Fast after a feast

My weekly culinary comments have been running for over a year now. It provides a snapshot of what my family and I have been eating. As any record, journal or photograph, it provides its author with a snapshot of the past. For example, in 2009 I did not feel the need for a change of diet before February 16th. This year, I am speaking of a break one month earlier. The holidays take their toll. The emotions run high. The days are long and culminate in good meals charged with calories and lack of sleep. After all the excitement, it is necessary to restore good sleep patterns and food habits. A twenty minute nap after lunch will not interfere with the night rest and will help the organism restore itself.
I propose, in addition to the previous year recommendation, which is still valid, a three-day or a week fast. The principle is simple: eat mostly barely cooked vegetables and salad or soup, add a little fish or tofu in the evening, drink only water with a little cider or lemon juice and some green tea. The three-day schedule starts with a fresh apple, carrot and parsley juice and a cup of green tea. For lunch alternate between the following three salad recipes. The dinner should consist of steamed vegetables and either tofu or a grilled 3-oz fillet of fish. The weekly menu includes my favorite kefir recipe for breakfast along with some green tea or a rosemary mint infusion. For lunch a bowl of cabbage soup and one of the three salad recipes. Dinner is another bowl of cabbage soup, steamed vegetables and a seasonal fruit such as pear, apple or clementine. To your health!
Broccoli and fennel salad
(Easy, Preparation and cooking time: 20 minutes, Cheap)
Ingredients:
2 broccoli stems
1 fennel bulb
1 tablespoon walnuts
Sauce:
1 shallot
The juice of a lemon
3 tablespoons olive oil
Material:
Steamer
Blender
Meat slicing machine

Cut the florets from the broccoli and drop them in clean cold water. Keep the stems for a soup. Clean the fennel. Using the slicing machine, slice the bulb finely. Place the vegetables in the steamer basket and steam for about 10 minutes.
Drop the peeled shallot in the blender with 1 tablespoon of lemon and the olive oil. Blend well.
Place the vegetables on a plate. Add the walnuts and sprinkle with the sauce.

Beet salad
(Easy, Preparation: 10 minutes, Cooking time: 40 minutes, Cheap)
Ingredients:
3 beets
3 oranges
1 black radish
Sauce:
1 tablespoon orange juice
3 tablespoon walnut oil
Material:
Silver foil
Grapefruit spoon
Salad bowl
Small bowl
Preheat the oven at 360F (180C)
Cut off the foliage of the beets and reserve for a soup. Wrap each beet in a silver foil and bake for 45 to 60 minutes.
Cut the oranges in two and remove the flesh with a grapefruit spoon. Place in the salad bowl.
Extract the remaining orange juice in a recipient. Beat the olive oil with the orange juice.
Peel the black radish and grate it in the food processor. Add to the salad bowl
Remove the beet from the oven, unwrap the foil and cut in sticks. Mix with the orange.
Pour the sauce in. Sprinkle with the radish and serve.

Vegetarian pot-au-feu salad
(Easy, Preparation and cooking time: 30 minutes, Cheap)
Ingredients:
2 leeks
2 carrots
2 potatoes skin on
2 turnips
1 green onion minced
Sauce:
Foolproof Dijon vinaigrette
Material:
Steamer
Salad bowl
Peeler
Place the potatoes in the bottom of the steamer, cover with water and bring to a boil.
Remove the tops of the leeks and crisscross the top before dropping in cold water. Once the sand is off, place in the top basket of the steamer. Remove the tops of the turnips. Peel and place in the steamer basket. Peel the carrot and place in the steamer.
When the water boils, place the steamer basket on top and cover.
After 20 minutes, remove from the gas. Cool all the vegetables under running cold water. Cut all the vegetables in small pieces and place in the salad bowl. Add the Dijon vinaigrette and mix well. Sprinkle with the green onions

Cabbage soup
(Easy, Preparation and cooking time: 30 minutes, Cheap
Ingredients:
Cabbage cut in quarters and blanched
4 garlic cloves
3 onions
5 carrots
1 celery root
The broccoli stems and beet tops leftover
Chicken broth
Salt and pepper
Material
4-quart stockpot
Peeler
Blender

Peel the garlic cloves and the onions. Slice. Peel the carrots and celery root and slice. Put all the vegetables including the broccoli stems and beet tops in the stockpot. Cover with the chicken broth. Add 1 teaspoon coarse salt and bring to a boil. Simmer for 20 minutes. Put in the blender and mix coarsely.

Breakfast kefir
(Easy, Preparation time: 5 minutes, Cheap)
Ingredients:
1 apple
The juice of a lemon
1 cup kefir
1 tablespoon nuts
1 tablespoon raisins
Material:
Food processor
Peeler
Peel the apple, grate them and place them in a bowl. Add the raisins and mix in with the lemon juice. Add the kefir and sprinkle with the nuts.