cooking challenge week 1: squash and flax soup

Not the prettiest picture, I know. Honestly, it just wasn't the prettiest soup. 

For the first week of my 2012 cooking challenge I decided to combine two of my favorite things in the world: squash and soup. While I adore squash and eat it every chance I get, I am ashamed to say that I have never actually cooked with squash myself. I found the recipe for Squash and Flax Soup while leafing through a fantastic cookbook my grandma gave me: The Eat-Clean Diet Cookbook by Tosca Reno (see bottom of post for more info). I liked this recipe because it combined the normal soup staples (onions, garlic, carrots) with some not-so-standard ingredients (sprouts, flax seed, sunflower seeds). It seemed like a good balance between old and new. And super healthy, of course. Shopping for the ingredients and cooking this soup was a blast and affirmed that this is a great New Year's resolution. Unfortunately, however, the final result was not so pleasant. Not because it was a bad recipe, but because of a (embarassing) flaw in my judgement. So I bought a package of sprouts that, when I eyeballed it, looked to be just a little more than a cup. And since I didn't want any of the sprouts to go to waste, I just dumped them all in. After tasting my soup, however, I seriously regretted this decision. I grabbed the container and a measuring cup and realized that I had probably put around 2 cups of sprouts in. And I could taste it.  The soup tasted very, well, sprouty! It tasted green when I wanted to taste the orange of the squash and the carrots! It's not horrible, but unfortunately I'm not looking forward to eating it again for dinner tonight. Moral of the story: improvisation with a new recipe should be undertaken only because you think something will taste better, not just because you want to get rid of something. Because you might end up ruining your whole dish, which is a much bigger waste.

If after this story you still are interested in making this soup, I've included the original recipe below, with my modifications in parentheses. I would err on the low side with the sprouts; maybe just a half a cup would add a nice hint of green to your soup without completely overpowering it, like my 2 or so cups did. : (

Squash and Flax Soup

All the ingredients, minus the squash, which was already in the oven. 

Ingredients

- 2 Tbsp flax seed, soaked (I use 2 Tbsp flax seed meal, which didn't need to be soaked) 

- 1/4 cup sunflower seeds, soaked (I used dehulled kernels instead of the whole seed)  

- 1.5 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil 

- 1 medium yellow onion, chopped 

- 2 cloves garlic, passed through a garlic press 

- 2 ribs celery, trimmed and chopped (I don't like celery, so instead increased the number of carrots) 

Scooping out the seeds
(which I saved and
am about to roast). 

-2 large carrots, peeled and chopped (I used 5 carrots to account for the missing celery) 

-1 medium butternut squash, cooked 

- 4 cups low sodium vegetable stock or water (I used water) 

-1 cup sprouts, use your favorite (I used daikon radish sprouts and put in way too much...don't do that)  

- 2 Tbsp organic apple cider vinegar (I used red wine vinegar) 

- 1 tsp dried crumbled basil 

- 1 tsp dried crumbled oregano   

- Sea salt and black pepper, to taste

Sauteeing the veggies. 

Preparation 
1. Soak the flax seed in one bowl of water and the sunflower seed in another bowl of water for 1 hour.
2. Heat olive oil in a medium skillet over medium high heat. Saute onions, garlic, celery and carrot until onions become soft.
3. Scoop flesh out of cooked squash into a large saucepan or Dutch oven. Add cooked onion, celery, garlic, and carrot. Add 4 cups liquid and set over medium heat. Bring to a gentle boil. Puree these ingredients right in the pan with a hand blend. Blend until smooth. Remove from heat. Add all remaining ingredients including the soaked seeds, puree until smooth. Add sea salt and freshground black pepper. If the soup is still too thick add some water and puree again. Serve immediately.

Don't heat over high heat, as doing so would destroy the vauable and volatile nutrients in the flax and sunflower seeds. If you reheat it, do so over a gentle, slow heat. Serves 8. 


Source: The Eat-Clean Diet Cookbook by Tosca Reno

detoxing the right way

Photo by Michelle Shefveland

As the holidays end and the new year begins, the popularity of "detox diets" increases dramatically. The idea of cleansing our GI tracts, clearing out all the junk and eliminating toxins, is certainly very appealing. Most detox diets promise energy rejuvenation, glowing skin, and weight loss. Who wouldn't want those things? I absolutely believe that good food and exercise play an important role in these things; just look at the name of my blog! But the key word here is "food." Detoxing usually tells you to eat only one thing or nothing at all! It only takes a little common sense to see the flaw in this logic; your body needs carbs, fats, protein, vitamins and minerals to survive and thrive. Depriving it of its means of fuel, functioning, and healing is far from the recipe for health.

That being said, I'm far from against the concept of "detoxing." Taking a period of time to be extra-intentional about what you're putting into your body is a great idea! The right way to "detox," then, is two-fold: eat only whole, unprocessed foods and drink lots of water and green tea. I found a great article that outlines a more detailed detox plan by Women's Health contributor Keri Glassman for you to follow that takes both of these into account. Good luck!

Detox the natural way for extreme results

(P.S. A detox is also a great time to try some new recipes! See my New Year's Resolution cooking challenge for some more inspiration!)

2012: the year you (and i) learned to cook

Hello, friends! It's been a long time since I've posted, but that's about to change, as one of my New Year's resolutions is to start blogging again. And, as University of Maryland psychiatrists say, one of the keys to being successful past January 5th is to "share your goals with friends," as they hold you accountable. So I figured the best motivation would be to share this goal with all my readers! But then I went a step further and thought, why not make a resolution that ALL of us can share and hold each other accountable to! Hence was born the inspiration for my second resolution and hopefully one you will adopt as well:

It is my goal to learn how to cook this year. Sure, I can already "cook" in the sense that I can follow most recipes, make a few tweaks if need be, and make something tasty as a result. But I still don't feel like I can say that I truly know how to cook. Why? Because I always cook the same things. I stick to what I know works, what I can do, what I know will taste good because I've already made it. My pantry and fridge have held the same things in them all semester: beans, rice, pasta, pasta sauce, olive oil, soy milk, salsa, tortilla chips, cheese, bread, frozen pizza, butter, flour, sugar, an occasional package of ground beef or chicken, and the typical herbs and spices. I can eat well and pretty healthfully with different combinations of these ingredients, of course. But I also have an ARSENAL of cookbooks and a passion for trying new foods, both of which have been neglected over the busy fall semester. And my guess is that many of you feel similarly. So here's my plan: let's "learn to cook" together! Let's try new things, share stories and recipes, and encourage each other to make time for thinking more about our food than just the number of minutes it takes to microwave it or the vitamins and minerals it can provide. Trying new recipes is a great way to learn about (and appreciate) other cultures, improve the variety and quality of your diet, and spend time with family and friends (or have some fun alone-time if that's what you need).

Now, being the goal-making nerd that I am, want to make sure we do this right. Therefore I went ahead and made myself a "SMART" (Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant, Timely) goal to help me make sure I stick to this resolution. So here goes:

2012 Cooking Goal: I will try a new recipe, with at at least one new ingredient, once every week, from January 1 until the end of spring semester (January 1 - May 15). I will then share my recipe on my blog. This should amount to 20 new recipes (and blog posts)! 

But here's the thing: this will be WAY more fun if you join in! I'd love for you to share your own cooking resolutions here and then, as I post my recipes each week, for you to share your recipes and cooking stories as well. The social aspects of cooking and eating can be just as important as the nutrients in the food, so let's share our experiences with each other here!

Now if you need a little more motivation than just improving your cooking skills and trying new things, here are a few more reasons to make "learning to cook" one of your New Year's resolutions:

1. Save money: Cooking at home costs less than eating out!
2. Save time: Make big batches and use the leftovers throughout the week.
3. Be healthier: Cooking from scratch is way healthier than relying on preservative-packed frozen or canned meals and ingredients. And trying new things adds more variety to your diet, ensuring that you're getting all the vitamins and minerals you need!
4. De-stress: Many people find cooking a great way to de-stress. Put on some soothing music and put all of your stress into beating those eggs!

If you're on board, comment here! Your goal doesn't have to look anything like mine. For example, you might be more interested in "spicing up" your standard recipes rather than finding new ones, or maybe your goal is to cook and eat more meals with family and friends. Another variation you might find fun is cooking a recipe from a different ethnic cuisine each week. Whatever your cooking goal is, share it below!