squash & parsnip soup

Want to know what the funnest/not funnest thing about Utah is? Its sneaky weather patterns. It does this thing where everything is warm and wonderful for a couple weeks in March. You might even buy a little strawberry plant, or put some yellow flowers in a vase, just because it seems like the right time of year to do so. Everyone gets all excited, thinking that spring is just around the corner.
But it isn't. Spring is NEVER just around the corner. Because Utah will throw out a freak week of winter just when you start packing up your sweaters.
I'm trying to look at the bright side though. I can't complain about unpacking those sweaters and getting one more chance to wear a few of them. Soups are always more fun to cook if you're watching snow fall through the window. And it's always nice to have an excuse to stay inside and do nothing.
On one of my "do nothing because it's too cold" days, I started messing around with food ideas and came up with this. It tastes like winter. Perfect for a day that should be spring but feels like winter.

1 kabocha squash
1 parsnip (chopped)
1 c. carrots (chopped)
1/2 c. applesauce
1 12oz can of Spicy Hot V8 vegetable juice
2 c. vegetable stock
1 tsp minced garlic
1/8 tsp salt
1/8 tsp pepper
1/4 tsp ginger
1/2 TBS sage
1/4 TBS oregano
Cardamom

Start by cutting your squash in half and removing all of the seeds. Cut that in half again so you now have 4 pieces. In a large soup pot, add a few inches of water and bring that to a boil. Or if you have a steamer, that would be a lovely contraption to use right about now. Add your squash and let that steam  with a lid over it for around 30 minutes, or until you can easily stab it with a fork. Take the squash out and cut off the outer shell. Blend the insides all up in a blender or food processor. Now move onto the next task.

While the squash is steaming, add your vegetable stock to a different pot and bring it to a boil. Add in the parsnips, carrots, and garlic and let them cook, covered, for around 20 minutes, or until you can stab them easily with a fork. You will also need to blend this concoction. (stock + veggies)

When both of these purees are done, pour them both into a large pot (maybe one of the ones you've already used, if you're trying to cut back on dishes). They will probably both be pretty thick at this point. So, now you add in the applesauce and Spicy Hot V8. Whisk everything together as well as you can. If it seems like things just aren't mixing, you can blend everything together after it has been combined. It's meant to be fairly thick, but if you'd like to thin it out, just add a bit more vegetable stock. Now add all of the herbs and spices to the mixture.

Bring the soup to a boil, and then turn the heat down to low. Let it simmer for about 10 minutes. Then enjoy it hot with plenty of fresh bread to dunk in it.

simple pasta

So today I was just sitting there on my couch, studying/watching stuff on Hulu when I suddenly have an intense craving for homemade pasta. Luckily, it's super easy to make. And this particular recipe has just enough for one person. (Eat up, lonely pasta lovers, like myself.)

FOR THE PASTA

2 egg yolks

1/2 c. flour (I used gluten-free Cup4Cup flour)

FOR THE SAUCE

2 TBS butter

1 garlic clove

1/2 TBS fresh thyme

1/2 TBS fresh rosemary

pinch of cardamom

DIRECTIONS

Take your flour and create a little pile of it on a clean surface. Create a well/little hole within the flour pile and put the yolks inside of it (see the picture above). At that point, you just mix it all up, kneading it for around 10 minutes or so until it turns into a smooth little ball. When the dough has stopped being sticky, you place it into an air tight container. Either let it rest for an hour or so, or put it into the fridge until you are ready to use it.

After it has rested, you have the option to whip out your pasta roller and send the dough through it until it's nice and flat. You also have the option to place the ball on a well floured surface and flatten it with a hand roller. (This is the option I use, due to a lack of a pasta roller, but avoid it if you can. It's the worst.) When it's as flat as you can get it, use a sharp knife to cut the dough into strips.

Boil the pasta strips in salted water for a few minutes. The time will be dependent on how thin you were able to get your pasta. For example, if your dough is really thin it will take around 2 minutes. If you have giant, thick noodles like mine, it will take closer to 8 minutes. Drain the pasta.

The sauce is also extremely simple. Over medium-low heat, melt your butter in a saucepan. Crush your garlic and then add it along with all of the herbs and spices. Let it simmer very slightly for 5 minutes or so to enhance the flavors. Add your drained pasta to the saucepan and let it all soak up for another 5 minutes or so. Dish up your pasta and top it off with more fresh herbs and parmesan cheese.

kale + kabocha squash + chickpeas + craisins

Today has been one of the best sorts of days. Several of my classes were canceled and I had nothing of importance to do, so I got to do pretty much whatever I wanted. I actually got to go on a run for the first time in forever, I got to sit down and enjoy a real breakfast, and I got through almost half a season of Survivor on Hulu.

The best.

And here's the best part. The way I see it, eating healthy stuff sort of cancels out the fact that I've been completely lethargic all day! (Because that's definitely how it works, right? Regardless.) Hoping to get rid of the massive headache I acquired during my 4 hours straight of Survivor watching, I threw this together. I'm pretty pleased with the results, if I do say so myself.

REALLY DELICIOUS & ALSO HEALTHY SALAD

kale, chopped or torn into bite-sized pieces

kabocha squash, chopped and roasted with nutmeg and curry powder until soft

pumpkin seeds, roasted

chickpeas (also known as garbanzo beans)

craisins

balsamic vinegar, drizzled over the top

It was an absolutely perfect dinner for an absolutely perfect day.

washington d.c.

I present to you, my weekend in iPhone pics. Taken in the place that may quite possibly be my new favorite city.

This weekend I was able to go to Washington D.C. for a Health Education Advocacy Seminar, and it was incredible. I got to walk along the cobblestone streets, looking at the most amazing architecture and trying the most amazing food, like pistachio gelato, Eastern Market's famous "blue-bucks" pancakes, fresh  honeycrisp apples, or the best halibut I've ever eaten, just to name a few. I could definitely see myself living in one of those colorful little town houses, spending every weekend at flea markets and book shops. So idealic.

And, of course, the reason I was there was pretty amazing as well. I got to talk with Representatives from Utah (and by that, I mean their staffers) and convince them that Public Health is the greatest. It's not too hard to convince people of that, because it is easily the greatest. It's the idea that we can prevent disease before it even happens. It's the idea that by simply improving health, we can improve a person's entire quality of life. It's the idea that every man, woman, and child deserves to be free from the burden of disease. And I love it. I love feeling like I might actually have the ability to make people's lives better, even if only slightly! This world is full of trials and heartache, but public health can fix it in some capacity.

I'm really not into politics, but it was really cool to be able to see the system at work and to participate in it. I mean, not to get too extreme here, but what if what my group and I said in those meetings convinced congressmen to vote a certain way, and we change the course of the country?? (Definitely going too extreme, but still. Point made.)

Good times. God bless America.

pizza

This post is not going to be special or tell a story. It is just going to describe to you the most delicious ingredients that I have ever put on a pizza. No joke. Maybe I just don't have enough pizza making experience or something, but I was blown away with my own masterpiece. 

Regular tomato sauce mixed with curry powder.

Mozzarella cheese.

Pomegranate.

Avocado.

Spinach.

Caramelized Onions.

Whip up some of your favorite pizza dough (homemade or pre-bought, your call on that). Pile all of this deliciousness right on there. I put this baby in the oven for about 10-15 minutes on 400°F. Try it. For reals.

kabocha squash doughnuts with candied thyme

This new semester has been extremely effective at putting me in the dumps. Maybe because it's always freezing cold outside. Maybe it's because it gets dark so very quickly. Maybe it's because I'm writing papers 24/7. Actually, it's probably because of the papers.

And so I find myself constantly searching for pick-me-ups. Sometimes it is found in a new episode of Community. Other times it is found in a freezing cold walk in my beautiful mountains. Most recently, though, I found it in doughnuts.

Oh, doughnuts. You will never let me down.

I found a truly wonderful recipe for one thanks to Reclaiming Provincial. I think it may have changed my life. Even though mine didn't turn out nearly as pretty as hers. So if you want your life changed for the better, make these bad boys.

{zupas} tomato basil soup

{a testament to my true love for tomato soup--the second recipe within one month for tomato soup}

People who don't live in Utah may not appreciate this, but YOU GUYS. I found a recipe for the Tomato Basil Soup that they serve at Cafe Zupas! I literally cried when I found it. For those of you who have never eaten at Zupas before, just take my word for it. They have the best tomato soup in the world. And they try to keep their recipes a secret. Like, not even the employees who make the soup know the exact recipe. I just want you to understand exactly how excited I was by this discovery.

One of the great things about this recipe is that it makes a surplus of soup. I used it to feed 5 hungry men, and I still have enough leftovers for at least a month. I'm not complaining, but looking back I probably would have halved the recipe, and I would advise others to do the same. This recipe makes an insane amount of soup.

2 c. fresh basil
1 c. slivered almonds
1 c. parmesan cheese
5 garlic cloves
1 1/2 c. olive oil
2 tsp salt
6 - 7 celery stalks (diced)
2 yellow onions (diced)
3/4 c. butter
2 tsp oregano
4 quarts of stewed tomatoes (5 cans)
2 tsp sugar
4 c. heavy cream

The first step is to make a batch of pesto. In a blender or food processor, blend up the basil, almonds, parmesan, garlic, olive oil, and salt. Set that aside for awhile. 

Now get a soup pot (a big one.) and melt the butter over medium-high heat. Sauté the celery, onion, and oregano. After the onions turn transparent, add in the pesto you just made as well as the tomatoes and sugar. Mix it all up and transfer it to a crockpot. (a big one.) Cook it all in there for 8 - 10 hours on low.

Once that's done cooking, spoon it all into a blender, blend it up, and transfer it back to your big soup pot. Add in your cream and stir it all up. At this point, you can continue to let it simmer in your pot until it's your desired temperature; for as long or as short as you want.