Sick Soup

The day's assignment: a simple loop run at training pace; longer but not exceptionally fast.

Along with the regular group I set out for the run.

After each step, I found myself sliding my tongue over my teeth.  After each mile, I noticed.   After each half way mark, I questioned myself: your breathing is good, your muscle's are fine, are you hungry?

As each stride became a fight, I struggle to form the logic behind the excuse: my face hurts.

It was my first sinus infection and to me it made no sense, but hundreds of tooth-achey steps later I've developed a punch packed all natural team:  ginger, turmeric, cinnamon, ACV, and (of course) netti pot.

Oh, and soup, lots and lots of soup.

Like this one that helped me survive my first cold of the season.  A turmeric and ginger boosted base that will help raise your immune system while fighting inflammation, the warming cayenne in the broth will help melt your nose off your face, and the silken tofu will help keep you full while giving you an energy boost - so you can lace up your shoes a little tighter and keep striding!

Silk Soup with Ginger and Turmeric

Ingredients

• 3 c veggie broth
• 2 T grated ginger
• 2 t turmeric
• 3 cl garlic, minced
• 1/2 t cayenne powder
• 1/4 c soy sauce
• 1/4 T rice vinegar
• 1 block silken tofu
• 2 servings rice noodles
• 2 c mushrooms, sliced
• 1 large carrot, grated
• 1/4 c parsley or cilantro
• 1/4 c scallions
• 1-2 limes, juiced and zested

Combine

1. Bring the broth, ginger, turmeric, garlic, cayenne, and soy sauce to a boil in a large pot over high heat.
2. Crumble the tofu into the pot and continue to boil for 15 minutes then reduce the heat to medium and simmer for another 15 minutes.
3. Add the mushrooms, carrot, and rice noodles and boil for another 5 minutes.
4. Stir in the parsley, scallions, and lime.
5. Serve and enjoy!

Peaceful

Between working fifty hour weeks, sneaking in the gym when I can, and taking classes at night I have to admit I've been referring to snacks as "dinner" a lot more often lately.

I call it survival mode but we all know it.

That period when so many things eat up the hours of your week that you're left debating whether your lukewarm green smoothie is truly a better decision than a granola bar would have been while dreaming of a super amazing, knock your socks off, don't have to do anything for the rest of the day because it was such an accomplishment good meal.

The weekend arrives and you can make whatever you want.

Technically.

The truth is you've just survived the week.

You've probably slept until noon and you're still a little tired.

And while lazily writing your grocery list over a cup of 2PM coffee you're really just wishing you could swing breakfast for dinner one. more. time.

 

Luckily you can toss this together instead and enjoy it while patting yourself on the back for a dinner well done.

It's simple.

Okay, I know I say that about every meal I make, but honestly the hardest part about this dish is waiting for the rice to cook.  Which is the exact reason we do things like super carefully wash and chop our kale, and juice our lemon, and rinse our chickpeas, and do all of the dishes, and drink a beer while we wait for it to be done.

But once that rice is done you will have one mean set of ingredients to toss together and enjoy in a rare moment of peace.

When you're done you'll only have spent the time it took rice to cook making a real dinner, saving time to be spent on another enjoyment - the weekend!

Peace Bowls

Ingredients

• 3 T olive oil
• 1/2 yellow onion, chopped
• 2 cl garlic, minced
• 1 c brown rice
• 1 t turmeric
• 1 pinch saffron, crushed
• 1/4 t coriander
• 1/2 - 1 t salt
• 2 c water
• Kale, washed, chopped
• 1 lemon, juiced
• Olive oil
• Chickpeas, rinsed
• Tahini

Combine

1. Heat the oil in a medium pot over medium heat until it shimmers, then toss in the onions.  Cook for 3 minutes, stirring here and there to break up the clumps and keep them from burning.  Add in the garlic and cook for another two minutes.
2. Add the rice, water, and spices and bring to a boil over high heat until the water is reduced and level with the rice.  Then turn the heat down to low, cover the pot, and steam for another 30 minutes until the rice is cooked through.
3. Meanwhile, wash and chop your kale and toss it with the lemon juice and a splash of olive oil.  Set this aside so the kale can soften while the rice cooks.
4. Add a spoonful of the rice and a spoonful of the kale to a plate with some chickpeas and drizzle with tahini.
5. Toss and enjoy!

Carrot Apple Ginger Muffins

There seems to be something sub par about a weekday breakfast: something lazily poured into a bowl, quickly grabbed between coats of mascara and searching for keys, something cold.

A weekend breakfast easily out plays its weekday counterpart.

It slips into your morning and wakes you for the day with warm pancakes topped with fruit and drizzles of syrup or fluffy omelettes stuffed with veggies and spices, accompanied by endless cups of coffee enjoyed over conversation with friends, or better yet, in pajamas and bed.

Although I've always been quite a granola gal, lately I've been trying to give my weekday breakfasts a lesson from the weekend.

I'm a firm believe that breakfast should be delicious, easy, and healthy, but above all I believe it should exist, which is probably the worst part about weekday breakfast: it's SO easy to skip.

This batch of breakfast worthy muffins however is something you won't forget.  It's loaded with grated apple, carrot, whole wheat flour and a little spice to give your mornings a warm, filling feeling, but it's reduced in sugar content so you won't crash 2 hours later.

If you're a religious breakfast eater toss one in the microwave for a few seconds to enjoy as you run from room to room getting ready; if you're more the person who always forgets, toss the batch into ziploc bags at the beginning of the week so you can toss one or two into your bag for a mid-morning snack!

Carrot Apple Ginger Muffins

Ingredients

Dry Ingredients

• 2 c whole wheat flour
• 1 t baking powder
• 1/2 t baking soda
• 1/2 t cinnamon, clove, tumeric
• 2 T chia seeds (optional)

Wet Ingredients

• 1 large sweet apple, grated
• 1 large carrot, grated
• 2 inches of ginger, grated
• 1/2 c packed brown sugar
• 1 c greek yogurt
• 1/3 c oil
• 1/3 c water
• 1 large egg

Combine

1. Pre-heat your oven to 350 degrees and grease a muffin tin or line it with paper.
2. In a large mixing bowl, whisk the dry ingredients together.
3. In separate mixing bowl, beat the egg then whisk in the brown sugar, greek yogurt, oil, and water.
4. Mix in the apple, carrot, and ginger then fold the wet ingredients into the dry until just mixed.
5. Scoop into the muffin tin and bake for 15-20 minutes.
6. Carefully transfer the muffins to a cooling rack and let cool for a few minutes before enjoying!
7. Note: these are best stored in the fridge due to their moisture content but will last on the counter for up to 5 days.

Sunshine Soup

This weekend finally marked the official change of seasons for me: I dragged boxes of sweaters out from under my bed, I brought of my heaviest down blanket, and I almost had my first-of-many near death experiences by way of going to bed in my freezing apartment with shower hair.

In addition to waking up with a serious case of bed head and an even more serious neck cramp, I found myself seriously grateful for dusting off my soup pot while taking a break from being buried beneath fluffy knitwear.

I decided to kick the soup season off with one of my simplest but favorite recipes.

Reading through the ingredient list you may notice it sounds a little different compared to most soup recipes, and I'm more than certain you're questioning the use of OJ, but a recipe followed from an aged index card never lies!

Although the orange stands out on the ingredient list, it acts as more of a background player in the actual soup itself.  It creates a beautiful aroma to help draw your hand towards the spoon, then creates this platform of brightness on which a hint of smoky paprika and herby parsley play.  Although there is a definite sweetness from the tomato, potato, and juice, their varying levels of acidity complement each other laterally rather than building up and are balanced out by a subtle hint of peppery spice.

So trust me when I say this bowl is different in a good way!

Sunshine Soup

Author unknown

Ingredients

• 2-3 T olive oil
• 1/2 onion, diced
• 1/2 jalapeno or 1/2 t red pepper flakes
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 3 small sweet potatoes, peeled and roughly chopped
• 1 can of diced tomatoes, with the juice
• 4 c water
• 3 t salt
• 1 t smoked paprika
• 1/2 t cumin
• 1/2 t black pepper
• 1 orange, juiced and zested
• 1 can black beans
• 1 c packed parsley leaves, roughly chopped

Combine

1. Heat the olive oil in a large pot over medium heat until it shimmers.  Add the onion and jalapeno and cook for 3 minutes.
2. Add the garlic and sweet potatoes and cook for another 2-3 minutes until the garlic is fragrant.
3. Add in the tomatoes with the juice, water, salt, and spices.  Bring to a boil for 10 minutes then simmer for 20 minutes.
4. Stir in the black beans, orange juice, and orange zest and simmer for another 10 minutes.
5. Mix in the parsley and enjoy!