hand to keep the beans from falling out when I drain the water. Don't avoid making sprouts just because you don't have cheese cloth :)

Step 3: Chow down! 3-5 days of sprouting and they're ready to eat! Throw them onto something delicious and chomp away. After they look nice and sprouty, you can move them in the fridge to retard their growth. They should stay good for a week or so, but you can rinse after a couple of days to keep them fresh. They will start growing little green leaves like tiny trees. How miraculous is that??

Here I've made a veggie-rich lentil stew, dished it into a roasted acorn squash, and topped with sprouts and avocado. Yum!

I went down to Pike Place on Sunday and bought the MOST DELICIOUS smoked king salmon from City Fish. If you're eating meat/poultry/fish on your cleanse, go for organic, grass-fed, free-range, etc (avoid the factory-farmed meats that have been fed hormones and antibiotics). Wild-caught Alaskan salmon is the best fish.

This week I'm making two delicious dishes to munch on for lunches and dinners:
Green Noodles and Chickpea Tagine. Recipes below.

Green Noodles (Adapted from Chocolate Covered Katie)
Makes 4 servings
1 T minced garlic
1 1/2 T fresh ginger, grated
1 cup fresh cilantro, loosely packed
1 t turmeric
1/2 t salt
1 t vegetable or coconut oil
15oz can coconut milk
1/4 cup water
2 T honey
2 T lime juice

Sauce: Puree ingredients above in a blender, then transfer to a small saucepan. Bring to a boil, then lower heat and simmer 15 minutes.

1 box spinach or 1 bunch kale
1 T minced garlic
1-2 T olive or coconut oil
3 T Braggs liquid aminos (or other gluten-free soy sauce alternative)
2 T water
6 cups broccoli, cut small 
4-6 servings brown rice noodles (not the pad thai kind, but a spaghetti-size noodle)
avocado, for garnish

1. Sauté kale/spinach and garlic in a wok or frying pan with oil until greens begin to wilt.
2. Add water, Braggs and broccoli. Stir, cover and cook for 3-10 minutes (until broccoli is soft).
3. Meanwhile, put a pot of salted water on for the noodles and prepare according to the package. Drain noodles.
4. Toss noodles, broccoli/greens, and sauce together in a bowl and mix with tongs. Serve and top with chopped avocado. YUM!

Chickpea Tagine (Yoga Journal) Makes 4 servings
​2 T olive oil
1 small onion, thinly sliced
3 cloves garlic, minced (1 T)
2 14.5-oz. cans chickpeas, rinsed and drained
3 medium carrots, peeled and sliced into thin rounds
¼ cup dried currants or raisins
1 t each ground turmeric, cinnamon, cumin
¼ t cayenne pepper
2 t honey
finely chopped parsley, for garnish

1. Heat oil in large skillet over medium heat. Add onion and garlic, and sauté 2 to 3 minutes, or until onion slices are soft. Stir in chickpeas, carrots, currants, spices, honey, and 2 cups water. Cover and simmer 20 to 25 minutes, stirring occasionally. Season with salt and pepper.
2. Serve tagine over brown rice (see below). Garnish each serving with parsley.

I serve mine over a brown rice, mung bean mix. To prepare this, soak about 1/4 cup mung beans (4 hrs - overnight). Rinse soaked beans and add enough brown rice to equal 1 cup. Put rice/mung beans into a small sauce pan and cover with 2 cups vegetable broth. Bring to a boil, reduce to simmer, and cook 45-50 minutes.

I know that 'cleanse' can be a buzzword, so bear with me... when I talk about a seasonal cleanse, I mean a very low-key elimination diet based on cutting out foods that tend to cause inflammation or that people tend to be sensitive to, and replacing them with healthy, whole foods. I take some supplements for liver support and antioxidants. I can't speak to the juice fasts or intense cleanses that some people choose to do because I've never tried (and probably never will) do something that extreme. My fall and spring cleanses are a way to clear out any junk that has built up in my liver or digestive tract from eating processed foods, alcohol, caffeine, sugars, preservatives in pre-packaged foods, etc. Our livers work so hard... sometimes they need a break!

I learned about this type of cleanse from Dr. Deborah Epstein, a naturopath who specializes in digestive health. She recommends about 10-14 days twice per year of the elimination diet. She also makes her own rad liver cleanse supplement and herbal tea. (Disclaimer: If you have more serious digestive or health issues, this may not be for you. It's also great to get guidance from a doctor if you are thinking of trying a cleanse.)
​
I usually look forward to my cleanse time. For one, I have an excuse to say no to all the parties and bar-hopping I've been invited to (yes, I'm an introvert), and for two, I love actively pursuing new and delicious recipes. So many doors open up when I get away from my lazy-food lifestyle. I am usually in awe of the delicious flavors and creative foods that I can eat when I start looking for 'cleanse-friendly' food. In my normal life, I forget about coconut oil, tahini, cashew cream, mung beans, coconut milk, shredded beets, fennel, chia seeds (... OK, maybe that list doesn't sound delicious... but seriously, I'll share some delicious recipes). I even found a replacement chocolate bar recipe! 

Chocolate Bar (cleanse-friendly)
Recipe adapted from Chocolate Covered Katie.
1/4 cup carob or cocoa powder
1/4 cup coconut oil
3 T honey
Optional: shredded coconut, dried fruit, nuts

Mix ingredients together in a bowl, spoon into a sandwich-size ziploc baggie. Smoosh flat, and freeze until solid... doesn't take long! ​YUM!

The elimination diet involves cutting out the following foods: processed foods, refined grains and sugars (ie white rice), alcohol, caffeine, gluten, soy, dairy, eggs, corn, peanuts, and factory-farmed meats. Though this may seem intimidating, there is SO MUCH flavorful and filling food that is outside of this list. There is no limit on the amount of food during a cleanse, you shouldn't feel hungry, snack as much as you want. I find that I stay fuller longer and feel more satiated when I'm eating delicious (and fibrous) cleanse food vs the processed, packaged alternatives.

This morning I started the day with delicious refrigerator oatmeal adapted from Oh She Glows.

Refrigerator Oatmeal
1/3-1/2 cup organic oats (steel-cut is best)
1/2 cup organic (unsweetened) almond milk (other non-dairy milks are fine here... just look out for additives)
1 T chia seeds
1/4 t cinnamon
1-2 t honey
1/2 t vanilla extract
Toppings: fresh berries, pecans, pumpkin seeds, shredded coconut, banana, or whatever strikes you

Mix all ingredients in a small mason jar or tupperware (I use a little magic bullet container). Shake. Refrigerate overnight. The next morning, adjust the milk and honey and top with toppings.

This is so delicious and satisfying! I drink a cup of green or green chai tea sweetened with honey or stevia (a little caffeine in green tea is OK because it's so full of healthy antioxidants!) and I am good to go until my mid-morning snack of bananas and almond butter :)

I'll post more recipes this week. Happy fall!