It didn’t escape me that the first day of the Bon Appétit Food Lover’s Cleanse was completely vegetarian but I have to say, today’s menu was so flavor packed (and no, I’m not just saying that), that I didn’t miss meat too much.
Notes from today:
• To see original recipes from Bon Appétit, click on the link for the recipe in the titles below. Any changes I’ve made are noted in the recipes below.
• That Sesame-Miso Vinaigrette really made the lunch salad sing.
• 4 cups of greens in the salad is A LOT of greens!
• I’m a big fan that the roasted veggies and quinoa from today are used tomorrow – love the jump start.
• I am not a big fan that there doesn’t seem to be nutritionals for these recipes on Bon Appétit’s website which is totally odd given that they usually include nutritionals for most of their recipes, including the ones that you really don’t want to know, so why wouldn’t include them for something like this? Completely baffling if you ask me.
• There’s an inconsistency in the menu – one place {of course, the link I used} only listed breakfast, lunch and dinner for today but then later I found a different place that includes an avocado smoothie and 2 tangerines as part of today’s menu as well. Dang! I could have used that snack mid afternoon!
So after one day, I have to say I’m pretty impressed. Bring on day 2!
BREAKFAST
- ¼ cup steel-cut oats
- Pinch of kosher salt
- ½ cup blackberries, fresh or frozen
- 1 Tbsp Hemp seeds
- Cinnamon to taste
- Nut or soy milk (for serving)
- Bring oats, salt, and ¾ cup water to a boil in a small saucepan. Reduce heat and simmer, stirring occasionally, until oats are tender, 15–20 minutes. Top oats with blackberries and hemp seeds; spring with cinnamon and drizzle with nut or soy milk.
LUNCH
- 2 oz extra-firm tofu
- 4 cups tender salad greens, such as spinach, arugula, or baby kale
- 2 radishes, thinly sliced
- ¼ English hothouse cucumber, thinly sliced
- ¼ cup grated carrot
- 2 Tbsp Sesame-Miso Vinaigrette
- 2 tsp Spiced Pepita and Cashew Crunch
- Cut the tofu into ½″ squares and sandwich between paper towels to dry for 15 minutes. Heat a small non stick pan over medium high heat, add tofu and cook until outside edges are golden brown.
- Toss greens, radishes, cucumber, carrot, tofu, and dressing together in a large bowl. Top with Spiced Pepita and Cashew Crunch.
DINNER
- 3 Tbsp walnuts
- 1 cup red quinoa
- 1 Tbsp olive oil
- 2 shallots, sliced
- ½ tsp kosher salt, plus more to taste
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Toast walnuts on a small rimmed baking sheet, stirring occasionally, until fragrant and slightly darkened in color, 6–8 minutes. Let cool; coarsely chop.
- Meanwhile, thoroughly rinse quinoa; drain.
- Heat oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add shallots and ½ tsp. salt; stir to coat.
- Cook, stirring occasionally, until shallots have softened, about 5 minutes. Add quinoa and stir to coat. Pour in 1½ cups water, increase the heat, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low and cover. Cook until quinoa is tender and the germ has unfurled, 15–18 minutes. Season with salt. Just before serving, toss in toasted walnuts. Reserve ½ cup quinoa for Quinoa and Roasted Vegetable Salad.
- 1 lb beets, peeled, cut into ½” wedges
- 4 Tbsp olive oil, divided
- Kosher salt, freshly ground black pepper
- 1 lb carrots, sliced ¼” thick
- 1 lb Jerusalem artichokes (also called sunchokes), unpeeled, sliced ¼” thick*
- 1 tsp finely grated lemon zest
- ¼ tsp smoked paprika, plus more to taste
- 2 tsp fresh lemon juice, divided, plus more to taste
- 2 cups watercress, large stems trimmed
- ¼ cup The Greenest Tahini Sauce
- *INGREDIENT INFO: Jerusalem artichokes are sold at farmers’ markets and in the produce section of some supermarkets.
- Preheat oven to 425°F. Toss beets with 1 Tbsp. oil on a lightly oiled rimmed baking sheet; arrange in a single layer and season with salt and black pepper. Roast 20 minutes, then turn over wedges and continue to roast until beets are tender and darkened around the edges, about 30 minutes total.
- Toss carrots with 1 Tbsp. oil on one half of a lightly oiled rimmed baking sheet. Toss Jerusalem artichokes with 1 Tbsp. oil on the other half of the baking sheet. Arrange carrots and Jerusalem artichokes in a single layer, season with salt and black pepper, and roast until vegetables are lightly browned, about 20 minutes.
- Toss all the warm roasted vegetables together with lemon zest, ¼ tsp. smoked paprika, and 1 tsp. lemon juice. Season with salt, Aleppo pepper, and lemon juice. Reserve 1 cup vegetables for Quinoa and Roasted Vegetable Salad.
- Toss watercress with remaining 1 Tbsp. olive oil and 1 tsp. lemon juice; season to taste with salt and black pepper. Serve roasted vegetables with dressed watercress and tahini sauce.