detox: cold pea and basil soup

i admit it, the word detox terrifies me. when i decided to go on a detox run, my lovely husband suggested laxatives as an alternative. rolling my eyes at him, i explained the whole purpose of going on this detox diet was to cleanse my body of years and years of chemical abuse. i had exposed my body to infinite amount of soda, coffee, and preservatives. i probably would lose some weight but that wasn't the sole reason for going detox.

i admit, i was extremely nervous but absolute in my journey. i really wanted this to be successful. at least, i wanted to see this through. what i did not expect was this journey would be extremely time-consuming, laboring, and expensive. and that i eat much more during this diet than i normally do.

by day two, i was about ready to quit, my lovely husband (note: that's sarcasm) brought a sandwich home and proceeded to eat it in front of me. i instead reached for his fried potatoes. his eyes widened, "you can't have that! it'd ruin your diet."

"it's still potatoes, right?" i chewed, "it's still a part of my diet."

did i cheat in my diet? oh, yes. an occasional splenda here and there to sweeten up my herbal tea. i pour an incredible amount of agave syrup in my smoothies.

that evening, i made detox teriyaki chicken (don't worry, i promise i'll share the recipe within the week), and it was the bomb. my mouth was tingly. i finally got to appreciate the diet. fyi, it's not all greens and fruits, whatever. the diet excludes processed foods, alcohol, caffeine (including coffee, whines), complex carbohydrates (whines), milk, eggs, cheese, and more. i substitute regular milk with coconut, rice, and almond milk.

now, it's day 4 of the "detox diet bitch" journey that i gamely called - my skin feels remarkably fresh, i feel much at ease with everything. i guzzle water like there's no tomorrow. but all is not peaches and cream. i do get tired easily, and fast. but this is not unfamiliar to me; i had fasted for years and years. so i knew what i was getting into. to substitute my caffeine addiction, i drink herbal tea.

in prepping for this diet, i embarked on a number of trips to different shops, looking for odd things like barley miso, mirin, whey protein. i had never heard of these things. i enrolled for help from cashiers and store assistants, thank you! i would consider a pro for this journey; i became familiar with different things and learned how to apply them in recipes.

on the evening of day 7, you will be seeing me in my kitchen baking a gluten-free cake with mascarpone dressing just to celebrate. if you want a slice, you'd have to ask.

cold pea and basil soup (adapted)
ingredients
2 tbsps extra virgin olive oil
2 small yellow onions, peeled and finely diced
4 cups frozen peas
2 canned chicken broth
12 fresh large basil leaves, 10 whole, and 2 finely sliced for garnish
coarse salt
freshly ground black pepper

directions
1) heat the olive oil in a small saucepan over medium heat
2) add onions and cook until soft, about 10 minutes
3) add peas and stock, bring to a boil, then lower the hear. simmer for 10 minutes
4) remove from the heat, and add whole basil leaves and salt & pepper
5) let the soup cool, then whiz in a blender until smooth
6) cool in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours
7) serve with the finely sliced basil

credit: saveur.com