Marjoram-Basil Dressing

For those of you who don't have the time to wiki "marjoram", I did it for you. I was looking for oregano yesterday at Whole Foods (to make beef & zucchini meatballs), picked up a bunch, smelled it, and red the tag: marjoram. Hmm... smells like oregano, looks like oregano, I'm gonna get it. 

Wikipedia says that oregano and marjoram are synonymous, which is why my clever little nose got confused and assumed Whole Foods was mismarking their herbs.  I always think an exotic name either encourages people to spend more on something or totally discourages them from trying it. Its like "haricot vert" vs "string beans": to you tell me which ones makes you drop the dough at a restaurant. duh.

So here's a simple recipe with marjoram, or oregano, whichever you chose to drop your dough on:

Fresh basil, 6-7 big leaves

Fresh marjoram or oregano, 10-12 small leaves

A small, freshly picked lemon from the tree outside (a small but notable pleasure of mine since moving to California, actually introduced to me early while watching Cher pick a lemon through an open window in Clueless)

Organic extra virgin olive oil, 2 tablespoons

Hawaiian sea salt (if your best friend's aunt doesn't live in Hawaii and make homemade seasalt for fun, you might have to get store-bought salt), JUST A TINY PINCH

Freshly ground black pepper, 1/2 teaspoon

Optional: Dijon mustard, nonfat plain Greek yogurt

I have always wanted a mortar and pestle, so here's a great chance to use it. Chop the herbs and grind with the pestle in olive oil, salt and pepper. Add the lemon juice and churn more. Its really fun, I promise. If you don't have a mortar and pestle you can totally use a a fork in a bowl. 

Once its nice and muddled, add about a teaspoon of Dijon and a teaspoon of Greek yogurt, if you'd like.  This recipe makes about 2-3 tablespoons of dressing, so augment the proportions if you want to make a delicious fish or chicken marinade, pasta or potato salad dressing, or larger salad for a group.  Another interesting fact about marjoram/oregano is that in Greece and Turkey its a symbol of joy, so share with friends and spread joy!

Roasted Chicken lunch salad

Grilled scallions (chopped), arugula, basil, grape tomatoes & roasted chicken with evoo-lemon-greekyogurt-Dijon dressing, salt & pepper. So healthy. So easy. So delicious. 

Suja Cleanse DAY TWO

After almost fainting while teaching my second Sculpt class last night, I decided that people with low blood sugar are not suited for a juice cleanse. I really felt terrible by 7pm, even though I had a delicious Green Supreme juice at 6pm and was totally alert during my first class. Then it all went really downhill...

I got very dizzy, sweaty and foggy, so I pushed through my normal good-byes at the studio, smiled as I locked up, and drove straight home. I pulled out the poached salmon, turned on the microwave that I never use, and made some salad with romaine lettuce, olive oil and lemon juice. I know -- you aren't supposed to eat anything -- I still had my Vanilla Cloud juice waiting for me, but my brain was not firing right, and I needed to take care of my body more than anything.

So, my thoughts on juicing: good for you if you love it and it works. I actually think it was great to try for a day, and I would do a one-day cleanse again, although I like the idea of having a small real dinner at the end of the day. More interesting than my story of yesterday, is how I feel today -- I feel like my stomach is smaller, like I am not as hungry, and that I can enjoy smaller amounts of well-chosen food.  I think juicing resets your mind to appreciate food, and that is a good thing. I would even try more intense cleanses for JUST A DAY, but no more. I like the idea of eliminating something you love to test your discipline and gratitude. Therefore, if you're looking for a really yummy juice cleanse, I recommend Suja, even if its only for a day.

P.S. you might be wondering what happened to the other 2 days worth of juices... well, Mike has taken up the challenge and I'll report back with HIS results tomorrow. Stay tuned! Man on a cleanse...

Day ONE 5pm

I decided to take a multi vitamin and a sudafed, because I've heard that sudafed gives you a little buzz like any amphedamine. I'm sure this is abusing the drug, but honestly my body is an experiment right now. It actually helped, although it might have been mental, and I suddenly clicked on a new part of my brain - what about flavored waters and teas! I opened a fizzy berry sparkling water and it tasted as good as champagne. Tonight I'm going to put some lemon in it as a drink next to my "dinner". My dad always had at least 3 drinks in front of him: water, wine, whiskey, milk ... he'd exclaim "multiple beverages!" and smile his gappy-tooth smile to anyone who looked puzzled. I've always loved that image.

So, here I go off to the studio to teach, and I'm feeling great - I don't even feel hungry! I think the multi-vitamin did something wonderful to my brain and body. Go figure.

3-day Suja Juice Cleanse: Day ONE

So... Since everyone at my studio loves Suja juices, and I have always loved having one or two a week when I'm hungry and need a good healthy snack to get me through to the next meal, I decided to try a 3-day cleanse.

Let me start by saying that when I say "I love to eat healthy food", what I'm really saying is that I love to EAT. Drinking is much different, unless its champagne or red white, I don't love the idea of drinking all my calories. I never drink mixed drinks, beer, juices, soda, punch, etc. I've always enjoyed eating, so I've chosen chewy calories over liquid. Also, I have a hard time with the fact that juicing just removes the fiber from a delicious whole food. I admire whole foods - in fact I try to use roots, stem, leaves, flowers, etc of everything. I even make fish stock from shrimp tails. I hate to waste, and actually love finding creative ways to use leftovers. So, on many levels this is hard for me. Still, I wanted to try something tough, mostly so that I can have an opinion and help others.

Day One: Woke up with a slight hangover from red wine last night... sort of forgot I was going to do this cleanse today since yesterday was a full day of cooking and entertaining for work. I lay in bed for about 45 minutes, checking email and the news, debating with myself about this stupid cleanse. I drank a full bottle of water, as a I always do.  I decided to do it, why not, and headed into the kitchen, pushed the eggs aside and grabbed my Glow, day one, drink one. I know that I like Glow, so I joyfully opened it at 8am on the dot, drank water, watched CNN, made a plan to go to yoga... it took me about half an hour to drink the first bottle, and before I finished I filled the bottle with cold water to make sure I hydrated and to make the substance last longer. Glow is yummy, sweet, and tastes like apples.

I was tired in yoga. I usually fly into crow, hold my warrior 3 while sweat drips down my nose, bind in side angle til my leg shakes... you get the picture. Balls to the wall yogi right here.  But I usually have a big egg white veggie omelet and some coffee and grapefruit when I wake up. This morning I was about a 4 out 10... lots of child's pose, no need to push 3 Wheels... you know.

Went home, drank Fuel at 10:45, called my friend and made a plan to go shopping as a major distraction. I felt out of my body all day - especially while out in the world. Shopping wasn't fun, I felt cranky, but I kept smiling and was proud of myself. Fuel tastes like carrots and cotton balls.

1pm: drank Purify. It tasted like carrots and beets - and I love roasted carrots and beets, but not juiced ones. It kind of tastes like a bad V8 and very starchy. Like peanut butter stuck to the roof of your mouth without milk to wash it down (except, unfortunately, no peanut butter taste).

Brain pretty fuzzy, feeling pretty dizzy, but determined. I have left over  poached salmon in the fridge and I want to eat it. I wont. I'm too determined. My pal Katie says I'm tough via text message so I push onward, drink some more water, and crack open the beautiful green Fiji bottle at 3:15pm. Its OK. Better than the Fuel or Purify. I have a head ache and I'm dizzy when I stand up, but I chew some gum, chug some water, and start mentally preparing myself for teaching from 6-8pm this evening...

Grilled Shrimp, Baby Zucchini & Honeydew

This salad brings together all your favorite late summer flavors and is easy to make! If you have a grill, use a shrimp/veggie grill basket for extra smokey flavor.

20 Medium or 15 large prawns, shelled, deveined (leave tails on for easy plating, eating, etc)

Your favorite simple pesto sauce (or make mine)

Arugula, or Spinach if you don't love the bitterness

Lemon

Baby zucchini, preferably with flowers attached

Honeydew melon, cut in half, seeds removed, carved into little balls (or just sliced if you don't have a fancy ball-er)

Olive oil

Bake zucchini in a 350-degree preheated oven for about 15 minutes, seasoning with salt and pepper, and tossing every 5 minutes. Bake until tender but not too brown, especially the flowers.  Slather prawns in 2 tablespoons of pesto, then grill them over medium heat, watching as they change color from light clear to pink, flip. When they will start to coil inwards, turn off the heat and remove them from the pan.   

If you are using a grill, use olive oil spray to coat the basket, and grill the prawns the same way, watching them and flipping the basket when they start to curl up. Grill the zucchini on the top shelf, starting before the shrimp, as they tend to take about 20 minutes and the shrimp will take about 7-8 minutes. 

Once prawns and zucchini are cooked, combine them and let cool for a few minutes while you toss the arugula and melon balls in olive oil, fresh lemon juice and salt & pepper. Combine everything and serve!

Italian Melon & Roasted Turkey Salad

This is such a healthy, delicious twist on a classic dish. Its also great without the salad as an appetizer with tooth pics...

Mix dijon mustard, greek yogurt, olive oil, balsamic vinegar, salt & pepper in a big bowl, then add arugula, freshly shredded parmesan cheese, chopped basil, celery and cucumbers. Mix until completely coated - try it - if its not sweet enough for your taste buddies, add a little agave.  Be brave - I don't need to tell you proportions because you'll get the hang of it as you make it a few times. Plate your salad... you can stop here and be perfectly happy, or continue along...

Slice a melon into bite sized pieces, and place over whole basil leaves, then slice turkey and place on top of each piece of melon. Season with salt & fresh black pepper and enjoy!

Chicken Sausage & Homemade Tomato Sauce

Best simple tomato sauce:

2 cans (28oz each) whole tomatoes
1 small carrot, shredded
1 Spanish onion, diced
5 cloves of garlic, thinly sliced the long way
1/4 cup olive oil
Bunch of fresh thyme, about 3 oz.
Red chili pepper flakes, about 1 oz.
Bunch of fresh basil, about 3 oz.
Salt & pepper to taste.

In a large pot, sautée the onion and garlic for about 5-10 minutes, then add carrots, sautée for another 10 minutes, stirring occasionally until they are soft. Add the cans of tomatoes (liquid and all), the thyme, basil and chili flakes and bring to a boil. Then reduce to simmer for another 30 minutes, stirring and adding a pinch of salt & pepper as needed.

I served this over gluten free pasta, grilled asparagus and organic parmesan and spicy Italian sausages from Birite, topped with fresh parm and basil! It was delicious!

I used Mario Batali's recipe for tomato sauce as my guide.