Liquid Earth

Life has been very blissful at Stone Hill Farm as of late. My Charlie has had a few days where he has been able to work from home. This means we've had a little more time together. Anyone who commutes knows what a drain it is on your sanity. My husband's commute is sometimes three hours a DAY! Poor lamb. Most days he arrives home at 8:45 pm. It's a bummer leaving the house when it is barely light out and returning in darkness.

Too keep us healthy, sane and bright we stopped by Liquid Earth after work a few Wednesday's ago. This raw, vegan bar is just what the detox ordered.

They specialize in fresh organic produce and great juice drinks.

There are a few tables in the restaurant or you can pull up to the juice bar.

All juices are served in these great Pyrex measuring cups. E. had the O.C. Loco with organic carrot, Granny Smith apple, celery, parsley and spirulina that is served in a sea salt rimmed glass. Is it bad that I think it would taste awesome with Sloop Betty Vodka? Kinda against the point of being so healthy, but still...that would be a killer Sunday Funday drank.

I enjoyed the Phat Beet. Word. There are Granny Smith's, Red Delicious Apples, Beets and Ginger in this Hot Pink goddess of goodness! Not only do I love the taste but I just feel happy to drink anything PINK!!!

Our server was so kind and spoke highly of the freshly made guac so we had to go for a little snack as well.

They literally mix the guacamole on-site moments before it hits the table. It was magically delicious. Kasia told us in our Detox class that avocado is very good for your gut. I think it is also good for the soul! Check out there adorable website here and visit them. Your gut will thank you.

Thank you Liquid Earth for existing! We love to juice at home but sometimes it's nice to have someone looking out for your best interest who will also clean up the juice pulp once all is said and done. Thank you universe for letting E. and I have a little more time together lately. We are now a one car family and feeling very Eco and getting quality time to and from the train station. Wishing everyone a healthy and restful Thanksgiving.

Coconut Curry with Jicama and Chick Peas

I'm still feeling energetic and loosing weight from my Spring Whole Foods Detox. One of the easiest tricks on my 30 Day Detox was a bean and rice challenge. We started by soaking dry beans overnight. Any dry bean, just not a mixture of beans. Use one variety of bean at a time. I picked garbanzos. There were a ton in the pot. Make sure you add enough water. This photo has one less inch of water than needed. I should have used a larger dutch oven to boil the beans. Chick Peas are great in curry and this is the best way to know they are fresh and gas free. Yes, I just said gas free.

Bring your water, beans and a few bay leaves to a boil. The bay leaves help remove the gas from the beans.

When the beans just start to boil a white foam begins to form. Let the beans come to a roiling boil.

Skim this foam off and discard in the sink or the gas will stay in the beans and that is so not a good plan. Do not add salt. Simply boil the beans for 20-40 minutes or until soft. You do not want an undercooked bean.

Skim off any remaining foam in the first moments of boiling. Let the beans cool and measure out 2-3 cups in storage ziplock bags. Lay flat in the freezer and pull out the beans when you need. Chick peas are great for hummos too.  

When living in DC and working at Restaurant Nora, one of my favorite splurge lunch meals was the Thai Chicken Curry at Teaism. It's one of those crave-able meals that I dream about on occasion. It's made with coconut milk, green beans, carrots, chicken and jicama.  I had a few recipes that called for jicama and picked one up at the grocery store for the first time ever. Jicama is a root vegetable that has the texture of an apple or pear without the sweetness. To prepare it, cut off both ends, like you would to peel an onion. Take a pairing knife and peel the skin as seen above until all the rough skin is removed.

Cut the round edges so the jicama is square in shape. Slice into big pieces and julienne in long strips.

Coconut Curry with Jicama and Chick Peas

vegan, gluten free

(2) tablespoons of coconut oil (olive oil is a good substitute) 

1/2 red onion, chopped

1/2 green pepper, chopped

(2) tablespoons of curry powder

Add all of the above in a dutch oven beginning with the coconut oil, onion/pepper and powder last. Cook for 3 to 5 minutes until onions are soft and you can smell the curry.

(4) cups pre-cooked, non-frozen chick peas (I'm sure you could use frozen too but didn't want to risk it being to watery.)

1/2 cup coconut flakes (non-sweetened)

(1) can coconut milk, shake it

Cook for 10-20 minutes on medium heat making sure you don't burn the coconut milk mixture.

Add the jicama
(1) tablespoon of Celtic Sea Salt


Serve over brown rice.

You can add peas, green beans, carrots or any other vegetable your heart desires. I have even added a can of chopped tomatoes. If there isn't enough liquid feel free to add a little bit of vegetable broth. I added another tablespoon of curry because I love curry. You could also use a dash of dried wasabi powder if you want a spicier kick. It killed E. that we couldn't have this dish for dinner that night but it is the perfect lunch meal with a balance of fat, protein and complex carbohydrates that Kasia drilled into us during our Detox. So I packed up our lunches and let the flavors marry overnight. My husband emailed me Monday afternoon saying, "Your curry...was amazing. Better than Teaism. Way better." Makes my heart happy.

So what do you do with the remaining jicama? Use it in a salad. I made a simple balsamic vinaigrette, had a perfectly ripe avocado and tossed these items all together for a perfect summer salad. Add fresh cilantro and a squeeze of lime to finish. This is the perfect Kasia dinner, free of carbs if you are looking to loose weight.

Thank you jicama! You are a funky little root vegetable that evokes  such a strong food memory every time I speak your name. Teasim, thank you too for being such a restful, soulful place in the middle of Dupont Circle. It was great going back after nine years, ordering the same menu item that tasted exactly the same. You rock.

Tranquil Tuesday: Dining with a view

Remember to slow down, eat your food at the dining table and have a great view and good company while eating. This is the view out of our dining room. Looks like the yard needed a detox too. We have been working non-stop on the garden but had to share the before photo.

Hope everyone has a restful, unplugged Tranquil Tuesday.

I missed book club this month but loved reading the Big Payback about the history of the business of Hip-Hop!

Tranquil Tuesday: Spring Cleaning

Hope everyone has been doing well. I have been spring cleaning and taking a breather. I've also been enjoying a break from Facebook, our laptop and this blog. I started seeing a nutritionist a few weeks ago and feel like I have my smile back. Please forgive my absence but know that when this is over I will have some wonderful, healthy recipes to share with you and stories to tell about my detox, the real spring cleaning.

When I utter the word detox so many people have asked, "Which one are you doing?" I didn't know there were so many out there. I am working with Kasia Kines at Sunlight Natural Health on Falls Road and doing the 30 Day Whole Foods Detoxification Program. I found her through our massage therapist Jenny Ayres, also at Sunlight Natural Health. Kasia and I first met in late March for two hours so she could review my needs. I filled out a ton of forms (homework) before our meeting. After reviewing my history she suggested that I may have adrenaline fatigue. I was getting ten hours of sleep but I was still exhausted. After long work weeks with events and travel I would need the whole weekend to sleep to feel like I could just get up on Monday mornings. She put me on a B12 regimen that has literally saved my life! My friends at work keep asking, "What are you ON?" I joyfully respond, "Dude, it's my B12!"

After finding this diagnosis accurate I decided to dip my whole body into the pool of nutrition and plunged into the 30 day detox. It has been a blessing beyond words. We started the program with a three hour class and lunch at Sunlight Health the day before Easter Sunday.

Kasia taught us about how to eat and what times of the day we should eat. Most importantly is that our brains need glucose to function. When a person goes into a coma they are hooked up to glucose so they don't become brain dead. We need glucose in the morning to sustain our brain activity throughout the day. Not just protein! It was like a huge light bulb going off for me. Our brain is most active from 2pm to 6pm.

We learned about grains and beans.

We received a great manual with recipes, our detox program sample and lots and lots to study. Kasia even prepared us a wonderful vegan meal for our lunch that day. I Tweeted!

We started with a raw green drink. I guessed many of the ingredients which is seriously my favorite game. She included kale, pears, spinach, ginger, lemon and apples. It was different but tasty. I'm adding mint to mine for my morning jump start.

She prepared a hot water, lemon and ginger mixture to sip with lunch.

The soup she served was so delicious I bought all of the ingredients and made it immediately. It was a curry, lentil soup with cauliflower topped with cilantro. We had black beans and rice and a sauerkraut and carrot salad as our entree. It was SO much food. I couldn't finish it. But again, our bodies need these type of carbs to help our brain activity in the afternoon. This concept was totally foreign to me. But thinking back to my Adkins diet days I remember always, always being exhausted and just wanting to go home to bed after work vs. working out.

Finally, she served these beautiful cardamom balls for dessert. They were completely vegan, gluten free and seriously so good. It was a big, great meal and a wonderful lesson.

Forgive me while I take some time to get back to a full and more balanced game plan. After a week and a half with no alcohol, no dairy, no wheat, no eggs, no sugar I seriously have more energy than I can ever remember. I'm not tired in the middle of the day. I haven't had COFFEE for over three weeks! My sweet husband keeps telling me how happy I look and that makes my heart sing. I'm SINGING all the time. At work, I'm dancing in the hallways. I'm ME AGAIN!!! I remember when my Uncle Johnny was dying he said to me, "Being sick is a full time job." I want my health to be a full time job. So in health I wish you all well!