Get the Glow

February 11, 2014

It’s that time of year again…time to start spring-cleaning! And I’m not talking about the usual scrubbing, dusting and mopping, though I do enjoy a tidy nest! It’s no secret that good food is integral to health and vitality and spring is a great time to start cleaning things up. I’ve created a menu of delicious dishes that will help to detoxify and nourish the body and set you on the path to more radiant skin. So what are you waiting for? Grab your beauty products (hint: they are in the produce aisle) and get glowing!

Menu
Carrot Daikon Drink
Vegetable Miso Soup
Radicchio, Grapefruit, and Arugula Salad
Brined Cucumbers with Radishes
Udon with Dandelion Greens and Fava Beans
Lemon Stars

Carrot Daikon Drink
*This is a medicinal remedy used to cleanse the body and is to be used sparingly, no more than once a week for 4 weeks at most. __

Makes 1 serving

1⁄2 cup finely grated carrot
1⁄2 cup finely grated daikon _
1 cup spring or filtered water
splash soy sauce _
1/3 sheet toasted sushi nori, shredded _
1/3 umeboshi plum

Combine grated vegetables with water in sauce pan and bring to a gentle _boil, uncovered, over medium heat. Reduce heat to low and simmer 3-4 _minutes. Add soy sauce and simmer 2-3 minutes more. Stir in shredded nori _and ume plum and simmer 1 minute more. Drink the tea and eat the _vegetables, while the tea is quite hot.

Vegetable Miso Soup

Makes 2-4 servings

1-inch piece wakame, soaked until tender, fine diced
4 cups spring or filtered water _
1⁄2 yellow onion, thin half moon slices _
1 small carrot, thin coins _
1⁄2 cup finely shredded green cabbage _
1 teaspoon barley or brown rice miso _
2-3 scallions, thinly sliced on the diagonal for garnish

Combine wakame and water in a saucepan and bring to a boil, covered. Add _balance of vegetables, cover and return to a boil. Reduce heat to low and _simmer for 10-15 minutes, until the vegetables are soft. Remove a small _amount of broth and dissolve miso. Stir into soup and simmer over very low _heat, uncovered, for 3-4 minutes. Serve garnished with sliced scallions. _

Radicchio, Grapefruit, and Arugula Salad

Makes 4-6 servings

1 teaspoon shelled hempseeds_
sea salt
4-5 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
2 cup extra virgin olive oil
2 ruby grapefruits, peeled, pith removed, thinly sliced_
1 large head radicchio, hand shredded_
1 medium bunch arugula, stems trimmed, hand shredded_
1/2 cup oil-cured black olives, pitted

Heat a dry skillet over low heat. Stir in hempseeds and a generous pinch of salt and lightly pan toast for 2-3 minutes, taking care not to burn the seeds. Transfer to a small mixing bowl and whisk in vinegar and olive oil. Season with salt to taste and whisk to combine. Prepare the grapefruit and place in a bowl. Pour dressing over the grapefruit and set aside to marinate for 15 minutes. __

To serve the salad, combine radicchio, arugula and olives in a bowl. Stir in grapefruit and _dressing, tossing gently to coat the salad with dressing. Serve at room temperature or chilled.

Brined Cucumbers with Radishes

Makes 4 servings

6 cups spring or filtered water_
1 teaspoon brown rice syrup_
4 cloves fresh garlic, sliced_
1/2 teaspoon whole black peppercorns_
3 tablespoons sea salt
5-6 Kirby cucumbers, halved lengthwise, 1/2-inch thick slices_
8-10 red radishes, trimmed, quartered
5-6 sprigs fresh parsley, leaves removed from stems, left whole _
Extra virgin olive oil

Bring water, rice syrup, garlic, peppercorns and salt to a boil over medium heat and cook for 10 minutes.

When the brine has cooked, remove from heat and stir in cucumbers and radishes. Allow to stand, uncovered, for 10 more minutes. Drain well in a colander, discarding brine, garlic and peppercorns. Transfer cucumbers and radishes to a bowl of ice to cool. Drain well and transfer to a mixing bowl. Stir in parsley, olive oil to coat and a light sprinkling of salt to taste. Serve at room temperature or chill.

Udon with Dandelion Greens and Fava Beans

Makes 3-4 servings

10 ounces dried fava beans, soaked 1 hour _
5 cups water _
1 piece kombu
1 yellow onion, diced _
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil _
1 leeks, split, rinsed, and thinly sliced on the diagonal _
1 carrot, julienne _
3 bunches dandelion greens, rinsed and sliced into 1 inch pieces _
1 tablespoon mirin _
8 ounces udon noodles _
3 scallion — sliced thin diagonal

Drain the fava and place in saucepan. Add water, kombu, onion and 2 teaspoon olive oil. Bring to boil, uncovered and cook on high for 5 min. Reduce to low, cover, and cook beans until tender – 1-2 hours. Drain and set aside._ _

Heat 2 tablespoon of oil in deep skillet. Add leeks and sauté with soy for 1 minute. Add carrots, season with soy. Stir in greens and mirin. Stir in beans, cover and keep warm. _Cook noodles, add to vegetables, garnish with scallions.