Cleanse | Detox Your Body, Reduce Inflammation, Heal the Gut

Are you ready to start off the new year with a healthy detoxifying cleanse?  Cleansing the body of toxins, giving the organs a break, letting the gut heal from damage, reducing inflammation in the body, clearing up the skin, getting rid of bad habits, and weight loss are all benefits of cleansing.  I am following the Wholeliving 28-Day Mind and Body Challenge as a guide for my cleanse.  Wholeliving offers wonderful recipes, daily support emails, and weekly menus with delicious recipes.  Here on my blog, I will be writing about my cleanse experience and provide further recipe ideas and commentary.  You can access the Wholeliving Challenge here: http://www.wholeliving.com/152870/2012-whole-living-action-plan

Check back in daily and please chime in on my facebook (Elizabeth Kaplan – Gluten Free) or blog with recipes, ideas, struggles, questions.

When Fats Domino wrote the song “I found my thrill, on Blueberry Hill”, I don’t think he was talking about the health benefits of eating blueberries, but perhaps he just didn’t know the facts.  Blueberries are a super food.  A healing fruit that is high in antioxidants, blueberries provide vitamin C, B complex, vitamin E, vitamin A, copper selenium, zinc, and iron.  An Ohio State University study published in 2009 found that blueberries shrunk the size of tumors and significantly improved survival rates in an animal research project.  A compound in blueberries has also been found to prevent colon cancer, according to a 2007 study jointly conducted by scientists at Rutgers University and the U.S. Department of Agriculture. The study’s lead researcher, Bandaru Reddy, PhD., said, “This study underscores the need to include more berries in the diet, especially blueberries.”  Maybe Fats Domino would have had a different name had he actually eaten blueberries?  Anyways, for those of us who want the thrill of nourishing our bodies with the top super foods, blueberries should be added to the list.

Gluten-free/Dairy-free alternatives

Ingredients:
2 cups The Pure Pantry Organic All Purpose Baking Mix
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 cup coconut oil or butter
1/2 c. brown sugar or coconut sugar
3 large eggs, beaten, or egg replacer
1/2 cup sour cream or sour cream substitute
3 tablespoons milk of choice (rice, almond or regular)
1 teaspoon lemon zest
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups organic blueberries, preferably fresh but frozen can be substituted if defrosted and drained

Crumb Topping:
3/4 cup The Pure Pantry Organic All Purpose Baking Mix
1/3 cup coconut oil or butter
1 tablespoon brown sugar or coconut sugar

Instructions:
Preheat oven to 350˚F.
Combine baking mix, salt, and nutmeg in large mixing bowl.
In a medium mixing bowl beat coconut oil (or butter).  Add brown sugar (or coconut sugar) and cream together.  Add eggs one at a time, blending after each addition.  With mixer on low, add sour cream (or non-dairy substitute), milk, vanilla and lemon zest.
Gently fold in blueberries with spoon.  Pour into greased bundt pan or 9 x 11 inch baking dish.
Prepare crumb topping by blending coconut oil (or butter) with baking mix and sugar until mixture resembles pea sized crumbs.  Sprinkle crumb mixture on top of cake.
Bake for 30 minutes or until tester comes out clean.  Cool before serving.

Gluten-free/Dairy-free Option/Vegan Option
Serves 4-6

Ingredients:
4 medium leeks
2 celery ribs, including leaves
1 teaspoon sea salt
1 medium onion, chopped
2 tablespoons olive oil
4-5 medium yellow potatoes
1/2 cup dry white wine
4 cups leek stock (made from leek stocks)
1 bay leaf
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon Tumeric
2 tablespoons butter, or butter substitute such as coconut oil
1/4 cup The Pure Pantry Organic All-Purpose Baking Mix
1/2 cup milk of choice, unflavored (rice, coconut, or regular 2%)

Instructions:
Cut off dark green stocks leek where it begins to turn pale green.  Wash stocks thoroughly.
Place in stock pot and cover with 6 cups water.  Add 2 ribs celery and 1 teaspoon salt.  Simmer over low heat for 1 hour.
Cut white part of leek in half.  Wash sliced leeks in a large bowl of cold water, separating layers with your figures to flush out the dirt.  Drain well in a colander.  Slice leeks into ½ inch pieces.
Cut potatoes into ½ inch cubes.  Place 6-quart heavy pot over moderate heat.  Add olive oil, leeks and onion.  Sauté until onions are soft.   Add potatoes, salt, and pepper, wine, leek stock and bay leaf.  Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer, partially covered, about 15 minutes until potatoes are tender.
Discard bay leaf.  Melt 2 tablespoons butter (or butter alternative) in a 1-quart heavy saucepan over moderate heat, then add flour and cook roux, whisking, until golden, about 3 minutes. Remove from heat and add 2 cups simmering stock (from soup), whisking vigorously (mixture will be thick), then whisk mixture into remaining soup and return to a simmer.  Whisk in milk of choice.
Blend soup in batches in a blender until smooth about 1 minute per batch, transferring to 4-quart saucepan. Serve chilled or hot.  If serving chilled, let soup cool to room temperature and place in refrigerator for 1 hour.