Cleanse-O-Rama

This is the time of year that many people start thinking about doing a cleanse - giving the digestive system a break and allowing the body to detoxify. There are a lot of ways to go about this and I'm often asked for my opinion. So, here's my 2 cents: our bodies know what to do - they are brilliant - and if we give them clean, nourishing food and drink, they will do what they need to do to achieve optimal health. That said, I understand the desire to give the process a push. I'm definitely not a proponent of fasting. Instead, I think doing a juice cleanse for a few days helps the detox process while still providing nutrients.   I recently did the Cooler Cleanse for 3 days and I found it to be a nourishing way to hit the reset button. The Cooler Cleanse is comprised of 6 organic drinks a day that arrive in a cooler (hence the name) via Fed Ex. There are 4 juices that are fresh pressed (they use a hydraulic press), 1 bottle of the best thai young coconut water I've ever had, and 1 sprouted nut milk.   So, my cooler arrived with 18 fresh drinks that were all numbered in the order to be consumed. It was easy, super fresh, and delicious! Check out the link below for more info:

http://coolercleanse.com/ 

TMI  

This weekend is the next round of TMI! In case you're not in the know, TMI (Too Much Information) is a performance project of non-fiction monologues written and performed by people in our community. Sold-out audiences have raved about this project. This round of TMI has an all new, expanded co-ed cast with different monologues each show. It's just too good!   It's all happening at the Rosendale Theater. Go to the link below to get your tix. The performance schedule is:

            Friday, February 3rd at 8pm

            Saturday, February 4th at 8pm

            Sunday, February 5th at 2pm

Miso is a highly nutritious traditional Japanese seasoning. It's a paste made from fermented soybeans, barley, and/or rice. It's high in protein, B vitamins, and minerals. Miso is typically produced as red or white. Red is aged longer and is made from soybeans. White is made from barley or rice, sometimes with a bit of soybeans added, and it's aged for a shorter duration than red. Red has a stronger, more salty taste, while white is more sweet and mellow.

Miso soup is a warm, comforting, nourishing food for these cold winter months. You can get creative with the ingredients. The basic idea is to make a broth, add veggies and whatever else you like, then stir in miso. Miso shouldn't be cooked, but stirred into individual bowls of warm broth.

The traditional starting broth is called dashi and it's made by boiling seaweed and dried fish flakes.   I'm not a fan of the idea of fish flakes, so here's another version.   

Serves 4

4 cups Water

2 Scallions, chopped

1 thumb-size piece of Ginger, peeled and grated

1 strip Kombu seaweed, broken up into small pieces

½ a bunch of Cilantro, chopped

1 bunch Spinach, chopped or use a box of baby spinach

4 tablespoons of Miso

Place water, scallions, ginger and seaweed into a pot and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 20 minutes.   Add spinach, cover and simmer until spinach is wilted.   Spoon into bowls, add 1 tablespoon of miso to each bowl and stir it in. Top with cilantro. Yum!

Good things to add: shiitake mushrooms, maitake mushrooms, burdock root, soba noodles; tofu, chicken, or salmon.