No Excuses Detox

Certified as both a health coach and a nutritionist consultant, Megan Gilmore wrote No Excuses Detox with an express purpose in mind—to provide recipes intended for folks who say they want to eat a healthy diet but have difficulty achieving that goal.

With her book, Gilmore deliberately does an end-run around what she lists as the most common excuses for avoiding proper nutrition: “I don’t have enough time, it’s too expensive, my family is picky, I’m always on the go, I can’t control my cravings.”

Accordingly, her recipes for everything from salads and dressings to appetizers and casseroles are tasty and appealing, quick and easy to prepare and based on inexpensive ingredients.

Gilmore’s aim with regard to detox, is, she says, “different from most.” Rather than taking some sort of extreme dietary measures, she simply encourages people to eat whole, fresh, organic foods on a daily basis while reducing intake of refined and processed junk. As she puts it, “You’ll reduce the load placed on your crucial detox organs so they can function at their peak. No gimmicky cleanses required.”

So enjoy these sample dishes from No Excuses Detox. For more information, check out Gilmore’s website, detoxinista.com.

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Mushroom & Black Bean Tacos with Avocado Crema

Makes 8 tacos

FILLING

• 1 tablespoon coconut oil
• 1 red onion, diced
• 8 ounces mushrooms, coarsely chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• Fine sea salt
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• ½ teaspoon chili powder
• ½ teaspoon paprika
• 1 ½ cups cooked black beans or
• 1 (15-ounce) can, rinsed and drained
• 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper (optional)

AVOCADO CREMA

• 1 ripe Hass avocado
• 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lime juice
• ¼ teaspoon fine sea salt
• ½ teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon raw honey
• ¼ cup fresh cilantro
• 1 clove garlic minced

• 8 gluten-free tortillas or butter lettuce leaves
• Radishes and cilantro, to garnish (optional)

To prepare the filling: In a 3.5-quart or larger Dutch oven, melt the coconut oil over medium heat and sauté the onion until translucent, about 8 minutes. Add the mushrooms and garlic and continue to sauté until the mushrooms release their liquid, about 8 minutes more.

Add ½ teaspoon salt, the cumin, chili powder, paprika, and black beans and sauté until heated through. Add the cayenne, then taste and adjust any seasonings. (I typically use ¾ teaspoon salt total.) Lower the heat to keep the filling warm while you prepare the crema.

To prepare the crema: In a high-speed blender or mini food processor, combine the avocado, lime juice, salt, cumin, honey, cilantro, garlic, and 1 tablespoon water and blend until smooth. Add additional water, if needed, to facilitate blending, then taste and adjust any seasonings.

Fill each tortilla generously with the filling, then top with garnishes and a spoonful of the crema. Serve warm. Store any leftover filling and crema in separate airtight containers in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. To help prevent the crema from browning, press a piece of parchment paper to the top surface and remove it right before serving again, scraping away any brown spots that might have developed.

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Mediterranean Quinoa Salad

Serves 6

• 2 cups quinoa, rinsed and drained
• 4 cups water
• ½ cup freshly-squeezed lemon juice
• ¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 2 teaspoons fine sea salt
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 1 cup minced green onions, white and green parts
• ½ red onion, chopped
• 1 cup loosely packed chopped fresh dill
• 1 cup loosely packed chopped fresh-leaf parsley
• 1 cucumber, chopped
• 1 large red bell pepper, chopped
• 10 to 15 olives, chopped

In a saucepan, combine the quinoa and water and bring to a boil. Cover and lower the heat, cooking until the quinoa has absorbed all of the water, about 15 minutes. Fluff with a fork and allow to cool.

In a large bowl, whisk together the lemon juice, olive oil, salt, and a few grinds of pepper. Add the cooked quinoa and toss in the dressing to coat well. Add the green onion, red onion, dill, parsley, cucumber, bell pepper, and olives, and toss well to combine. Allow the mixture to marinate in the refrigerator for 1 hour before serving. This salad may be served cold or at room temperature. Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.

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Zucchini Bolognese

Serves 4 to 6

• 1 teaspoon coconut oil
• 4 medium zucchini, spiralized into “noodles”
• Dash of nutritional yeast (optional)

SAUCE

• 8 ounces cauliflower, cut into florets
• 1 large carrot, cut into a few chunks
• 1 tablespoon coconut oil
• ½ yellow onion, chopped
• 1 red bell pepper, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 (28-ounce) box or jar chopped tomatoes (no salt or sugar added)
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste
• 1 teaspoon fine sea salt
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1 teaspoon dried basil
• 1 teaspoon maple syrup (optional)
• ½ cup crushed walnuts

To prepare the sauce: In the bowl of a large food processor, combine the cauliflower and carrot and pulse until a ricelike texture is achieved. Set aside.

In a large pan, melt the coconut oil over medium heat and sauté the onion and bell pepper for 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cauliflower-carrot “rice” and sauté until tender and the size has reduced, another 5 to 8 minutes. Add the tomatoes, tomato paste, salt, oregano, and basil and simmer uncovered for 10 minutes to let the flavors meld. Taste and adjust the seasonings and add the maple syrup if a bit of sweetness is needed. Remove the sauce from the heat and stir in the crushed walnuts for texture.

While the sauce is simmering, in a separate large, deep skillet, melt the coconut oil over medium-high heat and sauté the zucchini noodles until tender, 5 to 8 minutes.

Serve the sauce over the zucchini noodles and top with the nutritional yeast for a “cheesy” flavor. Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.

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Addictive Garlic-Roasted Broccoli

Serves 4

• 1 pound broccoli florets (see note)
• 2 tablespoons coconut oil, melted
• 1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• Fine sea salt
• 3 to 4 tablespoons grated Pecorino Romano cheese (optional)

Preheat the oven to 350° F.

In a large bowl, toss the broccoli with the coconut oil, lemon juice, and garlic and arrange in a single layer on a large baking sheet. Sprinkle generously with sea salt.

Bake for about 30 minutes, until the broccoli is lightly brown and fork-tender. Remove from the oven and sprinkle with the cheese. Toss well to coat and serve immediately. Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.

Note: To ensure quick and even roasting, be sure to slice each broccoli stem in half. The stems are usually the part that take the longest to cook, leaving the florets burned by the time the stems are fork-tender. Burnt vegetables can be a sign of acrylamide formation, a cancer-causing substance, so you definitely don’t want to eat burnt broccoli!

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To order No Excuses Detox, call 1-800-544-4440. Item# 34130