New Choices, New Blog

There's some breaking news in terms of my blog and my diet. After a lot of back and forth in my own mind, research and reading, and some general soul-searching, I've decided to adopt a vegan diet. This may not come as a huge surprise, as the vast majority of my recipes in this blog have been vegetarian, and many of have been vegan or easily vegan-ized. So, in honor of my decision, I've started a new blog, Runs on Plants. I plan to chronicle the food and fitness aspects of my life, and maybe include some musings on larger news and events related to those topics. And of course, I'll include lots of tasty recipes. I hope you'll continue to read and follow me on my new blog! Happy eating!

Seasonal Soup

As evidenced by my many posts on the topic, i LOVE soup. There is just nothing like curling up with a big steamy bowl of a comforting soup. Even better is when I can use super seasonal ingredients in them. I decided that this fall and winter I will attempt to work my way through every kind of winter squash I can reasonably get my hands on. Butternut squash is a no brainer; I love it, and use it in everything. Tonight, my squash of choice was acorn squash. I got some inspiration for this soup by poking around some various recipe search engines and coming up with something that worked for me. As usual, I served this with a green salad and homemade lemon vinaigrette and some toasted Italian bread. You'll be happy to know this soup recipe is quick, nutritious, and large; be ready with your Pyrex because you will have leftovers!


ACORN SQUASH AND BEAN SOUP
-olive oil
-salt and pepper
-2 leeks, washed and chopped (don't use the tough outer green parts)
-3 cloves garlic, minced
-1 acorn squash, peeled, seeded, and chopped
-5 cups vegetable stock or water
-a bouquet garni* of a few parsley stalks, a few sage leaves, a thyme sprig, a bay leaf, and a few black peppercorns
-1 16 oz. can canellinni beans, drained

-Heat a few tablespoons of olive oil in a large dutch oven over medium heat.
-Add leeks and cook for 7-8 minutes, then add garlic and continue to cook, stirring occasionally, for another 3-4 minutes.
-Add the squash to the pot, and cook for about 5 minutes.
-Pour the stock or water in the pot over the vegetables. Place the bouquet garni in the liquid and stir.
-Bring the soup to a boil, then simmer for 20 minutes. Add the drained beans, and continue to cook for another 10 minutes or so, until the squash is fork tender.
-Remove the soup from the heat, and use an immersion blender to puree the soup. Put the soup back on the heat to bring up to temperature, and serve, garnished with chopped parsley.

*A note about the bouquet garni. We've all seen the pictures of the cute little bundle of herbs tied up in twine. There is a shortcut. I use loose leaf tea filters. These are just little porous bags you'd normally steep your tea in, but I've found they are perfect for stuffing with herbs and simmering in soups and sauces. Just take out and throw away (or better yet, compost) the package when you're ready to finish the dish. Way easier than trying to tie up a bunch of herbs so none fall out!

Decadent Dessert, No Guilt

Tonight I made a stir-fry for dinner, but sorry everyone, it will just have to wait until tomorrow. Dessert tonight took center stage and I just can't wait to share it. This is super easy and so delicious, and you will think you are enjoying something so sinful; but you're not! This makes one 16 oz. serving, so multiply as needed.

BANANA CHOCOLATE "MILK"SHAKE
-1 cup cold almond milk
-1-2 frozen bananas, in chunks (depending on how thick you like your shake)
-1 tbsp chocolate syrup of your choice

-Combine all the ingredients in the blender.
-Blend until smooth. Serve right away.

Sorry about the lack of a photo, I drank this down too quickly to get one. You won't blame me once you try this. Next time you want a sweet, rich treat, give this shake a shot.

Warming Risotto

There's not much I like better on a fall evening than a big bowl of risotto. It's also one of those dishes that I like to make when I feel like being over a warm stove in a cozy kitchen. Unfortunately, I have spoken to any number of people who think of risotto as a "restaurant" dish; it's just not something they make at home. Maybe all the stirring is intimidating, or they have a fear of over or under cooking it. Well, I want to dispel the myth that risotto is a hard dish to make. I would even go so far to say that it's pretty easy!

As you may know, I'm a big fan of the Recipes for Health series in the New York Times. Even if I don't follow the recipes exactly, I can always find some inspiration here. The recipe I made last night, Risotto with Roasted Winter Squash, didn't need any changes (except of course the usual swap for vegetable stock). I opted to use butternut squash, since it's my favorite. The roasting really brings out the natural sweetness of the squash and that really made for a unique risotto. The dish is usually savory through and through, but the sweet squash provided a nice sweet/savory contrast here. So please, try this recipe! I am sure it will be a success. And work from the base here. Get creative with your veggies and herbs and you'll have plenty of tasty options.