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Showing posts with label Soup. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Soup. Show all posts

Wednesday, May 30, 2012

Ultimate Reset Day 17: Superstar Soups

Only four more days before we are graduates of the Ultimate Reset!

We have settled into cruise mode on this thing. The prep has gotten easier, and I can now see the back of my refrigerator for the first time in weeks. The end is near! Still enjoying the food, but finding that our energy levels are very low. It seems that people who were eating a lot of processed food before the Reset experience an uptick in energy, while people who were eating pretty well don't have as much. We're really feeling the lack of protein.

We're having some cravings, but not for bad stuff. I'd love some oatmeal with walnuts on it or a small chicken breast. Some scrambled eggs and spinach or yogurt or something.

A big part of our post-reset meals will be the "Reset Greatest Hits"; the recipes that we enjoyed the most during the 21-day program. Turns out a lot of our favorites were the absolutely fantastic soups! They were simple, flavorful, and quick. Here are three of my favorites.

The first soup doesn't even have a name. Here were the instructions:

"Blend 1/4 cup coconut milk with 1/2 serving kabocha squash into a soup." The end.

I didn't have a kabocha squash, so I used about 1/2 a small acorn squash (cooked). I took a fork and mashed it up in a pan, added the coconut milk and heated it up. Holy moly that was some delicious stuff. Doesn't get easier!

My favorite soup, though, was the Zucchini Cashew Soup. Eaten warm or cold, this was one of the best soups I've ever tasted. It will be a regular part of our meal rotation.


Zucchini-Cashew Soup
Ingredients
  • 1 large or 2 small zucchini, cut into chunks and steamed
  • ¼ cup raw cashews
  • Himalayan salt or Bragg® Liquid Aminos (to taste)
  • Herbal seasoning or fresh herbs, like basil or dill (optional; to taste)
  • Steamed vegetables (optional; for chunky soup)

Directions
Soak cashews in enough water to cover for 1 hour; drain. Combine cashews, zucchini, salt or aminos, and seasonings in blender and mix until smooth, adding water as needed for desired consistency. Pour into saucepan and reheat gently, but do not boil. For chunky soup, add steamed chopped vegetables of your choice. Can also be served cold. Serves 1.

And finally there's the Sweet Potato and Roasted Red Pepper Soup, which marked the first time I roasted my own red pepper. It was easy!


Sweet Potato and Roasted Red Pepper Bisque
Ingredients
  • 1 sweet potato (aka garnet yam)
  • ¼ red bell pepper
  • 1 cup vegetable broth or water
  • 1 tsp. finely grated peeled ginger root
  • 1½ tsp. extra virgin olive oil
  • 2 tsp. miso paste, diluted in 1 tsp. hot water
  • Tamari or Bragg® Liquid Aminos, Himalayan salt, and herbal seasoning (to taste)

Directions
Peel and cube sweet potatoes. Cook in boiling water until tender. Drain and set aside. Meanwhile, roast a whole red bell pepper on gas stovetop or grill, turning frequently until evenly charred on the outside OR in your oven at 400 degrees for 15 to 20 minutes, turning every 10 minutes or until skin is charred.
Put pepper in bowl and cover with towel for 10 minutes to steam. Clean off skin and seeds by running under cool water. Remove seeds, cut in quarters, and chop one quarter into ½-inch cubes. (Set remainder of pepper aside for another use.)
Place sweet potato, pepper, broth or water, ginger, oil, and miso in blender. (If you want chunky soup, set aside some chunks of pepper.) Blend thoroughly, adding more liquid to achieve desired soup consistency. Transfer to a pot and gently heat on low until hot. Add tamari or aminos, salt, and seasoning as desired. Serves 1.

Note that all the Reset recipes serve 1. My math skills got worked as I doubled and quadrupled recipes if leftovers were needed for lunch the next day.

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If you're thinking about doing the Ultimate Reset, send me a message. It's not something you should jump into lightly; it's a significant monetary, emotional, and time investment. But if you choose to follow the guide to the letter, you will have results and you will learn a tremendous amount about yourself and about food. It's one of the best experiences I've had, despite the hard work.




Friday, January 27, 2012

Friday double shot: soup and flat bread

Man, am I ever on a new recipe kick lately. While Zach likes trying new things, I'm sure this is driving him crazy because he likes to enter his food into MyFitnessPal.com, and every time I fix something new he's got to look up the recipe and enter the stats if it isn't there.

And things are about to go to a whole new level, because look what I bought myself for my birthday with a gift card from my Mom. (Thanks, Mom!)



I couldn't decide which book to get...so I got both! And I'm so glad I did. These are great cookbooks! I cannot wait till this weekend when I will deposit myself in the corner of the couch with sticky Post-it flaggy things and flag every recipe I want to try. Last night I made Lindsay's Curried Sweet Potato Soup, and it was a great twist on what usually happens with sweet potatoes (dousing them with cinnamon and nutmeg, not that there's anything wrong with that).

But today we're talking about soup and flat bread. This herbed veggie soup from the P90X2 nutrition guide is hearty enough to be a meal by itself. I fixed it with rosemary pepper flat bread from The Cowgirl Chef. The flat bread is so easy and quick, and it's a great alternative to a big fluffy loaf of carb-heavy bread. It whips up in about four minutes and bakes in 10! You can make it while your soup simmers.

By the way, the rumors about brussels sprouts have been greatly exaggerated! I was pleasantly surprised at how good they tasted in the soup. Then last night I roasted the leftover sprouts with olive oil, salt, and pepper, then drizzled a little balsamic dressing on top before we ate them. They were delicious. Seriously! I would tell you if they weren't. I've read the key to picking good brussels sprouts is to make sure they're on the small side, and should be firm to the touch. Try 'em! You might like 'em.


Herbed Veggie Soup
- 1 TB olive oil
- 1 large sweet yellow onion
- 3 stalks celery, chopped into small pieces
- 3 carrots, peeled and diced
- 2 tsp. dried thyme
- 2 tsp. marjoram
- 1 small sweet potato, peeled and cut into 1/4" cubes
- 1 cup chopped brussels sprouts
- 1 14.5-oz. can fire-roasted diced tomatoes
- 4 cups vegetable broth
- 2 cups chopped spinach, fresh or frozen
- Sea salt to taste
- Ground black pepper to taste

1. Heat olive oil in a large soup pot over medium heat; add onion and saute until soft.

2. Add celery, carrots, thyme, and marjoram and stir together. Cook for another 5 minutes or until carrots are soft.

3. Add sweet potato, brussels sprouts, tomatoes, and broth.

4. Turn heat to high, cover pot, and bring to a boil.

5. Turn heat down to a simmer and cook for about 30 minutes, until sweet potatoes are soft.

6. Add spinach and stir well. Remove from heat immediately. Season with salt and pepper.


Crispy Rosemary-Pepper Flatbread
Break this crackerlike flatbread into jagged pieces for dipping, snacking or serving with salads or soups. It'll disappear quickly, so you may want to double the batch. 


-1 3/4 cups flour
-2 tablespoons chopped fresh rosemary
-1 teaspoon baking powder
-1 teaspoon sea salt
-About 1/2 teaspoon pepper (or about 6 turns on the pepper mill)
-1/2 cup water
-1/3 cup olive oil, plus more for brushing

1. Adjust a rack to the lowest setting in your oven and preheat to 450 degrees. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper. Whisk together flour, 1 tablespoon rosemary, baking powder, salt and pepper. Add water and olive oil and stir with a wooden spoon until a ball forms.

2. Using your hands, knead dough a little bit to make sure everything's combined, then divide it into four pieces. Take out a piece and put a piece of plastic wrap over the rest.

3. Place the dough on a parchment-lined cookie sheet and sprinkle the top with a tiny bit of flour. Stretch the dough out with your hands as much as you can, then use a rolling pin to make it as thin as possible. Brush on a little olive oil, add a bit more fresh pepper, and slide into the oven for 10 minutes or until the edges start to brown. Repeat with the other pieces.

To serve: If you're serving this right away, simply crack the flatbreads into pieces and sprinkle the rest of the rosemary on top. You can also let them fully cool, break them up, put them in a sealable plastic bag, and serve them later. Just hang on to the rosemary so you can add it when you do.

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Workout of the Day
P90X2 Yoga

Read more here: http://www.star-telegram.com/2011/08/23/3308125/flatbreads-are-much-easier-than.html#storylink=cpy