-Spring is coming!
This just in, from the Groundhog himself. So to celebrate the last of this moderately cold winter we've had here in Sunny California... I am making this especially warm, yummy, comforting soup. For a cold winters night. ;) That to be honest, I hardly experience here in Ca. BUT did feel it when I visited NYC in December. Now that place is cold. I refuse to complain about the cold weather here- when we rarely do have it. Cause NYC, my goodness. I mean, yes I'm from Georgia. I do remember it being cold, in the winter. But NYC beat all cold memories for me. They got hit even colder just recently, thankfully was not visiting there when it was -11. But my sister was. Well she lives there, sorry Sis. :/ Thats why everyone should move to California ;) Oh wait- everyone does, thats why it's so crowded and traffic is so bad! Haha. No complaints here though ;) Now back to my soup. So this stuff is ridiculously good. And filling. And tasty. Try it. It's quite the process, making soup. Really- it is. But thats fine! It's all worth it in the end. This is my 2nd time making this soup this winter season. I have another recipe in my mind I will create very soon. And I'm sure it will be very good! I topped this soup with my cashew cheeze. Mhm. Makes it even better. So to start you will need: 1 small red onion 1 Butternut squash 1 celery Stalk- (means the bunch, not one stick) 2 bell peppers Cayenne Pepper 1 tbsp of lemon juice Jalapeno pepper or Serano 1 box of Veggie broth 1 garlic bulb (means 1 whole garlic, not just 1 clove) Olive oil- for roasting veggies. *First preheat your oven to 450. Peel and cut butternut squash into pieces. Cut bell peppers and remove stems/seeds. Cut off the top of the garlic bulb and rub oil on top part as well. *Rub a bit of olive oil on all pieces and place on baking sheet and put in oven. *Roast garlic and bell peppers for 25 minutes. Take those out, Keep Squash in for an additional 20-25 minutes. Until soft and roasted :) *While veggies are roasting... Chop up cleaned and rinsed celery , and red onion into small pieces. Sautee Onions and celery in a big pan, (enough to fit 1 box of veggie broth in it after sautéing) Once onions and celery are a little brown, sauteed well enough to where flavor is coming out :) Add the veggie broth and cook for about 3-5 more minutes, until its simmering all nicely together. Take out your blender and put half of the roasted squash,bell peppers, and half of the celery, onion, broth mix in the blender and blend. (Mine doesnt fit all at once, so I blend two seperate times.) After pureeing your first half, pour into a big pot (that will fit all of the soup your blending.) Now blend the other half with the jalapeno pepper, if you like it spicier ;) Add your cayenne pepper as well if you like it even more spicier ;) Now pour the 2nd half in with the first half into the big pot. Turn on a low heat. Cook for about 10 more minutes, with lid on, a low heat. And voo la! There you have it. The creamiest ,yummiest , home made soup! So healthy might I add. Top with my cashew cheeze recipe for even more flavor! Krysten's Quick Cashew Cheeze. 1 cup cashews 3 cloves of garlic sea salt, to taste jalapeno pepper (can be omitted) black pepper, to taste juice of half lemon Blend in food processor Now add 1/2 cup water. Let process until very, very creamy. Add more or less water for your own desired consistency.
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-the most important meal of the day.
Welllllll hmmmmm. This morning was a struggle, for about 2.5 seconds. :/ I really couldn't think of what to do. My go to vegan breakfast is Ezekiel bread topped with almond butter and chia seeds. But as you can remember. Yesterday I decided to try Gluten Free for 30 days. Yes, it's true. I'm really doing this. I don't recall fully explaining why- yesterday in my post. I'll have you know I'm no gluten hater. Really I'm not! It was just 2 days ago I was telling someone I hate when I hear people talking bad about it! Cause I eat the healthiest of healthiest Whole wheat breads and other carbs, etc. But that is not what it's about. I mean, I should know. I'm Vegan. Well for 30 days I am. We'll see what happens after that. But with being vegan I know the fact. We don't have the type of stomach that breaks down protein that well in our bodies. It's true, look it up- please, before you get mad at me! I've seen enough documentaries on veganism to know, I don't want to eat much egg whites, fish or cheese anymore. Which is the only thing I still sometimes eat. Anywho- gluten is a very very bad allergy to some people. Such as celiac disease, or just have a severe allergy. That being said, Wheat is just like dairy. We are all a little bit allergic to wheat. And yes, everyone is a bit lactose intolerant. Do you cough after consuming ice cream? Thats phleym. Because milk creates that- very easily. One of the main reasons I avoid all milk products. Or eat them in very little amounts. Besides the phlyem part, you might also have a stomach ache, or get a little constipated. All of these things are our bodies letting you know something is NOT right. Hello. That right there is your own body trying to alert us. And we just ignore, cause it tastes so good. Yes, I love cheese. I know it tastes amazing. But the cons out weigh the pros for me. And cashew cheeze will do just fine for me from now on, Thanks :) Anyhow, I do these things to test out my body. To see what works best for me. What makes me feel the very best. We all know when we've just consumed something either 30 minutes later and regret it, or the next morning. Whatever. I want to start eliminating those things and feel the best all the time. I used to think I had a slight allergy to almonds, cause I felt weird after having almond butter on ezekiel bread in the morning. Hm, could be the bread! I'm just realizing this ;) Well- I'm trying it out, just like some new sneakers- seeing if it fits. And serves me on my journey : ) I loveeeeee challenges. So day 1. Gluten Free. Going back to my struggle this morning of a Gluten Free/Vegan who had a closed mind, and not enough time to make a big ole' production of a fancy breakfast as I like to sometimes do. Oatmeal it is ya'll! 1/2 cup Bob's Red Mills Oats 1 cup coconut milk (yummmm) Cook in microwave for 4 1/2 minutes, (I stopped at 2.5 and stirred, then continued) Then I added the fun stuff! 2 tbsp chia seeds. 1/2 banana (saving the other half for my green smoothie later today ;) cinnamon 1 tsp almond butter And then just enjoy!!! Very filling and satisfying for your taste buds :D By the way, don't you just love my bowl? I got it at Goodwill. well- all of my plates and bowls are from there. Their awesome! It all starts with you.
But after going at it, every day. In this life. The everyday struggles. It's so easy to lose sight. To see clearly. To remember... who we are. This world is just so judgmental, unfortunately. But we don't have to conform with it. You can chose to be you. always. This is something I have had the hardest of times with over the years. Well- all my life. Who doesn't though? I mean, yeesh. School. Etc. It's hard for kids, to know whats right- to fit in. And knowing all of that shapes us as the person we will soon grown in to be. Well, recently- I looked back in my past, and thought, geez. I was very big then. (Looking at a photo from high school.) Then I realized, I'm judging myself and it was silly. In that picture I didn't care about the way I looked as much, weight wise. I had friends, I had fun, I loved my life. I was truly happy. I don't recall ever feeling bad about being 20 pounds more than I am now. Yes I wasn't healthy- which of course wasn't good. But, thats not my point. I wasn't unhappy. But yet- here I am, now being aware of weight, from living in L.a. for almost 8 years. My mind has definitely changed. I'm an aspiring actress. Going into auditions everyday or being on sets. We are constantly being looked at to figure out whats not good about us, whats not right, what doesn't fit what their looking at. Well I have one thing to say to all of it. F* that. Yeah. Seriously. I am ME. Asking me to be anyone else, besides myself. No can do bro. I stand up for who I am. I know myself well enough to know what is right and what isn't. And recently when I've gone into auditions, with that confidence. All is good. Not caring whether or not their looking at my baby tooth I still have when I smile. I do not care. I have red hair. I'm tall. I'm not model thin. Who cares. I am me. And thats all we have. Yes if we want to change ourselves for any reason- you can. But do it for you. Don't conform to what others 'want you' to be. Do what you want to do. for you. This is advice I've just recently given myself, finally. Finally I realize. The person I am, naturally, is beautiful. And I deserve the best. I'm worthy of a great life, as we all are. Nothing makes another person better than another. Not even if their the smartest person in the world, or on a magazine cover, or can lift 1,000 pounds. At the end of the day all we have is ourselves and our family and our loved ones, and our friends, etc. Being with them, through good times and through bad. The support of you- for them. The love from you- to the world. Is what truly matters. Give Love. Share Lov 'find out what it means to meeeeeeee.'
Ok, Ok.... Enough with the lame songs. ;) Heres a recipe. 1 can of chick peas. -Drained. 1 tbsp srirachi sauce 1 tsp braggs amino acids 1 tbsp of veg. broth Toss with different spices, you decide. I chose these :) Lime/lemon juice garlic powder cayenne pepper Enjoy home made snack time even more! Hello My lovelies! I come to you from a relaxing on a gloomy day, standpoint. Mhmmm. First day off from a very long stressful week of work :/ I think we all know a little something about that? Yeah. Well How do I spend my day entertaining myself? Doesn't take much. Good music, cooking in the kitchen and posting recipes on my website, that you- thankfully - are reading. Thank you, by the way ;)
I will have much recipes soon. I know it's been a while. I took a hiatus, if you will ;) We all get a little lost sometimes. And thats okay. The important part is, that we get back on the right track. Stay focused, and remain always- doing what we love. There is no time to waste. Sure, you can turn on the news to keep informed. But it's terrible things going on out there. Awful awful news. I watched a bit the other day. Turned it off, couldn't handle it. Then realized. These 'people' that we feel so badly for, could be anyone. Could be anyone. So why are we sitting there, watching a tv screen full of negativity. When we could be making ourselves happy? By making some good food, enjoying great conversations with family or friends. Going outside, breathing in the air we are given on this earth. Were alive. Live in this moment. Not in the past, not the future. Right now my loves. It's ok. Truly. It's ok. Just remember that. Simple, but it's the truth. No words are better to me, than knowing, it will all be okay. Just live live live! Hooray for us. We are the luckiest people. To be alive right now. That being said. I like to stay alive, by challenging myself in different ways. After all being healthy to me- means protecting myself from illness, later on. I'm a preventative person. So my question is to all the ones who question me. Ummm. Why not? I'll accept a challenge. I've been hearing some things about gluten. Even yesterday I said I hate that people think it's bad for you. It's a grain. Ezekiel bread is good! Grrr. I get mad, cause of course I love bread. BUT. I did read an unfortunate article that may have me start seeing a different prospective. Which is weird, cause I usually stand up for my Gluten. But I'm going to give it a go. To see if all is true on the gluten front. I'm going 30 days G- Free! Yeah Big step. But I'm doing it ;) Join me? If your curious. First of all. Don't get it twisted. I will NOT eat white carbs. Ever. Not refined, not white- not enriched. Etc. Those are always- not good for you. And I also don't care that much for brown rice flour either. I will be having a lot of quinoa, and lots of multi blends of rice. Which has more fiber and protein than regular brown. Not to say brown is bad- it's not. I'm just always looking for more fiber! By the way my favorite grain is KAMUT. It's amazing. It has the same amount, if not more, of protein as an egg :/ in 1 serving. Sooo good. ;) Ok. Have a nice, calm,relaxing day! xo xo K |
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