Cauliflower Soup

I recently discovered the wonderful blog, The Kitchn, which is the foodie version of Apartment Therapy (also good). I love all the wonderful recipes, ideas, and great kitchens featured on it.

While perusing the site, I found a recipe for Creamy Curried Cauliflower Soup. It sounded really good, healthy, and pretty inexpensive, so I figured I'd give it a try. It turned out very delicious and was easy to put together. The only changes I made were with the garnishes. I used cilantro instead of parsley and I did not add any cashews, although I do think it would have been good. Josh and I both enjoyed this soup and it was especially good with some grilled naan for dipping. Another change I might attempt next time is sauteing a serrano pepper with the onions to add a bit more spice and flavor.

Tortilla Soup

I made my grandmother's chicken tortilla soup again on Sunday. It's so warm and comforting on a cold day. I changed it up a little this time. I decided to make it after church on Sunday, so we ran to the store on our way home and I did not bring a list which led to me forgetting the fresh tomatoes. So instead of fresh tomato juice I used canned tomato sauce (one 8 oz. can), and rather than a fresh tomato, I used one can of diced tomatoes and green chiles (undrained). I also used about 1/3 of a carton of chicken broth (rather than an entire carton) because it was all I had left and the liquid from the can of tomatoes and green chiles made up for it.

This modified version was still delicious and a little spicier with the addition of the diced tomatoes and green chiles. I used Rotel original, which is medium spicy, but you can buy mild and only use one jalapeno in the soup if you are not a big fan of spicy food.

Easy Soup

Last night I tried a new recipe I found in Real Simple magazine. It was a Black Bean Soup with Roasted Jalapeno Salsa. It was very easy to make, and pretty inexpensive. You can find the recipe here. I followed most of the recipe, except since I do not have a potato masher to mash the beans, I put a little over half of the soup in my food processor and pulsed it a few times, then returned it to the pot with the rest of the soup (you could use a blender if you don't have a food processor). I also broiled the onion for the salsa with the jalapenos. The recipe calls for one bottle of lager beer, and I used Dos XX Lager (the green bottle). If you don't like beer, I am sure you could use more water or vegetable stock, but I think the beer gives it a nice flavor.


The roasted jalapeno salsa added is used to top the soup, and really gave it a nice flavor. Sometimes black bean soup can be bland, but this one was very flavorful, especially with the salsa. I served the soup with cheese quesadillas.

Josh had class and a review session, so I made myself an appetizer of jalapeno poppers before dinner. To make them, cut stems off jalapenos and discard. Cut remainder of jalapeno in half lengthwise, removing seeds. In a small bowl, mix 1/3 less fat cream cheese and a dash of chili powder. Spread about 1 tbsp. of cream cheese mixture in each jalapeno and wrap with a slice of bacon. place on baking sheet, sprinkle with cracked pepper and chili powder and bake at 400 degrees for about 20 minutes. This is a very tasty and easy appetizer!

So, I wasn't sure if I would have an exercise update, but I am happy to say I actually do. Yesterday after work I went to the Tech Rec Center and worked out on the eliptical machine for 35 minutes. It was a good workout-I just need to do it more often!