roasted vegetable salad + a restart

This is a salad I made last week with all the veggies from the vegetable drawer in order to clean out the fridge. It had eggplant, peppers, yellow squash, golden beets and swiss chard, served over brown rice. I roasted the veg at 400 for about 45 min., then sauteed the chard with a little garlic and chicken broth and tossed with the roasted veggies, adding a few drops of olive oil and balsamic vinegar, salt and pepper to season. It was easy, healthy and really tasty.

I'm on week three of the cleanse now but really I'm starting over. Let me explain. I started this detox program/elimination diet with every intention of sticking to it for 60 days. That means 60 days of no caffeine, no alcohol, no sugar, no wheat/gluten, no dairy and no junk of any kind. It means eating mostly fruits and vegetables, brown rice and grilled fish, lots of good, clean water and that's about it. Let me tell you, it is hard.

The first week I did great but I felt like crap. I guess it's true that when you clean out your systems, stuff gets eliminated that is toxic and so the effects of that can make you feel sick. I felt tired and grumpy, hungry and like I had a mild cold. I had thoughts like "if this is what it feels like to eat clean, I want to go back to my old ways," and "Life is not worth living without coffee, alcohol, etc." These are exactly the kind of thoughts that I was warned were possible by the doctor* who says this diet is "not for irresolute wimps."

*the doctor is the creator of the program I'm following. I'm not going to recommend him or his site until this thing is over.

I guess I felt sorry for myself because as soon as I started to feel pretty good, about day 5, with more energy and no cold symptoms, I cheated. First it was an innocent little coffee with milk. Then it was a whole lunch at Back to Cuba cafe with my Spanish conversation partner. I reasoned that it was "a special occasion" as I had never been there (!) and my partner would not want to eat alone and after all, I had invited her. I had a cubano (ham and cheese, pickles and mayo sandwiched between two pieces of crusty white bread) and a cafe con leche.

(image courtesy of Meet Me in the Kitchen)

Then this past weekend, we went out of town to Louisville, KY and I confess I went a little crazy. I ate like I would eat on any trip since for me, eating and exploring a city's food scene is one of the reasons I travel and I can't imagine going anywhere and not doing that. And it was so much fun and we had a great time. We ate dinner at the excellent Proof on Main inside the 21c Hotel. The next day we had brunch at a more casual place by the same owner/chef, Garage Bar. Both were great examples of restaurants showcasing local ingredients with lots of style and excellent, creative food--just the kind of places I love.

I'm not even going to get into what I ate. Suffice it to say I broke every rule.

And now, Monday morning, I am sitting here half thinking that I should just throw in the towel and forget about this diet thing. And then I remember that I am doing this for my health. It's not because I want to lose weight (though that wouldn't be the worst thing) or because I enjoy dieting. I am doing it because I have some real concerns about my health and I want to get to the bottom of them and find some balance.

My friend Judy sent me a stern but loving email last week when I told her I'd cheated (she is my "diet buddy" and very knowledgeable about nutrition and health). She reminded me why I was doing this, and said that it takes 7.5 weeks for a person's body to get mellowed out and quit reacting to gluten. So I guess I'm back to day one.

Vegetable bliss

I'm not a vegetarian, but lately it seems I am hard pressed to eat (or cook) meat. Maybe it was the story about the abused cows at a major meat processor that did it. But that story just confirmed what I always knew to be true about industrially produced meat in this country. Or maybe it's that for about a year now I have been only buying and eating organic, free-range --and sometimes local-- meat. (Going out is another story but it's rare that I order a steak).

Last summer I was delighted to find meat from local farms being sold by a nice couple from Pulaski, TN (D&W Farms) at the farmer's market. Every Saturday I would buy whatever they had: pork sausage, beef, lamb, and I even bought goat once (with which I made some delicious slow-cooked 'cabrito' tacos). For me, buying meat from people you could talk to who live less than 50 miles away was a revelation. Not only did it satisfy my conscience, but of course it tastes so much better. I also recently discoverd Todd's Butcher Shop on Charlotte where I can buy fresh, organic, sustainable and humanely raised meats from a really nice guy--a good, old fashioned neighborhood butcher.

So, although the meat consumption at our house is infrequent these days, the quality of the meat we eat has definitely gone up.

This is all to say that I made yet another totally vegetarian meal last night. And it was so good and satisfying I don't know why I ever need to eat meat. But then I'll remember duck confit or lamb tagine, or herb-crusted pork loin and I'll remember why...

I made a simple vegetable curry. It had all the winter stand-bys: carrots and potatoes, kale... and pigeon peas (these are a Jamaican style pea, from a can, and very tasty, but weird). It also had a can of organic crushed tomatoes and lots of spices like coriander, cumin, chili powder and ginger. Yum. And if it wasn't healthy enough already, I threw in some barley for thickness (white or brown basmati rice is another option). It was warm and hearty and felt like the most nutritious thing I'd eaten in a while. I served it with sweet mango chutney that I'd bought recently for no reason but that it goes so well with curry.



And because I'd been swooning over the golden beets at Whole Foods and this last time just could not resist, I made a roasted golden and red beet salad with toasted almonds, parsely, pecorino cheese and a tangerine vinaigrette. That's right. A tangerine vinaigrette (shallots, mustard, sherry vinegar and the juice of one small tangerine). I found this recipe in bon appetit and altered it a little. I'm not sure beets could taste any better.



For dessert --because I had to balance out all the healthy vegetable madness--I made a pear tart in the shape of a heart for Daniel because he's been extra sweet to me lately, and it's his favorite.