Archive | January, 2013

5-day Liver Detox

29 Jan

Sometimes you just have to throw yourself into a cleanse.   David and I have been talking about doing a cleanse ever since we returned to New York from Stockholm… almost a year ago.  Life just kind of plugged along, something always came up, or we always found some reason why not.  But at some point you just have to jump right in and get it done.  And so, finally, here we are.

David and I have done a few cleanses in the past few years, all with Dr. Schulze’s detox programs.  Lasting only 5 days, the detox is designed to be manageable for a working/busy/real person.   There are 3 levels —  beginner, intermediate, or advanced — depending on how much change you’re willing to make in your diet for those 5 days.  We’ve always done the “advanced” program, during which you eat raw fruit and vegetable on the first and fifth day, and only diluted fruit/vegetable juices on the second, third, and fourth days.  On all days you take herbal tinctures, tea, and a liver flush drink to flush out toxins, as well as a green drink for supplements and you drink a lot of water.

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Simple Veg: Roasted Radishes

26 Jan

roast radishes - bunches

Radishes are not something we normally buy or eat.  I tend to think of them as a slightly bitter “garnish-y” type of vegetable, eaten raw, not particularly exciting.  But I recently came across a picture of roasted radishes on a food-related website, and it piqued my interest — I’d never thought of roasting radishes before!  I am a big fan of roasted vegetables of all variety.  And so with haste I picked up 2 bunches of radishes and tried roasting them.  The result?  I LOVED them.   Who knew radishes would turn deliciously juicy and  sweet when roasted?   I think roasted radishes will make more appearances at our dinner table from now on.  I kept the leaves and added them near the end, which cook up nice and crispy to provide some texture to the radishes.  All in all, I am impressed with this new, simple way of eating radishes.

Here’s how I roasted the radishes:

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Crispy Spiced Chicken Thighs

21 Jan

spiced chicken - plated

My Spicy Lemon Paprika Chicken Thigh recipe is one of the most frequently visited posts on my blog — I think because we all love a simple but flavorful way of oven roasting skin-on chicken thighs (and indulging in deliciously crispy chicken skin).  I recently created a variation of the recipe, a marinade with more spices — I wanted to layer on more flavor in the marinade and see what happened.   The result was excellent, and also different, so I hope everyone who has tried the Spicy Lemon Paprika recipe will try this new recipe, too!  What I like about this new marinade is the slight sweetness from the cinnamon, as well as the aroma of fennel seeds as well as a hint of cloves.

Here’s how:

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Simple Snacks: Perfectly Hard Boiled Eggs

19 Jan

perfect boiled eggs

Perfectly hard boiled eggs make for perfect, simple protein snack sources.  Recently, I have hard boiled eggs handy for snacking during the day — I just peel the egg, salt and pepper it, and eat it.  It’s easy, tasty, and satisfying.  And I think I have found the perfect boiling method, at least for me.  I like my hard boiled eggs with a kind of “medium” yolk — cooked through but not dried out, still a little orange in the center with a creamy, velvety texture.    The best cooking method I have found is as follows:

Place the eggs in a pot and fill with cold water, enough water to submerge the eggs.  (I like to cook 4 eggs at a time — not really a magic number, rather, so I don’t eat too many all at once, as I love hard boiled eggs!)  Bring the water to a boil.  Once the water is boiling, cook for 4 minutes.  After 4 minutes, drain out all the water.  Let the eggs cool.  Peel, salt and pepper and enjoy!  (Or use for egg salad.)

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Crispy Bacon Brussels Sprouts

13 Jan

brussels sprouts - cut in halves

Brussels sprouts and bacon pair perfectly together, and we love them roasted to crispy perfection in the oven!  My favorite bacon to use for this dish is the Whole Food’s brand of uncured applewood smoked bacon — it is thick cut with a good meat to fat ratio, and has a slight but not overwhelming smoke quality to it.

brussels sprouts - bacon

The key to roasting Brussels sprouts is to get the crispy exterior without overcooking the sprouts on the inside — mushy Brussels sprouts are no fun.  Here’s how to roast your Brussels sprouts to crispy bacon-y perfection (caution: you will be hooked!):

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Simple Whole Roasted Duck

12 Jan

hny 2013

Happy New Year!  I hope 2013 is off to a great start for everyone.  David and I had a terrific holiday season, and I have quite a few recipes to catch up on!

First, dinner from last night: a very simple roasted duck.

duck - from long island

We recently introduced whole roast duck into our dinner repertoire.  Previously, roasting a whole duck somehow seemed more labor intensive than roasting a whole chicken, but it’s really not that different.  If you get good, fresh duck — and we get lovely Long Island duck here in New York — then a simply roasted duck is delicious.  I also love getting all the fabulous duck fat after roasting a whole duck, which I like to strain and keep so that I can use duck fat to roast vegetables (SO GOOD).

I like to roast the duck at a high temperature, bringing the temperature down later.  This method helps make the skin nice and crispy.  The simplest, no-frills way I have come to roast a duck, is as follows:

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