So...this happened... I just finished a 3 day juice/soup cleanse the other day. JUS by Julie is run out of Brooklyn which was one of the reasons I decided to go with her company. It's always nice to keep it local! Let me first say that all of the juices and soups I had were delicious (honest)! Everything tasted fresh made. You could tell you were eating quality food with no additives. ​

​The cleanse itself is very easy to follow. Information on what to do before, during and after is provided in their pamphlet, as well what to do if you really must have other foods during the cleanse (i.e. recommending eating raw/steamed green veggies or egg whites). My one big issue with the juices, included in my package, was that they were all pretty sweet... therefore having a fair amount of sugar in each one. When added up, it's quite a bit of sugar intake for one day.   I think I was just expecting more of a mix. Meaning most juices being vegetable forward (less sugar) and a couple sweet treats along the way. Though I was uncomfortable with the amount of sugar, I still wanted to give this cleanse a try.

This time I only used baby bella mushrooms, but I highly recommend adding in some king oyster and/or white button mushrooms as well. Sauté the minced mushrooms on a medium-high heat with a little extra virgin olive oil. Once they are less "watery", mix in the rest of the ingredients: fresh diced red tomato, sliced garlic, minced shallots, a dash of vegan worcestershire sauce and a splash of water. Cook at a simmer for 30-45 minutes. The longer it simmers the better. If it gets too dry, you can add a little (like a tbsp or so) water. And as always season with fresh cracked salt and pepper to taste. 

To keep this meal a bit lighter, I served the sauce over raw zucchini noodles and a little whole wheat spaghetti. I keep the zucchini noodles raw because i prefer a little crunch. The heat from the pasta and sauce will cook them enough.

***And if you happen to have basil olive oil on hand....I recommend a little drizzle along with some extra fresh cracked pink himalayan salt.***

First things first, set your oven on preheat to 425º.
Then get prepping all of the fall veggies you just picked up at your farmers market! I cut up some carrots,  butternut squash and purple cauliflower this time. Chop all of your vegetables,  drizzle with a little olive oil, toss and lay evenly on a lightly oiled baking sheet/dish. Cook until tender... somewhere between 25-45 minutes, depending on the vegetable and the size of your chop. Toss the vegetables a couple times throughout the cooking time.

I'm still seeing tomatoes at my farmers' market so I'm taking full advantage! Recently picked up a few varieties of smaller tomatoes and decided to try an oven roast. They came out delicious.
I added them to pastas, salads and just ate them plain as a snack. Thank you Smitten Kitchen for the idea!

I kept my version very simple.
Preheat your oven to 250º. Toss the tomatoes with a little bit of extra virgin olive oil. Place in a single layer on a parchment lined baking sheet. The cooking will vary depending on your tomatoes and oven. My oven is a bit off, so my cooking time ended up around 3-4 hours.

Don't forget to save some tomatoes for a light salad with some extra virgin olive oil, basil and a little salt and pepper!

Thanks to Alton Brown we can all always count on making perfect rice!! If you have the time this is my all time favorite way to make rice now. I use brown jasmine or brown basmati rice. It comes out perfect every time. The best part, our home will smell like delicious toasting rice! 

BAKED BROWN RICE (slightly tweaked from Alton's Baked Brown Rice recipe)

INGREDIENTS
brown rice of your choice (I use Trader Joe's Brown Jasmine Rice)
water
1 tbsp butter or olive oil (I omit this ingredient)
1 tsp fresh cracked salt (I omit this ingredient)
aluminum foil (Alton calls for heavy-duty, I just use two sheets of regular)

Preheat oven to 375
Measure out ingredients based on your package stovetop cooking instructions.
Trader Joe's Brown Jasmine Rice calls for:
2 cups water
1 cup rice

Place the rice into an 8" square glass baking dish. 
Bring the water (butter/olive oil and salt if using) to a boil in a small pot.
Once the water comes to a rolling boil, pour it over the rice, stir to combine and cover tightly with aluminum foil.
Bake for 1 hour. 
After 1 hour, remove from the oven, fluff the rice (scraping the bottom) and enjoy

Perfect for an on-the-go breakfast or an afternoon snack! Simply spinach, fresh dill, feta
and egg whites. (You can easily make this vegan by taking out the cheese and swapping flax egg for the egg.)

DILLY SPINACH BITES
***TIPS: 1. Spray your muffin tins (even the liner if using). 2. Let set for a few minutes once out of the oven.***

INGREDIENTS
1 bag frozen chopped spinach
fresh dill, chopped - about 1/4 cup
feta, crumbled
fresh cracked pepper
egg whites (or 2-3 whole eggs/2-3 flax eggs)
12 muffin baking tin

​Preheat oven to 350
Defrost and drain the spinach.
​Mix 1/4 cup fresh chopped dill with the spinach, season with fresh cracked pepper, set aside.
If you're not using egg whites, now is the time to prep your eggs:
   For whole eggs: whisk until well incorporated.
   For flax egg: mix 1 tbsp of water to 2-3 tbsps flax meal (per egg) and set aside.
Put a couple rounded tablespoons chopped spinach in each tin (NOTE: I used 6 muffins tins, not all 12). Top with some crumbled feta (to your taste).
Now add equal amounts of your egg white, egg or flax egg to each bite.
Bake for 25-30 minutes until cooked through.
Remove from oven and let rest for a few minutes before removing from muffin tin.

Trader Joe's has come out with a red lentil pasta that I think is absolutely delicious! Organic Red Lentil Sedanini has a fair amount of fiber and good amount of protein (nutrition info at bottom of link). I'm finding that just a small portion is super filling!

For lunch today I made some fresh tomato sauce, sautéed kale, and Trader Joe's Organic Red Lentil Sedanini. It is absolutely delicious!
The tomato sauce I made is very basic (see rough recipe below). I also sautéed about 1 1/2 cup chopped kale on a high heat for roughly 5 minutes. Once all of the elements were cooked (pasta, tomato sauce, kale) I tossed together 1/2 cup of the tomato sauce, 1/2 cup cooked pasta and all of the kale together. I highly suggest topping it with some crushed red pepper flakes and a drizzle of EVOO. It is very satisfying lunch!