Sole with Yams, Zucchini and Capers

This week on Market to Mouth the theme has been simple meal ideas for a spring, liver detox.

Starting with Monday's raw muesli and veggie juices, followed by Tuesday's baked sole with spinach, and then
yesterday, I had an enormous bowl of raw salad at Mad Greens.

I haven't just been writing about meals for detoxing the liver, this week I've been walking my talk in the effort to do my own detox.

A couple of weeks ago a rash appeared on my torso, and as I mentioned on Monday, my metabolism is in need of a re-boot!

The skin is a great indicator of the state of the liver: rashes, dermatitis, acne and so on are mainly linked with liver function or rather a sluggish liver.

Once the liver does it's job, eliminating toxins and purifying the blood, then ailments like skin conditions begin to clear. I'm beginning to notice a difference already; 4 days into my detox diet, my skin isn't as inflamed.

In addition to modifying my diet (minimal saturated fat, no sweets, more raw veggies and fruit, no alcohol but lots of filtered water), I'm also supplementing with Milk Thistle extract since it supports liver function and it cleanses the blood.

Now, I'll be the first to admit that any kind of diet is not easy. I love to cook, and eat what I cook, so making a conscious choice to not cook and eat certain foods, and to also avoid sweets (very difficult for me since I love sweets) is a real challenge.

However, I'd rather feel better, and have healthy-looking skin, than ignore the symptoms and eat on regardless, all the while knowing that what I'm putting in my mouth is contributing to the way I look and feel.

And like most people, I put on a few pounds over the winter, which tend to drop off on a detox diet.

Loose a few pounds, jump-start your metabolism (so you have more energy) and improve the look of your skin -- if that's the result, then why not muster up the discipline to stick with a 'clean' diet for a couple of weeks!

Making the most of the remaining piece of frozen sole (featured in Tuesday's post), I've come up with another light and simple fish meal. Since fish is absent saturated fat, it's a great protein source while on a detox diet.

White fish, such as flounder, cod, sole, tilapia, trout etc. are low in omega oils, but while doing the detox diet, it's not such a bad thing to steer clear of oilier fish like salmon, and shellfish, which though low in omega oils are high in cholesterol.

Sole with Sweet Potato, Zucchini and Capers
1) Into an oven-proof skillet, place half a thinly sliced yam (or regular potato if you don't have an orange yam on hand).
2) Slice a zucchini and place it over the potato.
3) Either place a whole fillet of your choice of white fish over the vegetables, or slice the fillet into pieces and dot those pieces atop the vegetables (as in the pic above).
4) Dot the fish with chopped green onion and a spoonful of capers, sprinkling some of the caper juice over the fish and veggies.
5) If you have fresh herbs on hand, lay some leaves over the fish and veggies. Any herb will do, since, no matter the herb, it'll add flavor. You could also use dried herbs, if you wish.
6) Drizzle a couple tablespoons of water over the lot, put a lid on the skillet, and put it into a 350-degree oven for about 15 mins.

To Serve: As you can see in the pic at left, once cooked, this meal presents beautifully. Gently lift portions of the potato and fish from the skillet onto a plate, and pour some of the pan juice over the fish.

Squeeze lime or lemon juice over the lot, or add the lime / lemon juice to a warm glass of water and drink this with your meal.

Warm lemon water is the perfect beverage to drink first thing in the morning or during the day and or with meals, especially while on a detox diet.