It’s been a long and exciting week.  On Monday, out of nowhere, we ended up taking in an abandoned kitten.  We’ve wanted a pet for a long time, and were waiting for the right time.  But there is usually never a perfectly right time…sometimes the universe decides to put something in your path.  It took us a few days to cement the idea in our minds, but we’ve come to the conclusion that we’re totally ready to keep and raise this kitty!   Her name is Q, as in the Star Trek Next Generation character (I know what you’re probably thinking, nerd-alert!–you should have guessed that from my Bantha Milk Hot Chocolate recipe).   She appeared out of thin air into our lives, and everything is mostly the same, but a lot different too.  She’s brightened our home up and we’re having so much fun learning how to take care of her.  It’s been a whirlwind week.

I’ve been a little stressed from work and the new responsibility.  The byproduct of this is that I’ve been eating a lot of sugary foods, which brings me to why I decided to try a short, easy, detox for a few days before Thanksgiving.  I found the recipe for Kitchadi from Ekhart Yoga, Irina Verwer shares her lovely Easy Detox Kitchadi recipe and let me tell you, it’s truly simple to put together, and tastes great.  I’m not sure how much I’ll love it once I’ve eaten it every meal for 4 days, but at day one, it’s delicious.  I didn’t follow Irina Verwer’s recipe exactly.  I made a few small modifications and it still came out wonderful!

Even if you don’t plan on eating this for every meal as a detox, it’s a wonderful dish.  Give it a try.  It’s vegetarian, full of green vegetables, and spices, and warming for a crisp Autumn night.

Tips from Ekhart Yoga:

“If you’re looking for a detox or cleanse but you can’t take time away from real life you can use this dish. You simply eat kitchadi, and only kitchadi, for between 2 to 7 days depending on what your body needs. There’s no fasting or complicated things to prepare, so it’s easy to fit into your normal routine or when you’re under extra pressure. You will still get the benefits of the detox while still eating!

You need to soak some of the ingredients overnight and then you can make a big batch for the whole day. Eat kitchadi in place of all meals and snacks but only eat when you feel hungry. Drink just water or herbal teas during the detox. “

It’s also recommended that you only eat when hungry and chew mindfully.   Experiencing headaches or moodiness is typical of a detox.  To ease these unwanted symptoms drink more water.

Pre-Thanksgiving Kitchadi Detox

Ingredients:

• 1 ½ cups green mung beans
• 1 cup brown rice
• a large bowl of water to soak rice and mung beans
• 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
• 1 tablespoon coconut oil
• 3 – 5 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
• 1 teaspoon turmeric
• 1 teaspoon cumin
• 1 tbs fresh or pickled ginger, finely chopped
• 1 stalk celery, finely chopped
• 1/2 green pepper, finely chopped
• 6 – 12 cups water (I used 8 cups of water)
• 1-2 cups of a variety of green vegetables (I used broccoli, spinach, and arugula)
• tamari or salt to taste
• OPTIONAL: fresh or dried coriander to garnish

Directions:

1. Soak uncooked rice, mung beans, and apple cider vinegar for 3-8 hours (I soaked mine for 3 hours).
2. After the rice, mung beans, and apple cider vinegar have soaked, strain them.
3. In a large pot melt the coconut oil on medium heat.
4. Add the finely chopped garlic, green pepper, and celery.
5. Stir for 1-3 minutes.
6. Add turmeric, cumin, mung beans, and rice.
7. Stir to combine.
8. Add ginger and water.
9. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer.
10. Cook for about 40 minutes, until the rice and mung beans are tender and almost falling apart.
11. Add in the green vegetables.
12. Cook for about 5 more minutes, or until the vegetables are tender.  You can add more water at this point if you want your Kitchadi to be more of a stew.
13. Taste, then add a dash of tamari or salt to your taste level.
14. Serve and garnish with fresh or dried coriander.