The essence of Halaal really speaks to an organic, wellness focused lifestyle. Everything you put into your body is about doing the best for it that you can. The same way that eating halaal is doing the best for your body as well. When we slaughter animals in a halaal way, it’s about a merciful death as well as removing as much toxicity from the animal before you ingest it. It’s about not smoking and drinking alcohol because of the obvious harm it causes to yourself and others. During these last 3 weeks of detoxing, having cut out bread, rice, dairy and meat, I have felt my body responding to this change. When I do eat bread and meat as I have on occasion fallen off the wagon especially over weekends, I feel incredibly heavy and full after half the portion of food I used to eat before. I find I eat more moderately and need to snack less.

The Islamic way of eating too advises moderation. Prophet Mohammed (PBUH) is reported to have said:
“Eat less you will be healthier.” (Hadith)
“Nothing is worse than a person who fills his stomach. It should be enough for the son of Adam to have a few bites to satisfy his hunger. If he wishes more, it should be: one-third for his food, one-third for his liquids, and one-third for his breath.” (Tarmazi, ibn Majah and Hakim)

While I am and will always be a work in progress on this journey to health, I have experienced the positive effects of making changes to my diet. I love bread, and I will always love bread, but the bloating and heaviness that comes with it is obvious testament to how we’ve overdone it’s importance in our diets. It’s not easy to replace the convenience of a quick sarmie when you’re in a hurry or a slice of toast to tide you over instead of a balanced plate, but the effort of doing so will eventually show on your waistline and in your general wellbeing.

Crikey! I really sound all new age and flakey, so before I start making videos about how coconut oil should replace everything in your pantry let me rather get on with some useful recipes that I tried over the last 3 weeks that could make life a little easier for someone else on this path.

I had started juicing as part of my detox. Not a requirement but a nice to add. In truth it was my better half who did all the juicing, including washing the juicer afterwards. Cos if it was up to me, the effort involved with juicing would have stopped before it began. Here are some recipes that we developed that we enjoyed. All recipes are about 2 servings.

Apple, Orange, Ginger and Kale
Refreshing and spicy.

3 small Apples (apples are a great base for juices, but geez, you go through a lot of apples when juicing!)
1 Orange peeled
5 Kale leaves (oh, and you use a lot of Kale too, cos the green juices are the healthiest)
0.5 to 1cm of ginger
Put through a juicer and adjust the amount of ginger if you need to. Start with less ginger and add more if you want more zing.

 

Beetroot, Ginger and Kale

2 small raw Beetroots
5 Kale leaves
0.5 to 1cm of ginger
Put through a juicer and adjust the amount of ginger if you need to. Again, start with less ginger and add more if you want more zing.

Melon, Ginger, Lemon and Mint
I enjoyed this one but Z didn’t. The melon taste came out too strong for him. Some may prefer more lemon.

half a Sweetmelon
1 small lemon, skin removed
a handful of mint leaves
0.5cm of ginger
Put through a juicer and adjust the amount of lemon if you need to.

I’m always cooking in a hurry so meals were a challenge and I had to think ahead to make sure I had something suitable lined up for when I broke for lunch or supper. Eggs were a great fallback as they were allowed in this detox and are a quick out when you’re in a rush. Here are some dishes that I tried and that will become a favourite even when I’m off detox.

Roasted Beetroot, Butternut and Buckwheat Salad
Buckwheat is an acceptable substitute for rice on a detox as it is gluten free. It has a nutty flavour and a similar texture to brown rice. I even had it with some vegetable curries and Dhal.

Salad Ingredients
half a small Butternut diced
2 Beetroots diced
5 Spinach leaves shredded
a handful of Rocket
1 cup of cooked buckwheat
2 baby marrows sliced

Dressing (Shake this all up in a jar)
1/4 cup Olive oil
1/8 cup Balsamic Vinegar
some red chillie flakes
1/2 tsp crushed garlic
juice of half a lemon
Course Black Pepper
Himalayan Salt

Toss butternut, baby marrows and beetroot in some olive oil, garlic, salt and course black pepper. Keep them separate or the beetroot will discolour everything. You can put them in the same roasting tray next to each other. Roast in a hot oven, about 180 – 200˚C until cooked (about 30-40 minutes). Take the baby marrows out earlier as they cook faster. Put your hot buckwheat in the bottom of a bowl. Put spinach leaves on top so they wilt slightly from the heat. Top with your veggies and rocket leaves. Pour over the dressing and serve.

Spinach and Mushroom filled Butternut
Butternut is hugely filling and the meaty texture of mushrooms helps with the meat cravings. This filling doesn’t look so great but the taste makes up for it.

1 small Butternut halved lengthwise, deseeded and boiled till almost soft
200g mixed mushrooms diced
half a bag of Spinach, shredded
4 Tblsp corn (canned or frozen)
2 cloves garlic crushed
red chillie flakes
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
2 Tblsp Cream Cheese (slight cheat on the detox)
Saute Mushrooms, garlic and chillie flakes in some coconut oil. Add spinach and corn and cook till spinach is wilted. Add nutmeg. Stir in cream cheese and allow to heat through. Spoon into butternut halves. Place in a roasting pan. Cover with foil and roast in a hot oven at 180˚C for 20 minutes. Remove foil and roast further for 5 to 10 minutes. Top with cheese at this stage if desired.

Fried egg on Corn Salsa with Avo
This is a great lunch treat and super quick to make if you’re in a hurry.

half a can of Whole Kernel Corn
a handful of Cherry Tomatoes
1 Baby Marrow sliced into ribbons with a potato peeler
half a diced Red Pepper
1 Tblsp chopped fresh Coriander
1/4 Avocado diced
1 tsp seschwan pepper crushed
Combine all ingredients in a bowl. Dress with olive oil, lemon juice Himalayan salt and course black pepper. Spoon onto a plate and top with an egg fried in coconut oil and extra avo. The seschwan pepper adds an interesting flavour to the salsa and the coconut flavour that comes through from the fried egg gives this dish a whole new dimension. I found this an extremely satisfying and well rounded meal. Did not miss a side of toast at all. But feel free to have some if you like.

I hope these dishes will help solve some of those what to eat moments that we all have. And guess what… they’re great for Meat Free Mondays too.

Enjoy
xx