Vegan 21-Day Sugar Detox: Day 14

By now you’re probably thinking, “How can she eat the same food over and over again?” Well, the answer is … convenience. On my first sugar detox, I was really ambitious about cooking new recipes almost every day. My boyfriend and I would joke about how our entire detox was spent in the kitchen. When we weren’t at work or asleep, we were cooking. The important thing is that you do what you need to do to successfully complete the detox. You’re bound to run into days/nights when you just don’t feel like cooking. And since you can’t just order takeout or buy a pre-packaged meal, you resort to some form of convenience. For me, that’s quinoa and whatever food I have in the fridge or pantry.

Breakfast: Green Apple and Almond Butter with Cinnamon

Green apple and almond butter with cinnamon 

Lunch and Dinner: Black Bean Quinoa Zucchini Twist

Black bean quinoa zucchini twist

Side Dish for Dinner: Spiralized Cucumber Lemon Salad

Spaghetti-like cucumber with lemon and tomatoes

I used the same spaghetti-like spiralizer blade that I used to make the shoestring sweet potato fries. I think I actually prefer this cut over the flat noodle-like blade for this particular salad. It gave it more of a crunch. I also added an organic thai seasoning from Whole Foods, garlic powder and onion powder to give it a flavor kick. 

Vegan 21-Day Sugar Detox: Day 13

Whenever I’m home all day, my eating schedule gets thrown off because I’m not very good about sticking to my usual workday routine. Such was the case for Day 13 on the sugar detox, which is why my first two meals weren’t very substantial. 

Brunch: Spiralized Cucumber Lemon Salad

This dish has seriously renewed my love for cucumbers. It is so crisp and refreshing, and makes for a perfect snack or meal. There are so many ways to modify the recipe so you don’t get tired of it. Aside from tomatoes, you can add bell peppers for extra crunch, fresh herbs (parsley, cilantro or basil), garlic, onions, etc. 

Spiralized cucumber salad with lemon and tomatoes

Snack: Green Apple and Almond Butter with Cinnamon

Guilt-free dessert for brunch: green apple with almond butter and cinnamon

Appetizer: Shoestring Sweet Potato Fries

I’ve been on a fries craze lately. Can you tell? It’s my most sinful snack on this detox. I have to have something, right? I decided to spiralize the sweet potatoes and fry them up in a pan. The only bad thing about them was that there wasn’t enough! They shrink once they’re fried; so what seems like a mound of fries turns out to be a small bowl-full. I guess it makes me feel less guilty about eating them. 

First, spiralize raw sweet potatoes (after washing them). I used the thinner of the two spaghetti-like blades. Put a spoonful of coconut oil in a pan, and bring to a smoking point. Then put a small batch of spiralized sweet potatoes and continuously toss them in the pan until they get crispy. You’ll know once they’re almost done because they’ll shrivel up. Repeat this process in small batches. Season immediately with Himalayan salt and whatever other seasonings you want. 

Dinner: Black Bean Quinoa Zucchini Twist

I know I’ve made this dish quite a few times now on this detox, but it’s so easy to make and oh so good! This time I threw in some leftover spiralized zucchini from the zucchini pasta dish. The texture and color enhanced the dish, even if it didn’t really change the taste. 

Black Bean Quinoa Zucchini Twist - 1

Black Bean Quinoa Zucchini Twist - 2

Black Bean Quinoa Zucchini Twist - 3

Black Bean Quinoa Zucchini Twist - 4

Ingredients:

• Bowl of spiralized zucchini
• 2 cans of organic black beans
• 1 bell pepper, diced
• 2 Roma tomatoes, diced
• 4-5 cloves of garlic, crushed
• Cooked quinoa, seasoned
• Himalayan salt
• Pepper
• Garlic powder
• Onion powder
• Cayenne pepper

Heat a spoonful of coconut oil in a pan on light-medium heat. Add crushed garlic and diced bell peppers and sauté until brown. Add spiralized zucchini and keep tossing it in the pan until it starts to soften up. Then add black beans and keep mixing it around. Once the beans are hot, add the tomatoes at the end to long enough to warm them up. Serve over quinoa, top off with guacamole and salsa, dig in and enjoy!

Vegan 21-Day Sugar Detox: Day 5

Breakfast: Cauliflower Apple Pecan Salad

Cauliflower Apple Pecan Salad: A little tart, a little sweet ... and oh so refreshing.

I have to say I’m pretty proud of myself because this was the most ‘adventurous’ I’ve been when it comes to experimenting with recipes. I made this salad last night so I could have it for breakfast this morning and break up the monotony of my meals. I devoured it—partly because I was starving by the time I got to work, and largely because it was delicious. I will definitely be making this again, even when I’m done with the detox!

Here are the ingredients:

• Juice of 2 lemons
• ¾ green apple, sliced thinly into cubes
• 1 bag of cauliflower florets, chopped
• 1 generous handful of fresh parsley
• 1 cup pecans, chopped
• Himalayan salt & pepper to taste

Instructions:

Use a food processor (I used a Ninja) to chop up the cauliflower and parsley, and put them in a bowl. Cut up the 2 lemons (use more if you want it tarter), and squeeze the juice over the cauliflower parsley mix. Let it marinade for about 20 minutes. In the meantime, cut up the green apple into tiny cubes and chop up the pecans. Mix the remaining ingredients with the cauliflower and parsley. Season with salt and pepper. Put in the refrigerator to chill before serving.

Snack: Hemp, Sunflower & Pumpkin Seed Mix

Lunch: Queen of Quinoa’s Detox Salad

Well, I finally polished off the remaining leftovers. Good thing too because I don’t think I could eat it for one more day. My taste buds need a change.

Snack: Green Banana & Almond Butter

By 5 pm, hunger was really starting to set in. I cut up a green banana, drizzled it with almond butter and sprinkled some cinnamon. 

Dinner: Black Bean Veggie Fiesta with Quinoa

So far, nothing I've made on this detox has been as filling as the two black bean dishes. I ate it again tonight and was so full I barely finished one bowl. That's a first!

Black bean veggie fiesta with quinoa

Dessert: Sunflower-Flax Seeds and Almond Mix

Sunflower-flax seeds and almond mix

It's cookie butter, no it's a graham cracker crust ... no, it's a sunflower-flax seeds and almond mix! I thought almond butter was the only thing that would satisfy my "sweet tooth" on this sugar detox but I was so wrong. My boyfriend mixed roasted sunflower and flax seeds with raw sliced almonds, cinnamon and pumpkin spice mix, and put them in the Ninja. Instead of the usual creamy, buttery texture of cashew and almond butters, this mix turned out to taste most like cookie butter with the texture of granola. 

This. Is. A. Game. Changer. 

It's perfect as a dessert AND a snack, and one that I'll be eating A LOT of throughout this detox and beyond.

Vegan 21-Day Sugar Detox: Day 4

Every day is a countdown on this sugar detox. Only 17 days to go until I can go back to eating normal foods! And by normal I mean tempeh, vegan sausage, a variety of fruits … and, of course, some sweets.

Breakfast: Black Bean & Fajita Veggies

I ate my leftovers without quinoa this time since I forgot to cook some last night. I ate it with the usual salsa and guacamole. By the way, there are very few sauces, dips and salsas that are allowed on the detox. Trader Joe’s Double Roasted Salsa is one of them … and it’s delicious. As someone with a low tolerance for spicy foods, it has just enough of a kick to get my taste buds dancing—not burning. It takes any dish on the detox to the next level. I also love that my favorite guacamole also happens to be allowed on the detox: Trader Joe’s Avocado’s Number Guacamole has no sugar! Yay!

I thought today’s breakfast was actually more filling. Maybe it’s because I ate more beans instead of quinoa.

Snack: Green Apple

Thank goodness for green apples! They’re great as a snack (and dessert when dipped in almond butter). Today I ate it on its own, thinly sliced so it was more like chips.

Lunch: Queen of Quinoa’s Detox Salad

I drizzled some extra rice vinegar to give it a punch of extra flavor since I’ve been eating it for a few days now. It was still delish but I’m getting preeeetty tired of it. I have one more serving left!

Snack: Almond Butter with Cinnamon

I don’t know what I’d do without almond butter on this detox. Combined with cinnamon, which tricks your taste buds into thinking you’re eating something sweet, it makes for one tasty snack! It’s almost like a melted peanut butter cup—without the chocolate.

Dinner: Black Bean Veggie Fiesta with Quinoa

This dish is pretty similar to the last Black Bean and Fajita Veggie dish except I added spinach, tomatoes and tofu. I know tofu isn't allowed on the detox, but I needed something a little more substantial. 

Black bean veggie fiesta with quinoa

Ingredients:

• 2 cups of spinach
• 1 serving of tofu
• 2 roma tomatoes
• 1 orange bell pepper
• 2-3 cups of black beans
• 1 tbsp of garlic powder
• 1/2 cup of garlic and onions
• Himalayan salt to taste

Black bean veggie fiesta with quinoa, guacamole and salsa