Chew on This

Here in Calgary, we are in our 5th straight day of deep freeze.  Actually all of Western Canada is in the same situation.  Coaxing my frozen Land Rover out of hibernation has been another challenge - Let's just say that a Land Rover is not a Calgary winter vehicle - this has been the most costly vehicle I've ever owned, and I will never recommend one to anybody! But this isn't really my point today.  I think today is a perfect day to document some of my latest hearty, healthy cold weather comfort foods.  The following recipes are my own creations, often based on the classics, but modified to suit my budget or to improve nutritional values.

Power Boost Black Bean Soup

This version of Black Bean Soup will help your immune system cope with the challenges of deep freeze weather. Packed with good, fibre carbs for fuel, and a variety of nutrient dense veggies, this is a low fat, one pot meal will appeal to the whole family.

Ingredients:

Olive oil - enough to coat bottom of pot

1 - onion diced

3-4 cloves garlic - chopped

1 med sized sweet potato - med diced

1/2 head cauliflower - chopped florets

1 green pepper - chopped

2 med carrots - chopped

4 cups fresh packed spinach

1 14oz can tomatoes - or 4 fresh

2 cans black beans - drained and rinsed (can use more beans if you are feeding a crowd, and you can add white or kidney beans for 1 of the cans if need be)

4-6 cups stock of any flavour or hot water (you may need to add some salt if only using water)

1/4 cup wheat germ

2 Tbs ground cumin

1 Tbs ground turmeric

Chili flakes to taste or 1/2 tsp ground chili powder (add a little at a time and taste after a few min. of adding or it could get too spicy for the kids!)

black pepper to taste

low fat sour cream or Greek style plain yogurt

fresh lime wedges

Do it this way:

In a large pot, saute onions and garlic on med heat for 3 min.  toss in the next 4 veggies and cook for 5-10min, making sure the onions don't burn.

Sprinkle on the wheat germ and Cumin and Turmeric to coat the veggies.

Add the tomatoes spinach, 1 can of beans, and stock.

Simmer for 10-15 min until veggies are tender.

Remove from heat and use an immersion blender to blend until smooth.  Now, none of the veggies are identifiable to anyone under the age of 16.

Put pot back on low heat and add the other can of beans along with the hot pepper or chili powder to taste.

If you need salt and pepper - add it here. Heat for 5 more mins.

Serve this with garlic toast or hunks of artisan bread, a green salad, and top each bowl with a spoonful of sour cream and lime wedge.

Don't freak out about the long ingredient list - you can use as many or as few veggies as you like - although the onions, garlic and tomatoes are a must - and you don't really need the wheat germ, but it gives you a nice fibre, vit.B and folate boost.

More recipes to follow

I'm still looking for dishes that include wild game and foraged fodder - so if you are a hunter,(or the wife of one) send something in to me!

Some Decisions are More Difficult than Others

I had a very vivid dream the other night - so vivid that I remember it, and how it made me feel, even now. I'm at an event with my family, that I'm not really comfortable with being at. Now, that's not unusual - I'm not usually comfortable at any event...but as I walk outside of the party, down a long, green lawn, towards a large body of water, I feel the absurd need to get across that water to some unknown destination on the other side of the bay. It's evening and the wind is picking up. I walk over to a small dock as the wind starts to make the lake dark and choppy. Now it is not a resort type of lake, but has become an industrial  shipping lane - wide, deep and cold. There is a type of water conveyor belt which is taking long flat portable folding tables from the dock, and shooting them across the bay to the other side, which I can not see.  Without giving it a thought, I step on the next table to go by. Suddenly I'm on a "raft" with nothing to hold on to in the middle of a cold, violent body of water.  For some reason there is a railing sticking up about one third of the distance of the lake. I grab it and stop myself from going further.  Ahead was almost certain death from being sucked into whatever void the tables are being sent to, and behind me is a vicious current of icy dark water - I could never swim back - another certain death.  What the heck am I doing here??? I most certainly can't stay on this little table raft, clinging to a post. I have to make a decision because the next table will soon come and knock me out of the way.  I'm alone in the busy shipping lanes with no way to go back, and an absolutely crazy journey ahead. I don't know what happens next because it is 6am and the alarm clock is going off.  Now what?  The nature of this dream leads me to believe that it is trying to tell me something.  I have had incredibly vivid dreams in the past, which have all turned out to be prophetic - I don't want this dream to come true!!!  As it stands, my life is pretty static.  If you are thinking that I have some profound corners in my life which I need to turn, or some life changing decisions to be made, you are wrong.  My biggest decisions lately have been between different flavours of yogurt to start my morning with.  So I guess I am left to wonder when the solid ground is going to be pulled out from under me, and when I will be set adrift. I can only hope that my table will be solid and that I will have the confidence to finally make a decision.