Cleanse-Worthy

This past weekend I lead a group cleanse, it was a 5-day cleanse that is now morphing into a 21 day cleanse for a couple of us. I like to cleanse. The first one I ever did almost 2 years ago resulted in my going vegan. I felt so good that I didn’t see the point in adding back the animal products. My last cleanse helped reduce my 2 biggest nemeses: Alcohol (aka wine and beer) and Gluten (aka lots of bread, especially Jared’s homemade)

The cleanse that I am doing now has me looking at food in 2 categories: Cleanse-Worthy and Not Cleanse-Worthy. I try to stick to the cleanse-worthy foods. It’s not easy though, my beloved raw cacao with it’s caffeine is not cleanse-worthy. I did for the first time have a square and a half tonight of the Endangered Species chocolate (72%) meh, I don't know if I am a raw chocolate snob or what but it really didn't do anything for me. I much prefer the nibs on a bowl of fruit, in a smoothie, raw desserts or even in baked goods.

Also since this was a bit of an adrenal cleanse I removed oranges and bananas, well it’s day 6 and I am adding back in oranges or at least seeing how they make me feel. The one I am eating right now is not yet half way through and already making me feel stuffed... it’s not a very good one either so it’s not making want to finish it.

There are a couple of cleanse-worthy foods that I haven’t had like grains and beans. I'm trying a more raw approach this time around and it’s working well. I have to admit I do feel better not having them, however, I am concerned about eliminating them entirely as they do have their health benefits. I think if I make one of my one-pot meals and add a cup a day to a salad it would be OK. Since these are foods I tend to overeat it will help to control portions.

Here’s a lovely cleanse-worthy dish:

Zucchini Noodles with Mushroom Sauce

2 Small Zucchinis Spiralized or Julienne Cut on a Mandolin

Mushroom Sauce:

3 Carrots,
5 -6 White Mushrooms
1/4 Red Onion
2 Garlic Cloves
2 tbsp Ground Flaxseed
1/4 cup Sunflower Seeds (Unsoaked)
1/4 cup Almonds (Unsoaked)
1 tbsp Apple Cider Vinegar
1 tbsp Udo's Omega 3 Oil
1 - 2 tbsps Fresh Basil Chopped
2 tbsp Nutritional Yeast
1 tbsp Tahini
1 cup Grape Tomatoes Chopped
1/2 cup Olives Chopped
1 tbsp Fennel Seeds
Water to thin
Salt and Pepper to taste

Put everything from the carrots to the tahini in the food processor and process until smooth. Mix in the tomatoes, olives and fennel seeds. Add water to thin out to desired consistency. Mix well with noodles and serve.