Juice Cleanse + My Favorite Fall Green Juice

After four days filled with pie, homemade ice cream, mashed potatoes with the best damn vegetarian gravy I've ever had, and rugelach, so. much. rugelach, forgive me if I swear off food for a little while, and divert things to talk about juice instead. Green juice! 

Let's start from the beginning. I bought a juicer a little over a year and a half ago. And I can honestly say it was worth every penny. Up until a couple of weeks ago, I would juice fruits and vegetables (lots of vegetables) for a healthy snack or breakfast. Last January I even did a green-juice-a-day-january where I drank one for 31 days straight to help myself build the habit. Juicing is an easy way to ensure you digest the full 9 servings of fruits and vegetables a day that we're all supposed to get (though no one actually does), in a fast straight-to-the-blood-stream, kind of way. Not only does drinking green juice make my body feel energized and light, but it has a pretty incredible affect on my mind, my mood, and my ability to focus. And for me, that's a pretty big deal. 

So two weeks ago my husband went out of the country for what felt like the millionth time this year for work. I went to work in the morning, then spent the rest of the day in bed feeling sorry for myself, feeling trapped in a life I didn't choose and feeling less than hopeful that things were ever going to get any better. Things were shitty. And I felt super depressed. On top of this, I'd gained almost 5 pounds over the past couple months, and despite feeling pretty confident in knowing how to take care of my body, and continually bring myself back into balance, those numbers on the scale scared me. I felt heavy and lazy, sad and hopeless. I knew I needed a shift that was a bit more dramatic, and I needed it fast. So with my husband gone I attempted a juice cleanse. 4 days. No food. All green juice. 

The first day was, of course, the roughest. I wanted food and I wanted it badly. But somehow I felt nourished enough by the juices. I drank 2-4 giant juices per day, somehow needing less and less of them as the days continued. Much like a fast, I avoided any strenuous exercise, and limited things to lots of gentle and yin yoga classes along with walks for P. Physically I felt less energy, but mentally my mind became light, clear, and focused; my mood improved dramatically. The most difficult parts of the day were the evenings. When the sun went down around 4:30 and it got cold, all I wanted was a warm meal. Each evening I swore today would be the last day and tomorrow I'd end this thing. But each morning I work up feeling good and more determined to finish what I'd started, so I'd drink a giant glass of warm water with lemon (a healthy habit I totally fell in love with) and carry on. 

Throughout the four days I learned how much our culture revolves around food. We socialize around it. I found myself postponing meetings with friends because pretty much all people do when they get together is eat.  I found I couldn't open the fridge or go near restaurants (which felt like they were everywhere!). I couldn't watch the food network, read my favorite food blogs, and at times I felt so desperate, I actually started drooling over the trashy big mac commercials on tv. I snuck a raw almond while organizing my pantry on night two, and I swear to you, nothing has ever tasted so good in my life. Oh and I craved meat. Like steak. Big time. I feared that when this cleanse ended I would eat and just never stop eating. 

Fortunately that's not what happened. And when I eased off things by drinking warm homemade almond milk with cinnamon at the end of day four, I thought I'd die of happiness. Nothing has even felt so nourishing and delicious than that glass. I started day 5 with a fruit and spinach smoothie. I made kale chips and toasted almonds with olive oil and sea salt for lunch and couldn't believe how delicious they tasted. I savoured every bite like I was eating for the first time. Everything tasted so good. For dinner, I ended things in a big way with Green Kitchen Stories' New Yoga Pot. And it was perfect. Over the next couple of days I pretty much ate just whole fruits and vegetables, then slowly started incorporating some dairy, like greek yogurt, and feta in a salad, then grains. 

A week after the beginning of the cleanse, I felt pretty fantastic. I felt empowered and like I'd given my body a fresh start to eat really well. To focus more on whole fruits and vegetables. To limit the amount of bread I eat (avocado toast, I love you). Oh and although this wasn't my main goal, and I don't recommend cleansing purely the loose weight, I lost those pesky 5 pounds and got back to my "normal". Obviously it goes without saying, I'm not a doctor, and believe every body is different - what's good for one could be bad for another, but for me the experience was great. 

So today I share with you, my favorite fall green juice. Because I believe health is about balance, and balance, just like I teach my yoga students, is not about standing perfectly still, but about constantly moving around center. It's about staying present enough to make those little, or sometimes big, adjustments to keep you around center. And if you try to stand perfectly still, you will, undoubtedly, fall. I see it in my students, I see it in myself. And for me green juices help me balance around center, so I can enjoy carmel pear pie on thanksgiving then drink kale the next morning. 

My Favorite Fall Green Juice 
Makes about 1 quart 

2-3 large apples* 
1 pear 
1 handful baby spinach 
1 large bunch of Kale 
1 large head of romaine 
1 lemon 
1/2 medium cucumber 

Wash and thoroughly dry all ingredients (salad spinners work great here). Press all ingredients through a juicer. To get the most out of the baby spinach, pack it tightly between the two apples.

*I start with two apples, taste, then if you'd like it sweeter add a third. Apple juice is low-glycemic, so the sugar from it won't spike your blood sugar, plus apples have always been my sweetener of choice for juices. 
 

Autumn Kale Salad with Quinoa, Almonds, Cranberries, Apples & Goat Cheese in a Maple Vinaigrette

I came home from teaching a private Sunday morning craving something hearty, healthy, maple syrupy and very Fall. This salad is epic and checks all of those boxes. I've said this before, and I'll say it again: I've never been much of a "salad person", but I'm trying to be. And I'm finding the more things you put into a salad, the tastier it usually is.

This salad celebrates Fall in a big way. It's apple-forward, with a cozy maple-y dressing, crunchy warm toasted almonds, tart dried cranberries, hearty quinoa and creamy goat cheese. And let's not forget the king of the health food world, Kale. Oh hail Kale. But seriously, this salad is just lovely. It's definitely making it onto my Thanksgiving table and I hope it makes it onto yours. 

And speaking of Thanksgiving. If you're still looking for last minute inspiration I've compiled a board of all my favorite Thanksgiving recipes from all my favorite food bloggers here and here. 

On another note, I'm taking the GRE tomorrow. And not to sound desperate, but I could use all the prayers/positive vibes/well wishes I could get. You see, there's math on the GRE, and I have to write, you know, academically for TWO essays. All I know how to write about is FOOD! So writing this post is my attempt at procrastinating on those last couple pages of vocabulary words. But seriously. Send those good vibes my way. Thank you! 

Autumn Kale Salad with Quinoa, Almonds, Cranberries, Apples & Goat Cheese in a Maple Vinaigrette 
Adapted from Cookie and Kate 
Serves 4-6 as a side 

For the Salad: 
1/2 cup uncooked quinoa 
1 cup water 
1/2 cup raw almonds
1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil 
1/8 tsp salt 
1 large bunch of Kale, (12-14oz) 
1/2 cup dried cranberries 
3 oz goat cheese, crumbled 
1 very large Honeycrisp apple, cored and thinly sliced 

For the Dressing: 
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil 
1 teaspoon lemon zest 
2 tablespoons lemon juice 
2 tablespoons maple syrup 
1 teaspoon dijon mustard 
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar 
1/8 teaspoon salt 
fresh ground black pepper to taste 

Bring 1 cup of water to a boil. Rinse your quinoa in a fine mesh strainer and add to boiling water. Cover, reduce to a simmer and cook for about 15 minutes until water is completely absorbed. Remove from heat and let sit, covered, for 5 minutes. Remove the lid, stir in a large pinch of salt, fluff with a fork and set aside.

Preheat the oven (I use my toaster oven) to 350 degrees. Toss almonds with olive oil and salt and cook for about 5 minutes until almond skins begin to crack and turn a dark brown color (watch carefully so they don't burn). You want to bring them right to the edge of burnt so they are crunchy and extremely fragrant. (Note: these make a fantastic snack on their own!) Roughly chop and set aside. 

Wash and de-rib your kale. The central rib of the kale is very bitter, discard the ribs or save them for juicing. Chop the kale into bite-size pieces. 

Make the dressing by combining all the ingredients into a airtight jar (I use a mason) and shake until combined. Pour the dressing over the kale and using your hands, massage the kale and dressing together for a good 3 minutes until the kale becomes limp and the pile decreases in size. Add dried cranberries, almonds, quinoa, apples, and goat cheese. Toss and serve. 

Notes: Because of it's sturdiness kale salads actually make great left-overs. The kale does a great job of holding its shape and doesn't get soggy. 

Homemade Rugelach 3 Ways: Chocolate Raspberry, Cinnamon Apple with Toasted Pecans, & Honeyed Fig with Goat Cheese

The five years I spent living in NY shaped my life in so many ways. It was the city that introduced me to my husband, it educated me, and taught be how to support myself. I feel indebted to all living in NY taught me as well as all the city introduced me to including (and especially) a love for rugelach. Since moving to California, I've noticed when I mention my love for the stuff, I get a weird look followed by a "isn't that a green you put in a salad". No, that is arugula. Get it together, people. But I hear it over and over again. Apparently it's not a thing out here, because literally not a soul knows what I'm talking about. And what a shame that is. 

So if you're unfamiliar with the classic Jewish delicacy, let me introduce you. Rugelach are perfect bite-size pastry morsels. The flakey, moist dough is made of about 80% cream cheese and butter. And the fillings? Oh the fillings. Traditionally there are chocolate flavors, and jam flavors with nuts and raisins and things of that sort. Choosing between the two is always a painful process which results in me buying an entire bag of the stuff and devouring it before I make it to the subway.

There are recipes you pin and think "oh that looks good" then there are recipes you see and think "oh my god, I have to drop everything I'm doing and make this right now. Where have you been all my life?!" This is the latter. At least for me. So when I saw Deb's recipe for rugelach while thumbing through the Smitten Kitchen cookbook last year I did exactly that. 

So for Thanksgiving this year, instead of making a bunch of elaborate pies and cakes, I decided to jazz up this perfect pastry with some festive fillings - and what I created was a rugelach sampler of sorts. Chocolate Raspberry is classic, rich, bold and my favorite of the three. Cinnamon Apple with Toasted Pecans (Nate's favorite) feels warm and cozy and tastes like Thanksgiving, and Honeyed Fig with Goat Cheese is sophisticated and savory. Oh and to top it all off, this stuff is super hands-on and fun to make, if you're into that kind of thing. They transport me to my favorite Italian pastry shoppe in the east village with the added charm of being perfectly homemade. 

Homemade Rugulach: 3 Ways 
Makes 48 (16 of each flavor) 
adapted from The Smitten Kitchen Cookbook 

For the dough: 
1 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature 
8 oz (1 brick) cream cheese, at room temperature 
1/2 tsp salt 
2 cups all purpose flour 

Chocolate Raspberry Flavor: 
1/3 cup raspberry jam 
1/2 cup (3 oz) bittersweet or dark chocolate, finely chopped 

Apple Cinnamon with Toasted Pecan Flavor: 
1/4 cup pecans, chopped and toasted 
1 granny smith apple
1.5 tbsp lemon juice 
1/4 cup sugar 
1 tsp cinnamon 

Honeyed Fig with Goat Cheese Flavor: 
1/2 cup packed (4 oz) dried black mission figs  
3 oz goat cheese, room temperature 
1-2 tbsp honey 

For the egg wash: 
1 large egg yolk 
1 tsp water 
turbinado sugar for sprinkling 

Make the dough. In a stand mixture, beat the butter and cream cheese together on high until light and fluffy. In a separate bowl whisk together salt and flour. With the mixture on low, slowly add the flour mixture to the butter mixture a little at a time until completely combined. Be careful to not over-mix. Transfer the dough to a large piece of plastic wrap and cover, forming it into a solid disc. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours (or up to 3 days). 

Prepare your fillings. Small prep bowls or ramekins come in very useful here. Heat the jam in a small saucepan until it loosens and becomes easily spreadable. Set aside. Finely chop chocolate. Chop and toast pecans. Core, peel and dice the apple into tiny 1/8 inch cubes, place in a bowl with lemon juice and toss to combine. In a separate bowl, combine cinnamon and sugar. Remove fig stems. Place figs in a food processor and pulse until finely minced. Stir goat cheese to loosen it and make it easier to spread. 

Divide your dough into 3 equal parts. Place 1/3 of the dough on a lightly floured, cold, work surface (keep the remaining refrigerated). Roll out the dough into a 12-inch circle. It doesn't matter at all if it's a perfect circle. Apply fillings (see details for each flavor below). Place a large piece of wax paper over your fillings and gently press them into the dough - this makes the rolling process slightly less messy. Using a pastry wheel or a knife, cut your dough into 16 pieces (like a pizza - see photos). Starting from the outside, tightly roll each slice. Transfer the rugelach to a baking sheet lined with parchment, then place in the freezer (or fridge if you're like me and live with a freezer so tiny not even the smallest baking sheet will fit) for 10-15 minutes. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. In a small bowl, whisk together the egg yolk and water. Remove rugelach from freeze, paint the tops with egg wash and sprinkle with turbinado sugar. Bake for 20-25 minutes until the tops just begin to brown. Continue with remaining two thirds of the dough. 

• For the chocolate raspberry flavor: Spread an even layer of jam over the entire surface. Top with chocolate. 
   
• For the apple cinnamon: Sprinkle cinnamon sugar over entire surface. Drain the liquid from the apples as best and possible, then top the dough with apples and pecans. 
   
• For the honeyed fig with goat cheese: Spread a thin layer of goat cheese over the entire surface. Sprinkle with minced fig, then drizzle with honey. 

Notes:

You really can't go wrong with the fillings. Feel free to substitute or add things if the spirit moves you. Or add everything! The original recipe was a sort of "everything" flavor with jam, chocolate, pecans, and cinnamon sugar. 

Stores at room temperature for three to four days, in the fridge for about a week, and in the freezer for up to two months.