We had another great workshop @ ECCM this past weekend on how to do much deserved mini-detox after holiday overindulgence. For those of you who didn’t have a chance to attend, here are the handouts. Post-Holiday Detox Handouts

For those of you who missed our workshop today in our LA office, here are the recipes in PDF form. We wanted to highlight seasonal produce that we can find in our local farmers markets (which we should ALL be shopping at) put into side dishes to serve at our holiday table that are less cloying than traditional holiday fare. Our recipes are vegetarian and do not include dairy. What you missed was a lovely Saturday morning at ECCM, a tasty sampling of Steve’s cooking and unlimited COCONUT BLISS ICE CREAM! We had 6 different flavors and toppings that included cacao nibs, granola, fresh banana, young coconut slivers, chocolate covered goji berries and a yummy red wine persimmon compote. Thank you Luna and Larry’s for our morning of bliss! Now my only hopes are that ants don’t devour our office and that the treatment rooms don’t smell like squash and shallots on Monday.  
Next workshop: My UNOFFICIAL guide to pregnancy and postpartum on December 5. 
 
recipes-fall-09.pdf

Today we had our first workshop in our new office space on a very hot topic - H1N1 and how to take care of yourself throughout cold and flu season. We discussed several recipes that you can make at home to boost your immune system as part of your self care plan to avoid getting sick… 
 
Immune boosting soup 

 
Directions: Place the beef and bones into a pot. Cover with water and slowly bring to a boil, skimming the surface occasionally. When the water comes to a boil, turn down to simmer, add the mushrooms, carrots, burdock, and onion. Add sprigs of fresh thyme and parsley, as well as salt and pepper to taste. Cook on low heat around 3-4 hours until the meat falls off the bones. 
 
Immune enhancing juice 
 

 
Directions: Juice the apple, Swiss chard, carrots and pepper. Add citrus juice and enjoy! 
 
Immunity smoothie
 

I took this picture before I scarfed it all down. Unfortunately Brandon decided to start his spring detox 2 days before his birthday so I had to come up with something that was relatively detox-friendly yet still a treat! So I came up with a lovely pie-type thing which actually came out great. It was the first time making a “raw” crust so now I’m thinking those yummy raw fake cheesecakes at Whole Foods are going to be eliminated from my shopping list. Anyway, here’s what I did. 
 
Crust: 
1/2 c walnuts, almonds or pecans, soaked in water for 1-2 hours  
1/2 c walnuts, almonds or pecans 
2-3 farmers market deglet noor dates, pits removed 
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract 
1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg 
Coarse sea salt 
 
Put dried nuts in food processor and process into a fine meal. Remove and set aside. Drain soaked nuts well and process into coarse meal with dates, vanilla extract, nutmeg and coarse salt. Add the ground dry nuts and process until crumbly but slightly sticky. Press this into ramekins or pie plate. 
 
Filling 
1 can organic coconut milk 
1 tablespoon raw honey 
2 teaspoons agar agar 
 
Bring to a boil then simmer for 5 minutes or until agar has dissolved. Remove from heat. Allow to cool slightly but not to room temperature. Pour into ramekins or pie plate lined with crust. Cool to room temperature and refrigerate. I actually added tangerine zest when I took the mixture off the stove which isn’t exactly according to the detox plan so omitted this from the recipe here.
 

Back in October, Laura Avery of KCRW interviewed a local farmer named Mario Trevino about the medicinal properties of tomatillo husks. Turns out that he’s been brewing these to help lower his blood sugar! Several of you can surely use this as an adjunct to your current dietary modifications if you have diabetes or pre-diabetes.  
 
Tomatillo Husk Tea
 
10 tomatillo husks  
1 zucchini  
1 nopal cactus  
 
Boil for an hour and a half. Let it sit overnight. Drink the following morning. It supposedly tastes awful but it works for him.

On July 4, Steve made an amazing summer potato purslane salad. Purslane is an amazing green vegetable that looks like a succulent. It has a tangy bite to it and it’s one of the only vegetables that is high in omega 3 fatty acids. It’s only in season during the summer months and we can find it at the farmers markets in So Cal. 
 
1 lb Fingerling or Yukon Gold potatoes 
1 large bunch purslane 
4 scallions 
1/4-1/3 cup grapeseed vegannaise 
2 tablespoons dijon mustard 
2 tablespoons good quality red wine vinegar 
1/3-1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil 
2 cloves garlic (optional) 
1 tsp fresh thyme leaves (optional) 
Celtic sea salt and freshly ground Tellicherry black pepper (yes it makes a difference) 
 
Steam the potatoes until tender, cool slightly and cut into chunks. Remove the large tough stems from the purslane, soak in acidulated water, drain and then coarsely chop. Slice the green onions thinly including the green part. Finely mince the garlic and thyme leaves, if using. Combine the garlic, thyme, red wine vinegar, mustard and mayonaise in a small mixing bowl and whisk together. Add the oil slowly until you have a nice emulsion that stays together. Season with the salt and pepper, tasting for balance. Combine the purslane, potatoes and green onions in a large salad bowl, then pour enough of the dressing over it to coat all of it. Gently toss, making sure everything is well coated but not swimming in dressing. Cover and refrigerate for 2 hours or so before serving. Taste for seasoning before serving.

We just got back from a week-long trip to Hong Kong and Beijing where I had no choice but to eat tons of grease and pesticide-laden food. Some of the cooked vegetables we ate actually had an awful acrid taste so it was nice to finally get back to the farmers market this morning and get right back on my detox. I found incredibly beautiful watermelon radishes at the Santa Monica market and decided to make a little Northern Chinese-inspired salad out of these.  
 
1 Julienned or thinly sliced watermelon radish (you can use any other type of colorful radish)  
2 tablespoons rice or Kopali organic banana vinegar  
1 tablespoon traditionally brewed San-J or Eden soy sauce  
1/2 teaspoon raw cane sugar  
1.5-2 tablespoons La Nogelera walnut oil  

Okay, so this is only my opinion but it is based on a great Martha Stewart recipe I came across. I’ve modified it somewhat and you probably will too, depending on what your particular likes and dislikes are. Once you’ve made it and see that it takes no more than 20 minutes, you’ll never eat store-bought granola again. 
 
½ c shredded unsweetened organic coconut 
4 c organic old fashioned rolled oats 
¼ c unhulled sesame seeds 
½ c coarsely chopped raw almonds 
½ c coarsely chopped raw pecans 
½ c coarsely chopped raw walnuts 
½ t ground cinnamon 
¼ t ground nutmeg 
½ c local raw honey 
1 stick organic butter, melted (It’s OK! A little organic butter is not bad for you!) 
¼ c flax seeds 
½ dried fruit (I never put dried fruit in my granola because I hate it but you could use raisins, figs, etc.) 
 

 
As an option, I like to add some coarse sea salt for that simultaneous sweet-salty fix.

This is the most amazing smoothie I’ve ever had. It is better than any milkshake I’ve ever had without any dairy products or refined sugar plus lots of electrolytes, potassium, fiber and good fats. This serves 2.  
 
Ingredients 
Water and meat from 1 young coconut 
1 banana 
1-2 T raw organic coconut butter 
2 T non-GMO lecithin 
2 T freshly ground organic flax seed 
 
Blend all ingredients and enjoy!

This might look like murky water but it is my new favorite topping for any kind of cooked vegetable. It’s so darn good. I never used to like anchovies until very recently. Anchovies are totally safe because they’re such small fish and won’t likely accumulate any toxicity unless you’re in the South China Sea or in the Great Lakes and they’ve mutated because of all of the PCB’s and endocrine disruptors. It also has garlic, which is detoxifying and antifungal. I like to put in hardy herbs like fresh rosemary and fresh thyme, both of which have a lot of antioxidants and antimicrobial properties so they’re great for the immune system. 
 
1/4 c olive oil (doesn’t have to be the extremely expensive kind) 
1-2 anchovies, chopped 
4 cloves fresh garlic, sliced thin 
3-4 sprigs fresh thyme, leaves removed 
1-2 sprigs fresh rosemary, leaves removed and coarsely chopped 
coarse sea salt 
 
In a saucepan, heat olive oil on low heat. Once warm, add chopped anchovies and wait until anchovies dissolve. Add garlic, thyme and rosemary and turn off heat. Allow this to infuse for a few minutes. Finish with some coarse sea salt.