"Cheese-less" Broccoli Cauliflower Cheese Soup

I made this on a whim today as part of my pursuit of a grainless, more veggies, more protein diet.  Last week I spoke of cleansing by eating more vegetables.  Broccoli and cauliflower are both cruciferous vegetables which have detoxifying and cancer-fighting properties.  They both contain isothiocyanates, substances which have been shown inhibit growth of cancerous tumors.  They also contain sulfur containing compounds which detoxify our bodies at the cellular level.  The best thing is that this soup tastes so good that my girls said that they couldn't stop eating it--it was that good.  I hope you enjoy it!
(Gluten, dairy and egg-free)

1 head broccoli, cut up
1 small head cauliflower, cut up
2 carrots, shredded
Optional:  1/4 cup wakame soaked in 1 cup water for 15 minutes, then drained and chopped(dried seaweed--can find at Whole Foods)
1 medium onion, chopped
4 medium cloves garlic, minced
2 T. Olive oil
filtered water
1 T. soy-free Earth Balance spread or olive oil
sea salt
1/2 tsp. dry mustard powder
2 tsp. tapioca starch
2 cups plain, unsweetened almond milk (not vanilla!)

Saute' onions and garlic in olive oil.  Add remaining vegetables and a few tsp. sea salt.  Bring to a simmer and cook until vegetables are tender.   Place about 2/3's of the soup and the optional wakame in a blender and puree until smooth.  Set the rest of the soup aside in another container (the un-pureed part.)  In the soup pot add Earth Balance or olive oil, mustard powder and tapioca starch and stir the roux being careful not to burn.  Slowly pour in almond milk, stirring constantly until thickened.  Add the pureed soup and the reserved un-pureed soup back into the pot.  Season to taste with sea salt.

Spring Detox

It's time for spring cleaning--moving all that unwanted junk that's piled up in the basement out to the garage for a sale or out to the curb for trash pickup.  So while you're cleaning your house, why not think about spring cleaning for your body?  You can think of the liver as the basement of your body.  It's one the the primary organs for detoxification and can get burdened with "piles" of junk that the body needs to deal with.  The liver can get bogged down when it runs out of the raw materials or biochemicals it needs to neutralize and flush out toxins and wastes.  What is this "trash" that the liver needs to manage?---it comes from prescription and over-the-counter drugs, pesticides and herbicides from our food supply, stress-induced hormones, processed foods, alcohol and stimulants such as caffeine.  Ever notice that you can't drink as much coffee as you used to without feeling jittery?  This may be your liver giving you a hint to clean up!

How do you detox?  There's no need for colonics, bowel and liver cleanses which may be harsh and result in flushing out even the good bacteria that grow in the gut.  You can start with modifying your diet and drinking plenty of filtered (not bottled) water. Foods such as dark leafy greens-kale, collards, darker green lettuce--, asparagus, watercress, celery, ginger, cilantro, and cruciferous vegetables such as broccoli, cauliflower and so on have natural detoxifying properties.  Make sure to choose organic versions so as not to add to the toxic burden from pesticides and fertilizers from conventionally grown produce.  Also consider adding a good quality non-dairy probiotic to your daily regimen to replace those good critters that get wiped out with antibiotic use.  If you're hooked on coffee, try replacing it with green tea which contains antioxidants and a fraction of the caffeine of coffee.

Detox may seem daunting but it doesn't have to be an all or none process.  Start with one change and add new changes on a daily basis.  You may also pick one day per week to eat a veggie-based diet of cooked and raw veggies and soups made from vegetables.