'Tis The Season: Chocolate, Wine, & Butternut Squash Soup

Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays, and Cheers to a Happy and Prosperous New Year!!!

Hi Friends!  I hope you all had an amazing and indulgent Holiday.  Amidst all the craziness of the season my blogging ways seem to fall wayside whilst my red wine and chocolate consumption triumphed.  Rather than relying on willpower to keep me disciplined this year i focused on making inspired choices.  In the past relying on my ever absent willpower has left me feeling nothing short of defeated, whereas making many 'inspired choices' in this case to indulge in wine and chocolates has most certainly made me feel less guilty, albeit hasn't helped me fit into my seven jeans any better.

So while i'm figuring out how to properly use 'inspired choice' over willpower i'll need a shoe horn and vaseline to get back into my skinny jeans.  argh.

So yes, it's been a season of indulgences and as happy as i was for Christmas to come (weeeee i love prezzies and caroles, hot cider, decorating the tree, and did i mention chocolate and wine?), i'm happy  that now it has happened and has past.  There were a handful of healthy and fabulous recipes that happened this month too, but mostly what was memorable to me were the prezzies, the chocolate, and the wine.

new prezzies: flannel, beanie, socks, and playing with the 'afterglow' app on my iphone for these great effects

one of the best gifts in the world: watching my pug unwrap prezzies!

My new favorite treat from trader joes (dark chocolate sea salt and turbinado sugar almonds).  I recommend NOT buying them unless you want to eat a container in a day.  Or maybe that's just me?

So if you don't get them, get this instead:

And This....

it's the easiest sipping red around.  I LOVE Apothic Red.  You can get it at Trader Joes or Target.
It's not exclusive by any means, but i'd say impressive for a $10 bottle.

Onward, i have three big announcements (and of course a healthy recipe):

1.  b'Bar in Del Mar opened up.  It's the first of Beaming's Superfood Vitality Bars.  If you've been following the blog for a while you'll know that i've been working with Beaming for the past year.  Now a high end juice and smoothie bar, they make all of their own almond milk in house from organic soaked almonds, use mostly locally sourced ingredients, highest quality superfoods, and everything is organic (and delicious).  If you haven't made it in yet, i'll encourage you to check it out.  You can also follow us on facebook.  I manage the bulk of content that goes through their facebook page.

2.  As of January 1st i'll be adding to and adjusting my yoga schedule and will now also be teaching at Yoga Six in Liberty Station/Point Loma.  It's a beautiful new studio in an old military barracks sandwiched between trader joes (for easy chocolate buying) and many great shops.  Look for me on schedule in the new year for 6am vinyasas on monday/wednesday and mid morning classes on monday and tuesdays.  

3.  This past weekend i shot a yoga segment for Joy Houton's Healthy Happy Hottie online program.  Isabella Cruz (restauranteur and chef) was there cooking up a storm, Joy was showing us her best raw food tricks, and i was getting everyone stretched out.  If i get a copy of the vid i'll post it for you, otherwise you'll have to sign up for Joy's program once it's released.  Details to come...she's always up to great stuff.  Check her and her recipes out at The Delicious Revolution.

And...drumroll please.....It's Recipe Time....

While i haven't been the picture of perfect health lately, i have been trying to balance it all out with plenty of green juices, green smoothies, and healthy hearty soups.  This one was a holiday fave that came to Christmas dinner with me.  It received lots of oooooo's and aaaaaah's and requests for the recipe, and i promise it's super simple.  

Sweet & Spicy Butternut Squash Soup:

Set oven to 400 degrees F

Peel a whole butternut squash.

Chop it into small squares

Melt 1-2 Tbsps of coconut oil in a pan and toss to coat the butternuts squash

Crank on a little sea salt and coarse black pepper

Roast at 400 for about 30 minutes or until soft

Put the squash into a large soup pot with 4 cups of low sodium veggie broth (i used Trader Joes box)

Liberally add penzey's toasted onion, vindaloo spice, and a very small amount of Hot Curry, a half Tbsp of honey, and more black pepper and salt to taste.  

Using a hand immersion blender, blend the soup until it reaches a creamy consistency.  You can add water or veggie broth to thin.  

I typically add a couple cups of either water or veggie broth depending what i have on hand.

Raw 4 Life & Honeydew Gazpacho

While i'm not a 'raw foodist' or even eat entirely raw, my diet is made up of primarily raw foods (even more so in the summer months).  I eat much produce, nuts, seeds, sprouted foods, and pile in the leafy greens like they're going out of style.  I drink smoothies, and eat raw soups, salads, and occasionally enjoy sashimi.  This all makes me feel FANTASTIC.  I've corrected the digestive distresses I suffered from all my life by eliminating dairy, gluten, soy, processed foods, and eating a high plant based, high-raw, high fiber diet.

This past weekend I had the pleasure of galavanting around Venice with some of my dearest girlfriends.  Rose Ave. (where i used to live, then a bit rough) is now a thriving little mecca filled with unique boutiques, restaurants, a yoga studio, wine bar, a huge Whole Foods, moon juice bar, and my favorite place to eat, Cafe Gratitude.  I've loved this place ever since i stepped foot in the San Fran location years back.  side note:  Ironically, i bought the cafe cookbook back then but i've still yet to ever crack it open.  hmmmm, need to get on that.  The cafe has raw and cooked plates, it's all organic, all made from scratch with lots of love, and it's all absolutely out of this world.  I was so inspired by one of the soups i had, that i tried my hand at recreating it at home.  While my version didn't match the cafe's, it's still super impressive on the palette.  I wonder if the recipe i seek is in the aforementioned cookbook buried deep in my cookbook shelf??  hmmmm....

Scroll down for my recipe:  honeydew gazpacho.

This whole week i've been eating nothing but raw food.  I feel fantastic, my skin is glowing, and i've lost any bloat i was holding onto.  I'm slowly detoxing out my celebratory summer and inviting in a still warm fall with delicious healing foods.

"I am Fulfilled" from Cafe Gratitude.  Ohh Myy Yumm.

PS - San Diegans' just got healthier with the opening of Go Raw Life Center in Liberty Station.  You may have seen some of the Go Raw products at your local health shop before.  This primarily take out cafe offers organic juices, smoothies, raw food cleanses, and all the products you'd normally see in store.  A great spot to dip into if you need a small, quick -on the go- healthy bite.  I tried their green smoothie, raw lasagna, and green salad with sweet basil dressing.  Everything was yummy.  It wasn't gourmet per se, and it's clear they don't focus on presentation, but they do a fabulous job at making healthy raw foods accessible to the public at rediculously low price points (one week cleanses for under $175 and organic green smoothies for $5 or $6).  Plus everyone in there was sweet as pie and open to answer any questions!  It's definitely a spot i'll dip into to pick up foods when i'm not feeling like prepping in the kitch.

raw lasagna from Go Raw

RECIPE Du'JOUR:  Honeydew Gazpacho

1 cup coconut water
1/4 of a small ripe avocado
1 small peeled persian cucumber, chopped
big wedge of honeydew chopped, about 1/4 of a small honeydew melon
*optionally stevia to sweeten

1 - 2 tbsp of coconut meat (dried or fresh)
1 small handful of spinach (or cilantro or mint would be great too)

Blend first four ingredients together in a Vitamix.  You may need more or less honeydew based on how sweet yours is.  Mine wasn't super sweet so i added 4 drops of liquid stevia.

Once your base is blended, toss in a small handful of spinach, a tbsp or two of either dried or fresh coconut meat, and optionally a little more avocado.  Pulse gently from the lowest setting on your vitamix just to break these into chunky bits.

Pour into a bowl and garnish.  I added coconut flakes, purple grapes, and bee pollen, but something pink like a little beet juice swirled in would look beautiful on there too!

The Spice Is Right: 5 Minute Soup To Welcome In The Fall

Tomorrow is Sept 21st, the official first day of Fall.  Can you even believe it??  Here in Coastal Southern California we've suffered a very short summer.  I remember having a tan back in May...or was is June...regardless, it lasted about 5 days.  Since, sun by the beach has peaked out next too never.  So i am bidding adieu to summer 2010 and welcoming in the fall 2010 season.  Bring me scarfs, tall boots, sweater knit arm warmers, and a sassy new style!

If you live somewhere like i do that has micro-climates (cool gray skies where i live, but sunny 10 miles inland) it can be confusing figuring out what to eat:  Do i need something warming because i feel cold now?? or cooling because i'll be where there's heat in 30 minutes??  light summery foods or heavy more dense winter foods??  Since we are in a time of seasonal transition i think it's best to focus on your intuition and how the weather is currently affecting you.  Speaking Ayurvedically, Fall brings with her more coolness and dryness that naturally permeates into our bodies (vata dosha).  To neutralize these effects one should include more warming and moist foods into their diet.

To welcome in the change in seasons i've come up with a great soup that can easily be used on a sunny day or a chilly day.  If it's sunny out and you feel warm, you'll use less of the warming spices and drink the soup cold, optionally adding in more cooling coconut flesh.  For the days you feel chilly or down right cold, up the spices and heat the soup.  If you have a Vitamix this soup will take you 5 minutes to make.  If you don't....well...you should get one.  Meanwhile you can still make the soup, but you may need to tag on another 5 or 10 minutes.

You'll need:

Blender
4-5 med-large carrots
1 whole young coconut:  Use all of the water and 3 large spoonfuls of the flesh
1 small clove garlic
1/2 to 1 inch nub of ginger, peeled
One handful of fresh chopped cilantro
optional spices: curry 1/4 tsp, tagine spice scant 1/8 tsp, garam masala scant 1/8 tsp , cinnamon- 2 light dashes, cayenne - 2 dashes

If you don't have a Vitamix you will need to grate your carrots before blending.  For this you can use a hand grater, or it's much faster if you do this in a Food Processor with a shredding disc.

ingredients in tagine spices

ingredients in garam masala

Directions:

Scrub or peel the carrots and cut into 2 inch chunks (or grate).  Toss these into the Blender with the coconut water and 3 scoops of coconut.  Add the garlic and ginger and let the blender rip.  Taste.  Add any additional spices that are listed above.  I added approximately the amounts listed above, and had a very spicy hot soup.  If you have a Vitamix, let your blender run until it's the temperature you desire.  If not, transfer to a pot and heat slow on a low setting to help retain the nutritional qualities from the carrots and coco-water.  Grab a handful of chopped cilantro and stir into each bowl of soup.  This makes two servings or one very large bowl.

Taboo and Thai Coconut Curry Soup

Thursday nights are 'game night'. A designated night where a handful of my dearest girlfriends get together for grub, gab, giggles, and gaming (and perhaps a bottle or 4 of vino too). The usual suspects are Catch Phrase and Taboo. Between the games and the incredible company it's nothing less than a 'feel good' nite causing my cheeks to cramp from the endless smiles and laughter (a feeling i'm not complaining about nor do i think happens enough). This game night we even had an extra 4 legged friend join us, Delilah the bulldog, who seemed to peak my pug Ollie's interest. I actually don't ever think i've seen my lazy pug (whose main interest is sleeping, followed by eating) chase any dog for more than 5 minutes without falling into complete boredom, but Delilah had him running strong for near an hour. Must have been that sexy underbite or the swagger in her walk!

But enough about gaming...Since it was Earth Day i prepared an all raw dinner for the gals. I suspect it was a hit from the 'oohs' and 'ahhs', 'yums', and second helpings being had. Lauren licked the spatula from the pad thai sauce not unlike how i've been known to attack the beaters from a bowl of raw cookie dough, heidi couldn't keep from picking at the leftovers from the large serving bowl of pad thai, meg took care of any extra shitake garnishes, and i'm pretty sure we all had an even effort in making sure there weren't any coconut cacao haystacks leftover from dessert. Assuming it a hit (based off the many recipe requests), I chose to post the recipe for this standout soup. Fresh Raw Thai Coconut Curry Soup. This soup is great warm or cool. It builds internal heat due to the ginger and red pepper flakes, and provides lots of fiber, electrolytes, and Vitamin K from the Thai coconut water. So if you wanna try it out on your game night, here's the easy pea-sy recipe-sy.

Thai Coconut Curry Soup:

Water from 3 thai coconuts (about 3 1/2 cups coco-water)
1 cup distilled water
1/4 cup dried coconut
1/4 cup raw cashews
1/4 cup olive oil
juice of one lime (about 2 tbsp)
4 tbsp of tamari or shoyu
2 cloves garlic
2 inch nub peeled ginger
2 pitted dates (medjool)
1 tsp red pepper/chili flakes
1 1/2 tsp curry powder

garnish: 3 shitake mushrooms sliced with tamari (or shoyu)

Put all of the soup ingredients above in a Vita Mix, Blend Tec, or any other high powered blender and let er' rip for a few minutes to combine all ingredients well (otherwise they will separate). Coat the shitakes lightly in tamari and set aside. Garnish individual soup bowls with shitake.

Pour yourself a bowl and eat up. Here's to your health!

Pass The Stuffin' & Sip On This: Butternut Squash Soup

Thanksgiving is the day that all Americans eat themselves silly, unbutton their pants at the table, push the chair back so they can slouch and relax, and then elect for another glass of wine, a spiced cider, and some pie. WOW. You ready for this again??? Okay, so you might be thinking...."hey, i don't do that"...and maybe that's not you, but let's face it, for many of us it is. It's a day of celebration with friends and family accompanied with a feast for our eyes and our bellies....so how do you not go overboard? And...what do you bring if you're going to a potluck??? One of the best ways to prevent yourself from eating too much is to start with a warming soup. This helps fill you up so you'll stack less on your plate. This soup also makes a great Thanksgiving lunch if dinner is not served til late. Secure the top on your pot and place on your passenger seat floor if you're headed elsewhere. It's warming and satisfying but isn't heavy, so you'll still have plenty of energy to play touch football, walk with the dog and kids, and to complete cooking your thanksgiving feast if you are indeed hosting. It's quick to make, requires only a few ingredients, and will have smiles and 'yums' sounding around the room. So here we go....Butternut Squash Soup:

What you'll need: (a blender, a non stick pan, a pot, a knife, a cutting board, a peeler and apple corer is helpful)

1 butternut squash (5 cups cubed, available pre-cut in the produce refrigerator section)
1 32 ounce box of veggie stock
1 shallot or 1/2 of a med. yellow onion, chopped
1 medium clove of garlic, chopped
2 granny smith apples (green apples) peeled/cored/chopped
Cinnamon and Garam Masala (about 1/4 tsp of each, but add more spice to your taste)
Optional: 1 cup of Plain Silk Light Soy Milk

Get Soupin':

Chop the onion, garlic, and apple. Place a few tbsps of veggie broth in the pan, enough to coat the bottom, put the heat on medium, and add in the onion, garlic, and apple. Let them cook stirring occasionally for about 10 min until all is soft and cooked through. You'll need to add a bit of veggie broth occasionally as the liquid will continually evaporate. In the pot add 3 to 3 1/2 cups veggie broth, or 2 cups veggie broth plus 1 to 1 1/2 cups filtered water. Heat on high. Add the 5 cups of cubed butternut squash and cook about 10 minutes, until butternut squash is tender and will break/cut easily. Transfer the entire contents of both the pan and pot into your blender (work in batches if you need to). Seal the lid on the blender and cover with a towel and hold the lid as you start on a low setting. Increase speed until all soup is pureed. Taste. Add more spice if you'd like and blend back in. Return your pureed soup to the pot. You can have as is, or add a cup of soy milk, stirring in until combined. If you're soup is too thick, you can thin down with additional veggie broth or water. On the other hand, if you prefer a very thick bisque, start with less liquid when cooking the squash. Fill the pot only with enough liquid to cover the squash, and then add more later if you need.

Beat The Cold With This: Immunity Boosting Mushroom Soup

So i woke up today under the weather. Sore throat which progressed to a little sinus stuff...i attribute it to traveling without my herbs, drying flights, walking in the rain, long days of work/stress, and sleeping in warm dry heat controlled houses. In my attempt to kick the beginnings of whatever this is out, i've dedicated the day to taking care of myself. After securing the day off, i went to the market and purchased 4 heads of garlic, some ginger root, immunity boosting mushrooms, carrots, and Vit C packed organic oranges and grapefruits. I got right on top of my prevention/wellness routine (see past post "kicking it through cold/flu season: immunity boosters") filling my body with necessary immune boosting and bacteria fighting herbs. While i had planned to cleanse this week, my cleanse is being pushed back a couple days until these symptoms subside. So home from the market i went and roasted the 4 heads of garlic, 2 of which i've already consumed (it's only shy of 10am, i must smell amazing, ha!), and two that i will consume throughout the remainder of the day. I also made a mean mushroom soup filled with bellas and shitakes to boost immunity. It turned out so good that i had to post the recipe. Here it is...great for warming you up on a cool day, or for boosting immunity when you're feeling this season's bug is trying to get cha.

What you'll need (choose all organic if possible):

at least 1 whole head of garlic
olive oil (a few tbsp)
water (a few tbsp)
1/2 of a yellow onion, chopped
2 medium portabella mushrooms, chopped
approximately 10 shitake mushrooms, sliced thin
1 32 ounce box of vegetable stock
1 to 1 and a 1/2 cups of light PLAIN soy milk (or dairy milk or cream)
black pepper to taste


Roast 1 head of garlic by:

preheating oven to 375 degrees
peel off the outer skin of the head of garlic, leave whole (leave the skin on individual pieces)
cut the pointy end off about 1/4 or half inch down so that the top pieces are exposed
Drizzle olive oil over the top and rub in with fingers
wrap in foil and place on a baking sheet
Bake in oven for about 35 - 40 min

While garlic is baking...

Chop 1/2 of a medium onion.
place a soup pot on the stove and add 1 tbsp of olive oil, set temp at med-low heat
Add chopped onion and stir, you may want to add a small amount of water as well (1-2 tbsp)
Meanwhile chop your bellas and add them to pot, add just enough veggie stock to cover, turn heat up to medium
Slice your shitakes thin and add to pot
Add the remaining veggie stock, cover, and let cook until your garlic is done and cooled. If the soup begins to boil, that is fine, just begin to reduce the heat and let simmer.

Once garlic is done, remove from oven and open foil packs, let cool.
Once cooled you'll be able to handle the cloves. Use a paring knife to open the paper and push the clove out. Place these cloves in your blender.

Pour your soup with the mushrooms into the blender as well, scooping out some of the mushroom chunks and returning them to the pot (removed from heat source) so that you can have a little texture left in your soup. Blend the soup in the blender leaving it less than pureed with some texture, add back to the pot with the mushroom pieces that are left in it, and stir in about a cup to a cup and a half of plain (or plain light) soy milk (or dairy milk or cream if you prefer). Pepper heavily to taste. Reheat and serve.

If you're under the weather, or making this for someone who is, consider roasting extra heads of garlic. Serve the soup with a couple whole extra cloves popped into the soup bowl - this is great for those fighting colds and bacterial or fungal infections.

Heatin' Up With Carrot Ginger Rosemary Soup, A VEGAN Belly Warming Recipe

A chilly day always calls for a warm soup. This one is especially belly heating due to the ginger. Easy to make...and requires only a few ingredients.

you'll need a large pot and a blender

1 32 oz box of low sodium veggie broth
1 cup plus 1 tbsp filtered water
1 bag of baby carrots
1 and a half inch piece of ginger peeled and chopped well
1/2 cup of chopped yellow onion (about 1/4 of a med onion)
1 small clove or 1/2 clove of garlic chopped
1 tbsp olive oil
1/3 - 1/2 cup orange juice (i used fresh juice i squeezed with a citrus press)
salt and pepper (season to taste, i use about 1/4 tsp of both)
two sprigs of rosemary (remove stem)

**Optionally, leave the rosemary out and serve to guests with freshly baked rosemary bread.

Add olive oil to the pot, place over medium heat. Add the onion and saute for a minute or two. Add approximately 1 tbsp of filtered water to the pot then add the garlic. This is to prevent garlic from burning (when garlic burns it turn brown and bitter). Cook for a couple minutes until onions are translucent. Add the bag of carrots, the veggie broth, and the chopped ginger. Cook over med to high heat until the carrots are soft (approximately 25 min). Transfer entire contents of pot to the blender. Add the remaining water and blend together adding in the leaves off the springs of rosemary and the orange juice. Place a towel over the lid as you blend in case hot liquid release from blender. Season to your taste with salt and pepper.

Pour into your favorite mug or bowl and enjoy the warmth it'll bring you!

When You're Feelin' The Chill, Fall For This: Warming Sweet Potato Bisque

As the days and nights chill down i find myself craving the flavors of Fall. The mulling spices, pumpkin treats, the warmth of cinnamon and vanilla bean, and comforting fall soups. So while i was at the co-op the other day i picked up a sweet potato, knowing that on a night soon to come i'd be craving the warmth that this beauty could offer. Sweet Potatoes not only are sweet enough to be used in desserts, they are power packed with nourishment and filling heart healthy fiber. Rich in Vitamins A and C, sweet potatoes are antioxidant rich and contain an impressive amount of manganese and potassium.

Now on a normal night, i would peel my sweet, cut it into fries, coat them with olive oil and a dash of salt, and lay them on a baking sheet to roast away. However, on this chilly eve, after i baked my fries i decided to take it to another level. What transpired was this warming fall bisque...

Get your kitchen prepped with a cutting board, sharp knife, baking sheet, spatula, blender, garlic press, and possibly a pot

You'll also need...

A large hannah sweet potato (or whatever variety you find will do), about 1 lb and a half
1/4 of a small to med sweet yellow onion
1 tbsp, plus 1-2 tsps of a quality oil (i used olive oil)
1/2-1 tsp of garam masala (a warming indian spice blend)
1/2 tsp of sea salt
3 1/2 to 4 cups of low sodium veggie stock/broth
1 tbsp of almond butter
1 to 1 1/2 inch piece of ginger

Start by making the fries...and see if you have any left to make the soup!

Heat your oven to 400 degrees.
Peel and cut your sweet potato into fry shapes. Peel the yellow onion and slice thin.
Cover your baking sheet with foil or oil. Toss the potatoes and onions together with the olive oil to coat well.
Sprinkle with the garam masala and salt and toss again to coat. Lay potatoes and onions onto your baking sheet, put in the oven and cook for about 25 minues at 400 degrees. Half way through baking use your spatula to flip the fries. Cook until soft.
Transfer your cooked fry medly into a blender....or cool and eat as they are, cuz they are YUMMA!!
Add the almond butter.
Press the ginger (through your garlic press) into the blender. Use the juice and the pulp that is extracted.
Add approximately 3 1/2 cups of veggie stock. You may need more or less depending on amount of sweet fries you have left :).
Blend away. You may add more veggie stock for a slightly thinner bisque, or additional garam masala, or a dash of cinnamon and a pinch of curry for a warmer spiced flavor. However, as you eat the soup the spice flavor really starts to come out...so make sure not to over-spice...you can always add a little to the bowl if you need.
You may need to transfer the soup to a pot to heat up on your stove top.

This will make about 5 cups of soup. Enough for a couple big bowls of warmth, or even better a handful of yummy cups to share and serve as a starter.