Fall cleansing

Happy fall equinox! When the length of day and night are equal we celebrate the coming of autumn and the transition from the warm expansive months of spring and summer to the darker, more inward fall and winter months when night predominates.

The changing of seasons is always a good time to recharge, to take stock of our habits and to reset our intentions. For me, part of this process included a four day juice and smoothie cleanse, book ended with several days of raw foods. 

The purpose of my cleanse was not to starve myself or to loose weight, but to simplify my food intake for maximum digestibility and clarity of mind and body. During my cleanse I stuck to a raw vegan liquid diet of a combination of juices, smoothies, and blended soups. These foods are filling, yet light, gorgeously colored and jam packed with nourishment. Here are a couple of my favorites from the week:

 

 beet + carrot + grapefruit + ginger juice

 

Blended soup of spinach + cucumber + baby bok choi + cilantro + avocado + miso +lime

 

 Purple power juice! Cabbage + carrot + cucumber + burdock + apple

 

 raw vegan tomato + avocado bisque with lotsa good garden herbs

This cleanse taught me to be more adventurous with my juice combinations and exposed me to some delicious raw blended soup recipes. Simple fresh soups like the recipe below are easy on the digestive system, a welcome break from complex food combinations. This one is full of live enzymes and lots of vitamins and minerals plus the healthy fat needed to absorb them. Raw soups are so so easy to make and clean up after. All you really need is a blender!

Raw Tomato + Avocado Bisque

• 11/2 cups tomatoes, roughly chopped
• 1/2 an avocado
• 1 small clove garlic
• small handful of fresh herbs (think basil, rosemary, oregano, parsley, thyme)
• 1/2 ts. sea salt
• cracked black pepper
• 1 cup filtered water
• sprinkling of nutritional yeast
• wedge of lemon or lime

Put the first seven ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth. As always, taste and adjust the proportions to your liking. Garnish with a sprinkling of nutritional yeast, a wedge of lemon or lime, and herbs. Simple and delicious.