Haute Health Cuisine

The Ranch at Live Oak/Malibu is an award-winning wellness retreat that marries a vegetarian diet with rigorous physical activity to create a healthier, happier you. Now, the ranch’s delicious recipes can be recreated in your own kitchen thanks to The Ranch at Live Oak Cookbook (Rizzoli, $35). Available for purchase March 17, the cookbook features 100 recipes that showcase the program’s philosophy of nutrient-dense, seasonal gourmet cuisine that detoxifies and sustains the body. Ranch cofounders Sue and Alex Glasscock worked with professional chefs, nutritionists, fitness experts and gardeners to perfect each recipe. Every dish is free of gluten, soy, dairy and sugar and is packed with anti-inflammatory properties—so you can enjoy meals like purple carrot soup, kale and chickpea salad, squash tacos and chai-poached pears guilt-free. Peek inside the book and try out the recipes for granola, a detox salad and watermelon, lime and hibiscus ice pops.

The Ranch Granola

Makes about 20 cups (40 servings). 364 calories per half-cup serving.

Ranch granola from The Ranch at Live Oak Cookbook by Sue and Alex Glasscock, Rizzoli, New York, 2014. Photo by Sara Remington

Ingredients:

• Unrefined virgin coconut oil, for brushing
• 6 cups walnut halves
• 4 cups steel-cut oats
• 2 cups pecan halves
• 2 cups almonds, chopped
• 1 ¼ cups sunflower seeds
• 2 cups unsweetened shredded coconut
• 1 tbsp. ground cinnamon
• 2 tsp. freshly grated nutmeg
• 8 large egg whites
• 1 ¾ cups maple syrup
• 1 cup dried blueberries
• 1 cup dried apricots, chopped
• 1 cup dried dates, chopped

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 250 degrees fahrenheit. Brush a rimmed baking sheet with coconut oil.
2. In a large bowl, using your hands, mix the walnuts, oats, pecans, almonds, sunflower seeds, coconut, cinnamon and nutmeg.
3. In a medium bowl, gently whisk the egg whites and maple syrup with a fork, taking care to keep the foam to a minimum. Pour the egg white mixture over the dry ingredients and mix with your hands to evenly coat.
4. Tranfer the granola mixture to the baking sheet, spreading it out so that the layer is slightly thicker toward the sides. This will prevent the granola at the edges from sticking during baking. Bake the granola mixture for about 25 minutes, then rotate the baking sheet and bake for 25 minutes more. Remove from the oven, carefully mix the granola with a spatula, and then bake for another 25 to 30 minutes, until golden brown.
5. Let cool, then add the dried blueberries, apricots and dates and mix thoroughly to combine. The granola can be stored in an airtight container for up to two weeks.

You have breakfast covered, now visit page two for a satisfying detox salad.

The Ranch Detox Salad

Makes six appetizer or side-dish servings. 112 calories per serving.

Ranch detox salad from The Ranch at Live Oak Cookbook by Sue and Alex Glasscock, Rizzoli, New York, 2014. Photo by Sara Remington

Salad Ingredients:

• 1 head broccoli, cut into florets, stem reserved
• 1 head cauliflower, cored and cut into florets
• 2 medium carrots, unpeeled, coarsely grated
• 4 large kale leaves, stems removed, finely chopped
• 2 cups finely chopped spinach leaves
• 2 tbsp. sunflower seeds
• 2 tbsp. raw pepitas (pumpkin seeds)
• 2 tbsp. cranberries, fresh if in season or dried
• Purple dressing

Dressing Ingredients:

• 1 cup fresh or frozen blueberries
• Zest and juice of 1 lemon
• 1 tbsp. maca powder
• Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Method:

1. Prepare the dressing. In a blender, combine the blueberries and lemon zest and juice on high speed until liquified. In a small dry skillet over high heat, toast the maca, stirring continuously, for about 30 seconds. Add the toasted maca to the blueberries and combine. Season with salt and pepper.
2. Prepare the salad. Peel the broccoli stem and chop, then chop the broccoli and cauliflower florets with a sharp knife or by pulsing in a food processor. Place the chopped broccoli and cauliflower in a large bowl. Add the carrots, kale and spinach and mix well.
3. Garnish the salad with the sunflower seeds, pepitas and cranberries. Serve with purple dressing.

You deserve a treat, so visit page three for dessert.

Watermelon, Lime and Hibiscus Ice Pops

Makes about six ice pops. 64 calories per ice pop.

Watermelon, lime and hibiscus ice pops from The Ranch at Live Oak Cookbook by Sue and Alex Glasscock, Rizzoli, New York, 2014. Photo by Sara Remington

Ingredients:

• ¾ cup water
• ¼ cup dried hibiscus flowers (also known as sorrel, can be purchased in Indian, Latin, Caribbean or Middle Eastern markets)
• 2 ½ cups watermelon chunks
• ¼ cup raw agave nectar
• ½ tsp. lime zest
• 3 tbsp. fresh lime juice

Method:

1. In a small saucepan, bring ¾ cup water and the dried hibiscus flowers to a simmer. Turn off the heat and let stand until cool. Pour through a fine-mesh sieve into a bowl.
2. In a food processor, blend the watermelon chunks until liquified. Strain through a fine-mesh sieve lined with a muslin into a pitcher; discard any solids. You should have about 1 ½ cups watermelon juice.
3. Stir the hibiscus water, agave nectar and lime zest and juice into the watermelon juice. Pour the juice mixture into an ice-pop mold and freeze until firm, about seven hours.