Miso Soba Soup

Hi! Did you miss me? I missed you!

Traveling always takes a toll on my body, especially with the dramatic temperature and climate changes showcased in Miami versus Chicago.  I am feeling under the weather, both figuratively and literally, so I wanted to make a soup filled with warming and healing ingredients.  This Miso-soba soup does the trick!  It takes only minutes, and is made with a Japanese “Mother” broth called, dashi, which is full of unami and health benefits!  

Miso

High in antioxidants, which removes dangerous free radicals from the body

Increases the concentrations of beneficial bacteria, probiotics, in the digestive tract.

Aids in digestion but also plays an important role in maintaining and strengthening the immune system.

The nutrients found in miso include vitamin B2, vitamin E, vitamin K, calcium, iron,and potassium

Miso is also high in amino acids so it provides a large amount of protein.

Reduces risk for breast, prostate, lung and colon cancers 

Strengthens the immune system  and helps to lower LDL cholesterol 

Kombu

Kombu, a sea vegetable, contains anti-inflammatory and antioxidant compounds that are believed to reduce the risk of colon cancer and breast cancer

Sea vegetables have also been shown to lower blood levels of total cholesterol and LDL-cholesterol

Shiitake Mushrooms

Refereed to as the medicinal mushrooms (maitake and reishi too)

Immune-boosting properties

Reduces blood cholesterol levels

Helps fight cancer

Contains a potent antioxidant called L-ergothioneine and is not destroyed when cooked

Ginger

Alleviates symptoms of gastrointestinal diseases

Anti-inflammatory benefits

Helps diminish nausea

Promotes healthy sweating to assist detoxification

Helps alleviate arthritis pain

Scallions

Low-calorie vegetable

Source of vitamin K, which ways an important role in normal blood clotting

Miso Soba Soup 

ingredients

For the dashi:

1 strip of Eden Foods Kombu

4 cups water

optional: 1/4 cup of bonito flakes 

Note: I swear by Eden Foods soba noodles and kombu 

 For the miso soup:

Dashi Broth (see below)

3 Tablespoons shiro miso

½ cup shiitake mushrooms, sliced

1 teaspoon fresh ginger, grated

¼ cup scallions, chopped

4 pieces of bok choy, trimmed and thinly sliced

8oz Eden 100% buckwheat soba noodles, cooked

preparation

to make soba noodles:

Add the noodles to boiling water for 8 minutes or until tender. Rinse the cooked noodles with cold water. Make sure don't overcook! 

to make the dashi:

Gently rinse or wipe off the dust on the  kombu piece. Place the strip in a medium pot with 4 cups water. Bring to a simmer for 10 minutes. Make sure not to let it boil as it can make the kombu flavor will turn bitter. Once the kombu strip is soft, remove it and bring the dashi to a boil. Let it boil for a 2-3 minutes. 

To make the miso-soba soup:

Reduce heat and add an additional cup of water. In a small bowl, laddle one spoonful of the dashi broth and stir in the miso, mixing until a paste is created and there are no clumps present.  Stir the paste into the pot with remaining dashi. 

Add the grated ginger, bok choy and shiitakes, and simmer on low for about 10 minutes.  (Note: If your broth is getting too thick add more water to maintain a thin consistency).

to serve:

Place the soba noodles in a bowl and pour the miso broth with vegetables onto the noodles and garnish with scallions. Serve hot! Enjoy! 

Baked Sweet Potato With Greens

With my upcoming trip to South Beach for the #SOBEWFF, in a couple weeks, I want to be bikini ready.  Therefore, I have been really focusing on eating clean. I usually don't like to shop at Costco, and honestly try to avoid it at all costs.  But with the abundance of snowfall, I needed to stock up on some pet safe salt, and Costco has the best price for it. If I am there, I ALWAYS check out the book section as I often find my favorite cookbooks by Phaidon. Unfortunately, I was out of luck this time but I did come across a very intriguing book called Clean Slate. I LIVE to eat clean, and love reading and educating myself about resetting my health, detoxing my body, and restoring my energy.  The recipes in Clean Slate are perfect as they are proportioned for 2 people (m and my husband), and it even offers a simple menu for a 3-day or 21-day cleanse with easy to follow tips. 


Sweet potato with greens recipe is low in calories and high in fiber. I always have sweet potatoes in my pantry, they are antioxidant powerhouses. They are packed with beta-carotene and filled with anti-inflammatory nutrients.  

Sweet Potato with Greens 

      adapted from Clean Slate 


ingredients

2 organic sweet potatoes, scrubbed and pricked all over with a fork
1 Tablespoon of coconut oil
1 small shallot, thinly sliced
1 bunch of collard greens, touch stem trimmed and leaves chopped
1 avocado, halved, pitted, peeled and sliced
Cayenne pepper
Coarse Sea Salt
Lemon Wedges, for serving

preparation

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Bake sweet potatoes on a baking sheet until tender, about 40 minutes.
Meanwhile, heat oil in a large skillet over medium, add the shallots and cook until tender, stirring often, for about 6 minutes. Add the green and cook stirring until wilted, about 5 minutes. Season with salt.
split the potatoes and top each with greens and sliced avocado. Season with cayenne and salt. Squeeze with lemon before serving.

Note: I substituted olive oil with coconut oil, shallot for onion, swiss chard fro collard greens.

Meatless Monday {Clean Eating} Roasted Beet Carpaccio

As a Polish girl, I was born with a beet in my hand.  We go together like peanut butter and jelly.  Every week, I am sure to buy them at the farmers' market and incorporate them into my (Polish) diet.   Eating whole and clean is very important to me, and it is not as difficult as people make it out to be.  The following recipe is from the book Clean Eats, by Dr. Alejandro Junger, the person I consider to be my clean eating guru.

A few months back, my husband and I hosted a small dinner party.  I was looking to make something, like a gorgeous starter or passed appetizer that would impress my guests.  When I saw the roasted beet carpaccio pictured in his book, I instantly knew this dish would be the one to get everyone at the party talking.  It did not disappoint.  The presentation was colorful and elegant, and most importantly it was delicious.  As most people usually eat a meat or fish carpaccio, a vegetarian option makes for an attractive option.

adapted from Clean Eats  

ingredients

4 large beets, peeled (use rubber gloves when peeling beets!)

2 handfuls of frisée, spinach or arugula

1 small handful of fresh herbs, such as mint, dill, parsley, ideally some edible flowers

Juice of one lemon

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil, plus more for beets

Sea Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste 

preparation

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Place beets in a baking dish, pour about 1/2 inch of water and then cover the dish with tinfoil. Roast the beets for about 45 minutes or until the beets are fork tender. remove them from the oven, drain the water, and allow the beets to cool. 

Once the beets have cooled, use a mandoline to slice them unto very thin rounds. Be careful as I sliced my finger on my mandoline, if you don't have one use a sharp knife to slice the rounds. 

Arrange the thinly sliced beets  over two serving plates, covering the entire surface of each plate. Drizzle the beets with olive oil and sprinkle them with the  sea salt. In a medium mixing bowl, toss the greens and herbs with the lemon juice, olive oil and salt and fresh ground black pepper.  grab a small bundle of greens with your hand and place it in the center of each plate, on top of the beets. Serve immediately and enjoy! 

A Girl and her Juice: Watermelon & Lime Juice {Cleansing & Detoxing}

As watermelon is in season, I picked some up at my local farmers' market, Green City Market, to make a detoxifying juice. Watermelon is 92% water by weight and it helps the body flush out toxins, especially in the liver and kidneys.  Due to my daily environmental toxin intake and dining out at new restaurants accompanied with wine pairing, my liver and kidney work extra hard for me. I have to take extra steps to cleanse, restore and balance my body whenever I can.  When I am not attending tastings, I am always eating and cooking with local and seasonal ingredients.  Juicing has became a daily activity in my household which helps me to stay healthy as a food blogger/food socialite. 

ingredients 

2 cups of 1" slices of watermelon 
1 juice of a lime, peeled 

preparation 

Using my Breville juicer, I put the watermelon and lime through! Easy as 1-2-3! 

Clean Eats: Mango Kombucha Slushie/Smoothie

Need a bright and cheerful way to start your day? This mango slushie recipe from Clean Eats by Alejandro Junger is the way to go!  Ginger, Mango, and lime are always an amazing combination according to Dr. Alejandro, and the addition of kiwi fruit adds to the slushies yumminess! The recipe also calls kombucha. It's been my goal to make my own but until then I always buy GT's brand. For any kombucha virgins, it's the an ancient raw elixir that is naturally fermented and carbonated tea; filled with probiotics, powerful antioxidants and enzymes. It's liquid magic! 

ingredients 

1 cup frozen mango slices ( I bought mine at Trader Joe's for $2.69) 
2 kiwifruits, peeled and quartered, and frozen ahead of time ( .49/each at Trader Joe's)
Juice of one lime (.49/each)
Ginger flavored kombucha (GT Gingerade from Whole Foods $3.69)
1 tablespoon coconut nectar (I use Coconut Secret from Whole Foods $8.99)
Ice cubes ( optional) 

preparation 

place all the ingredients in a blender and blend on high setting until the frozen fut had broken down. Serve immediately. Enjoy! 

Clean Eats is here!

My pre-ordered Clean Eats by Alejandro Junger, M.D.  finally has arrived! Yipeeee! I have been waiting for this cookbook for months now, as it presents over 200 delicious recipes aimed to restore and transform my health. I can't wait to try the recipes and share them with you. Let's all reset and balance our bodies this Spring! Are you joining me to find out what it means to be truly healthy? 

Clean Eating

About 5 years ago, I read a life changing book called Clean, by Dr. Alejandro Junger. Since then, I have tried to live my life and eat according to this book. As Spring is here, there is no better time to get  "clean" then now. We put so much "garbage" in our bodies, and we are exposed to so many daily toxins, we need something to help us get rid these. I know its easy to eat unhealthy, but how do you feel afterward?  Usually like crap.  Make the extra effort, eat healthy.  It takes a lot of work, but give your body the good energy it needs.  There is no better way to get on the right track after the long dreary winter than with Dr. Junger's 21-day program. You will feel so rejuvenated!  Read the above interview with Dr. Junger about clean eating. Also, I'm very excited for his new book to come out next week with contributing recipes from Gwyneth Paltrow, Dr. Oz and Cameron Diaz! I pre-ordered mine with 100% of author proceeds goes to a charity.

What is “clean eating”? Dr. Junger: Have you noticed that more and more people are less comfortable using rigid definitions to describe how they eat (i.e. paleo, Atkins, mediterranean, vegetarian, raw, etc.)? We take some ideas from one way of eating, some other ideas from somewhere else and we create a personalized plan that works for each of us. That’s the idea behind clean eating. It’s not a dogma, diet, or a set list of foods that are deemed good or bad. It’s not a restrictive diet or “rabbit food” as some critics like to call healthy eating. It’s really a way of looking at food. I like to imagine clean eating as a pair of glasses that lets you make sense of the food options around you. When you put these glasses on, or keep the clean eating idea in mind, you ask yourself two questions, “Is it a whole food?” and “Is it one of my toxic triggers?” My team and I have described exactly what a whole food is and how to discover your toxic triggers here (PDF). How is clean eating different from the latest diet trends (i.e. paleo, raw foods, South Beach, mediterranean)? Dr. Junger: Clean eating is broader than most diet trends. We’ve found that some people do better on a mostly vegetarian diet, or some people do best with good amounts of animal protein. Some do grains, some people don’t. Whatever diet is God’s gift for one person, may very well be a stomach ache for another. So unlike any diet, clean eating does not have a set list of foods to eat. We focus on our minimalist definition, whole foods minus toxic triggers, and then begin personalizing from there. You say this isn’t a diet, but all of your programs have a set list of foods? Dr. Junger: This is absolutely true. Each program I have created, whether it is a cleansing program or a gut repair program, has a list of included and excluded foods. The list is your “prescription” for the duration of the program. But when we follow a program we are doing it with a specific purpose in mind (cleansing, gut repair) and for a specific period of time. They are not meant to be followed all the time. If they were, we would run into all the same problems that occur when people try to follow a diet long term. It rarely works. Restrictive diets can never give us broad enough choices to account for how we actually eat or want to eat throughout the year. Which is why most people who diet to lose weight tend to gain it back and then some. “Clean eating” is not a program or diet. It’s a way of thinking about our food choices. And you can easily begin by eating whole foods minus your toxic triggers and continuing to pay attention to how your body responds. Over time, your body may respond differently to certain foods and you can adapt accordingly. In my new book, Clean Eats, I have chosen to remove dairy and gluten because my clinical experience has shown me that these are the foods that most often give people trouble. Gluten has been connected to an almost endless list of health problems and dairy tends to create mucus, skin issues, and fatigue. That said, it may not be necessary for you to exclude these items all the time, but I recommend that you do test them by doing a cleanse to discover if they are a trigger food for you. This sounds good, but can I really eat this way long term? Dr. Junger: I understand your concern. We’ve all been affected by the diet mentality. This is the idea that there is one way or a perfect way to eat and if we do this all our problems will be solved. Whenever most of us, myself included, try to stick with these “perfect” plans, we fail, mostly because they are unrealistic and too restrictive. We may feel better at first but then end up feeling worse over time. This is why it’s hard to believe you can eat this way long-term. Clean eating is different than this. It’s not about perfection. There is no perfect diet, no magic bullet that will bring us to health heaven. Rather, there are open principles that can inspire us to stick with foods that have been proven to help us feel better. For me, that means whole foods minus your toxic triggers. What are your biggest food challenges? Dr. Junger: I’m the first to admit that I’ve created my programs to help me with my own health problems. I use the Clean Cleanse, Clean Gut, and Refresh programs regularly to get myself back on track because I do eat foods that don’t always make me feel great. I definitely do not always follow my own advice. Probably my two biggest challenges right now are eating too much sugar and eating too quickly. I’m bringing as much awareness as I can muster in order to change them but it’s a slow process. One of the ways I work with these issues is to be a part of a community of people interested in clean living. Spending time with family and friends who have a habit of eating clean is the simplest way for me to keep on track and feel good. Isn’t clean eating expensive? Dr. Junger: This is a great question and an important one. It’s something that I go into in Clean Eats. Sure, if we compare the immediate cost of eating cheap processed foods versus the cost of whole foods, there is a difference. But that’s only part of the story. The other side of the story is that getting sick is very expensive. In fact unpaid medical bills are the number one cause of bankruptcy today. Changing the food we eat is the number one action we can take to maintain our health long term. The second point is that most of the expensive health foods are boutique foods. These are your kombuchas, raw food bars, and specialty cakes and cookies. Whole fruits, veggies, greens, fish, meats, eggs, sweet potatoes and non-gluten grains, some of the items on a whole foods diet, are not the foods that tend to drive up the cost at the register. That’s why Clean Eats focuses on basic whole foods you can find anywhere. We have some fun specialty foods in there like maca or coconut water, but none of these are essential items, just ones to use on occasion. Can you tell us a little more about Clean Eats and why you wrote it? Dr. Junger: Well, first, this is the kind of book the Clean community has been requesting for years and for good reason. The Clean Eats recipe book is the foundation for all the programs and books I have created so far. Whether you are talking about the power of cleansing in my first book Clean or the power of gut repair in my second book, Clean Gut, the foundation is the type and quality of the food you eat. And that’s where Clean Eats comes in. The book gives you so many incredible healthy recipes that you can use for the rest of your life. I really feel that the most important tool in our wellness toolbox, is our own kitchen. What you make in your kitchen, when made with clean foods, is the medicine we need today. So it made perfect sense to me that a doctor like myself would create a recipe book. It almost feels like a responsibility. Will this book turn me into some health obsessed, stressed out person? Dr. Junger: I hope not! I know that it is easy to get stressed out about our health. Many of us feel lots of symptoms from digestive issues to fatigue to skin problems. And many of us are also aware that we live in the most toxic time in the history of the world. So, it is important to give attention to our health and what we eat. But obsessing over it can quickly backfire. All the stress creates even more problems. I like to take a step back and ask myself, “Why are we doing all this?” Yes, we want to reduce the probability of chronic health issues, but I think there is another reason, and this reason can keep us from getting stressed. The reason I give attention to my health is that I want to live more. This means I want the energy and joy so I can show up more for my family, spend more time with my kids, and do all things I've been planning to do. And I want my health to be a foundation for that. I give it my focus from time to time, so I don’t need to focus on it all the time. That’s what I love about the Clean Eats book.The recipes are amazing and delicious and they all have the whole foods approach already built in, so you don’t have to spend time analyzing each recipe. via Any final thoughts? Dr. Junger: I’m interested in hearing from our community what you think about the book when it’s released on April 29th and what are your most important wellness questions. The interaction with everyone who has done one of our programs and who lives clean is one of my greatest joys. It’s what motivates me in my own life and in developing tools to inspire you to live clean.

Juice: Fennel Apple Lemon

Good Morning! I am on my annual spring cleanse with the  CLEAN Program. I can't take credit for this juice as I adapted this recipe from the Clean book. It's my favorite! It's so good, I drink it 2-3x a week even when I am not on a cleanse! 

ingredients

2 green apples ( I used 3 small ones) 

2 heads of fennel bulb ( I used one cut in half)

1/2 lemon (I used juice of one lemon) 

Happy Juicing! Cheers to your health! 

Hummus Crusted Chicken with Rosemary & Lemon

Spring is here! It's time to spring clean my home, garden and cleanse my body.

For years I swear by the 21-day cleanse by Clean Program, it changed my life. Here is a recipe from the Clean Program that you will love, make this ASAP and do your body some good! 

ingredients

2 boneless chicken breasts (a girl used organic and kosher chicken from Empire Kosher) 

2 lemons, 1 sliced in rounds and the other juiced

1/2 cup of homemade hummus 

4 fresh sprigs of rosemary 

Drizzle of balsamic vinegar (a girl used O&CO Balsamic Vinegar of Modena)

Sea Salt and fresh ground pepper to taste 

preparation

Preheat oven to 450 degrees 

Place chicken in a baking pan or sheet. Cover the top of the chicken with a thick layer of hummus, about 1/4".  Arrange lemon slices and rosemary sprigs on top of the hummus covered chicken. Drizzle the chicken lemon juice and balsamic vinegar. Make sure to set aside some lemon juice before serving.  Bake the chicken for about 30 minutes or until hummus is golden brown and chicken is cooked all the way through. Drizzle with lemon juice and season with salt & pepper. Serve immediately. 

We served it with a side of tabbouleh and salat tahini. Delicious!