Lentil & Sweet Potato Soup
Food & Drink, Autumn 2010

2 tbsp olive oil
1 cup chopped onion
1 cup chopped carrot
3 cups peeled and chopped sweet potatoes
1 tsp chopped ginger
1/4 tsp chili flakes
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 cup red lentils
5 cups vegetable stock
1/4 cup whipping cream, optional
Salt and freshly ground pepper
1 tbsp lemon juice
1 tbsp maple syrup

Garnish
1 tbsp vegetable oil
1/4 cup sage leaves

1. Heat oil in a pot over medium heat. Add onions and sauté for 2 minutes or until they begin to soften. Add carrots and sweet potatoes and sauté for 5 minutes.
2. Add ginger, chili flakes and cinnamon and saute for 1 minute or until fragrant. Add lentils and stir to coat with oil.
3. Add stock and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer for 20 to 25 minutes or until vegetables are very soft and lentils have exploded.
4. Purée soup in food processor or with hand blender. Return to pot, stir in whipping cream and season with salt and pepper. Stir in lemon juice and maple syrup. Reheat when needed.
5. For garnish, heat oil in a small skillet over medium-high heat and fry sage leaves for 30 seconds or until crisp. Drain on paper towels. Place on soup.

Serves 6

My changes:

• Used green lentils
• Used nutmeg INSTEAD of cinnamon
• Subbed half/half for whipping cream
• Didn’t have any stock so just used water and it was still packed with flavor
• Omitted lemon juice and garnish

Enjoy and Happy Tuesday!Popular Posts:

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Over the last few years, I really haven’t taken care of myself physically which let’s face it, also feeds your emotional state too. It’s really starting to show. More than ever, I’m constantly feeling tired, distracted and blah about myself. So on Friday, James and I made a pact. Enough talk about how we used to be, let’s just do it and quit talking about how fit we were in our 20s.

By doing it, that means freshly cooked meals every night plus going to the gym. Seems pretty obvious I know, but let’s face it, once we fall into particular ruts, we sometimes sit down there for a while. Would you believe I’ve lived in my condo for almost 2 years and I’ve gone to the gym maybe 10 times. It’s on MY floor… OPPOSITE my condo. Yah, I suck.

It all started yesterday with stocking up the freezer with lean meats, the fridge with a whack of fresh vegetables, and heck, even buying decaf coffee in place of our regular grind (we’ll see how this one goes).

Sans meal plan (give it time), I went through some of the recipes I’d previously bookmarked and came across this one – Not Your Aunt’s Creamy Potato Salad from Vegan Visitor. I’m a meat and potato girl at heart, but I think I’ve had my fill of mashed potatoes this year so gave it go. I’m so glad I did. The creaminess of the avocado was surprisingly delicious with the potato. If you’re looking for a healthy side for your next barbecue, it makes a great substitute over the typical mayo filled one.

For the fresh herbs, I used cilantro.

I served it with roasted garlic asparagus and chicken breasts. It was delicious!

What about you? Are you in a rut you need to get out of? Tell me I’m not the only one!

P.S. Please excuse the overload of photos. Potatoes and avocado only look so interesting I know. But hey, I haven’t used my camera in a little while and it made me happy. After this mini photo session, I might actually start up my Project 365 again. You never know…Popular Posts:

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For months now, James and I have been turning to the same old recipes and we’re both kind of over them. Of course, we say we’re going to try new things, but well, it doesn’t always happen. We’ve gotten into this habit of grocery shopping daily too which tends to happen at around 6pm when we’ve just figured out what to eat. Not good healthwise for both the body and bank account.

In an effort to get my life (and eating habits) back on track, I’m going back to weekly meal planning. I used to do it years ago and it made a huge difference. No scrambling to put something on the table at dinner time. No waste in the form of produce lurking in the back of the fridge in a less than stellar condition. Plus, now that I work from home, I can prep and sometimes prepare dinner way in advance. So, what the heck am I waiting for people? Seriously. Geez.

My recent discovery of the delightfully visual TasteSpotting (via the Sweet Fine Day blogroll) could not of come at a better time. I’ll also point you to another favorite – FoodGawker. Yum!

What are your favorite sources for recipes? Made anything great lately?

Photo Credit: limonadaPopular Posts:

• Recipe: Lentil & Sweet Potato Soup
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