Time for a Post Holiday Detox!

[caseyjo]

Well Christmas is over, and my pants are a bit tight! I definitely had a bit too many pot pies, baguettes covered in pate and cheeses, mashed potatoes, and other heavy beige things. Now I'm trying to find some healthier fare that will still be filling enough for winter lunches and dinners. What's your favorite meal for when you desperately need something fresh?

As for me, I just threw together some garbanzo beans, julienned red bell pepper and red onion, sliced cucumber, and quartered vine-ripened tomatoes. Dress with extra virgin olive oil, red wine vinegar, and sheep's milk feta. Salt to taste, and it's actually a pretty great lunch.

[monavano]

Cabbage soup with canellini beans. OK, I threw in a small bit of fresh kielbasa!
My first shop after the holidays was heavily loaded with yogurt, cottage cheese, vegetables and fruits.
It actually feels good to eat them.
For now ;-)

[waver]

Kale, everything kale. A few leaves shredded and quickly sauteed with one egg and one egg white cooked on top. Add hot sauce.
Also kale salad with a Wolefoodsish tahini/nutritional yeast dressing or the kale ceasar here http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/foo...

[pine time]

Have you tried baked kale chips? Surprisingly good, especially w/ a sprinkle of good salt.

[prima]

Just thought I'd add this link- some of the recipes look amazing: http://www.food52.com/blog/2815_our_n...

[opinionatedchef]

prima, so glad you posted this link. turns out there are a number of food52 mentions on CH, i'm glad to discover. what a great group of talented chefs and recipes. i've recently discovered it and am quite addicted. has me quite revitalized as to cooking get up and go!

[prima]

;-)

I found out about food52 from a Chowfriend myself. Agree, lots of neat recipes that inspire.

[caseyjo]

Thanks for posting this, I'm totally making that borscht today. It's great, as I wasn't sure what I would do with the beets I got in my produce box this week. I'm catching a cold so I think this will be fairly restorative.

[raisa]

I love spinach soup as it has that light feeling to it. Just some spinach blanched in veg stock then blended with an immersion blender. Sprinkle some herbs, drizzle some EVO. Done. Glilled tofu an Asian dressing. Baked fish and a citrusy salad.Garbanzo salad with mint yogurt dressing. Just avoid red meat, butter, cream and cheese.

[tcamp]

in re your last sentence - so true, not so easy. But, yeah, that is what I am doing too. Plus no liquor.

[raisa]

I know. By the way, you may also find my NYE party idea interesting. The theme was carpaccio/ceviche. We did salmon, tuna, trout and also a beef carpaccio. If you don't want to go veg, that might be help.

[Chemicalkinetics]

For me Holiday Detox (or any kind of detox) is to eat very plain and simple vegetable dishes, or congee.

[Emme]

Pan seared Shrimp or scallops (i use spray for the pan) - deglazed with a little lime juice, then add a little unsweetened almond milk, chipotle in adobo and some fire-roasted scallions. Nice to serve with oven roasted tomatoes.

Egg white omelettes are something i can eat every day... Add a little bit of cream of tartar to them, and they'll puff up a bit more. I like thyme with onions, garlic, and mushrooms; sometimes curry powder with tomatoes and cauliflower; other times, onions, squash, cumin, oregano, garlic, and a dash of cayenne...

Blackened fish - love joe's fish blackening seasoning. broil or bake; serve with roasted or steamed veggies of choice. particularly like with green beans.

[pine time]

+1 for egg white omelettes. I've been having a simple one with fresh spinach, a few herbs (still growing in my garden), and sweet grape tomatoes, halved. Need them to cleanse away (metaphorically) all the sweets I over-indulged in over the past few weeks.

[linguafood]

But the yolk is the best part of the egg. Never understood the egg-white scramble/omelette thing...

[pine time]

Egg-white isn't my everyday choice, just when I've over-indulged & watching the fat intake for awhile...

[linguafood]

Fat's usually not the problem, especially in the yolk. The yolk has *all* the good stuff in it.

PS: http://www.cholesterol-and-health.com...

[Emme]

Personally, I prefer the taste of egg white omelettes. I only like cooked yolk in a poached or over easy egg. Really don't like the taste of yolk scrambled or especially hard-boiled :)

I understand that it isn't a serious nutritional boondoggle, but omitting it does cut calories for the OP's detox.

[mcel215]

Clear soups and salads. This is my "lightened up" version of Italian Wedding Soup. It's just made with boneless/skinless chicken without the little meatballs. And tons of carrots, celery and escarole.

And grilled chicken stir frys with brown rice.

Here's a picture of the soup.

www.safron215.blogspot.com

[Cherylptw]

That looks delicious, I'm going to have to try it.

[mcel215]

Thank you ~

[luciaannek]

My favorite detox food is yogurt. A big bowl of skim yogurt, with beautiful fruit (persimmons right now), maybe some herbs (mint, thyme, rosemary basil), a drizzle of honey, maybe some nuts. A decadent yet light breakfast.

Yogurt blended with cucumber, lemon and dill for a cool soup lunch. Or yogurt blended with avocado cumin and lime. With a green salad or some warm beans it's all I want to eat right now.

I'm sort of obsessed with yogurt. I make my own and during the summer (or weeks like this when I feel gross) I eat 1/2 gallon a week.

[Barbara76137]

Winter can be tough here in N. TX because you need something warm in your belly, but right now it is beautiful and today I was working horses in sunshine and 70 degrees! That can easily get me into the mood for healthy salads.

I didn't over-indulge one bit over the holidays, in fact I barely ate anything. My problem has been stress over the past year, so that has put the weight on. I've taken some time off from work this week and I'm going to concentrate on exercise being the biggest focus of each day. Geting out and enjoying the beautiful sunshine and running, and then eating fun, nutritious food. I'm sure the weather will get miserable any day now, but in the meantime I'll take advantage of being outdoors.

[vcavett]

I ate almost that exact same thing for close to a week after Thanksgiving! After Christmas, I made it again, this time with the blood orange olive oil my sister gave me for the holiday. SO good!

[prima]

Veggie beet borscht, sweet & sour cabbage soup, Ravi's apricot lentil soup, tabbouleh, clementines and fresh pomegranates get me back on track.

[IndyGirl]

Quinoa. Anything quinoa. Especially this:

http://www.101cookbooks.com/archives/...

That and lentil salad. Black beans and whole wheat rice. And running. I know the feeling!!

[mcel215]

That looks so good. I have lots of grains in my pantry. My newest one is amaranth.

[IndyGirl]

This really is one of our favorite recipes. I'll have to try amaranth!