salad with carrot + ginger dressing

I took my own advice and made a lettuce salad with half an avocado, some thinly sliced red onion and plenty of the carrot + ginger dressing from my post last week. It was so good. And I have enough dressing left over to use for a veggie dip tomorrow. Just popped in to brag I guess.

I couldn't get to sleep until around 4am last night. Then woke up at 8:30am. I'm really just barely making it today. Don't you hate those days?

I like you.

black bean + tomato quinoa

The detox is over, and I ended up loving it. I think I'll do it again in the fall. I'm left with an all-over good body feeling and some random groceries. Like quinoa, for example. Not wanting to go to the grocery store last night, I found this recipe. It was light and delicious. I used canned diced tomatoes instead of real ones, something I will not do again because fresh would be so much better. Also, I'm going to try it with avocado. I will definitely be making it again!

Ingredients 
2 teaspoons grated lime zest
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 teaspoon sugar
1 cup quinoa
1 (14- to 15-ounce) can black beans, rinsed and drained
2 medium tomatoes, diced
4 scallions, chopped
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro

Whisk together lime zest and juice, butter, oil, sugar, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/4teaspoon pepper in a large bowl.

Wash quinoa in 3 changes of cold water in a bowl, draining in a sieve each time.

Cook quinoa in a medium pot of boiling salted water (1 tablespoon salt for 2 quarts water), uncovered, until almost tender, about 10 minutes. Drain in sieve, then set sieve in same pot with 1 inch of simmering water (water should not touch bottom of sieve). Cover quinoa with a folded kitchen towel, then cover sieve with a lid (don't worry if lid doesn't fit tightly) and steam over medium heat until tender, fluffy, and dry, about 10 minutes. Remove pot from heat and remove lid. Let stand, still covered with towel, 5 minutes.

Add quinoa to dressing and toss until dressing is absorbed, then stir in remaining ingredients and salt and pepper to taste.

detox

I have a small piece of paper hanging in my closet that says, "Just because you can doesn't mean you should." It's one of those things I never seem to learn, something I could always use reminding of. I am, unfortunately, one of those people who thinks moderation is boring. Good food? I will eat it until I'm ill- we know this. Good whiskey? Keep it coming- it's like I've never heard of a hangover (or, maybe worse, an embarrassing drunk text) on the night the drinks are flowing. In short, I am one of those people who could use a detox every now and then.

So that's what I'm doing this week. I am on day five right now, which is a much clearer-headed and positive place to be than the previous days.  This is my first one ever, and I'm using a seven day plan outlined here. Some of the meals are more pleasant than others, but I'm never starving, which is nice. The whole process has taught me a lot about my relationship with food- why I eat when I eat, how certain foods make me feel, etc.

Most of my meals look like the sad picture on the left. However, at least one meal a day has been absolutely delicious. Take my lunch today- a bunch of chopped up vegetables with my new favorite dressing. There's a reason it's in a teacup, it's because I could seriously drink this like a soup I love it so much. Use it as dressing for a lettuce, avocado and red onion salad and you'll be so happy. You can call and thank me later. I'll even let you talk to my liver, since we may actually be friends again after this.

Carrot + Ginger Dressing
1 large carrot, peeled and roughly chopped
1 large shallot, peeled and roughly chopped
2 tablespoons roughly chopped fresh ginger
1 tablespoon sweet white miso
2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
1 tablespoon roasted sesame seed oil
1/4 cup grapeseed oil
2 tablespoons water

Pulse the carrot, shallot and ginger in a blender until finely chopped. Scrape down the sides, add the miso, vinegar and sesame seed oil and whiz together. While the blender is going, slowly drizzle in the grapeseed oil and the water. 

...and also

I think I like grapefruit. Even though it's hard to eat. Or maybe because it's hard to eat.

There are some really nice things about being single. One of them is that your free time is all your own. As someone who seems to enjoy alone time more than most, I'm trying to take full advantage of this while I can.

For example, I've fallen into a wonderful Sunday routine. I wake up, eat some oatmeal, then pack a bag full of books and magazines and take a long walk to a coffee shop a couple of neighborhoods over. I get a big cup of coffee, a seat on a deep couch, and read for hours. Then around 4:30 or 5 I pack up and head north about a mile to go see a $4 movie at the cheap theater. This usually involves a dinner of Junior Mints or Raisinettes, but not last week. At some point during my walk I developed a huge craving for broccoli soup. I feel that when you get such a specific craving like that, especially when it's a healthy one, you should probably honor it. So after an embarrassing 86 minutes of Beastly I went to my produce store to get soup fixins.

And here is the result. Simple, yummy broccoli soup. I will definitely be making it again, but this time I will make sure and have some Junior Mints on hand for dessert.

Cream of Broccoli Soup

From Gourmet  | December 1993

Ingredients

3/4 cup chopped onion
1 carrot, sliced thin

1 clove of garlic, minced
2 teaspoons mustard seeds
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
3/4 pound broccoli, chopped coarse (about 3 1/2 cups)
2 cups chicken broth
1 cup water
1 1/2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice, or to taste
1/4 cup sour cream

Preparation  

In a heavy saucepan cook the onion, the carrot, the mustard seeds, garlic, and salt and pepper to taste in the butter over moderate heat, stirring, until the onion is soft, add the broccoli, the broth, and the water, and simmer the mixture, covered, for 15 to 20 minutes, or until the broccoli is very tender. In a blender purée the soup in batches until it is smooth, transferring it as it is puréed to another heavy saucepan. Whisk in the lemon juice and salt and pepper to taste, heat the soup over moderately low heat, and whisk in the sour cream (do not let the soup boil).