My birthday, Boston Brunchers’ birthday, work events, blah, blah, blah. The days are getting shorter, the sun isn’t showing its head until about 7am, and it is just plain cold. Basically, I am making excuses for not working out this past month, and not eating “optimally”.
But, with this past weekend behind me, I know that I am ready for a detox. I just need to get back on the right foot. Now, I’m not going to lie. I have been a victim of the Cabbage Soup diet in the past. Stop laughing.
I am not doing that this time. Since entering the food blogging world, I have learned a lot about food and my body. So this time, I am doing a simpler, cleaner week-long plan. Basically I am going to TRY to eat only fruits, vegetables and whole grains. This means that I am eliminating bread, meat, caffeine and sugar from my diet for the week.
I will keep you posted on how it goes. If I can get past my birthday lunch with my co-workers at 5 Napkin Burger staying in line, then I think I will be set for the week!
To kick off my detox week, I made, what I am calling “Detox Soup”, it is loaded with veggies and not much else. I did use More Than Gourmet Roasted Chicken Stock as the base of my soup. I know that I should have used veggie stock, but when prepared, this stock was really nice and subtle with a beautiful brown color. Plus, it is all natural and there is nothing, at all, added to it, so I thought this was an acceptable addition.
The nice thing about More Than Gourmet is that it is REAL stocks and sauces, reduced down to make it easy for you to use! Storage is easy, and the result is a delicious, all natural flavor to your meal.
The soup came out beautifully and made me fall in love with leeks all over again! Their flavor really stole the show. And I was equally impressed with the Swiss Chard, since this was the first time I had cooked with it. It takes on a taste very similar to spinach without getting overly “wilty”.
So, wish me luck! And please feel free to share any detox tips you may have!
Detox Soup
Ingredients:
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3.5 cups Stock (veggie or chicken. I used More than Gourmet)
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.5 tsp peppercorns
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.5 tsp mustard seed
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2 turkish bay leaves
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.5 cup chopped fresh parsley
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1 Tbsp white vinegar
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1 can diced tomatoes
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1 can chick peas (drained & rinsed)
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1 can pinto beans (not drained)
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1 Tbsp Olive Oil
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2 garlic cloves (chopped)
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1 small vidalia onion (chopped into big pieces)
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1 large leek (Slice white and light green parts, discard dark green leaves. after sliced soak in water and rinse to remove dirt)
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3 stalks of celery (washed and sliced)
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1 bunch swiss chard (wash, remove stems, chop)
Directions
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In a large stock pot, bring stock to a simmer.
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Place peppercorns, mustard seed and bay leaves in a tea bag or tie in a cheese cloth. (if you don’t have either of these, just plan to fish out the peppercorns and bay leaves before serving.
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Place the seasoning bundle and parsley in the stock
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Allow to continue simmering while you prepare the veggies.
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In a large saute pan, pour in the olive oil and garlic. Turn the heat on to
medium-high. -
When pan is hot, add the onions and saute for 3 minutes
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Add the celery and leeks and saute for 5 more minutes
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Add the swiss chard and saute for another 5 minutes
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Now, add the beans, tomatoes and vinegar to the broth
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Bring to a boil
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Add the sautéed vegetables
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Reduce heat to a low simmer
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Simmer for 10 minutes
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Enjoy the detox!
Disclaimer: More than Gourmet did provide me with samples of their product. But as always, the opinions in this post are my own.
Eat.Live.Blog. 
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