Wednesday, February 29, 2012

Butternut Squash and Black Bean Soup

Soup was ON for dinner tonight.  I've been totally obsessed with the combination of sweet winter vegetables (for example butternut squash and sweet potatoes) and black beans lately.  Remember my Chipotle-Glazed Sweet Potato and Black Bean Tacos?  Oh no?  Get into your kitchen and make them.  Now... just do it.


This soup is crazy-good.  It'll make you feel like snuggling up in a blanket in front of a roaring fire.  It is smokey and savory.  Oh, it's good.  And it's vegetarian and vegan (and even gluten-free if you leave off the crispy wonton strips).  I adapted the recipe just slightly from Sprouted Kitchen.  I added smoked paprika because I love the smokiness with black beans.  If you don't have smoked paprika, you could add a bit more ground cumin or some chipotle powder.


I didn't have tortillas for garnish so I used an open package of Nasoya wonton wrappers that I had in the fridge.  They worked like a charm, crisping up beautifully.  Use whatever you have, even some broken-up tortilla chips would work in a pinch.


Something else cool about the soup: it's inexpensive and quick to make.  How many more reasons could you possibly need?


So hurry up and make this soup before springtime.  Because when spring arrives, soup just doesn't have the same ring to it.


Since Brian has been working late the last few days, I was dining solo this evening so I decided to have two of my GFs, Joy and Tracy, join me (OK, so what if they don't know they're my GFs).  I listened to a couple of the Joy the Baker Podcasts while I ate dinner and it felt just like dinner with friends...except they did all the talking and I mostly just laughed along.

Butternut Squash and Black Bean Soup
serves 4-6
adapted from Sprouted Kitchen

1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1 medium sweet yellow onion, chopped
3 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 small head of cabbage, chopped (I used purple cabbage, you could use any variety at all)
3 cups cubed butternut squash (about 1'' chunks)
4 cups vegetable broth
2 level teaspoons cumin
1/2 teaspoon cocoa powder (I used dark)
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
1 (15.5 oz) can low sodium black beans, drained and rinsed
salt, to taste

For crispy wonton strips:
10-12 wonton wrappers (I use Nasoya wontons).  If you don't have wontons you can use 2 or 3 small flour or corn tortillas)
1 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil
salt, to taste

For garnish:
avocado, chopped
cilantro
green onion, thinly sliced
crispy wonton strips

In a heavy pot or dutch oven over medium-high, heat 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil and add the chopped onion and saute until lightly browned, about 5 minutes.  Add garlic and saute another 1 minute, stirring.  Then, add the cabbage, squash and broth and bring soup to a boil.  Cover the pot with the lid and lower heat to a simmer.  Simmer 15-20 minutes or until the cabbage and butternut squash are nearly done.  Meanwhile, make the crispy wonton strips (see method below).

After the soup has cooked about 15-20 minutes, add the spices and beans to the pot and stir.  Cook soup another 5-10 minutes, taste and season with additional salt as necessary.  Then turn off the heat and using an immersion blender, pulse several times to puree the soup just slightly in order to thicken it, leaving some of the vegetables and beans intact.  (If you don't have an immersion blender, remove 1/4 -1/3 of the soup liquid and vegetables to a blender and puree.  Then return pureed portion back to the soup pot and stir.)

Serve soup warm topped with the chopped avocado, cilantro, green onion and crispy wonton strips.


To make the Crispy Wonton Strips:

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.  Line a baking sheet with a sheet of aluminum foil and spray with a light mist of olive oil cooking spray.

Stack the wontons (or tortillas) on top of each other and slice into thin matchsticks.  Spread them out in a single layer on the prepared baking sheet.  Drizzle with 1 teaspoon of olive oil and sprinkle with salt.  Bake 8-10 minutes until light and crispy (if you use tortillas in stead of wontons, you may need to leave them in the oven for an additional 4-5 minutes).  Remove and season strips with additional salt, if necessary.  Use to garnish the soup.





What foods are you the MOST excited eating this Spring?

My favorites are strawberries and asparagus!  Love Spring Time!

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Butternut Squash and Black Bean Soup

Soup was ON for dinner tonight.  I've been totally obsessed with the combination of sweet winter vegetables (for example butternut squash and sweet potatoes) and black beans lately.  Remember my Chipotle-Glazed Sweet Potato and Black Bean Tacos?  Oh no?  Get into your kitchen and make them.  Now... just do it.


This soup is crazy-good.  It'll make you feel like snuggling up in a blanket in front of a roaring fire.  It is smokey and savory.  Oh, it's good.  And it's vegetarian and vegan (and even gluten-free if you leave off the crispy wonton strips).  I adapted the recipe just slightly from Sprouted Kitchen.  I added smoked paprika because I love the smokiness with black beans.  If you don't have smoked paprika, you could add a bit more ground cumin or some chipotle powder.


I didn't have tortillas for garnish so I used an open package of Nasoya wonton wrappers that I had in the fridge.  They worked like a charm, crisping up beautifully.  Use whatever you have, even some broken-up tortilla chips would work in a pinch.


Something else cool about the soup: it's inexpensive and quick to make.  How many more reasons could you possibly need?


So hurry up and make this soup before springtime.  Because when spring arrives, soup just doesn't have the same ring to it.


Since Brian has been working late the last few days, I was dining solo this evening so I decided to have two of my GFs, Joy and Tracy, join me (OK, so what if they don't know they're my GFs).  I listened to a couple of the Joy the Baker Podcasts while I ate dinner and it felt just like dinner with friends...except they did all the talking and I mostly just laughed along.

Butternut Squash and Black Bean Soup
serves 4-6
adapted from Sprouted Kitchen

1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1 medium sweet yellow onion, chopped
3 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 small head of cabbage, chopped (I used purple cabbage, you could use any variety at all)
3 cups cubed butternut squash (about 1'' chunks)
4 cups vegetable broth
2 level teaspoons cumin
1/2 teaspoon cocoa powder (I used dark)
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
1 (15.5 oz) can low sodium black beans, drained and rinsed
salt, to taste

For crispy wonton strips:
10-12 wonton wrappers (I use Nasoya wontons).  If you don't have wontons you can use 2 or 3 small flour or corn tortillas)
1 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil
salt, to taste

For garnish:
avocado, chopped
cilantro
green onion, thinly sliced
crispy wonton strips

In a heavy pot or dutch oven over medium-high, heat 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil and add the chopped onion and saute until lightly browned, about 5 minutes.  Add garlic and saute another 1 minute, stirring.  Then, add the cabbage, squash and broth and bring soup to a boil.  Cover the pot with the lid and lower heat to a simmer.  Simmer 15-20 minutes or until the cabbage and butternut squash are nearly done.  Meanwhile, make the crispy wonton strips (see method below).

After the soup has cooked about 15-20 minutes, add the spices and beans to the pot and stir.  Cook soup another 5-10 minutes, taste and season with additional salt as necessary.  Then turn off the heat and using an immersion blender, pulse several times to puree the soup just slightly in order to thicken it, leaving some of the vegetables and beans intact.  (If you don't have an immersion blender, remove 1/4 -1/3 of the soup liquid and vegetables to a blender and puree.  Then return pureed portion back to the soup pot and stir.)

Serve soup warm topped with the chopped avocado, cilantro, green onion and crispy wonton strips.


To make the Crispy Wonton Strips:

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.  Line a baking sheet with a sheet of aluminum foil and spray with a light mist of olive oil cooking spray.

Stack the wontons (or tortillas) on top of each other and slice into thin matchsticks.  Spread them out in a single layer on the prepared baking sheet.  Drizzle with 1 teaspoon of olive oil and sprinkle with salt.  Bake 8-10 minutes until light and crispy (if you use tortillas in stead of wontons, you may need to leave them in the oven for an additional 4-5 minutes).  Remove and season strips with additional salt, if necessary.  Use to garnish the soup.





What foods are you the MOST excited eating this Spring?

My favorites are strawberries and asparagus!  Love Spring Time!

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Leap for Joy

It's Leap Day!  That's kind of a big deal, right?

I mean, how often does this really happen?  (Once every 4 years, but you probably already knew that)

I didn't really do anything different or special today.  Unless you consider Brian making us an omelette this morning special - in which case we celebrated with breakfast!

One of Brian's co-workers gave us 18 fresh eggs from his very own chickens!  I LOVE eggs, especially when I know that these were laid by free-range chickens that are loved and hand-fed by a 3 year old little girl.  Not to mention that their yolks are the most beautiful marigold hue, and the flavor is unlike any store-bought eggs I've ever tasted.


He made a bell pepper, onion and bacon omelette with some shredded mozzarella cheese that we split right down the middle.  So good!  I drizzled my half with a teensy bit of Mrs. Renfro's salsa verde.  With a little fruit trio on the side for sweetness, and of course coffee.


Today's workout was Chest and Triceps (see it here).  It went much better than last week so I know I'm getting stronger.  I followed it up with a nice 3 mile walk with Hudson around the neighborhood.  It was HOT today - my car said 86 degrees (yikes!).  Straight into summer time, where was SPRING?

Hudson didn't mind the heat so much...

Somebody was not feeling very posey today.
Clearly he can't be bothered to stand still for more than 1 second when it's this nice outside.


I have a delicious soup recipe up next, so make sure you check back for that!

How did you commemorate Leap Day?  Did you do anything different or special to celebrate this day that only comes around once every 4 years?

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Leap for Joy

It's Leap Day!  That's kind of a big deal, right?

I mean, how often does this really happen?  (Once every 4 years, but you probably already knew that)

I didn't really do anything different or special today.  Unless you consider Brian making us an omelette this morning special - in which case we celebrated with breakfast!

One of Brian's co-workers gave us 18 fresh eggs from his very own chickens!  I LOVE eggs, especially when I know that these were laid by free-range chickens that are loved and hand-fed by a 3 year old little girl.  Not to mention that their yolks are the most beautiful marigold hue, and the flavor is unlike any store-bought eggs I've ever tasted.


He made a bell pepper, onion and bacon omelette with some shredded mozzarella cheese that we split right down the middle.  So good!  I drizzled my half with a teensy bit of Mrs. Renfro's salsa verde.  With a little fruit trio on the side for sweetness, and of course coffee.


Today's workout was Chest and Triceps (see it here).  It went much better than last week so I know I'm getting stronger.  I followed it up with a nice 3 mile walk with Hudson around the neighborhood.  It was HOT today - my car said 86 degrees (yikes!).  Straight into summer time, where was SPRING?

Hudson didn't mind the heat so much...

Somebody was not feeling very posey today.
Clearly he can't be bothered to stand still for more than 1 second when it's this nice outside.


I have a delicious soup recipe up next, so make sure you check back for that!

How did you commemorate Leap Day?  Did you do anything different or special to celebrate this day that only comes around once every 4 years?

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Tuesday, February 28, 2012

Short Stack


After seeing Kath and Cait build lovely stacks of waffles for breakfast lately, and realizing that I too, had a box of Kashi waffles in my very own freezer, well there was nothing anybody could have done to stop me.


Two Kashi 7-grain waffles are a serving size (!) so I toasted them up and stacked them with some plain Fage 2% greek yogurt and sliced strawberries in between the waffles and on top.  And added a small dollop of TJ's unsweetened almond butter.


My breakfast short stack was not very sweet (two waffles only have 3 grams of sugar), which was perfect for me but others with a sweeter palate may like a drizzle of honey or maple syrup on top too.  It has been a long time since I've eaten frozen waffles (or any waffles for that matter) but these tasted delicious and smelled heavenly while they toasted, which really increased the anticipation and overall experience.

Here's another fun idea for how to dress your waffles:  top them with a fried egg!  Inspired by Dana's (gorgeous) pancakes of yesterday.



After breakfast I hurried off to a doctor's appointment.  I'm not sure I'm ready to talk about the reason for my doctor's visit on the blog just yet, it's personal and I need to wrap my head around it first.

I hit the gym after my stressful morning at the clinic, which was perfect because it helped me blow off some steam.  I started off with a 1 mile run around the track @ 8 min/mile pace.  It felt good but honestly, it's already starting to get too hot outside to do any running after 9 or 10 am.  It was already 80 degrees outside at 11 am!

Today's workout in the gym was Day 23 Back & Biceps which you can see here.  After 4 days off from lifting weights today's workout was really good.  I felt strong and I was able to increase my weights on a couple of the exercises.  Progress!  I finished up with a fast 1.5 mile run on the treadmill at 7:30 min/mile pace.

I'm not a fan of running on the treadmill AT ALL but now that its starting to get so hot and humid outside it looks like if I want to continue running I might have to take it indoors :-/  Either that or start waking up before dawn, and I am NOT a morning person.

Lunch was A-MAZ-ING.  No lie.  A-freaking-mazing.


Small whole wheat tortilla (actually it's one of these Mission Ancient Grains tortillas*) with a schmear of Trader Joe's Edamame Hummus (I've posted about it before, here), organic baby romaine lettuce, sliced tomato, cucumber and orange bell pepper with one piece of CRISPY bacon.  

*FYI I'm not recommending the Mission Ancient Grains tortillas.  I picked them out when I was in a hurry and didn't really look at the ingredients (my mistake).  It contains a LOT of preservatives and un-prounouncable words which for me is a total NO-NO :-/


On the side:  a Fuji apple and some of my Cinnamon Almond Butter Dip.  And a can of La Croix COCONUT sparkling water.  Love this stuff (Zero sugar, Zero artificial sweeteners, just water and the taste of coconuts!)


I just have to take a moment to tell you how much I love bacon.  Real bacon, that is.  Yes, I know everyone loves bacon but I just wanted to tell you that I love it and I think real, high-quality bacon does have a place in a healthy diet.  Shocked?!  My rational goes like this:  ONE slice of delicious bacon has SO MUCH flavor that it's all you really need to eat.  I'd have to eat 3 or 4 slices of turkey bacon or faux-bacon to get even half as much flavor and satisfying salty, smokey crunch as one piece of the real thing.  And why would I want to eat 3 or 4 slices of those faux foods anyway?!  [Steps down off soap-box]

To eat the bacon veggie wrap I folded up the tortilla around it and shoved it in my mouth.  It's just laying there flat for the photos.



Later on, I'll have a recipe to share for Sneaky-Healthy Blondies that I made yesterday.  I was prepared for them to turn out gross but they were actually really good so I'm willing to share the recipe with you.  Check back later today for the recipe!

What are you loving at lunch time these days?  I'm usually a big salad person but today I needed something with a little more staying power.  This bacon and veggie wrap nailed it!

Photobucket

Short Stack


After seeing Kath and Cait build lovely stacks of waffles for breakfast lately, and realizing that I too, had a box of Kashi waffles in my very own freezer, well there was nothing anybody could have done to stop me.


Two Kashi 7-grain waffles are a serving size (!) so I toasted them up and stacked them with some plain Fage 2% greek yogurt and sliced strawberries in between the waffles and on top.  And added a small dollop of TJ's unsweetened almond butter.


My breakfast short stack was not very sweet (two waffles only have 3 grams of sugar), which was perfect for me but others with a sweeter palate may like a drizzle of honey or maple syrup on top too.  It has been a long time since I've eaten frozen waffles (or any waffles for that matter) but these tasted delicious and smelled heavenly while they toasted, which really increased the anticipation and overall experience.

Here's another fun idea for how to dress your waffles:  top them with a fried egg!  Inspired by Dana's (gorgeous) pancakes of yesterday.



After breakfast I hurried off to a doctor's appointment.  I'm not sure I'm ready to talk about the reason for my doctor's visit on the blog just yet, it's personal and I need to wrap my head around it first.

I hit the gym after my stressful morning at the clinic, which was perfect because it helped me blow off some steam.  I started off with a 1 mile run around the track @ 8 min/mile pace.  It felt good but honestly, it's already starting to get too hot outside to do any running after 9 or 10 am.  It was already 80 degrees outside at 11 am!

Today's workout in the gym was Day 23 Back & Biceps which you can see here.  After 4 days off from lifting weights today's workout was really good.  I felt strong and I was able to increase my weights on a couple of the exercises.  Progress!  I finished up with a fast 1.5 mile run on the treadmill at 7:30 min/mile pace.

I'm not a fan of running on the treadmill AT ALL but now that its starting to get so hot and humid outside it looks like if I want to continue running I might have to take it indoors :-/  Either that or start waking up before dawn, and I am NOT a morning person.

Lunch was A-MAZ-ING.  No lie.  A-freaking-mazing.


Small whole wheat tortilla (actually it's one of these Mission Ancient Grains tortillas*) with a schmear of Trader Joe's Edamame Hummus (I've posted about it before, here), organic baby romaine lettuce, sliced tomato, cucumber and orange bell pepper with one piece of CRISPY bacon.  

*FYI I'm not recommending the Mission Ancient Grains tortillas.  I picked them out when I was in a hurry and didn't really look at the ingredients (my mistake).  It contains a LOT of preservatives and un-prounouncable words which for me is a total NO-NO :-/


On the side:  a Fuji apple and some of my Cinnamon Almond Butter Dip.  And a can of La Croix COCONUT sparkling water.  Love this stuff (Zero sugar, Zero artificial sweeteners, just water and the taste of coconuts!)


I just have to take a moment to tell you how much I love bacon.  Real bacon, that is.  Yes, I know everyone loves bacon but I just wanted to tell you that I love it and I think real, high-quality bacon does have a place in a healthy diet.  Shocked?!  My rational goes like this:  ONE slice of delicious bacon has SO MUCH flavor that it's all you really need to eat.  I'd have to eat 3 or 4 slices of turkey bacon or faux-bacon to get even half as much flavor and satisfying salty, smokey crunch as one piece of the real thing.  And why would I want to eat 3 or 4 slices of those faux foods anyway?!  [Steps down off soap-box]

To eat the bacon veggie wrap I folded up the tortilla around it and shoved it in my mouth.  It's just laying there flat for the photos.



Later on, I'll have a recipe to share for Sneaky-Healthy Blondies that I made yesterday.  I was prepared for them to turn out gross but they were actually really good so I'm willing to share the recipe with you.  Check back later today for the recipe!

What are you loving at lunch time these days?  I'm usually a big salad person but today I needed something with a little more staying power.  This bacon and veggie wrap nailed it!

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Monday, February 27, 2012

Early Monday Morning Wakeup

You'll have to forgive me for today's scatter-brained post.  I was up waaaay before the sunrise this morning.

Last week I told my sister-in-law I would drive her to the airport this morning for an early morning flight to Boston.  Waking up at 5 am didn't sound so bad until last night when I was up watching the Oscars until 11:30. Meh...

As I've mentioned before, I'm usually more inclined to eat a HOT breakfast than a cold bowl of cereal in the morning.  For some reason the cereal never does the job at keeping me full until lunch time.

I'm sure that has more to do with the particular cereal (i.e. fiber content, protein content, whole grains vs. processed, etc.) than the fact that it's cold.


This morning I decided to try a new cereal I bought at Trader Joe's the other weekend:  Nature's Path Optimum Power Blueberry Cinnamon Flax.

I loved its subtle blueberry flavor, and all of the different textures from its crunchy flakes and puffy Kamut grains to the fiber "twigs".  Not too sweet but just sweet enough.  I loved it.

Loaded the bowl up with 3/4 cup cereal, Almond Breeze unsweetened vanilla almond milk, a pile of strawberries and a tiny dollop of natural peanut butter.


I had two hard boiled eggs on the side (not pictured), water and coffee.

It kept me full all morning long!

Give the Blueberry Cinnamon Flax cereal a try next time you're in the cereal aisle looking for something different.  I really loved the taste and it's the first cereal to keep me full for longer than an hour or two.  Sweet!

P.S.  This is not a sponsored post (Ha! As if companies send me free products to review!)  I paid for the cereal and just so happen to like Nature's Path cereal and granola so I wanted to share that with you.


Today was supposed to be a legs workout but since my race is in LESS than a week (yikes!) I want to make sure not to overdo it in the gym.  I'm going to take it easy with a 3 mile run and take Hudson for a good 3 mile walk.  Tomorrow I'll be back in the gym with some upper-body stuff (back and biceps).

Hmm what other random tid-bits did I want to mention?  Oh!  I've been listening to the Joy the Baker Podcasts on my iPhone when I walk Hudson.  Hi-lar-ious!  Like, I find myself LOLing all the time listening to Joy and Tracey from Shutterbean just ramble on about random things (often not cooking-related).  It's a fun change of pace from my usual Pandora streaming.  Check them out if you want to laugh :-)


For dinner the other night I made BLTs.  But not just any BLTs, these had grilled chicken, avocado and homemade creamy basil pesto on it.  Whoa momma it was good.  I love BLTs because you can legit get away with eating a BLT any time of the day without it being wrong.  Don't worry, I'll share the recipe with you.  Because, well, that's what I do.  

Oh AND some roasted vegetable pasta salad.  Patience, my friends.  It'll be worth it. 

Hope your week is off to a great start!

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Early Monday Morning Wakeup

You'll have to forgive me for today's scatter-brained post.  I was up waaaay before the sunrise this morning.

Last week I told my sister-in-law I would drive her to the airport this morning for an early morning flight to Boston.  Waking up at 5 am didn't sound so bad until last night when I was up watching the Oscars until 11:30. Meh...

As I've mentioned before, I'm usually more inclined to eat a HOT breakfast than a cold bowl of cereal in the morning.  For some reason the cereal never does the job at keeping me full until lunch time.

I'm sure that has more to do with the particular cereal (i.e. fiber content, protein content, whole grains vs. processed, etc.) than the fact that it's cold.


This morning I decided to try a new cereal I bought at Trader Joe's the other weekend:  Nature's Path Optimum Power Blueberry Cinnamon Flax.

I loved its subtle blueberry flavor, and all of the different textures from its crunchy flakes and puffy Kamut grains to the fiber "twigs".  Not too sweet but just sweet enough.  I loved it.

Loaded the bowl up with 3/4 cup cereal, Almond Breeze unsweetened vanilla almond milk, a pile of strawberries and a tiny dollop of natural peanut butter.


I had two hard boiled eggs on the side (not pictured), water and coffee.

It kept me full all morning long!

Give the Blueberry Cinnamon Flax cereal a try next time you're in the cereal aisle looking for something different.  I really loved the taste and it's the first cereal to keep me full for longer than an hour or two.  Sweet!

P.S.  This is not a sponsored post (Ha! As if companies send me free products to review!)  I paid for the cereal and just so happen to like Nature's Path cereal and granola so I wanted to share that with you.


Today was supposed to be a legs workout but since my race is in LESS than a week (yikes!) I want to make sure not to overdo it in the gym.  I'm going to take it easy with a 3 mile run and take Hudson for a good 3 mile walk.  Tomorrow I'll be back in the gym with some upper-body stuff (back and biceps).

Hmm what other random tid-bits did I want to mention?  Oh!  I've been listening to the Joy the Baker Podcasts on my iPhone when I walk Hudson.  Hi-lar-ious!  Like, I find myself LOLing all the time listening to Joy and Tracey from Shutterbean just ramble on about random things (often not cooking-related).  It's a fun change of pace from my usual Pandora streaming.  Check them out if you want to laugh :-)


For dinner the other night I made BLTs.  But not just any BLTs, these had grilled chicken, avocado and homemade creamy basil pesto on it.  Whoa momma it was good.  I love BLTs because you can legit get away with eating a BLT any time of the day without it being wrong.  Don't worry, I'll share the recipe with you.  Because, well, that's what I do.  

Oh AND some roasted vegetable pasta salad.  Patience, my friends.  It'll be worth it. 

Hope your week is off to a great start!

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