Many people consider the spring season an opportunity to clear out closets, wipe down dusty surfaces, air out musty rooms and prepare the garden for growth.
All that clutter-clearing may sound like a lot of work, but one form of spring cleaning involves very little physical labor: a nutritional detox. The detox is about giving your body a break from the sugar, starches and saturated fats that can make you feel sluggish and heavy. It takes a bit of determination, but the results can be worth it.
According to aficionados, a cleanse can be way to eliminate toxins that have accumulated in your body, resulting in higher energy, better skin and often a reduction in symptoms related to stress. All that, and you never had to break out the Swiffer.
A variety of books, Web sites and health spas offer ideas about how to cleanse. Whether you choose to cut out carbs for a week or do a three-week liquid fast, the juice recipe below can be part of your recipe for health.
Vital Veggie Juice
1/2 stalk of celery, leaves trimmed
1 ripe tomato, cored
1/2 red bell pepper, cored
1/2 fennel bulb, trimmed
1 small clove garlic, peeled
2 tablespoons parsley leaves
Pinch of salt
Pinch of cayenne
Scrub veggies with a potato brush. (If using non-organic vegetables, peel vegetables.) Cut vegetables into pieces that will fit into your juicer’s feed tube. Juice veggies and season with a sprinkle of salt and a pinch of cayenne. Stir to combine juice. Pour into glass and serve immediately to get maximum benefit.
Parties That Cook Founder and Chef Bibby Gignilliat demonstrates the joys of juicing with Joey Altman in this segment on Bay Cafe. Check it out:
Gerard the Prince of Paella cooked up a vibrant, artfully layered paella masterpiece of Ecuadorian shrimp, chicken, clam, octopus, red bell peppers, whole garlic bulbs, onions, garbanzo beans, green beens, seasoned with his signature spice mixture of cumin, saffron and exotic smoked pepper, and decorated with concentric circles of sliced lemon. Throughout the heated challenge, Gerard was his friendly and unflappable self, answering questions from the crowd, offering Flay a tequila shot and even teasing him about adding his rice too early!
Flay, who seemed serious throughout the day, pulled out all the fancy ingredient stops for his paella, which brimmed out of the pan with chorizo, chicken, fresh peas, and almost every creature of the ocean: shrimp, squid, lobster, squid, mussels, clams, and fish. Oh and let’s not forget a healthy garnishing of garlic aioli squeezed over the bubbling mixture!; ?>/img/parties-that-cook-blog-logo.jpg){kind=logo}
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