I Will Only Cleanse If I Can Eat

As I'm sure you've all heard of, or maybe even tried, the high and almighty "cleanse".  Haven't you noticed that everyone was jumping on the bandwagon in 2010 just trying to rid their bodies of toxins or whatever nonsense drinking juice is supposed to do?  Don't get me wrong, though.  I DO think that our bodies need a break from impurities once in a while, but I just wouldn't be able to sacrifice FOOD.

Chime in Bon Appetit!  They've compiled a two week food-lovers cleanse...and it actually looks bomb.  To make matters even sweeter, they provide full shopping lists, schedules, and recipes for the things you'll need to eat. A sampling of the rules, however:

• Alcohol. Do not have more than 2-4 drinks per week. Totally do-able.
• Water. Drink at least 2 liters per day. Bring it on.
• Bread. Reach for other sources of whole grains and complex carbs (quinoa, farro, freekeh, brown rice, winter squashes, sweet potatoes, barley, oats) So, no bread? Yikes.
• Dairy. Drop it—aside from yogurt/kefir—to give your digestive system a break. Please don't take my cheese away!

To cleanse or not to cleanse?  That is the question.  Seems like if there were a "fun" way to cleanse, this would be it.  Until then...unlimited bacon and cheese for me.

See full food lover's cleanse details here.

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Jolly Green Giant Tomato

I was doing my weekly Whole Foods visit when I stumbled upon this beefy guy. This heirloom tomato just stared at me with its many imperfections...and that's why I brought him home. I knew I wanted to do something that wouldn't take away from all of his great qualities: he was fresh, smelled good, and had smooth grooves. A simple tomato salad inspired by this post was exactly what was in order.

I tore up some rosemary bread and spread out on my toaster over sheet (lined with foil). A drizzle of extra virgin olive oil, dash of kosher salt, sprinkle of black pepper and oregano. Toast about 4 minutes or until however crispy you want your croutons.  

In the meantime, I sliced up my tomato along with some cherry tomatoes that I had and tossed with slivers of white onion. I mixed together in a large bowl with about 2 tablespoons of red wine vinegar, the juice of a small lemon, 3 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil, a dash of kosher salt, and a generous sprinkle of freshly grated parmigiano reggiano cheese. I added the croutons in right before serving to avoid a soggy mess.

P.S. My one heirloom tomato weighed about 1.5 pounds and served two very generously, but you might want to do this as a side for a heartier meal.

Stop, Drop, and Lobster Roll

As the Labor Day weekend approaches, I've been panicking that summertime is nearing it's end.  The season has tip-toed right passed me so I'm in a mad rush to do all things warm weather-related within the next week or so.  It's nearly impossible for me to soak up a summer's worth of sun in a weekend so I'll resort to food.  Lobster rolls to be exact.  I fell smitten over this little recipe because not only was it super simple, but it also used Greek yogurt instead of mounds of mayo and melted butter.  It was the bees knees...

Although I would've loved to use freshly caught and steamed lobster, that's just unrealistic for me in my tiny kitchen.  I don't even own tongs!  Thanks to the lovely Whole Foods, I was able to buy 8 ounces of lobster meat.  I did need to thaw it out, but once it was ready to work with, the rest was piece of cake.  In less than 10 minutes, I chopped all the ingredients and just blended together for a tart and refreshing summer's dinner.

And, of course, the whole wheat buns were extra toasted.  Enjoy what little we have left of summer! xo

Recipe: Lobster Rolls via Food Network

+ 2nd photo via flickr