Feel Good Soup

Thanks to my brother, I am now the proud owner of a head cold.  Less than 24 hours since symptoms began and I've already got a nice red ring around my nose that only too much rubbing with tissues can get you.  Now I don't want to seem over dramatic, its not a bad cold at all, its just annoying.  It makes even the simplest task (like changing my sheets this morning) exhausting and overwhelming. 


Normally I milk the whole sick thing, making others fetch me orange juice and tissues, and make me soup, but alas, my family members are all staying late at work/school tonight, so I was forced to fend for myself.  I decided to cook up a soup with garlic, spinach, and winter wheat berries.  


Do you know what's even worse than having a cold?  Chopping onions with a cold.  The sinus pressure increases so that your head fells like it's going to spontaneously implode and your whole face begins to leak various liquids.  It's terrible.  I suggest that if you have a non-sick person around, act really week and feebly, guilting them do the onion chopping for you. 


I also suggest you eat this soup out of a big mug with a slice of good bread for sopping up the broth.  Even if you're not sick, this soup is soul-warming and best served while watching your favorite feel-good movie - for me, It's Complicated always does the trick.  So whether you're under the weather, or just looking for something to cozy up with, this soup is the perfect feel good soup.


Feel Good Soup
1 tbs olive oil
1 medium yellow onion, diced
¼ red onion, diced
2 stalks celery, diced
¼ carrots, diced
1 tbs dried minced sage
1 tbs dried minced thyme
1 tsp pepper
6 cloves garlic, sliced
2 large handfuls spinach, chopped
5 cups vegetable stock
2 cups water
2 tbs soy sauce
1 cup uncooked wheat berries


+ In a medium pot, combine 1 cup of vegetable broth, 2 cups water, and wheat berries.  Bring to boil, then lower to simmer and cover.  Cook for about an hour, or until the berries split open (when they're done, they'll be slightly chewy).
+ While the berries are cooking, in a large pot, saute the onion, celery, and carrot in olive oil until the onions become clear and soft.  Add the sage, thyme, and pepper.  Stir and continue to cook until the veggies begin to brown.
+ Add the garlic and cook until that begins to brown as well.  
+ Add the spinach, then pour the remaining 4 cups of the vegetable broth and soy into the pot.  Lower to simmer and cover.  Cook until berries are done.
+ Once the wheat berries are cooked, add them to the broth.  Add seasoning to taste.  Cook for at least another half hour (the longer it cooks, the more the flavors will develop and the berries will absorb some of the flavor).  

Green Berry Smoothie

Over the past couple of years - riding the coat-tails of the health food craze - the smoothie-juice fad has been on the rise.  Whether its juice cleanses or beverage-centric franchises like Jamba Juice, or whether they're made with strawberries and bananas or beets and kale, the health conscious just can't seem to get enough.  

And I, dear reader, am not immune.  I always like to think of myself as a non-conformist, but in reality, I'm just as easily swayed by whats ever popular at the moment.  Especially when it comes to food.  

I'm not really hardcore when it comes to health fooding, so I haven't really gotten into juices - that and the fact that our ancient juicer is buried somewhere in the caverns of the basement.  However, lately, smoothies have become a part of my daily life.  Not only do I start each day with one, but they are the perfect pre-yoga meal. 

My recipe varies day-to-day, depending on what mood I'm in and what we have around the house, but I have a few essentials on stock:

+ frozen spinach or kale
+ frozen mango
+ bananas
+ non-dairy milk (almond or coconut)
+ dried fruits (cranberries, pineapple)

Berries have been on sale this months, so I've been doing a lot of spinach and blueberry shakes.  You can add a little nut butter and cocoa powder to banana and almond milk for healthy chocolate milk shake.  Soak some oats in the milk for a few minutes, then throw them into your shake for added thickness.

A trick to making these seem more like a meal than a beverage, is to top it off with some dried fruit or a little granola and eat it with a spoon.  I think its the fact that using a spoon makes you stop and really enjoy the smoothie, instead of drinking it quickly and not really tasting it.

While these light fruit smoothies might not seem like much, they are deceivingly filling, especially if you use milk, nut butter, or oats.

Tonight before heading to class at YogaAbove (http://www.yogaabove.com/class_schedule.htm), I made myself this smoothie.  Its a little bigger than I usually make, but its basically my dinner, so I think it balances everything out.  I also topped it off with some dried cranberries and grapes nuts for some added texture. 

Berry Green Smoothie

⅓ cup dry rolled oats

½  cup almond milk
1 frozen banana

⅓ cup fresh blueberries

3 whole strawberries

⅔ cup frozen chopped spinach

+ In a small bowl, combine the oats and milk.  Give a quick stir to dunk the oats in the milk, then allow to soak in fridge for at least a half an hour. (Note: This isn't mandatory, but makes the smoothie have a thicker and smoother texture.)

+ In a blender, combine oats and milk with the rest of the ingredients.  Blend until smooth.
+ Serve immediately.  Top with dried fruit or granola.