During the past two weeks, my friends keep asking me if I am missing wine and coffee...because they know those are my two biggest vices. And sure there are times I miss them both, but really what I miss in this detox has to do with the tradition and ritual of food, and not the food and drink itself. I miss having a glass of wine with a friend, a coffee date with the girls, an Italian dinner date or wine tasting on a Sunday afternoon. However, it is not the fact that I am willing to kill for a latte or fiendin' for a fix of gouda, it is the fact that I miss sharing in those food and wine experiences with those I love. And yes I know I could have tea instead of coffee or sparkling water instead of wine, which I have done, but it is just not the same, as my body has associated specific food and wine rituals with good friends and good times.



For example, last night after having Valentines dinner with my bestie, I wanted dessert. Sure I wanted a dark chocolate molten lava cake, but I really just wanted something sweet and dessert like after a yummy dinner. So today I was bound and determined to try and figure out a detox dessert. The biggest challenge being the fact that I can't eat sugar, honey or artificial sweeteners.

However, I can have stevia. The only problem being that I had never cooked with stevia before. Now if you are unfamiliar with stevia, like I was, let me share some of my research. Stevia is a natural zero-calorie sweetener, recognized as being stronger than natural sugar (one of my concerns about cooking with it). Stevia, the sweetener, is made with the extract, from the leaves of these plants that are in the sunflower family. They are primarily found in Mexico, South America and Central America. In the US, the sweetener has been controversial, only being sold as a "dietary supplement" in the 1990's and finally being recognized as a sweetener in 2008. However, in Central and South America it has been used for hundreds of years, both as a sweetener and medicinally. Recent studies have found that stevia may be useful as a sweeter for diabetics as it has a negligible effect on blood glucose. Historically it was believed to be a cardiac stimulant, a treatment for obesity, high blood pressure, heartburn and to lower uric acid levels....I just wanted a dessert I could eat on this detox.


So I decided to make Detox Tapioca Pudding. I took the recipe from the back of the tapioca pudding box and just substituted with ingredients I could have. I served the pudding with fresh raspberries and it was pretty good. It had a subtle almond flavor from the almond milk which contrasted nicely with the tartness of the raspberries, it was plenty sweet from the stevia and satisfied my dessert cravings. Now I do have to warn you that the texture is slightly different from that of normal pudding, it is a little more sticky and gelatinous. My guess is that since I didn't use real milk, it didn't acquire that creamy dairy texture and well almond milk is just different. But considering I have 13 more days to go on this detox, I was pretty proud of my little discovery.

Bring 2 cups of water to a boil. Add 3 T of tapioca, whisking constantly for 17 minutes...yes my arm is tired. I was also worried about how bubbly this mixture was, even wondering if I had done a crappy job of washing this pan and this was residual dish soap, but it was not, just part of the process.


Meanwhile, combine 2T of stevia with 2/3 cup of almond milk and whisk together.


Add the almond milk mixture to the tapioca and continue to stir and cook for another 10 minutes.


Remove from heat and chill. Voila!


The more I explore this detox the more I am discovering I can eat. And I am already contemplating how I am going to go back to the real word after my 28 days detox because I feel amazing, but I also don't want to give up those bonding experiences. I am playing around with the idea of staying with a detox type of lifestyle, but allowing myself one day a week to enjoy a glass of wine or a cup of coffee or some cheese and dark chocolate. I will keep mulling this over and well my body is starting to get sore and tight after getting my ass kicked by my trainer today so it is off to a hot bath and another night of the Olympics. Cheers!