Vibrant detoxifying salad with raw brussels sprouts, leeks, dried cherries, pecans and black sesame seeds

Spring is a natural time to cleanse away toxins and rejuvenate the body. It’s the season for new beginnings, renewal and growth. The changes in the nature are also affecting our physiology. Our body senses a new opportunity to cleanse itself and because we are naturally synchronized with the seasons, at this time of the year our cravings shift from heavy comfort foods to lighter, less processed, colorful plant-based meals.

With more appetite for veggies and fruits, sense of inspiration and awoken energy, losing weight could be a less complicated task than in other seasons. We tend to eat more fresh salads prepared with raw and crunchy veggies and seeds. The crunchiness is an extra bonus, especially for those who try to reduce calories intake. The extra chewing the crunchy foods require gives us a chance to register the taste better and helps us faster achieve the sense of fullness.

Now it’s a great time to make the food vibrant with colors and flavors. The colorful foods are not only visually pleasant, but also great for our health. The pigments that give vegetables and fruits their colors are antioxidants, substances that lower the risk of cell damage in the body. So, eating colorful foods is essential for our well-being. Try to include at least three colors in every meal. Add shredded red cabbage, sliced carrots or red bell peppers to green salads. Enhance their taste with berries, dried fruits or seeds. Try new veggies that you have never tasted before and discover new flavors that you may like to add to your diet on a daily basis. I discovered fennel only weeks ago. I was aware of that veggie a long time before, but had never tasted it thinking that I wouldn’t like it. Now it’s become one of my favorite plants to add to salads.

All ingredients in this salad are rich in nutrients and vitamins and help with detox. The black sesame seeds sprinkled on top will not only add a delicate crunchiness to the veggies, but have also a valuable ability to clean our bodies from heavy metal toxins, which in higher concentrations may be dangerous to our health.

Vegan, gluten free

Ingredients:

• 5-6 raw brussels sprouts, shaved or thinly slice 
  
• 1 small leek, cut into 1 in. long thin strips
• 4-5 radishes, sliced
• 1/3 cup red cabbage, shredded
• 1 medium carrot, peeled and sliced with a peeler
• 10-12 pecan, lightly toasted and halved
• 1/8 cup dried sour cherries or cranberries
• 2 tsp black sesame seeds
• salt, pepper
• pinch of cayenne
• fennel greens, chopped (optional)

Dressing:

• 2 tbsp lemon juice
• 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
• 1 1/2 tsp honey
• 1 tbsp olive oil

In a medium bowl combine brussels sprouts, leek, carrot and red cabbage. Add toasted pecans and dried cherries. Add salt, pepper and cayenne pepper. To prepare dressing, combine all ingredients and whisk them until blended. Toss dressing with salad and sprinkle with black sesame seeds and, if you like, fennel greens.

Red and spicy sauerkraut soup with mushrooms, tomatoes and prunes

This recipe is a vegan version of kapustnica, a sauerkraut soup from Slovakia, where it's traditionally served around Christmas time. I am posting this recipe in March, when spring has already begun, because this lighter, meatless variety of the soup can be eaten all year round and, especially now, in the spring season.

Chinese medicine associates sour taste with spring and liver, believing that sour tasting foods quicken stagnant energy and relieve negative emotions such as anger, depression and irritation.

The sweet taste of apple and prunes, on the other hand, is supposed to strengthen the chi of the spleen, an organ that absorbs nutrients from food, which we particularly need now, when our bodies adjust to changing weather.

In mundane terms, the cooked sauerkraut is anti-inflammatory, high in fiber, rich in nutrients and fights cancer but has lost its probiotic properties. It's also easier to digest than raw cabbage.

And last but not least, the soup is delicious.

I would suggest taking essential enzymes to ease the digestion of anything that contains cooked or raw cabbage.

Vegan, gluten free

Ingredients:

• 2 quarts mushroom or vegetable broth
• 3 cups drained organic sauerkraut  
• 1 cup sauerkraut brine
• 1 cup mushrooms, washed, stemmed and sliced
• 6-7 prunes
• 1 red bell pepper, sliced
• 2 potatoes, peeled and diced
• 2 yellow onions, peeled and diced
• 1 organic apple, cored and cut in 8 sections
• 1 can organic diced tomatoes
• 3 tbsp olive oil or clarified butter (non vegan)
• 1 tsp caraway seeds or black cumin seeds (if available)
• 1/2 tsp ground turmeric
• 7-8 juniper berries (optional)
• 2 bay leaves 
• 1/2 tsp or more hot paprika
• salt, pepper

Start from combining broth, sauerkraut and sauerkraut brine in a large pot. Add mushrooms, onions, red bell pepper, apple, potatoes and prunes and bring to a simmer. Cook gently over medium-low heat
for about 35-40 minutes. Add the tomatoes, olive oil or clarified butter, caraway seeds, turmeric, juniper berries, bay leaves, salt and pepper. Cook for additional 20-25 minutes until the potatoes are soft and almost falling apart. When the soup is cooked, discard the bay leaves.

 Tip: I make this soup infused with a homemade hibiscus tea, which adds more nutrition and makes its color brighter. But this is totally optional. If you decide to add the hibiscus infusion please remember that it's not recommended for pregnant women and people allergic to hibiscus.

The sauerkraut soup can be stored in glass containers in the freezer for several weeks. When defrosted and warmed up it's even more flavorful than when originally cooked.

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Deliciously detoxifying salad with fennel, orange, fresh figs, pecans and black sesame seeds

https://naturallyella.com/

In addition to being a great food for detox, fennel bulb is high in fiber and folate and combined with rich in Vitamin C oranges and loaded with nutrients figs and pecans makes an excellent salad, especially in the spring or summer, when most of us feel tired as our bodies try to adjust to higher temperatures and warmer weather. Light, nutritious diet, preferably plant-based, will ease that transition.

Gluten free, vegan

Serves 4    

                                                                                                    

Ingredients:    

•  1 medium fennel bulb, thinly sliced or       shredded  
•  1 orange, peeled, sliced or sectioned    
•  4 - 5 fresh figs, quartered or sliced  
• 1/4 cup pecans, lightly toasted
• 1/2 tsp black sesame seeds 
• fennel greens, cut up  
• salt, pepper                                 

                                                    
 Dressing:

• 2 tbsp cold-pressed olive oil
• 4 tbsp organic apple cider vinegar
• 1 tbsp organic honey
• 2 tbsp lime juice

Shredded or very thinly sliced fennel bulb toss with sectioned orange (removing the peel is optional), sliced fresh figs and toasted pecans. Add salt and pepper to taste. In a separate small bowl whisk olive oil, apple cider vinegar, honey and lime juice until well combined. Pour the dressing over the salad and sprinkle with chopped fennel greens and black sesame seeds..

Amazing radicchio and spinach salad with pomegranate seeds and pecans

Radicchio, spinach and pomegranate seeds are excellent sources of antioxidants and provide an exceptional nourishment because of high content of Vit K and C, folate and potassium.

Vegan, gluten free

Serves 4

Ingredients:

• 1 medium radicchio
• 1 medium pomegranate, seeded
• 1 cup fresh organic spinach, loosely packed
• 1/2 cup pecans, lightly toasted

Dressing:

• 1/2 cup organic apple cider vinegar
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 2 tbsp lemon juice, freshly squeezed
• 2 tbsp organic honey
• salt, pepper 

Prepare the dressing mixing all ingredients until well combined. Tear radicchio in rough pieces. Toss with spinach, pomegranate seeds and toasted pecans. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and drizzle with the dressing.

Energizing lima bean, corn and zucchini stew with tomato sauce

Vegan, gluten free
Serves 4

This is a perfect lunch dish. High in protein lima beans and high content of carbs in corn make the stew a great source of energy. Fiber contained in beans will stabilize the blood sugar in the body, maintaining energy levels balanced. The protein in beans is a healthy alternative to animal protein because beans are easier to digest than meat. One capsule of digestive enzymes taken right before the meal will reduce bloating and gas.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup dry large lima beans 
• 2 medium organic zucchini
• 1 cup fresh or frozen organic corn
• 1 medium onion, chopped and blanched
• 1 14 oz. can of organic tomato sauce
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1/2 tbs ground cumin
• 1 tsp turmeric
• pinch of cayenne pepper
• salt, pepper
• 1/3 cup organic cilantro, chopped
• 3 cups or more filtered water

In a large pot soak beans overnight, cook until soft for about 45 minutes. One cup dried beans should yield about 2 cups cooked beans. Add zucchini, corn, blanched onion, minced garlic, tomato sauce, spices and about 3 cups of water. Cook for about 15 minutes over medium heat until vegetables are soft but not overdone. Sprinkle with cilantro.

Antioxidant and zesty green and red cabbage slaw with carrots and cranberries

Being one of the least expensive vegetables in the market, cabbage contains massive amount of antioxidant phytonutrients and is rich in vitamins C, K and B6. A study from Poland, my home country, shows that women who consume cabbage at least 4 times per week can significantly reduce risk of breast cancer. Cabbage, even when lightly marinated like in this salad, is a great source of enzymes and probiotics essential for easy digestion and balanced flora in the intestines.

Note: I have to emphasize that this salad is not made with homemade sauerkraut, which is extremely rich in probiotics, but of cabbage pickled in brine for at least 24 hours. It resembles popular in Japan tsukemono (pickled vegetables) that contain nutrients and probiotics cultures important for digestive health.

Vegan, gluten free

Ingredients:                                                                                            

• ½ medium organic green cabbage
• ½ medium organic red cabbage
• 2 medium carrots, sliced, chopped or spiralized
• 1 small red onion, chopped
• ½ cup organic dry cranberries
• 2 bay leaves
• 4-5 cloves
• 4-5 allspice berries
• ½ inch fresh ginger, finely chopped
• ½ small red hot chili pepper, cut into very thin slivers
• 1 tsp caraway seeds
• salt, pepper

Dressing:

• ¾ cup organic apple cider vinegar
• ¼ cup olive oil
• ¼ cup lemon juice
• 1 tbsp organic honey

Shred both cabbages on a grater or mandoline slicer or chop them with a knife. If you own a Vitamix blender, you can shred the cabbage using the blender. In a large bowl toss both cabbages, chopped onion, sliced carrot, dry cranberries, ginger, bay leaves, cloves, allspice, caraway seeds, salt and pepper. Prepare the dressing mixing all ingredients until well combined. Pour the dressing over the cabbages and mix well. Let it sit in a cool place or refrigerator to marinate for at least 24 hours.

You can store the salad in a closed jar in the refrigerator for 3-4 days.

Sultry pumpkin and mango smoothie with pomegranate and black sesame seeds

Sultry pumpkin and mango smoothie with pomegranate and black sesame seeds
 http://kimberlysnyder.com/blog/http://indianhealthyrecipes.com/
https://glutenfreegirl.com/
http://www.celiacchicks.com/

Vegan, gluten free

This creamy and delicious smoothie is high in fiber, antioxidants and Vitamin A. The pomegranate seeds mixed with black sesame seeds give its smooth texture a nice crunch. It makes a great breakfast dish as well as an afternoon or evening snack.

Serves 4

• 1 medium acorn squash, cooked, seeds removed 
• 1 medium mango, chopped
• 1 pomegranate, seeded
• ¼ cup black sesame seeds
• 3 tbsp coconut cream
• ¼ cup filtered water or coconut water
• ½ tsp turmeric
• ½ tsp cinnamon
• 1 tbsp lemon juice
• 1 tbsp organic honey

Scoop cooked pumpkin pulp into a blender. Add the chopped mango, coconut cream, water, turmeric, cinnamon, lemon juice and honey. Blend until smooth. Spoon the mixture into small bowls or glasses and top with pomegranate seeds mixed with black sesame seeds.

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