Warming Red Lentil Soup

Amidst the fall leaning towards eating colors over on the the orange/gold and red offer some preventative care to any soon to be wintering body. This warming red lentil soup is the epitome of nutritious and delicious. The humble red lentil is packed with protein and b vitamins, magnesium and has lots of fiber. Paired up with some orange veggies and tasty spices, this soup only takes about 45 minutes from start to finish.

Use any winter squash in place of the sweet potato. This recipe is really versatile in what you put in the base, before the lentils--It is great topped with fresh parsley or cilantro or any leafy green for an extra green boost, a dollop of sour cream or yogurt. You could add bacon to it! Use what you have and Soups On!

RED LENTIL SOUP

Makes about ~2 quarts

2 T oil/butter- I used bacon grease from breakfast

1 medium onion diced

3 cloves of garlic diced

2” piece of fresh ginger, grated

2 t cinnamon

1 T ground coriander

S & P to taste

3 celery stalks, sliced

2 carrots, diced

1 cup red lentils

6 cups water or broth

In a soup pot saute onions on medium for about 5 minutes, add salt, pepper and garlic, add cinnamon and coriander (and any other spices you’d like). Stir to coat and saute for another 5 minutes, chop up carrots and celery and add along with grated ginger. Turn down to low, cover and let simmer for 5 or some minutes, stirring once or twice. Chop up sweet potato and measure out lentils. Add sweet potato, stir to combine, add lentils, stir to combine, then add the  water/broth, bring to a boil, skim any foam that comes to the top. After 30 secs or so boil, turn down to low and cover, cook for 20 minutes until everything is nice and tender. Could be blended. I went with chunky, topped with quick pickles and parsley.  Yum town!

Golden beet soup

This recipe is a classic result of a USE WHAT YOU HAVE scenario. I was craving Cheese Potato soup (from the Silver Palate Cookbook) and thought I had all the basics. Alas I did not. So I improvised and came up with this truly delicious soup.

Golden beets are a bit more mild tasting than red beets. So if you are a bit weary of beet flavor, you may want to try these golden gems. Beets are loaded with all sorts of minerals, antioxidants and fiber. The vibrant colors of both golden & red beets come from betalains which is a phytonutrient. The betalain in the beets serve up anti-oxident, anti-inflammatory and detoxifying benefits to those who eat them.

RECIPE

1 medium onion, diced

3 medium golden beets, peeled & diced

2 cups yukons potatoes, diced

2 t salt and fresh ground pepper (I plopped 5 whole pepper corns right into the mix)

4 cups broth

1 cup feta

1/4 cup fresh dill, chopped (or more!)

In a soup pot on medium heat warm ~1 T of your choice butter/oil/ghee, add onions, saute 3-4 minutes , stirring occasionally. Add beets, potatoes, salt & pepper stir to coat and let simmer for another 5 minutes or so, stirring occasionally so nothing sticks to the bottom of the pot. Next, add broth, bring to a boil, turn down to low, cover and simmer for 20 minutes.

Remove from heat and let cool 10 or so minutes. Pop it in to a blender and blend until smooth. Pour soup back into soup pot on med-low heat and crumble cheese in, stir to melt and top with fresh dill.

+For some extra protein add 1/2 cup of red lentils and an extra 1 1/2 cups of water+

mindfulness, soup + paella

The rays of sunlight we encounter through out the day offer moments to practice mindfulness.

Mindfulness is widely popular now, and for good reason. Mindfulness-based programs sprung up America in the 70s and 90s. Long before that, Sati, which means to be mindful and aware of reality, emerged from Buddhism. Taking time through out your day to approach your thoughts without judgement, with a wink of curiosity and most of all kindness, has really been shown to relieve the chaos that often times consumes our minds and offer a more peaceful day to day.

Mindfulness has three components: our INTENTION, our ATTENTION and our ATTITUDE. These components were developed by Dr. Shapiro, a huge advocate of mindfulness.

INTENTIONs often bloom into broader self explorations. Essentially, this is the purpose of your mindfulness and meditations.

ATTENTION some studies show our minds are wandering up to 47% of the time or at least on autopilot! So is that a waste of time? Maybe. Practicing being in the present moment, actively bringing your thoughts to the moment leads to cortical thickening, the growth of neural tissue, responding to repeated practice. Dr. Shapiro said, “what you practice grows stronger.”

ATTITUDE at first a non-judgmental or even kind attitude can feel contrived. With practice, you’ll come to believe it and enjoy the benefits your body reaps when it is in a calmer more learning state of being. Curiosity, kindness and acceptance, we could all use a bit more of these constructive feelings.

A gush of dopamine is released into our reward system when you see something beautiful, in the moment. There are many ways to get that dopamine rush these days, especially the trillion ways to on our devices. Boo! So, here is some encouragement, to go smell those roses, notice the day’s light, the color of someones eyes, and find that kindness with you and others.

Join me at Radiant Yoga Shala for a 6 week class on Mindful Eating, starting October 15th. Click here for more info and registration.

~

I made the delicious meals for a client and while everything was cooling the sun came in the counter engulfed in this lovely golden light. Noticing was a lovely moment, thanks dopamine :)

Golden Chicken Soup

1 cup cooked rice

1 onion, diced

2-3 cloves of garlic

2 t of ground turmeric or use a micro planner and use fresh turmeric

1 t ground cumin

2 t thyme

1/4 t ground nutmeg

lots of black pepper, and salt to taste

1 carrot, diced

2 stalks celery, diced

3-4 little red radishes or 2 “ piece of daikon radish, diced (optional) or a sweet potato would be delicious-use what you have here

1/2-3/4 pound chicken thighs or breasts

Simmer chicken in 1 cup of water, 1 T of salt covered until cooked (about 10 minutes)

Get rice cooking, 1/2 cup to 1 cup water.

In a medium pot, saute onions and garlic in about 2 T choice fat, on medium heat, for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally with a spatula or wooden spoon. Add spices and salt and pepper.

Stir to coat, the add celery and carrots, stir to coat as well, add a splash of water and cover.

Prepare organize the rest of your ingredients. Add radish/potato, add another splash of water, integrate all of the ingredients, cover for about 5 minutes.

Chicken should be done add cooking liquid to veggies plus enough water/broth to cover+ an inch. Let chicken cool a bit to shred (or you can cube before cooking)

Bring to a simmer, add chicken and let cook for 20 minutes or so. Add fresh herbs, green to serve for an extra flavor and nutrient blast!

PAELLA

This spring and summer, I mastered this ancient dish. Though it sure does take time I’ve developed a quicker version that is still delicious and yes changed almost ever time I make it, based on produce I have and the other dishes I am making. Some day I’ll get one of my recipes down on paper. It such a pleasure to make, and even more so to eat!

Here are two great recipes one from the OG photo/recipe blog 101 cookbooks and the other from a trusty site the Kitchn (they have two recipes, this one is quicker and has meat)