Lovely Lentil & Sweet Potato Soup

This is a wonderfully easy, fragrant, and nutritious variation on the classic lentil soup. Seeing as how I hadn't eaten solid food in almost 12 days when I made this soup, I was really excited to eat something hot, simple, and flavorful--and this delivered big time. After completing a 10 day Master Cleanse followed by a post-cleanse day of fresh squeezed OJ and grapefruit, then post-cleanse day 2 of OJ and 1/4 of a veggie sandwich for lunch, I assembled a variety of organic veggies and spices and got cooking. All measurements are approximate and improvised, natch.

Lovely Lentil & Sweet Potato Soup
1 medium sweet potato
2 cloves garlic
4 stalks celery
10-15 baby carrots
1 can diced tomatoes
1/2 yellow onion
1 c. red lentils
salt and pepper to taste
approx 1 c. Magic Green Infusion (see recipe below)

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Scrub sweet potato with hands or veggie brush, then rub with a light coating of olive oil. Cut off the tops of the garlic cloves and rub with oil as well. Bake potato and garlic on foil-covered sheet for about 45 minutes. I suggest a nap while you wait :)
2. Let potato and garlic cool. Dice all veggies. Make Magic Green Infusion.
3. Put small bit of olive oil in a large soup pot and add medium heat. Add onion and celery, stirring occasionally for about five minutes.
4. Add tomatoes, carrots, sweet potatoes and (peeled) roasted garlic cloves, and cover with about six cups of spring water. Let simmer for about 15 minutes.
5. Remove sweet potato chunks with a slotted spoon, and puree with a bit of the broth.
6. Return sweet potato puree to the pot, add Magic Green Infusion and lentils and let simmer (NEVER BOIL!) for about 40 minutes.
7. YUM!


Magic Green Infusion
approx 2 cups flat parsley
10-20 whole cloves garlic
approx 1 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice
approx 4 Tbsp. olive oil
ground black pepper to taste
ground sea salt to taste
dried italian seasoning blend to taste (thyme, rosemary, basil, etc.)
1 cup water or broth

Blend all ingredients until smooth and bright green. Stir in to any soup while cooking--it adds a ton of flavor, nutrition and color.

Top Model Tilapia...

...which is to say, I had so much fun messing around with these recipes that I forgot to watch America's Next Top Model. Probably for the best. What follows are recipes for a tasty tilapia dish and two veggies sides, all super easy, pretty healthy, and yum. This evening of simple and improvised eating was brought to you by love, sweet love. Yes, the kind of love where a girl goes weeks and months without cooking three of her favoritest, healthiest foods, all because her darling boyfriend despises them, leaving her bereft, and craving them all, right now, at once!

Happily, new roomie was down to try the goods. We chomped, and I chased the whole shebang with a Heine and some chocolate ice cream :)

The Menu
Tilapia in a Confetti Cream Sauce
Maple Mustard Sweet Potatoes
Broccoli Soup with Cheddar

Tilapia in a Confetti Cream Sauce
1/4 white onion
2 cloves garlic
kernels from one ear of fresh corn, boiled
1/2 red pepper
1/4 c. fresh parsley
2 Tbsp. olive oil
2 Tbsp. half and half
2 Tbsp. corn meal
ground black pepper
ground sea salt
ground red pepper flakes
1 lb. tilapia

1. Process everything except the fish until you get a thick, greenish, and generally unappetizing looking goo. I'm curious to try this and keep the consistency more like a salsa or salad, but creamy and a little vomitous is how it went (and worked!) on the first go.
2. Place tilapia fillets in a baking dish (I used glass. Thanks, dishwasher!). Cover with the veggie cream sauce and bake at 350 for about 25 minutes.

Maple Mustard Sweet Potatoes
1 large sweet potato
2 Tbsp. creole mustard
2 Tbsp. grade B maple syrup
1 Tbsp. olive oil
ground sea salt
ground black pepper

1. Wash potato thoroughly, then give the skin a good rub down with some olive oil. Cut in half, then in quarters, then into thin, french-fryish slices.
2. Place slices in a narrow baking dish and add remaining ingredients. Mix well until potatoes are coated.
3. Bake at 350 for at least an hour. At 35 minutes, remember to pop in the tilapia.

Broccoli Soup with Cheddar
1 16oz container Imagine Organic Broccoli soup
fresh broccoli
Cheddar cheese, grated

1. This barely qualifies as a recipe, but hey, why not? Make it about 5 minutes before the other two dishes are finished.
2. Heat soup in a pot, add salt and pepper to taste.
3. Steam up the broccoli. I do this in a white-trashy sort of way involving a moist paper towel and a microwave, but you're probably a little classier. Put a few big pieces of the steamed broccoli into a pair of small bowls (I used ramekins).
4. Pour the heated soup over the fresh broccoli and top with Cheddar.

Final note: Don't be afraid to overspice these babies. Tilapia, sweet potato and broccoli are mild and gentle, and a little heat is required to bring them onto the dance floor.

Easiest White Bean Soup

This is in no way my own creation, but it was definitely made on the fly and proved to be quick, easy and soothing. Excellent with bread and salad, probably fabulous with grilled cheese:

3 cans white beans
2 Tbsp. olive oil
1 32 oz container organic chicken broth or veggie broth
3-4 carrots, scrubbed and diced
3-4 celery stalks, rinsed and diced
2-10 garlic cloves to taste, minced
1 medium onion, minced
ground black pepper to taste
sea salt to taste
dried rosemary to taste
dried thyme to taste

1. Heat olive oil in a large pot, then add garlic and onion and stir until soft and sweaty.
2. Add carrots, celery, and any other veggies you have on hand. Cook on low-medium for a bout five minutes, stirring occasionally.
3. Add all remaining ingredients and bring to a simmer. Cook for about 5-10 minutes, depending on how soft you like your veggies.
4. Using a large measuring cup or a mug, carefully remove about half of the soup and process until smooth in a blender or food processor. Try to get an equal ratio of broth and chunks when you do this.
5. Return the blended soup to the pot, stir together, and serve (with a little chopped fresh herbs on top if you want to get fancy).

Chicken Soup for the Lazy Girl's Soul

I made this soup last Saturday and still have leftovers in the freezer. Good stuff. I'd made a basic version several times before (based closely on Sundry's recipe), but on this go-round I freestyled a delicious spice sauce that was the perfect addition to a vat of homeade soup. It was easy and very similar to the Magic Green Dressing I told you about. Both are easy and cheap--recipes below!

Magic Green Infusion
approx 1 cup flat parsley
10-20 whole cloves garlic
approx 1 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice
ground black pepper to taste
ground sea salt to taste
dried italian seasoning blend to taste (thyme, rosemary, basil, etc.)
1 cup water or broth

Blend all ingredients until smooth and bright green. Stir in to any soup while cooking--it adds a ton of flavor, nutrition and color.

Vat o' Homeade Chicky Soup
Store Bought Rotisserie Chicken
1 32 oz container chicken broth
32 oz filtered water
3-4 carrots, peeled and chopped
3-4 stalks celery, peeled and chopped
1-2 roma tomatoes, peeled and chopped
8-10 oz egg noodles
2 eggs, beaten well
Magic Green Infusion

1. Using hands, pull all chicken meat from the bone and set aside. Place large bones and some skin in a big pot. Cover with water and broth and bring to a boil. Throw away all little bones, gristle, extra skin, etc.
2. Chop chicken and veggies, and make Magic Green Infusion. Let stock cook at med-high while you do this--about 20 minutes.
3. Remove bones and skin from broth and throw out. I find tongs and/or a slotted spoon gets the job done. Reduce heat to simmer and add chicken meat, vegetables, and Magic Green.
4. Simmer until veggies begin to soften--about 5-7 minutes.
5. Very SLOWLY pour in beaten eggs while constantly stirring soup.
6. Add noodles and simmer for about 10 more minutes, or until noodles are cooked.
7. Chomp CHOMP!