Presence Elixir - Carrot, Pear, Kale Juice

21 Day Juice Feast Day 2

Todays juice is the Presence Elixir, named so to draw focus inward, to be mindful, and mostly to be present in the moment. Allow yourself to be present today. When you're with someone, allow yourself to fully listen when they talk to you. I find that my days can be very hectic, so I try to catch myself and be present in the moment. Otherwise, I tend to miss the moments of day to day living in the hustle and bustle. Being mindful and present allows me to reconnect with myself and allows me to connect better with others.
For todays elixir I chose carrots predominantly, which according to Dr. Walker are a rich source of vitamin A, which can be quickly assimilated into the body. This wonderful juice also is full of vitamins B, C, D, E and K. Carrot juice may even be helpful in keeping up the immune system to fight off some infections, and is particularly mentioned to be helpful in nourishing the endocrine and adrenal glands. To thin out the juice I added one pear and a leaf of kale, which made the juice all the more pleasant.

Source: Fresh Vegetable and Fruit Juices by Dr. N.W. Walker.

Love Elixir - Beet, Kale, Celery Juice

21 Day Juice Feast

The first juice I have dubbed the Love Elixir, named so because of the bright red color, but also because love has to do with the heart, and the heart pumps blood. It turns out, according to Dr. Walker that beet juice (our predominant ingredient) is great for building the blood, helps maintain the solubility of calcium, and is also rich in potassium. The addition of kale (I love kale) adds a bit of green, and celery helps thin the juice out for a more pleasant taste, since beet juice by itself can be a bit overwhelming. Pictured below I have a bit of bee pollen, which can be sprinkled on top or eaten separately.

Blueberry Goat Cheese Dessert

Blueberries

Goat Cheese

Agave

This is an incredibly simple dessert but what makes the real difference is the quality of the ingredients. I was able to get this fresh goat cheese and blueberries from a local farmer's market. The rest is simple, just combine in a bowl and drizzle with agave syrup.

Veggie Spring Mix Salad

Spring Mix

Broccoli

Bell Peppers

Radishes

Tomatoes

Toss the spring mix with the veggies, dress with EVOO...

Also, instead of croutons I added some root vegetable chips...the combination turned out quite tasty.

Watercress Pine Nut Cauliflower Puree

Cauliflower

Pine Nuts

Watercress

Capers

Parsley

Shallots

Ginger Garlic Puree

I pureed the cauliflower with some capers, 1 tablespoon ginger garlic puree and one shallot. Then I garnished the puree with some chopped parsley, capers, pine nuts, and watercress.

Tomato Tomatillo Salsa

Tomatoes

Tomatillos

Garlic

This recipe is incredibly easy...all you need is a blender or food processor. I combined some garlic cloves, 3 big tomatoes and 3 small tomatillos with some garlic chili paste to taste. This salsa really came out amazingly well.

Banana Chia Smoothie

Bananas

Coconut Milk

Pre-Soaked Chia Seeds

Parsley

Blend 1-2 bananas with some coconut milk until desired consistency is achieved. Then add a dash of fresh parsley and 1 tablespoon pre-soaked chia seeds and blend.

Spinach Tofu Miso Soup

Miso

Spinach

Tofu

Scallions

I used aged and fermented barley and soybean miso paste for this recipe. First, I brought 2 cups of water to a boil and added the tofu and let it simmer for a couple of minutes and turned off the heat. Then I prepared the miso according to the package instructions and added it to the water along with a teaspoon of garlic chili paste, scallions and fresh spinach.

Banana Walnut Chia Pudding

Chia Seeds

Banana

Walnuts

Goji Berries

Almond Milk

Soak the chia seeds, walnuts, and goji berries in the almond milk for a minimum on 15 minutes and then garnish with sliced bananas.

Chickpea Almond Brown Rice

Chickpeas

Almonds

Olives

Garlic

Figs

Tomato

Brown Rice

I combined the almonds, chickpeas, olives, one fig, one garlic clove and some black pepper in my food processor.Pulsed the mixture until it was coarsely mixed.Then I combined this mixture with the rice, diced tomato and finished it with some lemon juice. If you let this mixture sit as I did the flavors will intensify.