First Day After My Vegan Sugar Detox

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I may have gone overboard in introducing normal foods to my diet on the first day after the vegan sugar detox. I figured since it was a celebratory day, it was OK to indulge. Yes, it is a slippery slope, and once you stray, it's way too easy to go downhill. But I really don't want to lose the benefits I got from the detox. Plus, eating out twice today was almost equivalent to a week's worth of groceries. That alone should motivate me to continue cooking meals as opposed to dining out frequently.

First Meal After Vegan Sugar Detox: Brunch at Bottega Louie

I met up with my former coworkers for brunch at Bottega Louie in downtown LA. First, let me say that this had become my favorite restaurant in recent years primarily because of its lavish displays of colorful confections, decadent pastries, towering gift boxes and most of all .... their French macarons. So to come here as a new vegan was an intense test of willpower and restraint. Everything, of course, had dairy and eggs, which meant they were off limits. It was like putting a recovering alcoholic 3-weeks sober in the middle of a bar surrounded by the world's top-shelf liquor with a no-drinking policy. You get the idea. 

Image by Phil Dokas via Flickr

Image by Phil Dokas via Flickr

Luckily I had done some research before going and found another vegan's experience at Bottega Louie on quarrygirl's vegan forum. Someone had ordered a marinara pizza--so basically a cheese-less pizza. So I Googled to see if pizza dough has eggs, and I read that real pizza dough doesn't. When I asked the server at Bottega Louie about this, he kindly checked with the kitchen staff and confirmed they didn't use eggs in their pizza dough. So I ordered the Napoli pizza (red onions, mushrooms, olives and tomato sauce) without cheese.

After taking my first bite out of the cheese-less Napoli pizza, I concluded that the measure of a quality restaurant is if their pizza tastes amazing without cheese--no easy feat. Bottega Louie had passed my tastebud's test with flying colors. 

Then came the dessert: beignets with raspberry sauce. Again, a challenging but necessary training for willpower for a new vegan. I glanced at the soft, pillowy, doughy goodness in front of me as my friends dug in. I just made sure not to stare at it too long and distract myself by people watching. I felt pretty accomplished after getting through that meal at what was once my favorite restaurant--and perhaps, still is ... just from a distance. 

Breakfast for Dinner at LA Vegan

One of the things my boyfriend and I had been craving throughout the detox was the pancakes at LA Vegan. For a primarily Thai food restaurant, they serve ah-mazing breakfast food: light, golden pancakes (that taste just as good reheated the next day), tofu scramble (infused with curry for that scrambled egg look) topped with dairy-free cheese and a side of soy bacon strips. Oh, and before that, we ordered another favorite of ours: soy chicken sate with peanut sauce. It's  hands down the best appetizer there. It looks and tastes just like chicken ... without the guilt.

I wish I had taken pictures of my meal but I was too eager to eat it. I did get a bit lightheaded, probably because I shocked my body with too much sugar. Luckily the lightheadedness went away about half an hour after dinner. The food made it worth it!

Vegan 21-Day Sugar Detox: Day 21

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Day 21 of the vegan sugar detox came and went without any pomp and circumstance. It's not that I wasn't excited about it, it's just that it happened to be a Saturday and I was too busy to really give my last day a grand finale. I would've liked to have ended it with some fancy sugar-free, vegan meal.

Here are the positive changes I experienced on the vegan sugar detox: 

I'm sure I'll experience more positive changes as I continue on my vegan journey, which I will happily share here. 

Without further ado, here were the last meals I had on the final day of the vegan sugar detox:

Brunch: Avocado Tomato Salad

Avocado tomato salad with lemon juice

Avocado tomato salad with lemon juice

This is something I made the other night. I had avocados that I needed to use before they became overripe. 

Ingredients:

  • 4 avocados
  • 1 organic tomato, diced
  • juice of 3-4 lemons
  • Himalayan salt and pepper to taste
  • Garlic powder to taste
  • Dried thyme to taste

First, cut up all the lemons and remove the seeds. Cut the avocados into cubes. Immediately squeeze the lemon juice all over the avocados, mixing it to ensure the lemon juice coats the avocados (to prevent them from turning brown). Add the tomatoes and seasonings, and mix well. Place in the refrigerator to chill before serving.

Snack: Diane Sanfilippo's Grain-Free Banola (Raw)

Dinner: Vegetable Coconut Milk Curry

Coconut milk curry with vegetables

Coconut milk curry with vegetables

This turned out a little oilier than the night it was first cooked. It may be that I put a little too much coconut oil when cooking the quinoa. It was still very delicious though! 

Vegan 21-Day Sugar Detox: Day 20

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Day 20 on the vegan sugar detox didn't feel that different from the days leading up to it. What I did feel was excitement about being so close to the finish line. And yet, it was also bittersweet knowing that it was coming to an end and feeling like this was the pinnacle of eating healthy in terms of not eating sugar--the culprit of many ailments. Even though I'll still be sticking with my vegan diet after this, there's nothing quite like constantly seeing and feeling the positive effects that abstaining from sugar has on your body. (I know I've said this many times, but you really do wake up feeling lighter and lighter, even if the weighing scale doesn't always reflect it.)

Breakfast: Diane Sanfilippo's Grain-Free Banola (Raw)

Diane Sanfilippo's  Grain-Free Banola (raw version)

Diane Sanfilippo's  Grain-Free Banola (raw version)

Lunch: Vegetable Coconut Milk Curry

Vegetable coconut milk curry

Vegetable coconut milk curry

Snack: Green Banana and Almond Butter with Cinnamon and Pumpkin Pie Spice

Green banana drizzled with almond butter and sprinkled with cinnamon and pumpkin pie spice

Green banana drizzled with almond butter and sprinkled with cinnamon and pumpkin pie spice

Dinner: Marinara with White Beans and Asparagus

Marinara with white beans and asparagus served over quinoa

Marinara with white beans and asparagus served over quinoa

My boyfriend and I were too tired to cook yet again, especially on a Friday night when the temptation to eat out is just too great. But of course we couldn't break the streak after getting this far on the detox. So we decided to cook a really simple meal: pre-made marinara sauce with asparagus and canned white beans over quinoa. I was actually surprised that this dish surprised me: the white beans actually tasted like a creamy cheese when mixed with marinara. Now I'm wondering if the white beans could be used as a cheese substitute for other dishes, or used to make a vegan creamy alfredo sauce. Hmm...

Ingredients:

Pour the marinara into a pot and simmer on low heat. Put the chopped asparagus in next, then add seasonings to taste. Add the white kidney beans last, just long enough to heat them up. Once the asparagus has softened, remove from heat and serve over quinoa.

Vegan 21-Day Sugar Detox: Day 19

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One of the changes I’ve been noticing during this sugar detox is that my dreams are more vivid and I can remember them when I wake up now. Before the detox, I felt like I didn’t have dreams anymore because I couldn’t recall any of them. Who knew that sugar could really have that affect? It probably means I’m getting better sleep quality and actually reaching the REM stage.

Breakfast: Diane Sanfilippo’s Grain-Free Banola (Raw)

As I was making this last time, I thought it tasted great raw. So I made another batch last night without baking it. The flavors, especially the vanilla extract and cinnamon, are more prominent. I think the only thing that would make it taste even better is adding more bananas so that the portions are more like 4 parts banana, 2 parts nuts and seeds. That would make it taste more like pudding with banola. Or another version could be baked banola sprinkled in a separate banana mixture as the pudding. Either way, you can’t really go wrong--it makes for an amazingly sweet-ish sugar-free treat!

Ingredients for this raw version of banola:

  • 2 green bananas
  • 1 cup raw cashews
  • 1 cup sliced almonds
  • ½ cup seeds (equal parts raw pumpkin, sesame and sunflower seeds)
  • ½ cup almond meal
  • 2 tsp pure vanilla extract
  • 2 tsp cinnamon

Use a food processor to partially ground the 2 cups of cashews and almond slices into small chunks. Pour the ground nuts into a large mixing bowl and add the seeds and almond meal. *Note: If you don't have almond meal, simply use the food processor to pulverize the almonds into almond meal consistency. 

Put the bananas, vanilla and cinnamon into the food processor and blend until all the ingredients are pureed into a smooth, creamy consistency. Pour the puree into the bowl of nuts, and stir until the nut mix is completely coated. Store in the refrigerator until ready to serve. Easy peasy.

Lunch: Spiralized Zucchini Pad Thai

Pad Thai using spiralized zucchini as noodles

Pad Thai using spiralized zucchini as noodles

Appetizer: Fried Japanese Sweet Potatoes

Dinner: Vegetable Coconut Milk Curry

Vegetable coconut milk curry

Vegetable coconut milk curry

Vegan 21-Day Sugar Detox: Day 18

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I accidentally fell asleep super early last night before posting about my Day 18 on the sugar detox. I'm really amazed how much my body has adapted to not eating as much. You may have noticed that I've been posting fewer snacks because I don't feel the need to graze all day, unlike the first week on the detox. Now I can go a full night not eating anything until breakfast, which was just an apple yesterday. 

Breakfast: Green Apple and Almond Butter with Cinnamon

I feel like it's been a while since I've had this, but really, it's only been just a few days. Oh how I've missed it!

Green apple and almond butter sprinkled with cinnamon

Green apple and almond butter sprinkled with cinnamon

Lunch: "Not Your Momma's Black Eyed Peas" Part 2

It took me 3 hours to eat this because I ate lunch at my desk at work. It always takes me forever to eat whenever I do that--at least it helps with the digestion!

Dinner: Spiralized Zucchini Pad Thai

Pad Thai using spiralized zucchini as noodles

Pad Thai using spiralized zucchini as noodles

I haven't made this dish since the previous detox, which was back in March. If you love peanut-butterlike sauces and Thai food, then you'll enjoy this one. 

Ingredients:

Using a wok, sauté minced garlic in about 2 tbsp coconut oil until the garlic is a very light golden brown. Add the tofu and sauté for about 1-2 minutes. While sautéing the tofu, generously drizzle it with coconut aminos. Place the cooked tofu in a bowl and set aside for later. Heat the remaining coconut oil in the wok on light-medium heat. Once it gets to a smoking point, add the spiralized zucchini and keep stirring to ensure that it's cooked evenly. After about a minute of cooking the zucchini, add the almond butter and seasonings. Keep tossing the zucchini until it's evenly coated with almond butter and the almond butter has melted. Taste and add more seasonings and coconut aminos to your liking. Just before turning off the stove, add the tofu to absorb some of the almond butter sauce. Remove from heat and sprinkle the dish with shredded carrots. You can cook the carrots, but I like it raw--just like how it's served with Pad Thai at Thai restaurants. 

About coconut aminos: 

Coconut aminos is a great and healthy alternative to soy sauce. Made from coconut tree sap, it's gluten-free, soy-free, mineral-rich and contains 17 naturally occurring amino acids. For those watching their sodium intake, coconut aminos has 73% less sodium (about 270 mg per tablespoon) than soy sauce. You can find it at health food stores like Rainbow Acres and Whole Foods.

Vegan 21-Day Sugar Detox: Day 17

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With just 4 days away from the end of my vegan sugar detox, I'm starting to feel the drudgery of cooking. I would say that that has probably been the biggest challenge on this detox--not being able to order takeout after a long and exhausting day. The temptation to just grab food at Veggie Grill is greater than the temptation of desserts, savory snacks and Starbucks hand-crafted lattes.

This usually results in late dinners because I don't like to jump right into the kitchen when I get home from work. But since I'm never completely stuffed, I don't feel so bad about eating late at night.

Breakfast: Diane Sanfilippo's Grain-Free Banola (Vegan Version)

Next time I go grocery shopping, I'm going to load up on bananas so I can double up on the ingredients for this recipe. I was so sad when I got down to the last bite. The 7-8 small servings the recipe yields just isn't enough.

Lunch: Diane Sanfilippo's Roasted Cauliflower Soup (Vegan Version)

As always, I ate this with quinoa to make the soup more filling. Either I'm just used to being hungry or this soup really kept me full up until dinner at around 10:30 PM. 

Dinner: "Not Your Momma's Black Eyed Peas" Part 2

Tonight's meal was more of a mix of whatever I had left in my refrigerator and pantry. 

Ingredients:

  • 3 celery stocks, chopped
  • 1 red bell pepper, diced
  • 2 1/4 cups of black eyed peas
  • Himalayan salt and pepper to taste
  • Paprika to taste
  • Onion powder to taste
  • 5 cloves of garlic, minced

Fill a pot with black eyed peas and cover with water. Boil for 2-3 minutes. Remove from heat and let it sit for 60-90 minutes. Drain and refill using 3 cups of water per 1 cup of black eyed peas (about 6 3/4 cups for this recipe). Bring to another boil, then partially cover, lower heat, and let it simmer for 60 minutes.

Add the garlic, vegetables and seasonings. Stir in pot until warm. Serve over quinoa and top off with a dollop of guacamole. 

Vegan 21-Day Sugar Detox: Day 16

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I woke up feeling light, refreshed and healthy on Day 16 of the sugar detox. My clothes just keep fitting looser, which is a great affirmation that I’m on the right track. It feels good knowing that everything I’ve been feeding my body has been nothing but beneficial and nutritious for it. I'm sure my body's thanking me given my junk food binge streak just before the detox.

Breakfast: Diane Sanfilippo’s Grain-Free Banola

I was excited to eat the leftover banola. It tasted just as good the next day as it did out of the oven. Next time, I plan on making it like pudding (basically the recipe's same steps except I won't bake  them).

Lunch: Diane Sanfilippo’s Roasted Cauliflower Soup

I ate this with quinoa for a hearty meal since soups don’t normally fill me up. Now that I’ve made this, I’m inspired to make other homemade soups, like recreating Trader Joe’s roasted red pepper and tomato soup or butternut squash.

Appetizer: Fried Japanese Sweet Potato

Fried Japanese sweet potatoes

Fried Japanese sweet potatoes

I found that these were easier to fry since you only had to flip them once. Just like the fries though, these were baked first for about 45-55 minutes, cooled, and then fried. (But it's a lot easier if you bake a few potatoes the night before and store them in the fridge if you know you're going to fry them up the next day.)

Dinner: Tofu Asparagus Marinara with Quinoa

Tofu asparagus marinara with quinoa

Tofu asparagus marinara with quinoa

Vegan 21-Day Sugar Detox: Day 15

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Well, the final week of the vegan sugar detox is finally here. I'm feeling great, my clothes are fitting loosely and comfortably (I no longer feel like I'm being vacuum-sealed into my clothes), and I'm actually kind of sad that this sugar detox is winding down. While I will go back to occasionally eating foods with sugar, I am feeling confident that I can stick with my vegan lifestyle.

More importantly though, my diet is now completely aligned with my beliefs ... and it feels freakin' good. (There's something to be said about the constant inner turmoil of living a contradiction and how it adds to the stress.)

Brunch: Diane Sanfilippo's Grain-Free Banola (Vegan Version)

I've been meaning to try this recipe from Diane Sanfilippo's 21-Day Sugar Detox book. Since it's Sunday and I have more time on my hands, I figured I should try something new. Plus, I'm sure you're all probably tired of seeing the same pics of food on this detox.

Ingredients I used for this particular recipe (adapted from Diane Sanfilippo's recipe):

Prep Time: 10 minutes     Cook Time: 30 minutes     Servings: 7-8

  • 2 cups of raw pecan pieces and raw almonds slices (this will be partially ground)
  • 1 cup of raw almond slices 
  • 1/4 cup raw sunflower seeds, unsalted
  • 1/4 cup raw pumpkin seeds
  • 2 tbsp raw hemp seeds
  • 1/2 cup almond meal
  • 2 green-tipped bananas 
  • 2 tsp pure vanilla extract
  • 2 tsp cinnamon
  • 1 tbsp raw cacao powder (I used Sunfood Super Foods Raw Cacao Powder)

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Use a food processor (I used a Ninja) to partially ground the 2 cups of pecan pieces and almond slices into small chunks. Pour the ground nuts into a large mixing bowl and add the other cup of raw almond slices, seeds, raw cacao powder and almond meal. *Note: If you don't have almond meal, simply use the food processor to pulverize the almonds into almond meal consistency. 

Put the bananas, vanilla and cinnamon into the food processor and blend until all the ingredients are pureed into a smooth, creamy consistency. Pour the puree into the bowl of nuts, and stir until the nut mix is completely coated.

Scoop the nut mixture onto a parchment paper-lined baking sheet. You can either drop dollops of the mixture and flatten each one out like a cookie, or you can smooth it all out into one thin, flat layer (as pictured). 

Bake for about 30 minutes, or until golden brown. Check on them every 7-10 minutes, especially in the beginning since oven temperatures vary. Turn them over once or twice to ensure they're dry on all sides. Remove from the oven and let it cool. Store in the refrigerator for up to a week. 

Diane's recipe says you can eat it plain as a snack, or with your favorite milk alternative as cereal. I actually enjoyed the taste and texture before I baked it. It was like a cinnamon banana pudding with granola. Yum!!  

Lunch: Diane Sanfilippo's Roasted Cauliflower Soup (Vegan Version)

This soup looks nothing like the one featured in Diane's book even though it's adapted from her recipe. She uses bone broth, but I used vegetable broth that included ingredients like carrots and tomatoes, hence the reddish color. I also added asparagus because I needed to use it before it went bad. 

Here are the ingredients I used:

  • 1 bag of cauliflower florets
  • 3 tbsp coconut oil, divided
  • Himalayan salt and pepper to taste
  • Garlic powder to taste
  • 1/2 cup diced onion
  • 2/3 cup diced carrot
  • 3 1/4 cup vegetable 

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Spread a thin layer of the cauliflower over a baking sheet (I lined mine with aluminum foil). Melt 2 tablespoons of coconut oil and drizzle over the cauliflower. Liberally season with Himalayan salt, pepper and garlic powder. Roast the cauliflower for about 30 minutes until lightly brown around the edges.

While the cauliflower is in the oven, prep the rest of the ingredients. Heat 1 tablespoon of coconut oil in a pot over medium heat, and add the onions and carrots. Sauté until the onions are translucent and the carrots are soft. Add the asparagus and sauté for about 2 minutes. Pour in the vegetable broth and reduce heat to low. Let simmer for about 10 minutes.

Set aside about 1/2 cup of roasted cauliflower for garnish. Put the rest of the roasted cauliflower in a blender along with 2 cups of the vegetable broth. Make sure not to fill the blender too much because hot liquids expand. Cover the blender firmly with the lid, but remove the center "valve" and use a thick kitchen towel to cover the hole. Blend on low, and just before it's done, blend on high to create a creamy texture. You can either add this blend to the soup that's simmering, or you can blend the rest of the broth in small batches. I ended up blending the rest of the soup. 

Serve the soup with the reserved roasted cauliflower as garnish. You can also drizzle some extra-virgin olive oil or truffle oil.

Snack: Japanese Sweet Potato Fries

Japanese sweet potato fries

Japanese sweet potato fries

Dinner: Tofu Asparagus Marinara with Quinoa

Tofu asparagus marinara with quinoa

Tofu asparagus marinara with quinoa

  • 1 bottle of Trader Joe's Organic Tomato Basil Marinara Sauce
  • 1 can of organic fire roasted tomatoes
  • 1 bell pepper
  • 1/2 bundle of asparagus, chopped
  • 1/4 container of Trader Joe's organic sprouted tofu
  • Himalayan salt to taste
  • Garlic powder to taste
  • Onion powder to taste
  • cooked quinoa, seasoned

Put the marinara and fire roasted tomatoes in a pot. Slowly bring it to a light boil. Add the asparagus and bell pepper, stir, and increase the heat to low-medium. Let it simmer for about 5-8 minutes. Add the tofu and let it simmer until desired thickness. Serve over a bed of quinoa or spiralized zucchini.

Vegan 21-Day Sugar Detox: Day 14

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By now you’re probably thinking, “How can she eat the same food over and over again?” Well, the answer is … convenience. On my first sugar detox, I was really ambitious about cooking new recipes almost every day. My boyfriend and I would joke about how our entire detox was spent in the kitchen. When we weren’t at work or asleep, we were cooking. The important thing is that you do what you need to do to successfully complete the detox. You’re bound to run into days/nights when you just don’t feel like cooking. And since you can’t just order takeout or buy a pre-packaged meal, you resort to some form of convenience. For me, that’s quinoa and whatever food I have in the fridge or pantry.

Breakfast: Green Apple and Almond Butter with Cinnamon

Green apple and almond butter with cinnamon 

Green apple and almond butter with cinnamon 

Lunch and Dinner: Black Bean Quinoa Zucchini Twist

Black bean quinoa zucchini twist

Black bean quinoa zucchini twist

Side Dish for Dinner: Spiralized Cucumber Lemon Salad

Spaghetti-like cucumber with lemon and tomatoes

Spaghetti-like cucumber with lemon and tomatoes

I used the same spaghetti-like spiralizer blade that I used to make the shoestring sweet potato fries. I think I actually prefer this cut over the flat noodle-like blade for this particular salad. It gave it more of a crunch. I also added an organic thai seasoning from Whole Foods, garlic powder and onion powder to give it a flavor kick. 

Vegan 21-Day Sugar Detox: Day 13

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Whenever I’m home all day, my eating schedule gets thrown off because I’m not very good about sticking to my usual workday routine. Such was the case for Day 13 on the sugar detox, which is why my first two meals weren’t very substantial. 

Brunch: Spiralized Cucumber Lemon Salad

This dish has seriously renewed my love for cucumbers. It is so crisp and refreshing, and makes for a perfect snack or meal. There are so many ways to modify the recipe so you don’t get tired of it. Aside from tomatoes, you can add bell peppers for extra crunch, fresh herbs (parsley, cilantro or basil), garlic, onions, etc. 

Spiralized cucumber salad with lemon and tomatoes

Spiralized cucumber salad with lemon and tomatoes

Snack: Green Apple and Almond Butter with Cinnamon

Guilt-free dessert for brunch: green apple with almond butter and cinnamon

Guilt-free dessert for brunch: green apple with almond butter and cinnamon

Appetizer: Shoestring Sweet Potato Fries

I’ve been on a fries craze lately. Can you tell? It’s my most sinful snack on this detox. I have to have something, right? I decided to spiralize the sweet potatoes and fry them up in a pan. The only bad thing about them was that there wasn’t enough! They shrink once they’re fried; so what seems like a mound of fries turns out to be a small bowl-full. I guess it makes me feel less guilty about eating them. 

First, spiralize raw sweet potatoes (after washing them). I used the thinner of the two spaghetti-like blades. Put a spoonful of coconut oil in a pan, and bring to a smoking point. Then put a small batch of spiralized sweet potatoes and continuously toss them in the pan until they get crispy. You’ll know once they’re almost done because they’ll shrivel up. Repeat this process in small batches. Season immediately with Himalayan salt and whatever other seasonings you want. 

Dinner: Black Bean Quinoa Zucchini Twist

I know I’ve made this dish quite a few times now on this detox, but it’s so easy to make and oh so good! This time I threw in some leftover spiralized zucchini from the zucchini pasta dish. The texture and color enhanced the dish, even if it didn’t really change the taste. 

Ingredients:

  • Bowl of spiralized zucchini
  • 2 cans of organic black beans
  • 1 bell pepper, diced
  • 2 Roma tomatoes, diced
  • 4-5 cloves of garlic, crushed
  • Cooked quinoa, seasoned
  • Himalayan salt
  • Pepper
  • Garlic powder
  • Onion powder
  • Cayenne pepper

Heat a spoonful of coconut oil in a pan on light-medium heat. Add crushed garlic and diced bell peppers and sauté until brown. Add spiralized zucchini and keep tossing it in the pan until it starts to soften up. Then add black beans and keep mixing it around. Once the beans are hot, add the tomatoes at the end to long enough to warm them up. Serve over quinoa, top off with guacamole and salsa, dig in and enjoy!