I've been practicing yoga regularly for about 15 years, and a few years ago, one of my teachers got involved in cleansing for the new year. For a week you drink water with lemon, cayenne and clove, make fresh juice, and eat from a specific list of fruits and vegetables, grains (quinoa and millet only), and nuts (almonds and walnuts only)--all while taking herbs that are supposed to cleanse your body of toxins.
I fell for it. Caffeine withdrawal, hunger, drinking vile liquids while my husband is having a glass of wine and laughing at me. (And since you can only have the grains and nuts for the first two days and the last day, I was hungry. Really hungry.) While everyone in my yoga classes who "cleansed" at the same time were rhapsodizing about their clear skin, their weight loss, their feeling light and free, I was miserable. The day it ended (I am not a quitter!), I met two friends for lunch at my favorite Greek restaurant and proceeded to devour everything on the menu.
Still, after 6 weeks of indulgent eating and drinking, it's nice to start the new year with food that's light, healthy and delicious.
Like most of my recipes, this one is not bossy. I'll tell you what I did; you can adjust it to your taste. For example, I used chicken stock. Vegetarians can use vegetable stock, but try to avoid those that are really tomato-y or it will overpower the taste of the mushrooms. I used red wine--you can leave it out, change it to sherry or white wine. I used thyme; maybe you'd prefer a bay leaf or two. I chopped up some parsley--feel free to add any greens you like.
—drbabs
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