S.C. 2.7-9 and Beyond: Final Stats, Miso Fennel Bowl, and A Look Ahead

I DID IT!  I finished my self-appointed two week cleanse period.  If you took any part of this endeavor with me (whether a cleanse day to some level or a detoxifying yoga practice), congratulations to you, and I hope that you may be encouraged to do more of this kind of seasonal "body"keeping in the future.

Final Cleanse Stats:

1. I lost 3 pounds in total.
2. I continue daily practice on my mat.
3. I've started running again.
4. The minimal distractions have only increased the mindfulness of what I consume.
5. Keeping a food journal, like being on my mat, has become a daily practice.
6. Despite understandable muscle fatigue from putting up fencing in the snow (Monday at the farm), challenging power yoga, or running, my body feels great and unstressed by consumed toxins, and I feel more focused and alert.

As I look ahead, I know that some of the cleanse eliminations will become standard daily practice, as yoga and the food journal will continue to be.  I'm not saying that I will never have cane sugar, wheat, processed soy products, etc. again, but these ingredients too easily become a habitual part of one's diet.  Avoiding this less beneficial tendency may mean a bit more cooking on a long day or a later dinner than I would like, but to have a healthier meal that is better for my body -- that's worth the effort, as I realized on S.C. Day 8, i.e. yesterday. ( I decided to add days 8-9 to make up for the two days where I chose a distraction.  Plus, Day 2.7 went out with a fizzle, since I was so tired from fencing I could barely stay awake long enough to eat the broccoli and rice pasta that hub so kindly prepared.)

On that note, I enjoyed finishing a book, a run on a cool spring day, time in the yard with doggies, and fun with my friend, Colleen, and her daughter, G, instead of trying to get the remaining food for the week organized.  By the time Colleen and G left at 5:45, I immediately thought...uh oh.  Though the hub kindly offered a quick bite stop-off on the way to some errands, I realized that I would rather have a healthier, better quality dinner at home, even if that meant acknowledging that little vegan kitchen elves wouldn't be working their magic, so I would have to get moving on dinner.  What followed was a totally random bowl of yum with various refrigerator goods that were nearing the end of the usage time.

Miso Fennel Bowl

Had to take this pic on my phone, so it doesn't rank up there in food photography, but it does show the bright, colorful delights that await you!  This dish is kind of like an amped up miso soup with the broth singing back-up for the veggies, instead of the other way around.

Servings 4-6

1/2 c. millet
1.5 T sesame oil
3 garlic cloves minced
1 c. red onion diced (I used about 1/3 of a larger red onion)
1 large fennel bulb, end and top removed, bulb quartered, then thinly sliced
1 head of kale, center rib removed, thinly sliced
1 container of mushrooms, de-stemmed and roughly diced
    (I used white button, but any kind should work!)
1 T grated fresh ginger (used the microplaner to grate); add more for stronger ginger flavor
1.5 T miso paste (I think mine is sweet yellow -- a mellow miso; I'd use less of a stronger miso)
2 carrots, top layer peeled and discarded, remainder peeled  (like carrot noodles!)
3 scallions, ends and tops trimmed, thinly sliced
1/4 c. cashews, roughly chopped
water

1. Prepare millet according to package directions.  When finished, put millet in large bowl (I used my biggest glass mixing bowl).  If your batch clumps and dries out a bit like mine did, do not worry!  The broth from the dish will help separate and moisten the millet.  You can prep the veggies and cook the rest of this dish while the millet is cooking!

2. Heat oil in large saute pan or soup pot over med. heat, then add garlic, red onion, and fennel.  Saute for about 4-5 min. until pieces are starting to soften.

3. Add kale and 1.5 c. water.  Mix ingredients and cook for 2 min, then add mushrooms, ginger, and miso paste.  Stir to combine/dissolve ginger and miso paste, add carrots, and then cook for 3-5 additional min.  Add up to 1/2 c. more water so that there is some broth with the vegetables.  (My veggies weren't drowning in it, but if you like a bit more broth, add full 1/2 c. or even 3/4 c., as the millet will soak up some of it.)

4. Flash with black pepper, give an additional stir to mix, and then pour on top of millet.  Mix millet in with the veggie mix.  Top with scallions and cashews, then serve.

Hannibal often says "I love it when a plan comes together," and I couldn't agree more, especially when that plan starts off as a random assortment of goods and results in a speedy and delicious kitchen compilation.

S.C. 2.4-2.6: Parsnip Chips and C.C. #8 Parsnip Potato Latkes with Nut Roast and Dill Tahini Sauce

I admit -- I was skeptical about the brain-sized (and, with some, brain-looking) parsnips.  They looked like they survived the winter, but did they taste good?

YES!

Although I was sad to lose my parsnip club/talisman/baton/horcrux?, its subsequent dissection was in the name of love and the future of happy tummies (uh oh...allusion central today).  On Thursday, I made mushroom burgers (since the hub didn't get to have them the other week) with parsnip chips (blurry picture thus none here).  I simply roasted the chips on 400 degrees for about 40 min. a la homefries (which is pretty much what they looked like).  Some of the thinner slices were more chip-like; next time, I'll have to get out the mandoline. On Saturday night for Couple's Cooking #8, we made seared Nut Roast (a testing recipe for Carla's newly revised and contracted Slow Cooker Cookbook!!!) with Parsnip Potato Latkes with Sauteed Kale and Dill Tahini Sauce (from Veganomicon).

In the Nut Roast recipe, Carla suggested kale as an accompaniment, so that was the inspiration for this side (though I didn't see or use her recipe).  I sauteed a head of cleaned, destemmed (throughout), thinly sliced kale with half of a red onion (thinly sliced) in a tad of olive oil.  Heat the oil over med. and saute onions for about 3-4 min. Then, add kale, salt, and pepper.  Saute until kale is softened but still vibrant green -- about 3-4 min.

No recipe for the Nut Roast for obvious reasons.  However, there are gluten-free, soy-free, vegan recipes on the internet that I think could substitute for this roast.  I saw a quinoa roast recipe in my reader the other day that sounded intriguing.

The Dill Tahini Sauce is from Veganomicon, but I found an adaptation of that recipe here that is closer to my variation.  I used only 1/4 c. dried dill and 1 T. olive oil, but I added 2 T. white balsamic vinegar and black pepper.  Makes a substantial amount of sauce/dressing and works well as a vegetable dip (we initially tested flavor with carrots), as well as latke/roast topping.  We are going to try it on salad this week too.  A little bit goes a long way here.

The Parsnip Potato Latkes -- these were tricky because most recipes called for white/wheat flour, egg, or both.  I ended up taking some guidance from this recipe, because I wanted to be sure that chickpea flour could work here.  If you haven't used this flour before, it is gross in the raw.  Although the latkes would eventually be pan-fried, I just wanted some confirmation of alleviated flour issues.  I followed the directions in the linked recipe; I just replaced the onion/zucchini with 3 c. grated potato and about 1.25 c. grated parsnip.

I thought this dish turned out to be pretty fancy and one that I'd be proud to serve at a holiday gathering.  It is very filling and diverse in its flavor offerings.

As for yoga, I went to classes on Thursday and Friday.  Thursday was centered around a Chair pose series -- ouch.  Friday included tri push ups, i.e. three-legged dog to plank to push-ups -- ouch again.  Both were challenging but exhilarating as always.  Yesterday, I started the "Couch to 5k" running series, now that it is nice enough to run outside (YAY!); then, I closed a lovely day (which included a trip to Loving Hut vegan restaurant!) with a quiet self-directed relaxation practice.  In a few minutes, I'm off to class again!

One quick final note: I tried to use that Yoga Free app to program my own routine the other day (one of two that I noted in a previous post but promised a report on).  It crashed repeatedly while I was creating a program, so I deleted it.  I continue to use and enjoy 101 Yoga Poses.

50 again here today -- WOOHOO!