Will Run For Smoky Butternut Squash Bisque

As a rule I find it pretty hard to get excited about pureed vegetables especially butternut squash.  Peeling the squash and then roasting is way more work than I am willing to invest for squash soup.  Who knew that you could just cut the squash in half, roast it and then throw it in the blender?  Imagine.

Smoky Butternut Squash Bisque 

(or blender squash soup)

1 medium to large butternut squash

4-5 cups vegetable stock

1 cooking onion (or 2-3 leeks)

1 T butter ( coconut oil works too)

dash liquid hickory smoke

1/2-1 C canned white beans or chickpeas

Cut your squash in half and roast at 425 degrees for approximately 1 hr.  That's it. Just cut it in half and place it on a baking stone.  No cursing the squash as you try to peel it and cube it.  In the mean time heat 1 T of butter in a frying pan, add 1 chopped cooking onion and saute until really brown and crispy (the more brown and crisp the more flavourful your soup will be).  Spoon your cooked squash into your blender (minus the seeds and skin obviously), add vegetable stock, and browned onion.  Blend on high  until smooth.  Add several drops of hickory smoke (note: a little goes a LONG way!  My favourite way to ruin a pot of soup is to pour way too much liquid smoke directly into the pot until it tastes like a piece of charcoal) and blend some more.  If you want some added protein add canned white beans or chickpeas and puree a little longer.  If you are feeling fancy add some grilled cheese croutons and/or coconut bacon.   

Chickpea Coconut Milk Curry

curry in a hurry

Even though I have been falling in love with triathlon all over again (sprint distance versus half-iron distance kind of does that for me) I needed the motivation fairy to pay me a visit today.  It was my lucky day as she did indeed show up with her workout gear sneakily incorporated into her business casual attire ( I love this about her). 

Really good friends show up on your doorstep when you need them.  They drag you out to the lake at 6 am even though swimming is their least favourite sport and you swim far too close to them because you are terrified of just about everything in the lake (as an aside my wetsuit cord no longer sends me into hysterics when I feel it brush up against me in the water.  I feel like this is progress).  They save you from lake monsters (a.k.a turtles, ducks, geese, weeds, shadows).  They run with you even though they have 117 great reasons why you should bike or swim or drink coffee instead.  

This chickpea coconut curry recipe is kind of like a really good friend.  You can whip it up in less than 20 minutes when you need to eat right now.  You can add cubed white or sweet potatoes, vegetables such as green beans or peas, etc. depending on what you can rustle up in your cupboards.

The recipe serves 4 or in my case the recipe serves me breakfast, lunch, supper, and pre-workout snack (maybe not my best idea yet).  Enjoy!

Chickpea Coconut Milk Curry

(serves 4)

ingredients

1 T olive oil

1/2 large sweet onion diced

1 1/2 inch ginger nub minced

2 cloves of garlic minced

1 tsp cilantro and lemongrass paste 

14 oz of crushed tomatoes

1 5.6 oz can of full fat coconut milk

1-2 T mild curry paste (I used Patak's brand)

1 can chickpeas rinsed and drained (nobody likes bean slime)

how to

In a large frying pan warm 1 T of olive oil over medium heat.  Add onion and saute until translucent (about 5 minutes).  Add garlic and ginger and saute for 1-2 minutes longer.  Add coconut milk and crushed tomatoes.  Stir until combined.  Add cilantro, lemongrass and curry paste.  Simmer on low for approximately five minutes.  Add chickpeas.  Serve over rice.

Will Run For Mom's Easy Pasta Primavera

2013 was a pretty amazing year.  I had a lofty list of events that I wanted to complete and I completed each and every one of them.  The highlights of my year were shaving 5 minutes of my marathon time and completing my first (yes, there will be more) 1/2 ironman.

  The year was amazing.  Then it wasn't.  One of my worst nightmares came true.  I lost my mother.  She passed away suddenly at the beginning of December after suffering a ruptured brain aneurysm.

I was lucky in that I always appreciated how wonderful my mom was and told her so often.  She regularly told me that she was proud of me and that she was so lucky to have me.  I am so grateful for the relationship that I had with her.

Now sometimes I pull out my mom's cookbook when I'm missing her (which is always) and laugh as I read recipe titles like hot crap (crab) dip or ingredients like 900 kg (g) of pasta.  I hope that you enjoy her recipes as much as I do.

  

Mom's Easy Pasta Primavera

(Serves 4-6)

ingredients

450 g of wholewheat linguine 

3-4 C broccoli chopped small

3 carrots cut into small strips

1 C frozen shelled edamame

1 small red pepper cut into small strips

2 cloves garlic pressed

10 oz vegetable broth ( I used 10 oz of water with 2 vegetable bouillon cubes)

1 small red onion cut into small strips

2 tsp dried basil leaves (I used Heritage Line Herbs Zippy Garden Vegetable Dip Mix)

In a large pot cook pasta.  When there are 4 minutes remaining add broccoli, carrots, red peppers, mushrooms & edamame.  Vegetables will still be crisp.

In a wok or large skillet add olive oil and saute garlic for 1 minute.  Add red onion and saute until onion is translucent approximately 5 minutes.  Add dried basil and vegetable broth.  Simmer for 2-3 until liquid is reduced.

Drain vegetables and pasta.  Add vegetables and pasta to the wok or large skillet.  

Mix thoroughly until pasta and vegetables are coated with olive oil.  Enjoy!

Photo Booth.  A great way to trick your mom into taking her photo

Will Run For Lazy Vegetarian Cabbage Rolls

very lazy cabbage rolls

I think that running fever has struck!  That or spring fever. 

 Some people danced when their run was done.

The run is over dance party!

Others pulled out the frozen peas (and then fought with the beasts who were convinced that the peas were for them).

Others wrote dear diary entries.

Dear Diary,

So I got home from work and decided that I should just do it and run outdoors - never mind the treadmill, I'm in training damn it!  It was a little cool, so I dug out a pair of leggings from my drawer, threw on a sweatshirt and away I went.  Remembering the wise words of my running sensei, this trek would be 80% mental so I prepared my mind to retain valuable lessons from this, my maiden run.

This is what I learned today:

It really sucks when you land smack dab in the middle of a puddle and get a huge soaker and you're not even out of the driveway.

It's not a good idea to initially take off sprinting down the street like your chasing Usain Bolt for his title, one tends to get winded quickly this way and wants to turn around and go home to eat cake.

It's okay to forget your water bottle because the vomit swirling in the back of your throat keeps your mouth moist.

You really shouldn't wear a pair a cotton leggings intended to be worn with cute stiletto boots as cotton does not hold it's shape when soaked with sweat and it's damn hard to run with your crotch around your knees.

It takes me 28 minutes even to sprint, then run, then walk, then trip, then hobble, then walk, then jog, then crawl to my daughter's house, who is now my favorite child because she drove me home!

So I did it.....80% mental eh? I now know that is a double entendre because despite what I've learned,  I realize I must be mental because I love every minute of it and am doing it again tomorrow !!!

Love,

Soggy in Stilettos 

Some made friends with their bottle of Advil.

Others went cross country skiing.

And finally the girl with the peas enjoyed a lazy afternoon with some equally lazy vegetarian cabbage rolls.

Lazy Vegetarian Cabbage Rolls

*1 recipe tomato basil sauce (see below) + 1/2 C water

1 T olive oil

5 cups shredded cabbage (your food processor is your friend) 

2 cups mixed grains cooked(I used spelt berries & bulgar wheat)

Heat olive oil in a large frying pan. Saute cabbage for approximately 5 minutes or until it is almost tender. 

 At this point you have two choices:

You can place 2 cups of sauce on the bottom of a 9 x 13 rectangular glass or ceramic baking dish, evenly spread mixed grains over tomato sauce, evenly spread cabbage over mixed grains.  Top with remaining sauce.  

the less lazy layered version

If that all seems like too much and you aren't so concerned about how it will look simply combine all ingredients in a large bowl and pour into baking dish.

Bake at 350 for 25 minutes.

Tomato Basil Sauce

ingredients

1 T olive oil, earth balance, or butter

2 medium cooking onions (2 C) diced

2 cloves local garlic finely chopped

2 large cans diced tomatoes with spices1 can water

3/4 dried red lentils (do not substitute with green)

1/2 C fresh basil roughly chopped

1 tsp dried oregano

Over medium heat warm olive oil.  Add onions stirring occasionally until onions are soft (5 min).  Add garlic and saute for approximately 2 minutes.  Add tomatoes and water.  Add dried red lentils.  Allow to simmer for 30 minutes.  Using a hand held blender puree until desired consistency is reached. Add fresh basil and dried oregano  and allow to simmer for an additional 10 minutes. 

*Alternatively add 3/4 C red lentils + 1/2 C water to a commercial sauce and simmer for 30 minutes before adding to vegetarian cabbage rolls.  You will need approximately 6 cups of sauce in total.

Will Run For Thai Coconut Soup

I'm not a big fan of winter running.  Mostly, I freeze for the first km and then I find myself peeling off the layers and putting them back on until the run is over.  I am  however, a  fan of big bowls of Thai coconut soup after a frosty run.  

Farmer was kind enough to let us (Jeb, Hank, & I) join her for a run this Saturday.  Farmer doesn't actually like running with us.  I'm pretty sure she only invited us along because she was sure that we wouldn't take her up on the offer.

  Apparently I talk too much.   Hank prances along so effortlessly that he makes it look like you might be moving backwards or at the very least standing still.  Jeb is a bit of a spectacle.  He prances.  He rarely prances at the pace you've selected.  He's either so tired he can hardly bear to walk (or so he makes it seem) or he's so excited that he wants to gallop.  Occasionally the run turns into a contact sport when both of the boys get a twinkle in their eye and decide that it would be a good time to tackle each other.

People stare.  It might have something to do with the tunes that farmer belts out.  It might be the spandex.  It's hard to say.  We may not be running together for a while.  

  Will Run For Thai Coconut Soup

(Serves 8)

Ingredients

1T coconut oil

1T minced garlic

1 T minced ginger

1 medium onion roughly chopped

8 C vegetable broth

2 T Bragg (or soy sauce)
1 tsp red curry paste

2 stalks lemongrass (cut bulbs into 2-3 inch pieces and discard the stalk)

1 C full fat coconut milk

1 C cooked rice noodles

1 1/2 C mushrooms (e.g. button)

1 C sliced carrot

2 C broccoli florets

1/4 C red pepper thinly sliced

1-2 T fresh cilantro

3 T lime juice

In a medium pot bring water to a boil.  Cook rice noodles according to package directions.

Heat coconut oil in a large pot.  Add onion and cook until translucent.  Add garlic and ginger and cook for 1-2 minutes.  Add vegetable broth, red curry paste, Bragg and lemongrass.  Bring to a boil, add carrots and simmer for approximately 5 minutes.  Add mushrooms, broccoli and red pepper.  Simmer for 10-15 minutes or until vegetables reach desired firmness.  Add coconut milk, rice noodles, lime juice and cilantro.  Remove lemongrass pieces and discard.

running is hard work

I have no idea that I don't actually fit in this tiny space.