Alright, so 14 days of prepping, cooking, and eating have flown by and you’ve drooled over my pictures from the 2015 Food Lovers Cleanse. Here’s where I answer the question on everyone’s lips: How was it?
TL;DR: The menu was OK this year. There were a few highs, but most of the dinners ranged from middling to “Huh.”
Pork Tenderloin with Porcini Broth
I thought that the Pork Tenderloin with Porcini Broth and the accompanying Barley Pilaf with Leeks and Lemon side were both amazing: the recipes came together quickly and the flavors were intriguing (in the case of the pork) and playful (in the case of the barley pilaf--a riff on sour cream and onion).
Morning Barley with Squash Compote
The breakfasts were all winners in my book: they were easy to prep the night before so I wasn’t running around like a chicken with my head cut off in the morning, they kept me full until lunch, and they were delicious! My favorite was the Morning Barley with Squash Compote, but the Chia Pudding with Dried Apricots and Pineapple was a close second. Oh, and let’s not forget about the Spicy Orange Hazelnut Chocolate Bark. That jolt of cayenne always made me sit up a little straighter and go, “Oh! Hello!” What? You didn’t think they’d make us go 14 days without dessert, did you?
Chia Seed Pudding with Dried Apricots and Pineapple
The dinners, however, did not make me sit up straighter. They were all kind of one-note: mushy. I had high hopes for the Seared Swordfish with Fennel and Endive, especially since it would be the first time that I would be cooking endives at home. Those hopes faded when I was instructed to add my perfectly golden brown fennel and endive wedges into the pan in which I had just seared off my swordfish, add chicken stock, and transfer it all into an oven for five minutes to finish cooking the fish through. The vegetables ended up soggy rather than crisp. If you give this recipe a try, just ignore the part where you’re supposed to add the vegetables back into the pan. Set them aside to rest, and by all means do put the fish into the oven. But in my opinion, there’s no need to get a beautiful crust on your vegetables only to soak it off.
Curried Brussels Sprouts, Chickpeas, and Sweet Potatoes
I cottoned on by the end, though. When I made the Curried Brussels Sprouts, Chickpeas, and Sweet Potatoes, I heeded one commenter’s suggestion and seared off the Brussels sprouts on their own rather than simmering them in the curry for 20 minutes. The result was tasty, and I recommend doing the same.
I do wish that we could have made more use of the side dishes that went along with the dinners. The cleanse designers are always very good about incorporating the leftover meat or fish into a lunch for the next day, but now I’m looking at a fridge full of grain side dishes. In fact, instead of making the Black Rice with Hazelnuts on Day 12 and Aromatic Red Rice on Day 13, I just ate my way through the leftover Red Quinoa with Toasted Pine Nuts I had on hand.
How did I do on pushing my tastebuds’ envelopes? Let’s recap, shall we?
- Giving kimchi a chance: OK, this one’s still up in the air. The Kimchi Miso Dressing was good, although creamier than I like my dressings. I think I will leave it to the other member of my household to finish the jar of kimchi.
- Determining whether I like mushrooms: You heard it here first, folks: I officially like mushrooms. The shittake and Yellowfoot mushrooms in the porcini broth were delicious.
- Trying new kinds of fish: Snapper wasn’t available when I went grocery shopping, so I subbed in swordfish and loved it. Look out fish!
All in all, I'm glad I participated in the fifth annual Food Lovers Cleanse. It looks like Bon Appetit is working on putting together a book of FLC recipes, which I’m excited to dive into because it’ll feature plans for every season (not just winter). I’m looking forward to participating in the next Cleanse, but I’m also glad I have the intervening year to incorporate some of the good habits I picked up, and—let’s be honest—eat as much ice cream as I can.