A Tasty Way of Detoxing

Mention a detox diet to anyone and they'll most likely cringe.It usually means drinking green, grassy tasting goop or giving up favorite food and treat. Not anymore. There's a new recipe/advice book that will help make detoxing fun as well as purposeful.

Megan Gilmore, author of Everyday Detox has written another helpful book on how to have a cleaner diet and life, No Excuses Detox (Ten Speed Publishers 2017) has given us one hundred satisfying, family friendly recipes.As Ms. Gilmore who also is the creator of the blog Detoxinista, shoots down all the excuses people may have.One of the most major is fresh food being too expensive and family tastes being too particular. She advises to shop seasonally, get the fruits and veggies that are in season. They 're much cheaper than the imported ones.As for family tastes,turn those veggies into snacks and sneak some of them into such recipes as her Frosty Chocolate Shake. What I like about  the book are her meal plans.Every meal ,every day is delicious and different wit so much variety in flavors. There;s also a budget friendly meal plan too which has the same wide variety of tasty recipes for meals and fun snacks  along with a speedy diet plan that includes using leftovers. All three plans have detailed shopping lists that make shopping that much easier.There are also time saving tips that help any busy home chef who's constantly pressed for time.

The recipes are divided into such sections that highlight breakfast, lunch and dinner as well as comfort food, skillet dishes and sweet treats.Soups and appetizers are also highlighted. The breakfast shakes would be great boosters at  any time of day. A frozen chai latte is meant for breakfast but I can see sipping it on a hot afternoon.There's a vegan buckwheat  pumpkin bread that's a great jump start for any morning. The soups look very tasty too.There is the classic Tuscan bean soup, rich with cannellini beans and a mock Mulligatawny soup, fragrant with curry and garlic. Snackers will love Ms. Gilmore's take on game day favorites. The much healthier recipes are garden spring rolls loaded with avocado and green peppers that come with a creamy tahini dipping along with mini pizza bites. The twist here is that the bottom is not a flat bread but a baby Portabella mushroom. Comfort foods get a makeover too, There's a butternut mac and cheese that has absolutely no cheese in it. Its' cheddary coloring comes from butternut squash .  Kids will love the cauliflower baked ziti where the pasta is replaced by veggies. Of course there is a chapter on sweets. Yummy all natural carrot cupcakes are topped with a light and airy  coconut cream. Vegan chocolate cake is slathered with a chocolate buttercream icing with sweet potatoes subbing in for butter.. They're even the base for a vanilla ice cream that comes with a rich yet good for you hot fudge sauce

No Excuse Deotx is a delicious way of eating healthy. The recipes are mouth watering, rich in flavor , while being chock full of good for you ingredients. It's the perfect cookbook for those wanting to change their eating habits

Cauliflower The Most Versatile Veggie

I get excited every time I see cauliflower. Why? Because it's a vegetable you can do a million things with and each way is always so delicious. Not only that but certain grocery stores are having sales on it. That alone should make it popular in these dollar challenged times.

The plant is a member of the Brassicacae family and more specifically brassica oleraca and is a cousin to kale , Brussels sprouts and broccoli. it is a cruciferous veggie and is loaded with cancer fighting sulfurophanes. These keeps estrogen levels down as well as providing much needed Vitamin C and folate.Cauliflower also has sulphur containing phyto nutrients that help detox the liver. The vegetable is low in calories and an excellent diet food.

What I love about this veggie is its' versatility. It's pure heaven when it's breaded and fried. It's makes a nutty, creamy soup as well as being delicious in a light cream sauce. It adds to any big meal , complimenting poultry and beef. Cauliflower is also a good crudite. The little white florets are fun to snack on raw with a healthy dip such as olive oil and red pepper. It can even be used as a substitute for potatoes and you can make a mashed cauliflower dish. (it's known as fauxtato).

Buy cauliflowers now that they're in season. They're so versatile. You can make them fried for lunch and then save the rest for a warm creamy bisque for the weekend. They're the best food bargain out there right now.

Breaded Cauliflower Recipe (my mom's/family recipe)

1 medium sized cauliflower washed and broken into pieces

2-3 eggs beaten

1 cup plain breadcrumbs (you can add dashes of sea salt and cracked pepper to this if you like)

4 tablespoons margarine and two tablespoons olive oil for frying.

Boil cauliflower in unsalted water for about ten minutes . DON'T overcook or the pieces will fall apart in tiny bits. After boiling, drain and cool.

While the cauliflower is cooling off heat margarine and olive oil in a skillet over a low flame. Dip cauliflower florets in egg until evenly coated and then dredge in breadcrumbs. Fry until brown. You should have fifteen large pieces of cauliflower.