120 Minutes or Two Hours of Hot Yoga
Ooh-rah! I’ve been wanting to take my hot yoga practice to the next level and making the C2’s a regular part of my practice was the first step. Getting beyond the 75 minute and 90 minute sessions was the next step and I finally did it today - two hours in a 105 degree room. :)
It was challenging and fun - but my hair tie did not survive the first hour and I had to go through the rest of the time with my hair down. I was THAT GIRL - the ones at the gym or on a run with their hair down. The bun would not hold and I looked like I was trying to pose for a Pantene ad.
I recreated the whole thing for you with Nigel acting as the guy who watches you the entire class. :D
Dinner was the final bowl of my new soup, a hearty Indian lentil & spinach soup - so good and definitely making this again! I wanted two bowls but John was coming home early and I promised I would save him a bowl.
Followed by one of my best salad bowls ever - seriously, it was a two picture bowl. :D
A bed of mixed greens, with half and avocado, cherry tomatoes, Cremini mushrooms, non-fat mild cheddar, and “croutons” made from a torn slice of toasted Ezekiel whole grain bread.
You can keep the other half of an avocado from turning brown by leaving in the pit, or squeezing a bit of lemon juice on it, or pouring a teaspoon of salad dressing into a ziplock bag and storing the fruit in the back of the fridge.
I usually love balsamic vinegar for dressings but ever since giving up diet pop, it tastes too bitter. Is that possible? Either way, I love these non-fat dressings from Maple Grove Farms of Vermont and this flavor was delicious with a little kick.
We’re working on some Satsuma oranges (sweeter than any orange I’ve ever had) and some hot chocolate!
We’re going to cuddle on the couch and finally watch the new Walking Dead - why is the show so sad? And if there is a zombie apocalypse, my husband is not gallivanting off to town on a search mission - nothing good comes from gallivanting off. :D
G’nite lovely people!
Hearty Indian Lentil & Spinach Soup with Sweet Mini Peppers
John and I want Indian food every day. This lentil and spinach soup features a lot of healthy produce and aromatic spices which makes our cravings happy! The recipe can be found below the jump.
We woke up this morning to a lovely snow dusting Chicago which turned into a full fledged snow storm by the afternoon. Since our toes and noses are rosy, it’s a perfect evening to cuddle up under blankets with bowls of hot soup!
Start with the usual suspects for your mirepoix: carrots, celery, onions, and garlic and two tablespoons of olive oil.
I used a half and a quarter piece of onion and four cloves of garlic but I prefer a very strong flavor! Dice everything into the smallest pieces possible since you won’t be blending this soup.
I prepped the spinach from my Fresh Picks order, a delivery service that brings all the organic, lovely produce you see in this post straight to my doorstep. I had never seen a spinach plant with its roots until I got this order.
These are the lentils I had on hand but you can use yellow, red, or your favorite variety! After your mirepoix cooks down add four cups of vegetarian broth and two cups of water. Add two cans of diced tomatoes and when mixture begins to boil, add lentils, lower heat and cover.
We have some acquaintances who really enjoy talking about “authentic” Indian and Thai food - their most common refrain, “That restaurant is not very authentic.” I dread going to dinner with them and only do when my boyfriend makes me. :)
Flavors matter and the easiest way to get it right is to use the freshest spice combination.
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I get all my spices at The Spice House, a Chicago treasure. The store delivers straight to your door but they are absolutely worth a trip - rows of spices, gourmet salts and sugars, and teas, line the brick walls and smelling from the different jars is one of my favorite ways to spend an afternoon. Buy and store in a tight-closed jar and they last for hundreds of meals.
For my soup, you will need sea salt to taste, black pepper to taste, a teaspoon of cayenne pepper (reduce for less heat), two bay leaves, one and a half teaspoons of coriander powder, and heaping teaspoons of garam masala. Add spices to soup and allow to heat through - take a taste and adjust accordingly.
If you are feeling ambitious and love making Indian dishes invest in some asafoetida or hing - it’s not expensive but can be hard to find. Asafoetida has a harsh smell and taste on the tip of your finger but that disappears when it cooks - and no Indian vegetarian dish is “authentic” or as flavorful without it. My soup uses about a half-tablespoon of hing which I add before the lentils become soft.
Vine sweet mini peppers are my obsession - they are great for dips and a colourful way to dress all my dishes. When the soup had cooked through, I add fresh cut spinach to a bowl and the hot soup - I love the vibrant crunch of green spinach and you can keep it prepped in your fridge so it never wilts and overcooks in your soup pot.
I hope you enjoy this hearty and spicy soup - it’s perfect with whole wheat naan!
Season of Soup Recipes
White Bean and Roasted Garlic Peasant Soup with Sautéed Apples
Golden Roasted Root Vegetable Soup with Pumpernickel Chips
Golden Roasted Root Vegetable Soup with Pumpernickel Chips
I started Nutritionista’s Season of Soup challenge with my White Bean and Roasted Garlic Peasant Soup with Sauteed Apples. I believe the lovely Nutritionista is half-way through her challenge and I am serving up my second offering. Better late then never, right? :D
My second entry is a Godel Roasted Root Vegetable Soup with Pumpernickel Chips!
Yesterday, I received my second delivery from Irv and Shelly’s Fresh Picks - and a farmer’s market of produce arrived at my door. I got two bags of veggies and fruits as big as me and at the bottom of the veggie bag was this surprise: a collection of “baby” root vegetables for a soup mix!
You can make your own soup mix and keep a bag in the fridge for your next Sunday soup: red, yellow, and purple carrots, purple top or sweet scarlet turnips, parsnips, rutabagas, celeriac, and sunchokes.
Who says you can’t eat a rainbow in winter?
You might think, “Holy Veggie Cheeseburgers, what is that thing? It looks like something out of a Tim Burton movie.” Do not fear tentacle monster vegetable - it’s baby size so it won’t hurt you. :D
You can make your soup mix from larger vegetables - but the baby sizes are easier to prep (and some say taste sweeter). I wiped the veggies down with a damp paper towel, chopped off the heads and legs, and used the peeler a couple of times but mostly to get off the extra roots.
Cut up the veggies and toss with olive oil spray and sea salt and roast in a 400 degree oven until slightly golden brown. I use two pinches of sea salt - very little because I like seasoning every step - it’s the easiest way to prevent over-salting, it tastes yummier, and it lets you become as hot as Giada.
While the root veggies are roasting prepare your mirepoix: some stalks of celery, one small carrot, one small onion, and for this dish, eight cloves of garlic. Cook down in a soup pot with a tablespoon of olive oil and a half-tablespoon of butter.
(I saw my hero Martha Stewart once make a soup with olive oil and butter in the mirepoix but she never explained why. I decided to try it but I reduced my portions because I prefer less fat).
Once the mirepoix cooks down, and your roasted veggies have some color on them, add them to the pot along with six cups of vegetable stock. Bring to a boil.
Lower the heat and chop up five or six sage leaves and add to the mix!
I rough chopped the veggies because I initially planned on blending it - in the end, I just used the back of a flat spoon and just smushed the bigger pieces. I like seeing my ingredients and prefer bites of veggies to blended soups.
If you are feeling like a “cream soup,” let the soup cool, add one cup of non-fat milk or unsweetened non-dairy milk of your choice and blend. NEVER BLEND HOT SOUPS. The blender will pop its top, the hot liquid will go everywhere, including your face, and it will burn you. I did this once and it was awful.
I enjoyed a piping hot bowl of this soup for dinner and finished another bowl for breakfast. The soup is different from anything I’ve ever made - the roasted root vegetables are golden sweet, the broth has notes of sage butter, and it pairs well with pumpernickel bread. Make pumpernickel chips by cutting the bread into 1 inch small slices, spray with olive oil, and toast in a 425 degree oven. If it’s date night, pair with one of these lovely wines. ;D
Happy soupin’ people!
White Bean and Roasted Garlic Peasant Soup with Sautéed Apples
I’m starting the Nutritionista’s “season of soup” challenge and re-making one of my favorite soup recipes!
I started a tradition in college where I would cook soup every Sunday and share it with friends. I kept it going until graduate school but when I started dating John, I stopped. John always jokes “there are so many recipes you talk about that you never make for me,” so I decided to correct that:D This is one of my favorite soups and is from the cookbook Vegan with a Vengeance by Isa Chandra Moskowitz. There’s a great melding of flavors: sage, roasted garlic, bay leaf, and fennel but the ingredient list is short. My contribution to the recipe is to add sautéed apples to the top as a garnish - it might sound odd but it’s delicious!
White Bean and Roasted Garlic Peasant Soup with Sautéed Apples
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Original Recipe from Vegan with a Vengeance by Isa Chandra Moskowitz, Sautéed Apples are my addition.
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For the Apples:
2 Apples any kind, except Granny Smiths. Aim for sweet instead of bitter, and preferably very ripe.
1 tbsp of butter or oil
A pinch of salt
Warm oil or butter slightly and add apples. When apples are slightly tan and crisp, add salt and stir for two minutes. Set aside.
*
For the Soup (Makes 6 servings)
Ingredients:
2 Tbsp olive oil
1 medium-size onion, chopped (about 1 1/2 cups)
A few dashes fresh pepper
1/2 tsp fennel seeds, crushed
4 cups vegetable broth (*see recipe at end), or 2 bouillon cubes dissolved in 4 cups water
3 cups cooked great northern (white) beans, drained (or canned beans, drained and rinsed)
3 fresh sage leaves, chopped
1 bay leaf
Juice of 1/2 lemon, or to taste
*
Two heads garlic, roasted (Preheat oven to 350. peel off as much of the papery skin as you can and put garlic in the oven for about 30 minutes. Remove from oven and, when cool, squeeze the garlic out or peel the skin away from each clove.)
Instructions
In a stockpot over medium-high heat saute the onions in the olive oil for 5 to 7 minutes.
Add the salt, black pepper, and fennel seeds; saute for 1 minute. Add the broth, beans, sag, and bay leaf, bring to a boil, then lower the heat and simmer uncovered for 5 minutes. Remove the bay leaf. Add the roasted garlic and puree in batches in a blender or preferably a food processor. Return to the post and add lemon juice. Serve garnished with fresh fennel leaves if you have some, and/or some peeled carrot and/or parsley.
I prefer to garnish with the apples - it’s absolutely delicious!
This soup is perfect for date night - a crusty loaf of whole wheat bread and a perfect salad and it makes a delicious dinner!
