Monday, May 28, 2012 Ch-ch-ch-changeeeees. And soup!
I'm back, bitches!
I know - I was gone a month. Know what kind of blog no one bothers to read? One that bails for a month.
But I've been BUSY. Ish.
Things that I have been doing
- Yesterday I finished my 40 Days Challenge, which involved doing yoga 5 days a week. I accidentally found an oblique muscle the other day and nearly fainted with surprise.
- I can do a headstand now! Well, with the wall. Most of the time.
- I decided to graduate to a big-girl apartment. Unfortunately, the washer/dryer and exposed brick and 16 foot ceilings and stainless range hood also come with an electric stove. BLEEEEGH. But, my pictures should look better starting in July.
- I have spent 90% of my free time pinning shit to my 'fancy furnishings' board on Pinterest for said new apartment. It's ridiculous. Ridiculous enough that a friend I haven't talked to in 3 months that lives 5 hours away emailed me and said, "Uh, so I'm assuming you're getting a new apartment?"
- A juice cleanse. Three days of just juicing and raw fruits and vegetables. Oh, and the 6 ounces of coffee and 2 crackers and tablespoon of peanut butter I had. Plus the slice of pizza and 8 ounces of beer I had on the last night. I suck at juice cleanses.
Things that I have not been doing
- I haven't cooked shit.
In the spirit of my total inability to focus on one thing, I've decided to change up the blog a bit. More posts, more often, with less length (maybe, I'm long-winded if you haven't noticed) and a wider variety of topics. I will still do a LOT of food stuff. I love food (see earlier juice cleanse evidence). But I also love dogs and design and cool shit.
So in an effort to be less absent and shitty and boring, I'm mixing it up. I know - I thought, "won't people be upset? Aren't people looking for food when they come here?" And then I remembered no one reads this shit since I haven't posted in a month and that it's mine and I can do whatever I want anyway. Similar to how I bypassed my sprouted grain cereal with organic milk and bananas as breakfast for cold parmesan bread bites from Dominos that had been sitting out overnight. I CAN DO WHAT I WANT.
But for now - how about a recipe? This one's been in the hopper a while and even though the warm weather is upon us, I think it bears sharing.
Quinoa and Potato Soup with Spinach and Roasted Garlic
You'll need:
- 1 head garlic, roasted
- ½ white onion, diced
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 2 medium butter potatoes, diced small
- 2 cups vegetable stock
- 2 cups fresh spinach
- 2 cups cooked quinoa
- 1 tbsp Adobo seasoning
- 1/ tsp pepper
Start by roasting your garlic. Slice the tops off of the whole, unpeeled head. Lightly cover the exposed areas with olive oil, wrap it in foil, and pop it in a 400 degree oven for about 45 minutes. It should look caramelized when you take it out and be very soft. Set it aside to cool.
I would recommend that you multitask and roast the garlic while you prep the rest of the ingredients, but I'll assume you're not an idiot and you already thought of that.
Heat the tbsp of olive oil in a stock pot or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the onion and saute until just translucent, about 3-4 minutes.
Add the vegetable stock in bring it to a simmer. As always if, you use broth and not stock you will end up with MUCH saltier soup. You may want to pull back on the adobo if you go the broth route.
Add your roasted garlic by squeezing it out of the skin and into the pot. If the big chunks aren't your thing, you can press them with the back of a spoon to help them break down.
Add the potatoes and simmer until almost cooked through, about 10-15 minutes depending on the size of your chunks.
Stir in the fresh spinach (in batches, if needed) and let it wilt. Once wilted, add your quinoa, Adobo, and pepper. Adjust seasonings to taste. If you don't have Adobo seasoning - get some. It will be in the international or Hispanic section of your grocery store. And an alternative to that - it's pretty much salt, garlic powder, oregano, and a little tumeric. Play with those seasonings until you get something you like.
Serves 4.
Shut Up and Cook version here.
