Community Kitchen: Detox-Slaw and Black Bean Cocoa Chile

As I've mentioned a few times on this blog, I run a community kitchen at my work each week. The food we make is so awesome (and healthy!) that I've decided it's too much

of a shame not to share the recipes here, so I will try to consistently do so from now on.

Since I spent the weekend in Victoria eating decadent foods at some of the many terrific eateries there (that I will write about very soon), I felt, perhaps more so than usual, like making healthy and detoxifying foods for this week's CK.

So we threw together an awesome organic "slaw" consisting of a bevy of ingredients that detoxify the body and facilitate digestion. No mayo here! A simple, tasty combination of shredded beets, carrots, julienned apple and fennel, tossed with a dressing of alkalizing apple-cider vinegar, fresh squeezed OJ, and olive oil. Of course it doesn't hurt to throw in some immune boosting (and tasty) spices like  cayenne, ginger, cinnamon and turmeric, along with a ton of fresh garlic. Abundant fresh parsley tied it all together and added even more colour and antioxidant punch to the mix!

I wanted something tasty and grounding as well. Enter my dad's black bean chili. This is the one vegetarian dish in his repertoire so he makes it for me each time I visit, which might explain why my visits are becoming more frequent as of late ;) This dish consists of a combination of refreshing cilantro, crunchy red peppers and sweet black beans and is deceivingly simple as it harbours complex flavours that will rock your taste buds like nobody's business. On top of the cayenne, chili powder and a generous amount of of garlic,  I added cocoa to mine for extra depth of flavour (feel free to switch with raw cacao at the end for a nutritional boost), as well as smoked paprika for a bit of kick--though the traditional cumin alone is more than decent.

Black beans are magic as they naturally regulate blood sugar levels, making them appropriate for my diabetic participants ( and for a mega sweet-tooth like yours truly!) We served the chili on a bed of red rice, a nutty flavoured, whole grain that is as delicious as it is grounding. We topped the whole affair with shredded organic sharp cheddar, green onion and a dollop of natural Balkan yogurt.

This simple but explosive meal had even the most stubbornly carnivorous CK participant reaching for thirds.

Proportions for 8 people:

Detox Slaw: Ready in 15 minutes including prep (with a food processor)

In a large Bowl Combine:

3 large Beets- shredded

3 medium carrots-shredded

1 medium fennel bulb-julienned

2 apples of your choice-julienned

1 bunch of parsley -chopped

3 cloves of garlic-minced

Salt and pepper to taste

1 chunk of ginger root minced

Handful of unsulfured raisins (optional)

Handful of hemp or pumpkin seeds (optional)

In a separate Bowl whisk:

3 large oranges-juiced

1/4 cup of Olive Oil

1/4 cup of Apple Cider Vinegar

1 and 1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon

1 teaspoon of Cayenne

1 teaspoon of turmeric

Toss everything together and voila!

Black Bean Cocoa Chile: ready in half and hour including prep/longer if you have time!

1 large sweet onion-diced

4 standard-sized cans of black beans-drained and rinsed (or use dry)

4 medium red peppers-diced

2 jars of organic strained tomatoes

5-6 cloves of garlic-minced

1/2 bunch of cilantro-finely chopped with some stems

1 lime-juiced

1 tablespoon of cocoa-levelled

Cayenne-to your taste

Chile Pepper-to your taste

1 jalapeno- sliced (optional)

Salt and pepper to taste

1 dash of coconut oil (or olive)

Directions:

In a pot, brown your onions in the coconut oil. Once these become translucent, add your peppers until they are softened. Add the strained tomatoes and all the spices except for the cocoa. Let simmer for 10 minutes or more to develop flavours, then add beans and 2/3rds of the cilantro as well as the garlic and jalapeno. Let simmer for a while remaining mindful of not letting the beans soften too much (dry will remain toothsome for much longer). Turn element off and stir in cocoa, the  rest of the cilantro, along with the lime juice. Let sit for 5 minutes and serve!