soup (extravaganza!)

Oh, man. So tonight I got really crazy with the soups. I decided I wanted to make one with the beautiful, seasonal organic leeks I had, but then I also really wanted to make one with Ventura's Thai curry pesto that was calling out to me from my fridge. And the two just couldn't come together in my mind... So I decided that since I was going to trash my kitchen making one soup, I might as well simultaneously make another one as well.

First soup was leek and mushroom.



I used reconstituted dried shitakes that I can get for pretty darn cheap at my local supermarket. (And then I used the mushroom soaking liquid as the broth- always delicious!) There was also some thyme, some Braggs, some white wine, and verious other good stuff. I drizzled a little truffle oil on top, and also put some minced parsely on Katie's. It turned out really earthy and filling. Missing a hint of something, but I'm not sure what...

Next was my Thai inspired soup!I satueed some of Ventura's thai curry pesto, then added (in no particular order) coconut milk, cooked sweet potato, cooked peas, cooked rice noodles, jalepeno, some broth... (and, naturally pureed it all at the end...) All of this made for a really, really tasty and dynamic soup. It seriously lit up parts of my mouth I had all but forgotten about. Cheers to that.

charlie brown (through a straw)

Growing up, one of our local ice cream places made a flavor of ice cream called "charlie brown." It was my sister Jen's favorite. It was chocolate based, and had thick swirls of peanut butter running through it. Tonight, I made a "peanut butter chocolate smoothie." Oddly enough, the recipe was in an ad in one of the Shape magazines my good friend Jacqui Stafford, Shape's wonderful style director, sent me while I was recovering. It was ABSOLUTELY delicious! Really, really, really! Here is my version: into a blender put about a cup of chocolate soy milk, 4-5 ice cubes, 2 T of creamy natural peanut putter, and 1/2 sliced frozen banana (whenever I have bananas that are about to get too ripe i slice 'em up and put them in a container in the freezer). I also added a scoop of chocolate protein powder and a scoop of fiber powder, but these are non-essential. The end result was like a chocolate peanut butter sundae through a straw.

And the best part was that the peanut butter didn't totally blend, so I'd occasionally slurp up a smooth ribbon of peanut butter encased in chocolate. Yes, folks- this one is a keeper!

soupergirl (and i'm not talking about me...)

Recently a friend handed me a soupergirl postcard and told me I should give one of her soups a try during this little liquid adventure I'm on. So last week I placed my order for a quart of (I can't remember the exact name...) sweet potato/coconut/peanut soup.

Soupergirl is a local woman who makes fresh soups each week, and you can either pick them up at a location here in DC, or have them delivered (heck- even with brownies if you want- vegan or regular!) right to your door, for a small fee. Myself, being a rather fee adverse person- small or otherwise- opted for the pickup. So today on my way home, I stopped in Greater Goods and picked up my quart of soup. By the time I got home I was famished, and heated up half of the soup, and put the other half in a container for tomorrow's lunch or dinner. I have to say, it was pretty tasty (but slightly under-salted, which is fine b/c it's easy to add a little salt, but also a little too much OJ, which was not so great). I still love cooking soup, and think I prefer my own homemade soups, but for those of you who want delicious, fresh, local soup, and don't want to go to the trouble yourself, I think soupergirl is a great option! If you live in DC, definitely give her a try.

quinoa (sweet style)

Hey- so who knew quinoa could be so darn tasty as a dessert? My good friend Katie made me the most delicious one ever. Search on the www for a quinoa dessert recipe, and imagine that with some orange rind, and a little bit of Guatemala's finest rum. Then it goes in a blender, and then in an adorable star dish, and then I eat (drink) it, and then... the world becomes a slightly better place.

book club (and soup)

Tonight was my monthly book club gathering. I love book club, both because it is a group of great women, and because it forces me to read books that I might not otherwise read. But the thing about book club, is that it is also sort of a 'food club.' We take turns hosting, and the host makes a main dish, and the guests all bring something to contribute- salad, wine, desert, wine, appetizer... you know. Not surprisingly, tonight my contribution was soup and wine. I made a 'spicy butternut squash soup' courtesy of my good friend Beth, who got the recipe from "Vegetable Harvest." In addition to roasted butternut squash, in the soup was an apple, various other ingredients, and some curry powder and ground ginger.



The flavors collided for a great mix of 'vegetable mellow' and sweet and spicy. I must say here, I love my little spice container system. Check it out. I have two boxes of these little round containers. Man, how I take pleasure in the little things...

polynesian peanut soup

Tonight's dinner was a really interesting and rich combination of flavors. The recipe again came from the "A Beautiful Bowl of Soup" book my friend Molly gave me, and was delightfully easy. I first sauteed a chopped onion, some chopped ginger, and 4 minced cloves of garlic in some peanut oil, until soft. I then put the onion mixture in a blender and added a can of coconut milk, 3/4 c. peanut butter, 3/4 c. veg. broth, about 1/2 c. mango chutney, a minced jalapeno (sans seeds), and a handful of cilantro. I then blended it on high for a couple of minutes and returned it to the dutch oven that the onion was cooked in, to heat it through. I must say it really filled me up, more than any soup I've had so far, and it was absolutely delectable! A special note on the mango chutney- I am lucky to have a plethora of the most wonderful and fresh condiments in my fridge right now, thanks to my friend Ventura and his amazing company, Greek Island Spice. All of his products transform the ordinary, into the extraordinary, so thanks V.!

wonderful eggplant soup (and friends!)

On Saturday I headed to MI, where I met up with some good friends I lived with my senior year of college. It is a wonderful group of eclectic, smart women. We get together every year, and in addition to lots of great chatting, food tends to be a prominent feature at our gatherings. Since I wasn't able to 'chow down' on our usual plethora of tastiness, one of my girlfriends made me the most delicious eggplant soup. She first roasted the whole eggplant in the oven, and then cut it open, scooped out the middle, and simmered it with some roma tomatoes, garlic & onion, oregano, and broth (and perhaps some other stuff...).

It was then pureed, and I added a dollop of homemade basil pesto, that I stirred into the soup. It was divine (and the time with the ladies, was- of course- priceless)!

a beautiful day in Andersonville, Chicago

Before law school, I lived on the boarder of the Uptown and Andersonville neighborhoods in Chicago. My maternal grandmother's maiden name is "Anderson" and I've always loved the neighborhood both for our common Sweedish heritage, and for what it has evolved into. A rather ecletic mix urban wonder. I returned yesterday, and had a great day.

A highlight was sitting outside the wonderful Kopi Cafe on Clarke St., at a little table that was part in the shade, and part in the sun. I had a big bowl of miso broth, and a large green tea 'shake.' I was wearing sandals, and the sun was warm. I read my book "Little Bee" in between the sips from my straw. It was one of those perfect spring afternoon moments...

zucchini garlic soup

Tonight's *very* tasty soup was zucchini garlic soup. Here is the recipe I used as my guide, from the folks at the wonderful apartmenttherapy.com. As I type this, I'm slurping up 'thirds' it was so good. In my version I substituted a cup of thawed frozen shelled edamame in place of one of the zucchinis, for some added protein (apparently very important for my jaw healing process). I didn't peel the zucchini, because I didn't want to take the time to, and because I wanted the color and the fiber. I also used all veggie stock, a handful of chopped fresh chives (because I had them) and 10 cloves of garlic (yes, 10). Oh- and I forgot to add the ginger initially, but just added some to my 'thirds', and liked the dimension it added, but in no way think it is essential. Anyhow, when zucchinis are in their peak season this summer, I will definitely be making this again! The only thing I'd change is I think I'll try and use white pepper. Fancy, I know, but I think white pepper would make this soup just a little prettier. I have whole white pepper now that I almost used, but I need to get it its own little mini grinder. I'll be on the lookout for one.

quinoa corn chowder

Tonight's dinner is some leftover soup I had in the freezer from a few months back. It's a delicious vegan Quinoa Corn Chowder.


I made it without the potatoes, both because back when I cooked it I was watching my carbs, and also because I just don't love potatoes. I also think I added some cumin. As you will see if you click the link, the recipe I used as my guide is from www.fatfreevegan.com. Don't be scared by the name- she has lots of really great recipes and you should definitely check her out! (However, I must say this recipe also looks really tasty, although I'd make it with my trusty TJ's soy milk. ) Anyhow, I thawed the leftovers and threw them in the blender with some fresh cilantro (from Sunday's farmer market, stored washed, in a plastic bag in the fridge wrapped in a damp paper towel- the best!), and it made for a very tasty dinner!

easter (green) smoothie

Today's (green) smoothie was a new combination: spinach, a little frozen banana, frozen cherries, a little soy milk, a little berry juice, a dash of blue agave syrup, and the usual scoop of vanilla soy protein powder and scoop of fiber powder. It was really good, but I think next time I'll use chocolate protein powder, no bananas, and chocolate soy milk for a chocolate covered cherry inspired beverage. I'll let you know how it works out.

I want to give a special shout out to the soy milk I swear by. Trader Joe's 'Soy Essential' is the best I've found in terms of taste and nutritional value (see above). I love that it's unsweetened, and has all of the nutrients so important for those of us who don't eat meat and who eat limited or no dairy. And for under $2 a box it is a great value. Also, for those of you who have not yet discovered the wonders of agave syrup, it is a wonderful 'raw' low-gyclemic index sweetener. Great in baking, or to sweeten up your smoothies just a little bit. Happy Easter!

friday dinner at katie and jeremy's

Katie and Jeremy hosted a delicious pea soup dinner on friday. The pea soup was sooooooo good. Not that slimy bland stuff you might have grown to fear. It was bright, and flavorful, and filling. Katie mentioned something about garlic, olive oil, and peas, and has promised the full recipe. I also tried putting some of the salad in a blender, after recently viewing a 'lettuce soup' recipe, but let's just say that didn't go so well. Karen contributed desert; a bright fuschia concoction of frozen mango sorbet purred with beets! I'm not usually the biggest beet fan, but it was surprisingly tasty! Thanks guys!

everlasting life

Today I went to Everlasting Life for the first time. It's a 'soul vegan gourmet' restaurant and juice bar in Columbia Heights on Georgia Ave. I use the term "restaurant" lightly here, as it's really just a counter in the back of a restaurant that is under construction. At the suggestion of my friend Ryan who I went with, I opted for the "almond joy" smoothie, and man was it tasty! It is made with raw almonds, vanilla soymilk, cinnamon, and a little coconut milk. The expert Ryan says it's usually made with almond milk, so I think when I give it a go at home, I'll use almond milk. They also had an assortment of pretty delicious looking vegan food, that I think I might go back for when I can chew again. It was a beautiful day in DC, so after our tasty smoothies we went for a short walk in Rock Creek Park, as I still don't have my normal enegy level back. Argh. But it's the weekend! Happy Passover and Easter, folks.

a milkshake for dinner

So for all of my friends who keep telling me to try and gain a couple of pounds back, tonight's dinner was a milkshake from Gifford's! Gifford's has apparently been making ice cream and candy in the Washington area since 1938, and they sure know how to make it. I asked the ladies behind the counter to make the milkshake on the 'milky' side for me, to be sure I could drink it through the straw. They were super-friendly, and kindly obliged. I ordered a whole-milk milkshake with 2 scoops of chocolate, and one scoop of coffee. It was delicious (but no, not particularly nutritious). But, I guess plenty of calcium is something I need for my jaw healing, and I think I probably got a good dose with 'dinner' tonight. Karen, Juile and I went after seeing "The Reader" at E St. Cinema. It was a good night!

today's fresh juice

Today's fresh juice combo was another delicious one! The mix: a handful of tuscan kale + 1 green apple + 1 green anjou pear + 2 carrots + 1/2 lemon. OK, so the color isn't so great, but I promise it tastes really good! (Oh, and yes that is a reused clementine box in the back. I just love 'em for storing extra no-refrigeration-required produce).

guest chef Lina!

Tonight, my friend Lina came over and cooked me 2 delicious soups to stock my 'fridge and freezer with. One was a mushroom soup, made with the most beautiful trumpet mushrooms from Sunday's farmer's market, together with some organic 'baby bella' mushrooms (see bottom photo). The other was a seafood coconut thai inspired soup (see middle 2 photos). Lina is a wonderful cook who can just throw things together and have them turn out perfectly, so unfortunately I'm not able to provide recipes or detailed instructions here. But I can tell you that both were absolutely stunning. Since Lina was cooking up some particularly delicious (through a straw) food, I decided to break out one of my particularly delicious wines- a Medlock Ames Sauvignon Blanc. Medlock Ames is one of my favorite wineries, both to visit and to drink. They grow beautiful organic grapes, and have goats "mow" in between vines. If you ever have the chance to taste one of their wines, take it. They are great eco-friendly folks, and make wonderful taste-friendly wines!

green smoothie of the day

Today's green smoothie featured an avocado, spinach, frozen banana, orange-pineapple juice, and special grass-fed mango banana yogurt. Whenever I have bananas that are on the verge of being past their prime, I slice 'em up, and put them in a container in the freezer so they are ready to go when I need them in a smoothie. Also, I want to give a shout out to "Traderspoint Creamery" yogurt. It is quite possibly the most delicious yogurt I've ever had. It is from a family owned 'artisan dairy', and is "produced with care for the environment and animal well being." My colleagues kindly bought it for me, as part of a bunch of groceries they gave me as a 'get well' gift. (Yes- I'm lucky to work with great folks!) In addition to putting it in my smoothies, I'm drinking it during the day as a snack dilueted with water. It's tasty stuff, my friends. As for the avocado, well that has interesting origins. I first had smoothies with avocados when I was in northern Kenya for work last summer. The small 'restaurant' that provided us with lunch every day, would put avocado in their fruit juice. That was when I first learned what a great combination avocado and fruit juice is. And of course during this time, avocados provide much needed fat. Give it a try- throw one in your next smoothie, or just throw one in the blender with some fruit juice. Chances are, you'll dig it!

blended cornbread- who knew it could be so tasty

Tonight my friends Julie, Cephas and Karen had me over to their great house in Columbia Heights for a delicious, nutritious dinner (through a straw). Cephas made a wonderful cream of cauliflower soup, and some excellent cornbread. What- cornbread!? you say. Yes, I had cornbread with my dinner. And folks, let me tell you, you would be surprised at how tasty liquid cornbread is. We put a peice of cast iron pan cooked cornbread (well, a few pieces actually, by the time the evening was done) in a blender with some milk, and pureed until sufficiently liquid. Cephas then heated it back up a little, and I had it with a straw along side of my soup. It made for a really delicious side. I also had a nice sauvigon blanc with the meal. The only item not captured by photo was the excellent fresh strawberry smoothies. Cephas blended fresh strawberries with vanilla frozen yougurt and a little guava juice concentrate. A perfect end to a very tasty meal with friends.

Moroccan chickpea stew with roasted red pepper coulis

My friend Molly gave me a wonderful soup cookbook as a 'recovery gift.' The book is A Beautiful Bowl of Soup: The Best Vegetarian Recipes. (Thanks, Molly!) I made my first soup from the cookbook tonight, and it turned out wonderful. I modified it slightly, and here is my version.

First, in blender, blend: 1/4-1/2 cup of roasted red peppers (I used the jarred variety from Trader Joes), 1 T olive oil, a dash of red wine vinegar, a bit of salt, and a bit of sugar. Let puree until very smooth. Set aside, then rinse out blender so it will be ready for the soup.

In a couple of tablespoons of olive oil saute:
a chopped onion
3 cloves of garlic, minced
a chopped red bell pepper
2 chopped carrots
stir occasionally over med-high heat for about 10 minutes. Add a little white wine to the bottom of the pan if it gets too brown (or water if you prefer).
Add about a teaspoon each of cumin and turmeric. Add about 1/2 teaspoon of cayenne (to taste) and 2 t of thyme. Add a can of chickpeas (drained), 3 cups of veggie broth, and the juice of half of a lemon. Add S&P to taste. Let simmer for 5-10 mins, and then put in blender, and blend on high for a couple of minutes, until- yes, you guessed it- you can drink it through a straw.

Pour into a bowl, and add a couple of circles of the roasted red pepper coulis. This is a REALLY delicious soup. I'll probably even make it when I can eat solid food.

great green smoothie combo

My lunch today was a particularly yummy green smoothie.


Here is the lineup: a handful of spinach, a little water, some soy milk, a banana, some frozen mango chunks, a scoop of protein powder, a scoop of fiber powder, a little vanilla, and a little blue agave nectar. It had a wonderful tropical flavor, and the most beautiful spring green color!

Delicious drink from the juicer

After a trip to the Dupont Circle farmer's market this morning, I had a delicious drink from my juicer. Here is the combo:

In my juicer I combined: 2 carrots, 1 parsnip, 1 pear, 1 green apple, 1 small piece of ginger, and 1/2 of a lime. I put in a glass and diluted with some water. It made for a very refreshing combination!

Breakfast- cream of wheat

My favorite breakfast so far has to be milky cream of wheat! I make a serving of cream of wheat according to the instructions on the box (cooking on the stove top), and then put it in the blender along with plenty of soy milk. Then I add some maple syrup, cinnamon, clove, and a little vanilla. Thin it with a little water, until it's the desired consistency (aka you can drink it out of a straw). It's sooooo good. Also the maple syrup and cinnamon have various micro nutrients that hopefully will help with the healing. Enjoy.

so exciting- new food blog for liquid diets!

I was recently in a hit-and-run bike accident, and as a result my jaw was broken. To fix it, I now have my jaw wired shut for over a month. The hospital told me that "Ensure" meal replacements would be key for my nutrition, and that I should subsist primarily off of Ensure. However I love REAL food and appreciate REAL nutrition too much to heed that advice. (The first three ingredients of Ensure are water, sugar, and corn syrup!) Unfortunately, though, there seems to be a shortage of food blogs catered to folks who can only have meals through a straw. Sooooo I've decided to do something of a food blog here, while recovering. You know, make it my outlet- part of my therapy and recovering process- use it to keep me motivated.

I don't really put a label on my food habits, but I will say that I believe that the key to good nutrition (and a happy planet!) is a primarily plant-based diet, filled with a variety of fruits, vegetables and legumes- but tasty style, not boring style!

Oh, and I also love to cook, and love delicious food and wine, so you can expect to see lots of these things here.

Maybe a few folks out there will stumble upon this, and find something in my journey even a little helpful... that would be great.

Cheers,
Jess