Zucchini Pie with Feta Cheese and Fresh Mint Leaves

I just love pies!  It’s one thing you can really experiment on and be creative, feeling safe that the outcome will be good! You can do any vegetable, herb, cheese, meat or even fish combination you like. You can add rice, nuts, seeds or leftovers you find in
your fridge! 
And if you don’t have the time to make the pastry or “phyllo” as we call it, there are plenty of choices for ready-made pastries in the market, so you can choose whichever you like. Bellow you’ll find a traditional recipe for village-style phyllo pastry. I usually make it with wholemeal flour, or a mixture of wholemeal and rye or barley, but you can use whatever kind of flour you like. 
Making any kind of dough (for phyllo, bread etc) is really one of the best forms of meditation for me! 

Here is the recipe:

Village-Style Phyllo Pastry Recipe 
Approximately 4 cups flour (but it might take a bit more when kneading it) plus extra for rolling out the dough 
1 small espresso cup olive oil 
3 tablespoons vinegar 
1 ½ glass of warm water (might take a bit more) 
One teaspoon salt

Sieve the flour. Put it in a basin and mix it with the salt. Form a well in the centre and, in there, add the water, oil and vinegar. Using a fork, start mixing gently until you start forming a dough. Now, using your hands, start kneading (for about 10 minutes), that’s the moment you’ll have to see whether you’ll need to add more flour or water, in order to achieve the right consistency and texture. Your dough should become soft, smooth, kind of elastic and it should not stick on your hands. Cover it with a towel and let it rest for about half an hour in room temperature. If it’s winter, cover it with a blanket instead. Repeat the same procedure (start kneading it again, cover it and let it stand for another half hour). 
Your dough is now ready. Shape small balls with it (approximately 10 cm diameter) and put them on the side. You can also store it in the fridge or freezer and remove each time only the quantity that you need.  
Put some flour on your work surface, press the ball flat with your hand and using a (preferably narrow) rolling pin start rolling it out as thin as you can (You keep doing that with the rest of the balls, according to how many phyllo layers you want to use for your pie. I usually use 6 or 4, depending on the filling; 2 or 3 on the bottom and another 2 or 3 on top.).

 
Zucchini Filling Recipe 
8-9 large zucchinis, grated
7 spring onions, chopped 
1 cup of chopped fresh mint leaves (can be replaced with dill) 
250 gr. feta cheese, crumbled 
100 gr. grated mozzarella 
1 egg 
1tablespoon olive oil plus extra for the oven tray and for coating each phyllo layer 
Salt and pepper

Warm the olive oil in a pan and add the spring onions. When starting to soften, add the grated zucchinis and using a wooden spoon, mix gently. Turn the heat down to low, and let it slowly cook (you basically want to allow it to absorb all the juices, otherwise your pie with become soaky). 
Once the juices have been absorbed, add the mint, salt and pepper and mix well (don’t add too much salt, because the feta cheese is quite salty anyway). Remove from heat, add the egg, feta cheese and mozzarella and mix well.

 

Putting together the pie 
Preheat oven to 180°C/350°F/Gas mark 4. Apply olive oil on the surface of a baking tray. Carefully place the first layer of pastry. Using a brush apply a small quantity of olive oil on it (I use very little). Then the next layer on top. Evenly spread the zucchini filling and fold the edges of the bottom phyllo layers on top of it (see photo). Now place the first top phyllo layer, folding it around to seal it well. Brush some olive oil and repeat with the second phyllo layer. Brush with olive oil and sprinkle with sesame seeds. Gently cut it with a knife (see photo) and spray it with cold water, that will make it crispy. If the pastry dries out too much while it’s being baked, spray some additional water on it. Bake it for about 30-40 minutes, at 180°C/350°F/Gas mark 4, until crisp and golden brown. Remove it from the oven and allow it to cool down a bit before you cut it.

 

 

Sweet Rose Petals

One of the most traditional kind of Greek desserts is called “glyko tou koutaliou” (exact translation is “dessert of the spoon”). It is usually fruit (or certain vegetables), cut in chunks, grated, or kept whole with their skin left on and slowly boiled in a sugar syrup, lemon added in the end. They say it has its origins in ancient Greece and since then the traditional housewives kept this way of preserving excess fruit or vegetable.
It got its name by the way it was served. They used to serve it in a big bowl, with many spoons around and everyone grabbed a spoon and got their share. Now it is more often served in small individual portions (the quantity of a tea spoon) in small plates with some of its syrup and a glass of water on the side. If you ever visit a monastery in Greece, this dessert is a typical treat for their guests. Alternatively, we use it as a topper over yoghurt, panna cotta, ice cream, tarts etc. It can be made with a variety of different fruit (or vegetables). Especially popular are the ones that are not usually eaten raw due to their bitterness or because they are still unripe (like citron, bitter orange, quince, sour cherries), but you can also make this dessert with common fruit like strawberries, watermelon, grapes, figs, cherries or even with tomatoes, carrots or a special type of small eggplant called, “melinzanaki”.
One of the most popular choices and a personal favorite is made of fresh rose pedals, which is also called “rodozachari” (exact translation: “rose-sugar”)! In certain parts of Greece it is custom to make this sugared rose dessert in order to welcome a newborn baby-girl. Tradition says that this will bless the girl with rose-pink cheeks, sweetness and an irresistible scent!!!

 Roses are among the flowers that are edible. We use them in desserts, to make syrups or liqueur, we use rosewater and rose essential oil to add flavor to our food and let’s not forget about the tea! Rose hips (the flowers which have swollen to seed) are an excellent source of vitamins A, B3, C, D and E. They also contain bioflavonoids, citric acid, flavonoids, fructose, malic acid, tannins and zinc. Taken in the form of tea they are good for infections, particularly bladder infections. Rose hip tea is also used in the treatment of diarrhea. The rose also offers a soothing property to the nerves and emotional /psychological state of mind. It is regarded as a mild sedative and anti-depressant. It is increasingly used in treatments for conditions of stress: nervous tension, peptic ulcers, heart disease. There is indication that rose essence may also positively influence digestion, bile secretion, womb disorders and circulation. 

I was recently invited to stay at a friend’s house in the island of Mykonos. A house with the most beautiful garden and the most beautiful roses!!! They had a basket full of fresh rose pedals with a unique aroma! Roses are at their best in May and that’s also the right season to make this sweet jam-like dessert. So we decided to go for it.  I had never made it before, but a couple of years ago I watched a Greek documentary on the traditional way of making this particular dessert. So I had some notes on it.
The recipe is very simple. And the result was delicious! I really-really enjoyed making it and I promise your hands will smell amazing after! It’s very important to use roses from your garden or from a garden you know of, because the ones in the market are full of chemicals.
The best period to pick roses for culinary (or beauty) use is between May and September and the best time for it is in the morning, when they are extra fresh! The colour of the roses you will choose to use, will also determine the colour of your dessert and the more fragrant the roses, the more aromatic your dessert! I used red and pink and a few yellow, which didn’t really affect the final colour.

Before I go on with the recipe, I would like to express my gratitude for all this beauty our nature offers to us. It is our duty to preserve it, appreciate it and enjoy it!

Here is the recipe:

4 cups of rose petals
4 cups of sugar
2 cups of water
½ cup fresh lemon juice
2-3 drops rose essential oil (optional, if you wish to add more aroma)

Separate the petals. Use only the ones that look fresh and healthy. Wash them well, but gently and let them dry completely. Cut the white bottom part of the petals (it’s a bit bitter). Put them in a large bowl or tray and add the sugar. Knead them well with your hands until it becomes a solid, sticky paste. This will take a while but it’s really fun and the beautiful aromas will just make your day! Once ready let it stand in the sun for about an hour. Keep an eye on it because insects will just love it!

Put it in a pot and add the water. Let it boil in low heat, stirring occasionally with a wooden spoon, until the syrup sets (about 45 minutes). Add the lemon juice and allow it to simmer for another couple of minutes. Remove from heat and allow it cool. If you like, you can add the rose essential oil. Transfer it in sterilized glass jars and seal them, as you would do with a jam.


 

Special thanks to Itai and Grigoris for the photos!
Sources: 
http://www.rosemagazine.com/pages/therapeutic.asp

Tiramisu

Tiramisu is a delicious Italian dessert, made with ladyfingers (savoiardi) dipped in coffee, layered with a cream made with mascarpone cheese, flavored with liquor and topped with cocoa powder or chocolate shavings. The exact translation of the word Tiramisù [tiɾamiˈsu], is "pick me up", and it’s definitely something to be picked up!!! It became very popular in the 80s and since then, it has been adapted into many varieties of puddings, cakes and other desserts. I am proud to say that I make a very good Tiramisu and that’s the proof:

I made it in a 21cm diameter bowl, if u wish to make a larger one, just double the quantity of the cream recipe and add as many ladyfingers needed.

For the cream
3 eggs, separated (I prefer organic)
250 gr. mascarpone cheese
100 gr. caster sugar
1 tablespoon Amaretto liqueur (or a coffee liqueur like Kahlúa or Tia Maria)
A pinch of salt

For the ladyfingers
18 ladyfingers
1 big cup of strong coffee (I prefer espresso) in room temperature
2 tablespoons Amaretto (or a coffee liqueur like Kahlúa or Tia Maria)
 
Good quality, unsweetened cocoa powder or bitter chocolate shavings to serve

Put the egg yolks and sugar on top of a double boiler on low heat and start stirring. It will start becoming pale and creamy. Add the Amaretto and keep stirring for another 3-4 minutes, until it gets a thick creamy texture. Be careful not to overcook the eggs.  Remove from heat, let it cool down for a few seconds and add the mascarpone cheese. Mix it well, but gently, until just combined. Put it on the side.
In a separate bowl, using an electric mixer, beat the egg whites and salt into a meringue (until it forms stiff, firm peaks). Gradually add the meringue to the mascarpone cream, mixing gently until just incorporated. Your cream should become light and fluffy. Put it in the fridge while you prepare the lady fingers.

Mix the coffee and liqueur in a bowl. Dip the ladyfingers for a couple of seconds (soak them both sides) and start arranging them nicely on the bottom of your bowl. Try not to leave any gaps between the ladyfingers, so if necessary you’ve got to trim them to fit. Once the first layer is ready, spread half of the cream on top and make it even. Start with the second layer of ladyfingers, again dipping them in the coffee and arranging them to fit the bowl.  Spread evenly the rest of the cream, cover and put it in the fridge for about 6 hours to set (you can leave it overnight). Just before serving it, sprinkle with cocoa powder or chocolate shavings.

Roasted Vegetables: "Briam" with a twist!

This is my own version of a traditional Greek recipe called "Briam", which is basically roasted mixed vegetables; potatoes, carrots, eggplants, tomatoes, onions, zucchinis etc. You can actually use any other vegetable you wish. It always depends on what I have available and what is in season. You can even add beans, peas, zucchini blossoms or okra. Mushrooms also taste great in it, but I tend to use them more in the winter when eggplants and zucchinis are (normally) out of season. I also love adding turmeric, cumin, spicy chili and coriander to give it a more oriental flavor, but you can always play with your spices and herbs and check the results! 

Here is my basic "Briam" recipe:

5 carrots, peeled and thickly sliced

2 onions, peeled and sliced

2 garlic cloves, peeled and sliced

2 tomatoes, cut into chunks

4 potatoes, peeled and sliced

3 eggplants, thickly sliced

4 zucchinis, thickly sliced

1 small turmeric root, peeled and sliced (or 2 teaspoons turmeric powder) 

2 green peppers, sliced

1 chili pepper, seeded and sliced
3 teaspoons cumin seeds or powder

½ cup parsley, roughly chopped

¼ cup coriander, roughly chopped

Fresh oregano

3 tablespoons olive oil

Sea salt and Cayenne pepper, to taste

1 glass of water

Preheat oven to 240°C/475°F/gas 9. Drizzle half the olive oil in a large roasting tray. Put all the cut vegetables in it and add the chili, turmeric, cumin, oregano, parsley, coriander, salt and cayenne pepper. Drizzle with the remaining olive oil and mix well, using your hands. Add the water and place the roasting tray in the oven. Immediately turn the heat down to 200°C/400°F/gas 6 and cook for approximately 1 hour and 30 minutes. Check the food regularly, giving it a stir and if the vegetables look dry, give them another splash of water (little by little, because you don’t want them to overcook in water). Once ready, it can be served immediately, but it is also delicious when cooled down to room temperature...and goes great with feta cheese!

The Gillian Mckeith One-Day Detox Program

Gillian Mckeith is a nutrition and health writer and a tv presenter. This one-day detox program was given by her in her best-selling book "You Are What You Eat", but you can follow it for more days if you like. It is quite easy to follow compared to other detox diets and it develops healthy habits that are good to adopt in your everyday lifestyle.
As Gillian states, our body has natural functions that remove the toxins like when urinating, sweating, or defecating.  But in modern society, with all the chemicals that exist: radiation, pollution etc., our bodies get overloaded with toxins and a detox program really helps (even if it is a one or two-day program). You can always choose to do it for just a day and repeat it on a regular basis, like once a week or once a month or just twice a year, depending on your needs.

According to this cleansing program, the best detox foods are:
•    Fruit or vegetable juices
•    Water
•    Raw vegetable and green leafs
•    Fruit
•    Sprouts
•    Whole grains, pulses and seeds

For this detox you will need:
•    A juicer and a blender
•    A body brush
•    Mild exercise (stretching, walking, dancing, swimming, yoga, pilates etc) 

When on this detox you MUST NOT consume:
•    Coffee
•    Seafood
•    Sugar
•    Dairy
•    Tea
•    Salt & Pepper
•    Cooking oil
•    Cigarettes
•    Eggs
•    Soft drinks
•    Alcohol
•    Fried foods
•    Meat (red and white)
•    Fish
•    Medication (unless you have a special condition in which case you would need the advice of a specialist)

While on this detox you should also take:
•    2 teaspoons of one green superfood (Spirulina or Chlorella or Barley Grass or Wild Blue-Green Algae or Wheat Grass). You must choose one.
•    Digestive enzymes
•    1 tablespoon or flaxseed oil or flaxseeds
•    Silybum or Milk Thistle  (2 capsules a day and you should keep on taking them for about two weeks, no matter for how many days you follow the detox program.) 
All of the above can be found in organic health stores or pharmacies.

The Detox Program

You may adjust the times according to your schedule, but it is recommended to start your day early in the morning and go to bed early at night.
 
7:00 – First thing when you wake up you should drink warm water with fresh lemon juice.
 
7:30 - One tablespoon of flaxseed oil or flaxseeds that you will have soaked in boiling water from the night before. In the morning you strain it and drink the water.
 
8:00 – For breakfast you may choose one of the choices listed below:
•    Fruit. As much as you like. Try to avoid oranges since they are too acidic. If you choose grapes, don’t mix them with any other fruit.
•    Miso soup
•    Vegetable juice made with 1 cucumber, ¼ ginger root, 4 celery stalks, 100 gr alfalfa sprouts,  3 stalks of parsley and 1 carrot.

9:30 – One or two cups of herbal tea (Nettle, Dandelion, Chamomile, Sage, or Echinacea)

10:00 – Fruit juice. Any fruit combination you like. If it’s cold or you are dealing with circulation problems or have a weak spleen, it is better to replace the juice with a warm fruit-cream (6 apples and 2 pears peeled, cut in smaller pieces, lightly steamed and creamed in the food processor).

12:30 – Lunch. You may choose one of the choices listed below:
•    Raw mixed salad with sprouts
•    Raw soup with cucumber and mint (recipe given below)
•    Raw sauerkraut
•    Cereal grains (quinoa, millet, rice etc). Once you boil them, you mix them with any of the following aromatic herbs: dill, chives, chervil or dandelion (taraxacum). You serve it with broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, cucumber, lettuce, celery or Brussels sprouts.
 
14:00 – Herbal tea
 
14:30 – Gillian’s detox smoothie. Choose one combination from the list that follows:
•    6 carrots, 2 celery stalks, 1 apple
•    ½ beetroot, 2 carrots, 1 celery stalk, ½ cucumber
•    2 cucumbers, ½ beetroot, 1 stalk of dill
•    2 cucumbers, 4 celery stalks, ¼ ginger root, 1 stalk of coriander or basil
•    1 hand-full of parsley, 1 kale, 5 carrots and a small piece of ginger
•    2 celery stalks, 1 hand-full of parsley, 1 garlic clove, 5 carrots and 100gr alfalfa sprouts (optional)
 
15:00 - Herbal tea
 
15:30 - Sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, or raw sauerkraut 
 
16:00 – Gillian’s vegetable juice (with 6 whole carrots, 1 ripe avocado, 10 basil leafs, 1 apple, juice from half a lemon)
 
17:30 – Supper. A large raw salad with a hand-full of sprouts. You can add a small portion of cereal grains if you feel hungry.
 
18:30 – Broth rich in potassium (recipe follows).
 
19:30 – 1 cup of warm water with lemon juice
 
20:15 – Dry body-brushing. Begin from the feet and start going up. You try to make big, soft movements with the brush, always towards the heart.
 
20:30 – Bath time! Fill up your bathtub with warm water and add:
•    2 teaspoons of flaxseed oil
•    3-4 drops of olibanum and myrrh essential oils


If you get hungry again, you may eat some lettuce or celery. Try to go to sleep early (it would be great if you could do that around 21:30, 22:30 the latest!).


Recipes:

Raw cucumber soup with mint 
Juice of 3 cucumbers and 2 celery stalks
1 chopped cucumber
¼ cup chopped mint
¼ cup chopped parsley
¼ cup chopped leek

Put all your ingredients in a blender or food processor, until smooth.


Broth rich in potassium
2 carrots
2 large potatoes
1 cup beetroot (optional)
4 celery stalks (with leafs)
1 cup parsley
1 cup turnips
Cayenne pepper
If your vegetable is organic you may wash it well and keep their skin. Fill a big pot with 1,8 lt water. Cut your vegetable straight in the pot and let it boil. Once they start boiling, bring the heat down to low and let it slowly cook for a couple of hours. Strain it and drink the broth.

Zucchini Blossom Stir-fry with Jasmine Rice

It’s the season of zucchini (or courgette) blossoms!!! These are the edible flowers of zucchinis and they are absolutely beautiful and delicious! There are quite a few traditional Greek and Cypriot recipes that i know of with zucchini flowers: Stuffed with rice or cracked wheat, in pies, simply fried, stuffed with cheese and then fried (but that’s a bit heavy and they really lose much of their delicate taste). In the island of Crete some do a variation of the traditional dish ‘dolmades’ (small parcels of vine leaves stuffed with long grain rice and fresh herbs, or with rice and minced meat), in which instead of using just vine leaves they wrap half the parcels in zucchini blossoms and they let them cook all together. Actually, you can stuff them with anything you like, quinoa or other grains, nuts, mushrooms, minced meat etc or you can add them in an omelette.

I went to the grocery store the other day and came across the freshest zucchini blossoms, I was thrilled!!! I really didn’t have the time for a time-consuming recipe (although I love them stuffed!) and I really didn’t want to leave them in the fridge for a day, because they would definitely lose that freshness. I decided to cook them in a way that they would be just lightly stir fried and hardly even cooked. So I looked in my fridge and had some spicy chilies (always!), spring onions, fresh coriander in my balcony and some garlic. Served it with jasmine rice and it was just perfect! Light, healthy and super tasty! Here is the recipe:

15 fresh zucchini blossoms washed and dried

1 chili pepper (or more if you like it more spicy)

1 garlic clove minced

4 spring onions chopped

3 zucchinis cut into even strips

1 red (sweet) pepper sliced

3 tablespoons chopped coriander leaves

1 tablespoon olive or sesame oil

salt and cayenne pepper to taste

Steamed jasmine rice (or any rice you like)

Wash the zucchini flowers and pat them dry. You can remove the stem if you wish, but when they are so fresh, I like to use them whole as they are.  With your hands, tear each blossom in half or into three smaller pieces, it’s up to you. Remove the seeds from the chili pepper and chop or slice it. Heat the oil in a wok or pan. Add the garlic, spring onion and chili. Sauté them gently and add the red pepper and zucchini strips, stirring constantly. Add the blossoms and some salt and cayenne pepper and keep on stirring for another couple of minutes. Once you see the flowers are starting to soften, throw in half the chopped coriander and give it another stir. If you can’t find coriander you can always replace it with parsley or mint (or both!). Serve it with jasmine rice and sprinkle on top the rest of the chopped coriander. You can decorate your dish with some coriander flowers, which are also in season now! 

Detoxing > Purifying your Body and Mind

“Let food be thy medicine and medicine be thy food"

         Hippocrates

 

Detoxification is one of the most widely used treatments and concepts in alternative medicine. It is based on the principle that illnesses can be caused by the accumulation of toxic substances (toxins) in the body. Eliminating existing toxins and avoiding new toxins are essential parts of the healing process.

Detoxification methods of healing have been used for thousands of years. Fasting is one of the oldest therapeutic practices in medicine. Hippocrates, the ancient Greek known as the "Father of Western Medicine," recommended fasting as a means for improving health. Ayurvedic medicine, a traditional Hindu healing system that has developed over thousands of years, utilizes detoxification methods to treat many chronic conditions and to prevent illness.

So, detoxing is very important for everyone. Even more so for those living in cities, smokers, people with an unstable diet, people who consume a lot of  meat, coffee and alcohol, people that suffer from diseases or with a low immune system. Detoxing twice a year is sufficient for most people (except in cases of pregnancy, diabetes, if you are under 18, or suffer from a serious illness, which in any case one would need the advice of a specialist). It is widely known that the best time to go on a detox is in spring and fall. However, I believe that in some cases the best time is when you feel your body needs it.

There are many different detox diets that one can choose from - some are easier, some more challenging - but it’s always good to try a few until you decide what suits you best, always according to your body’s state and needs. Smoking of course is not allowed during a body cleansing period and I also suggest you try to spend less time in front of the TV or PC. And don’t forget to drink plenty of water! It’s also important to go early in bed at night and get a full 8-hour sleep. I really enjoy ending my detox days with a nice bath, with the right essential oils or herbs, just before going to bed. This will help you relax and it will also give an extra hand to your body to remove the toxins!

http://medical-dictionary.thefreedictionary.com/detoxification
Photo by Loukia Rikaki

The Cayenne Pepper Detox

 

The Cayenne Pepper Detox or The Master Cleanse or The Lemonade Detox, is an intense 10-day detox regime that  allows you to eat no solid food at all, but just a drink with freshly squeezed lemon juice, cayenne pepper, maple syrup and water.
The original Master Cleanse was created by an alternative medicine practiotioner called Stanley Burroughs in 1941. Burroughs described it as a detoxification program, though weight loss, along with the removal of harmful toxins, is a natural result of the process. It is very important not to treat the cayenne pepper diet as a weight loss regime. It isn’t, it’s a way to detox and rejuvenate your body. It has also pointed out that those who use this fast as a way to lose weight will gain it back, and many who have tried it for this reason say there are much easier ways to lose weight.

While on this detox you will have to take it easy and not tire yourself too much.Some may experience dizziness, fainting, and delirium, but these are effects of the detoxification process.  Because the regime is mostly a fasting diet it is known to be very difficult to complete the whole 10 days. However, if you break the fast you will need to do it slowly to avoid what they call a “dumping syndrome”, where solid food can get caught in the digestive tract and plug up the system. When going off the fast, you will need to drink full strength juices for a couple of days and slowly add soups, then vegetables and nuts before resuming a regular diet. You may want to add probiotics to make sure to develop a healthy mucus lining in the intestine.

           With this detox the body heals itself by:

•     Dissolving and removing toxins and mucous from the body.

•     Cleaning the kidneys and digestive system.

•     Cleansing the glands and cells of the body.

•     Removing waste and hardened matter in the joints and muscles.

•     Relieving pressure and irritation in the nerves, arteries and blood vessels.

•     Creating a healthy blood stream.

The lemon juice, maple syrup and cayenne pepper give you the essential vitamins, minerals and a range of antioxidant compounds to get you through this 10 day cleansing. In addition to that, the nutrients in these components aid in the detox process.
Physically, you can ease your body into the cayenne pepper diet by only eating fruit and vegetables, or just fresh juices, for a day or two before you start. This isn’t strictly necessary, but it does help to get your body and mind used to not eating ‘normal’ foods.

In the morning of your first detox day, the first thing you have to do is a salt-water flush. This is a laxative with salt and water that will help get your bowels moving and make sure all solid waste begins to pass out of your system. You can do this with either sea salt or Epsom Salts (you can find Epsom Salts at health stores and certain pharmacies). It is said that the salt water flush may remove both bad and good bacteria from the body, and may cause constipation because the intestines may stop passing food through. This is why you must follow the directions given and end the fast gradually, with the right diet mentioned above.

Salt Water Flush Recipe

Mix a teaspoon of organic sea salt (not iodized salt) or Epsom Salts in a large glass of warm water (you can use normal temperature water if you prefer). Try to drink the solution down in one go.

You can repeat the salt water flush if you like (always in the morning), every 2 days is generally fine.

And now the lemonade mix! You can drink it as often as you like and as much as you like, whenever you feel hungry you should drink. But in any case you must drink at least 9-12 glasses per day.

The traditional recipe of the lemonade mix for one glass is:

- 2 Tablespoons of organic lemon juice 

- 2 Tablespoons of organic grade B or C maple syrup (it is very-very important to get the right maple syrup)

- 1/10 Teaspoon ground cayenne pepper

- 300 ml of filtered water

You should also drink 1-2 litres of water every day and, if you like, you can drink good quality herbal teas.

It is also advised to drink an organic laxative herbal tea in the evening before bed. Again, this is down to your discretion, but if you decide to do so, tea made of Senna leaves (Cassia Senna) is an ideal choice.

http://www.squidoo.com/lemon-juice-and-maple-syrup-detox

http://www.prlog.org/10661275-lemon-detox-diet-recipe-maple-syrup-cayenne-pepper-and.html

http://thedetoxking.com/thecayennepepperdiet/

http://voices.yahoo.com/top-facts-cayenne-pepper-diet-1324963.html

http://www.sacredpaintings.com/paintings.htm

http://healthycrush.com/lemon-cayenne-water/