Fall weather is soup weather!

Fall not only brings relief from the summer's heat, but it also brings us a bounty of beautiful produce.  Root vegetables and squash marry together in one of my favorite soups.  I have been working on this soup for almost a year, and I think I have come up with the perfect recipe.  Not only does it's orange hue welcome the changing of the leaves, but it is quite nice on the palate as well.  This recipe is not a science... you can add whatever sounds good to you.  Add or omit whatever you want, I promise it will still taste wonderful.

Curried Carrot and Squash Bisque with Corn
You will need

3 lbs of carrots, peeled and cut into 1 inch cubes
1 large apple, peeled and cut into fourths
32 oz chicken or vegetable stock
1/2 cup chopped white onion
1.5 cups cooked squash (any variety).  I actually used the 12 oz frozen block, easy and delish!
4-6 ears of sweet corn, or a a bag of frozen corn.
1 can coconut milk (regular or lite variety)
Curry to taste*
1-2 tsp red pepper flakes
EVOO
Salt and pepper to taste

Start by boiling the carrots and apple in a large stock pot.  Cook the corn as you normally would and carve it off the cob (you can do this the day ahead too).  The apple may be a bit raw by the time the carrots are soft, but that is fine.

In a separate pan, heat the onions in the oil until they are translucent.

When the carrots are fork tender, blend them along with the apple and squash (if you cooked the squash yourself) in a blender and add the stock.  You can use and immersion blender too.  You may need to do this in batches, and add the cooked onion and red pepper flakes to the blender mixture as well.  At this stage, you will feel like a mad scientist.  This means you are on the right track.

When everything is emulsified, put back into the stock pot. Add the remaining stock until you get the a smooth, avoiding a "baby food" consistency.  Add squash at this stage if it's the frozen block.  In my personal opinion, go with the frozen squash.  Don't be a hero... cut corners where you can.

When hot, add coconut milk, curry, and corn.  Continue to season with curry, salt, and pepper to taste.  Be judicious with the salt, because the stock and curry can have a lot of sodium.

*I can go on an on about how much I love curry and what I prefer, but it's really about what you like.  I usually use just the McCormick variety plus some blocks I buy from the Asian market.  I usually buy the "Vermont Curry" brand.  They come in these convenient little blocks, and you can crack off one at a time and stir in to get the desired flavor you want.  They have mild, medium, and hot.  I usually use a combination of the blocks and powdered curry to get the flavor I like.  If you go to the curry section of any Asian market, you will find it.  It may have another brand name, but it looks almost identical to this packaging.



I can't wait to hear about your recipes!  I hope you love it as much as my family and I do.

Fruit Fast, I mean Feast. A lot can be said for semantics.

Ok, so I'm doing this fruit fast as a component of 40 Days to Personal Revolution by Baron Baptiste.  I won't elaborate, because I could go on an on.  Anyone who has talked to me in the last 5 months knows that I insert a yoga story whenever possible.  So, ask me if you wanna know more... I'll just get to the food of it.  Anyone who appreciates food knows that you eat food with your eyes before it even goes in your mouth.  In the case of grease dripping off pizza, that may not be the case... but I digress.  So, when head on with the idea of eating only fruit (which includes tomatoes, plantains, avocados, peppers, and other various disguised fruits), I had to be creative.  My first creation was a simple smoothie.  Frozen fruit (berries and mangoes), some juice, coconut milk, and fresh berries.  And here we goes...

I feel like I could scale a tall building after consuming this.  I'm really hoping I can fall asleep tonight.  I think that using frozen fruit (from the freezer section) makes for a much smoother smoothie than using ice.

I had an intention of making mango salsa, but it metamorphosed into a beautiful salad with mangoes, pineapple, red and green peppers, tomatoes, and jalapenos with a squeeze of lime.  The only thing that could have made it tastier is if I had got everything from the Farmer's market.  But meijer did just swell for this delayed spring fruit feast.

I call this, "Word to your Mama" avocado dip.  Lil' tomato, lil' smashed avocado, lil' lime, salt, and jalapeno.  I used the lovely Amber ZK's advice and ate with banana chips.  I would love this in absence of of the fast.

My lunchbag bursting at the seams.

I'm even ready for Wednesday.  I secretly love packing my lunches ahead of time.  I am as exciting a woman as I sound.

Aside form the blaring need for photography lessons from ARad and a better camera, you can see the power has shifted in the kitchen.  Keurig outlet replaced by blender-for-one and tea.  I'm pretty sure this sort of thing happens in nature as well.

<3 Lisa

Yogi-fied Sammie!

Although my mom and aunt have never done a yoga pose (at least an intentional one) in their lives, they sure fed me like one when I was a kid.  Talking about food and diet in my weekly "40 Days to Personal Revolution" meeting, I remembered my childhood love of brussel sprouts and sushi rolls.  The mantra we discussed was essentially eat what makes you feel good, and if a good old Pb&j makes you happy, make it with the best possible ingredients.  Kudos to the lovely Laura Burkett Holstine for putting it so simply aptly. I distinctly remember my aunt making me peanut butter, honey, and alfalfa sprout sandwiches.  After reminiscing about those sammies over some Thai with Aunt Debbie, I quickly ran to the store so I'd have it for lunch today. While making a sandwich isn't baking, it's lunchtime and I'd love to share my favorite, wholesome lunch with you. 

My favorite bread, honey, crunchy sprouts, natural PB, and some camouflaged bananas.

Frozen bread must be toasted...

Sprouts stick to the PB like modern art.

Honey not only gives a subtle sweetness, but it helps the bananas stick!  Not to mention, my complete lack of photographic prowess is most evident here.

I thought some banana would bring this up a notch. I am a grown up, you know.

Oops!  Couldn't resist taking a bit before the last shot :)

I also planned ahead and made one for my lunch tomorrow.

I may be completely alone in my LOVE for alfalfa sprouts and PB in harmony, and that's okay.

Namaste :)

Lisa

I'm blogging too?

So I suppose I should begin my blog by baking something, given the title.  After giving up sweets and candy for Lent, I've come to appreciate bars of all kinds.  Granola, Luna, Kind, Lara... really anything full of whole almonds and less than 5 ingredients.  However, they are pricey.  Anywhere from $1.00-2.00, a little much for a simple snack.  What is a granola loving yogi to do?  Create her own bar, of course!

This is my very, very favorite variety, which I will attempt to make.  I found a recipe online, and this is my outcome.

If anyone needs any wheat germ, you know who to call.

That is a LOT of Coconut.

Before the oven...

I made this for roughly the cost of 1.5-2 Kind bars.

1/2 cup whole almonds
1/2 cup slivered almonds

1/2 cup honey (or 1/4 c. each honey and agave nectar)
1 cup unsweetened finely shredded coconut
1/2 cup coconut chips/shreds
2 Tbsp wheat germ

Cost for all ingredients= $14, of which I used a fraction.  Nurtritionally, they are basically equal, around 200 calories and 6 grams of fat.

Verdict?  Very close.  I will give myself the win due to cost, and how I love seeing the ingredients going in.  While I will probably still buy the Kind bar in a pinch, mine just has that homemade goodness that is hard to package.  I'm just proud that this recipe called for absolutely no butter, a formidible task for a Dutch baker.  Next time I think I'll add some flax, sunflower seeds, and dried fruit.  I'd like to say I always eat like this, but I did indulge in some Jet's pizza recently... followed by a greek yogurt chaser, of course :).  I love cooking and baking, even if it is just for me!  Recently I was telling a co-worker that I was looking forward to making a potroast, to which she replied "Just for you?" in an acrid tone.  I simply said "of course!", when I wanted to explain that being single doesn't mean I have to resign to a life of lean cusines.  And I should be able to eat healthfully and well.  But, you know, some explanations are wasted on the feeble minded.  Now, for my pre-yoga coconut almond bar.

Lisa