tip for ya

frozen veg ends, originally uploaded by jacquelinedandelion.

throw your veggie ends into the freezer- anything chopped off the good parts, anything going bad but not all the way there yet, skins, tops, scraps.
when you have a bunch, make broth! all you do is boil this stuff in water for awhile, like 10 minutes or so, more if its not flavory enough, and then strain.

i suggest throwing in extra garlic, and i suggest not using too much ginger in your broth (bitterness).

you can then use the broth as a drink, or to make a soup, or to boil pasta or grains, or to add to anything savory you're making where you would add water. increasing the life of your veggies. sweet.

mushrooms and greens

i went to the H-mart again the other day. H-mart is a korean grocery chain. there is probably one near you, if you live in the US. there may not be. but i bet there is some kind of asian market where you can peruse and find things you've never eaten before...


anyway. this time i bought a bunch of greens and a bunch of mushrooms. tat soi is one of my most favorite greens in the world. i ate it first when i worked on my friend margaret's farm near pittsburgh, pa, and she was growing it. it was SO good. so rich and dark and delicious. shiny and dark. spinachy. anyway, yes, i had to buy it when i saw it.

also "chinese celery" which is basically just leafy celery rather than stalky celery.

i also had some cilantro and some pak choi.

one red onion began the pot, i browned it with some coconut oil and salt. then i added ginger, water, red chili powder, palm sugar, tamari sauce, garlic, and the greens, all chopped up. i also put in shiritake noodles, which are made from yams and are delicious and weird.





i bought a bunch of mushrooms, so i put them in, too.




also, i had gotten these "soy puffs" to try. they're like, puffed tofu. i threw them in the pot, too.










in my bowl, i put a dash of each umeboshi vinegar and toasted sesame oil, and sprinkled on some nutritional yeast, because i love nutritional yeast.




deeeelicious.

pistachio truffles

DSCN1766, originally uploaded by jacquelinedandelion.

My newest batch of chocolates, pistachio-rose with dark chocolate shell, and white-chocolate pistachio with dark chocolate lace.




ingredients in random order: pistachios (roasted, unsalted), coconut palm sugar, coconut oil, sea salt, cocoa butter, bourbon vanilla extract, coconut milk, dark chocolate, rose water, rose petals

they are so very creamy and flavorful, i'm proud of them! vegan white chocolate is coming along! no soy, either. chocolate-making is delightful. today, i'll be working on finishing the other flavors i began last night, coconut-oolong, and korean-red-chili, and i make make some separate red chili candy that is not chocolatey, just delicious and spicy sweet. candy candy candy.

Sesame Leaf

At the asian market the other day, I bought sesame leaves. Having never seen a leaf from the plant on which sesame seeds grow, I assumed this was it. It even had a faint sesame-spinachy smell. The smell must have been psycho-somatically induced, however, as korean sesame leaves are actually perilla, and have nothing to do with the sesame seed plant.

I was curious what sesame seed plants look like, and i found this sweet picture of the plants being bundled so the seeds may dry for harvesting:

Perilla is an herb, apparently the Korean variety is called Sesame Leaf, while the Japanese variety is known as Shiso. I had Shiso in my garden a few years ago as the farm I had worked on grew a whole bunch to sell as a gourmet spice at farmers' markets. I took a couple of seedlings.

Red shiso is used in pickling, and its what gives pickled ginger its lovely pink hue. I have eaten it in many recipes.

For this bunch of Sesame Leaf, I'm planning to add into the epic veggie broth I'll be stirring up this weekend. I might save a bunch of leaves to do this with:

(recipe found here)

Kkaetip saengjeoli:

Rinse 100 grams of sesame leaves.

Prepare seasoning (yangnyeom), consisting of
4 Tbsp. soy sauce
1 Tbsp. gochugaru
2 pods green chili, chopped
3 pods red chili, chopped
1/4 medium western onion, minced
1/2 spring onion, sliced crosswise in small pieces
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 finger ginger, minced

Layer leaves and allow to marinate briefly.

Serve as side dish (banchan).




although I'll substitute tamari for soy sauce, and possibly add a dash of ume vinegar and probably lemon juice as i love that sort of tang.

(image found here, which has more recipes that look awesome.)







yum.

Master Cleansing; purification ritual

cleansing experience and purification tips.

I'm currently in day 8 of the master cleanse. I have been doing this internal cleaning since i was about 17. Back then, when i ate a pretty standard american diet, I needed it bad. It was a lot more intense, with a strong detox effect at least one of the days, usually the 3rd and 4th day. I would get light headed and confused, unable to connect my thoughts very well. That would pass and towards the end of the cleanse, I would become so clear and energetic, rejuvenated.

since for the last 3 and a half years, i've followed this dairy- and gluten-free diet, maybe i'm not as dirty on the inside. At times over the course of this new lifestyle, i've been more or less clean, depending on whether i was choosing to or not to consume sugars, caffeine, non-glutenous grains, alcohol, and meats. I wanted to cleanse recently as I had been smoking cigarettes, eating sugar and fried foods often, and over-indulging in alcohol which led me to more poor food choices. (I ate PIZZA! ergh! i don't even like pizza!) I was feeling bad. physically sluggish and inflamed, exhausted. So, i decided to use the cleanse as my gateway to the radiant health I have known before. On day 8, it seems to be working. I'm enjoying the clarity of sobriety and mornings without caffeine. Stretching and yoga asanas have become a daily routine, as well as light meditation. AND i can't wait to eat clean, nourishing foods when I am finished. I prepared a batch of kimchi for when i'm done, and I have plenty of veggie scraps for broth.

I drank a lot of tea during this cleanse, as well as incorporating coconut water a couple of times. i had one foggy day- the 2nd day, and it was just in the evening. i was spacey. Since then i've felt pretty normal. Clear. My sleep has been better. The one thing that has been going on is a lot of muscle soreness, though. There are insane knots in my shoulders, my glutes are sore, and my mid-back has been bothering me so much! i feel like I can't do anything for more than 10-15 minutes before i'm uncomfortable.

on the cleanse, your tongue turns white




or yellow.


but then, it clears.

advice:

if you're using smooth move, make sure you take it 10-12 hours before you need to leave the house in the morning, as you do not want to be out in your car or walking or public transportation and have that urge. if you use salt water, I don't know what to tell you. that stuff makes me feel terrible. but everyone's different.


definitely drink water between cleanse drinks. and herbals tea so you get to have some flavor action and some other nutrients. this also helps you form poop.

you may be inclined to think a lot about food. go for it. you may find yourself obsessing about more healthful things. read about different dietary choices, read recipes! read about radiant health. enjoy planning out the way you will think and feel about the food you will enjoy when you are finished.

smelling other peoples' food can feel like a feast to someone on a cleanse. I find that it is not frustrating at all, and i love smelling what people are cooking. walk into an indian or thai restaurant and smell the air! don't be afraid to sit with friends who are eating. you'll be fine.






PURIFICATION, beyond the master cleanse

to enhance your rejuvenation, and come out feeling pure and fresh, i suggest you perform some rituals for yourself.

-take baths. assuming you enjoy them. cleansing is a time to pamper your physical self. adding epsom salts helps pull toxins, so its physically helpful, too. i have been adding patchouli-mint salts to my baths, which make me feel grounded and refreshed.


-clean your environment! get rid of anything that isn't serving you. anything you don't LOVE or put to use *frequently* is junk. clean your windows and kitchen and bathroom, get the air circulating! even if its cold out, open the window wide for a moment to replace stagnant air with fresh, clean air.

-sit comfortably in comfortable clothing that you love. put on any jewelry or other adornments which make you feel powerful or special. birds and feathers, snakes and skins, are good totems to have around you for the energy of rejuvenation. stones such as quartz, rose quartz, and amethyst will give you more healing, cleansing energy. light candles with intention.
visualize the changes you want to make. take time to list on paper or in your mind the things you are leaving behind and the things you are moving towards. picture yourself in the situations you want to create for yourself. imagine radiant health, what that looks, feels, and tastes like. spend a few moments focused on your breathing, breathing out the old, breathing in the new.



-exfoliate!!! use a dry brush and/or a salt scrub. dry brushing also increases lymph circulation, therefore stimulating MORE internal cleansing! sweet.

-smudge your home and your body with a sage bundle. I suggest doing this at the very end of the cleanse, in the evening of your last full day of it, before the day you plan to break it. Smudging purifies the energy around you, dispelling stale stuff and cleansing everything. its a powerful feeling, walking into an environment that has been cleansed this way. get all the corners and closets and under the bed!


enjoy the time. pamper yourself. get enough rest. get some light exercise in every day, like stretching, dancing, yoga, walking, galavating, etc. make sure to spend time in nature. happy cleansing <3 <3 jackie