I've been practicing yoga regularly for about 15 years, and a few years ago, one of my teachers got involved in cleansing for the new year. For a week you drink water with lemon, cayenne and clove, make fresh juice, and eat from a specific list of fruits and vegetables, grains (quinoa and millet only), and nuts (almonds and walnuts only)--all while taking herbs that are supposed to cleanse your body of toxins. <br /> <br />I fell for it. Caffeine withdrawal, hunger, drinking vile liquids while my husband is having a glass of wine and laughing at me. (And since you can only have the grains and nuts for the first two days and the last day, I was hungry. Really hungry.) While everyone in my yoga classes who "cleansed" at the same time were rhapsodizing about their clear skin, their weight loss, their feeling light and free, I was miserable. The day it ended (I am not a quitter!), I met two friends for lunch at my favorite Greek restaurant and proceeded to devour everything on the menu. <br /> <br />Still, after 6 weeks of indulgent eating and drinking, it's nice to start the new year with food that's light, healthy and delicious. <br /> <br />Like most of my recipes, this one is not bossy. I'll tell you what I did; you can adjust it to your taste. For example, I used chicken stock. Vegetarians can use vegetable stock, but try to avoid those that are really tomato-y or it will overpower the taste of the mushrooms. I used red wine--you can leave it out, change it to sherry or white wine. I used thyme; maybe you'd prefer a bay leaf or two. I chopped up some parsley--feel free to add any greens you like. <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br />

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