Pineapple & Fennel Juice

As Januarys' theme of cleansing and clearing continues, I can't help but juice! The combination of tart green apple and pineapple with the subtle spiciness of the fennel is refreshing and exciting! Enjoy!

• 1/2 whole pineapple
• 1/2 fennel bulb, cut up
• 1 Granny Smith apple, cup up

Remove the skin off the pineapple and cut into small pieces. Juice, juice juice away...Serves 1.

Chicken, Arugula & Avocado Soup

Tis the month to be cleansing, clearing and to be taking good care of yourself, to guard yourself from the dreaded cold. It has hit this household and it's not a pretty picture. It wipes you out and leaves you tired and the thought of doing anything more than getting out of bed is exhausting. The thought of eating, as in chewing got me tired and so this soup came about. I love a good chicken soup from scratch but when you're not feeling great, the thought of cooking from scratch can wipe you out, so use a good chicken stock and this soup is on the table in a matter of minutes. You want to take it easy when you're sick and save all your energy for healing. Enjoy and stay well!

• 32 oz. organic chicken or vegetable broth
• 5 oz. container baby arugula, roughly chopped
• 1 ripe avocado
• sea salt
• ground black pepper

In a Dutch oven, heat up the broth until it begins to boil, drop in the arugula, until wilted, about a minute or so. Take your pot off the stove and add in the avocado, roughly chopped and with an immersion hand blender, blend until combined. If you like, you can heat it up so the it's pipping hot. Season with salt and pepper. Serves 4.

The Pantry

If you ask me when the best time to stock the pantry is, I would have to say late fall. (Only because my pantry is more of an ice box in the winter.) Pantries in theory are to be kept in the coolest part of the house, closest to the kitchen. I don't have a pantry room (my dream though, a nice cozy one with dark wood, vintage hardware, I would probably meditate in it, on the floor, I would need a great rug too...) just a pantry... I'm gonna call it a closet. It's tall, beautiful and my hubby made it with precision. I just love it. The pantry closet is in the sun room, which sounds warm but is basically off-limits as it's un-insulated and surrounded by slat windows circa 1960. Perfect for the pantry closet and not much else, come the winter months. As the coldness of January comes to fully embrace us with its' cold and clammy hug, you want a hot meal bubbling away on the stove, like chilies, stews and soups, that stocked pantries come in handy for. You don't want to run back to the store because you forgot rice, opening that door to be greeted by that icy embrace...so take some time and as you do your food shopping this weekend, add what's needed to that pantry. Happy weekend!

  

Stocking the pantry:

• pastas, all kinds of shapes and sizes including couscous
• rice, all kinds, white, brown, arborio, forbidden, wild
• grains, all kinds, amaranth, quinoa, farro
• beans, all kinds, dried and in cans
• cornmeal to make polenta (great cold weather food, topped with Italian sausages and tomato sauce)
• grits (great for dinner in place of rice or pasta) check out Shrimp and Grits for a nice idea.
• steel cut oats, not just for a hearty breakfast, check out Savory Steel Cut Oats with Calamari in Tomato Sauce
• nuts, all kinds (great to throw into a quick pilaf)
• bouillon cubes, all kinds, including mushroom and a good vegetable
• tomatoes in a can, crushed, pureed, diced
• tomato paste, I recommend in a tube instead of a can, (if you use a can and only have to use a little bit, you will have that half-can of paste floating in your fridge with good intentions that are never quite met.)
• anchovies, in oil and paste (great when you want that extra saltiness in pasta mixed with capers and lemon juice)
• jars of good marinara sauce, great to add in veggies and toss with pasta or rice
• cans of sardines (can be fun on a sandwich) and tuna fish (tuna melts!)
• jar of a variety of olives, jars of roasted peppers, capers, marinated artichokes (great on a plate, topped with olive oil and paired with good bread and chunks of Parmesan Reggiano cheese, nice for surprise guests.)
• breadcrumbs, plain, Italian and Panko
• instant mashed potatoes (100% potato, great thickener)
• bottles of olive oil and jars of vinegars

Persimmon & Celery Juice

By now, you know where you stand, with the scale that is. The holiday pounds have made their way into tighter pants and the numbers have (drum roll please) made their final showing. What's a food lover to do come January but naturally lighten things up to make up for past injustices in the form of creamy desserts, rich and fatty meats and carb-o-licious side dishes. It's the holidays, indulgences are part of the merriment, right? But it's not a time to feel bad about yourself, just a time to re-balance and lighten things up a bit. This is a refreshing juice that's flavorful and gentle enough to make up for all the hard hits your body took, in forms of cream puffs, cheese spreads and other delicious foods. Can you tell I'm having a hard time letting go of all of the "merriment?" Just a little bit, lol. I think it's time to drink my juice! ;)

• 2 persimmons
• 4 celery stalks
• 3 clementines, juiced
• 1 cup chamomile tea, cooled
• handful of cilantro
• pinch of ground ginger

Juice the persimmons and celery. Combine with the tea and clementine juice. Give it a good stir with the ginger. (If you want it sweeter, add a little agave syrup.) Enjoy. Serves 1.

New Year Wishes

A new year! A fresh slate, a new beginning full of hopes, dreams and wishes. I love the air of mystery as the new year begins, fresh and full of promise. I love hanging up a new calender and opening up a fresh planner, where the pages still stick together. What will the months reveal as the year moves on? Hopefully all good but if there are any clouds, I try to remember that eventually the sun does comes out. And if there is rain, magical rainbows appear shortly after. I think it's important to take some time and make some wishes as the new year begins. What are your deepest wishes? Dare to wish on them and believe that will happen for you! Happy new year all, may it be the year that sparkles and the year that is ten times better than the year you said to yourself, "That was a great year!" Happy-happy 2013!