So if I was going to break the detox, today would have been the day. Between a stressful day at work and a girls night, I will be honest, I wanted a cocktail....desperately. I also had a headache and even more desperately wanted caffeine. Ok to be totally honest I almost jacked a co-worker for her coffee, but I thought, dang that would be really awkward and hard to explain. Plus I was bound and determined not to use my "ailments" to aid in a detox demise. So I opted for yoga instead of coffee and amazingly my headache dissipated. And I opted for Peligrino with lemon instead of wine and well that worked too, still a fun night with the girls, but I did miss a glass of wine in hand.

This morning for breakfast I tried something new. I made a smoothie. I haven't been big on this whole juicing and smoothie craze that has rocked our nation, so truly this was new for me. I watched the documentary Fat, Sick and Nearly Dead and I thought it was great and it made a lot of sense, but it just didn't motivate me to start liquifying everything. Even my ex-husband totally got into it, but yeah it just didn't speak to me. So for me to make a smoothie was a big deal.


I made a smoothie with frozen raspberries, fresh strawberries, almond milk and vanilla protein powder. And I have to say I was pretty darn happy. It was slightly chalky from the protein powder, but it had good flavor and it was filling and it will definitely be in my repertoire again for the next 23 days.

And it's pink!!

For lunch I again had leftovers. However, I did have a snack that consisted of green apples dipped in almond butter and that was the perfect afternoon snack...a little protein, a little crunch and I was able to go on my merry way.


Since tonight was girls night I volunteered to bring an appetizer because I truly didn't expect my friends to cater to my detox craziness. However, I have to say I truly have some of the most incredible friends. Get this...as a sign of solidarity they drank water and lemon with me...and the wine went untouched. I either have the most amazing friends or the dumbest friends (joking ladies). Thank you for supporting me with all of my crazy endeavors.


Anyway I made Baba Ghanoush. If you are unfamiliar with it, it is a Middle Eastern eggplant dip. It's name means "father of the pestle," and it is commonly served with pita bread, however we ate it with gluten free crackers. The recipe I found was from Cooking Light and it was really good! It had a subtle eggplant flavor, a hint of tartness from the lemon and garlic...ahhh how I love garlic. It also had a great earthy flavor from the Tahini (sesame seed paste) and the roasted pine nuts. The cumin seeds gave it a slight spice and it was just creamy and delicious.


First of all take an eggplant and pierce it all over with a fork. Roast it in a 375 degree oven for 45 minutes.

It is hard to make the inside of an eggplant look appetizing...just sayin'

Cut in half and scoop out the pulp. Let the pulp sit in a colander for 30 minutes.

I know this looks nasty

Meanwhile, toast the pine nuts in a pan. I can always tell when they are toasted because they turn a light brown color and you can start to smell them.


Now for the easy part. In a food processor, combine the cumin seed, toasted pine nuts and and garlic. Blend until finely chopped.


Add the eggplant, low-fat mayo (I used olive oil mayo to accommodate the detox), tahini, salt and pepper. Blend until smooth.

Serve with sprinkled parsley.


Here is the actual recipe:


1 large eggplant (about 1 1/2 pounds)
Cooking spray
1/4 cup pine nuts, toasted
3/4 teaspoon cumin seeds, toasted and crushed
1/2 teaspoon minced garlic
3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
2 tablespoons low-fat mayonnaise
2 tablespoons tahini (roasted sesame seed paste)
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
3 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
Fresh parsley sprigs (optional)
Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 375°.
2. Pierce eggplant several times with a fork; place on a foil-lined baking sheet coated with cooking spray. Bake at 375° for 45 minutes or until tender. Cut eggplant in half. Scoop out pulp; discard skins. Drain eggplant pulp in a colander for 30 minutes.
3. Place pine nuts, cumin seeds, and garlic in a food processor; pulse until finely chopped. Add eggplant, lemon juice, 2 tablespoons mayonnaise, tahini, 1 teaspoon salt, and black pepper to food processor. Process until smooth. Spoon eggplant mixture into a medium bowl; stir in parsley. Garnish with parsley sprigs, if desired.

It was really nice to enjoy the company of good friends, eating my detox food and drinking my bubbly water...sure I was kind of pretending it was champagne...I have always had an amazing imagination. Cheers!