Funk and Fun

Not much new this week
Our house is Getting the back to school jitters for sure. Most of our time lately has been spent just enjoying being home. Sophia and I have been loving slow days and I am very nervous about the upcoming change of pace. With that we have been going to the library and just hanging out together.Nothing beats cuddling over books or dance parties around here.
Lots of walks and spur of the moment zoo trips. I don't think I'll ever be able to say no to her when she wakes up from nap or the morning and says "Momma lets have a picnic at the zoo".
I am also in a little kitchen funk. In the early part of the week I made dinner to bring to a friend and 8 batches of cookies (about 40 dozen) for church. I loved doing it but after just needed a time out.
So as we started this weekend out with a trip to the berry patch to scoop up the last of the Red raspberries and Blue berries along with a giant CSA pick up I had no choice but to put on the boots and jump in the mud
In order to make room for all the goodies from the farm I needed to make a big pot of soup, you know the kind the cleans out the fridge: Here is the recipe
CSA Soup
(Warning loosely based on the Cabbage soup recipe from the silly soup diet, if your not looking for a diet soup add some fat!)
1 onion
1 Hungarian pepper, 1 green bell pepper
1 small can of diced tomatoes or 2 cups of fresh diced
2 carrots
1/2 head of cabbage
1 ear of corn removed from cob
Curry
Fresh cilantro, garlic
Lime
3 veggie bouillon cubes

Dice the onions and saute them in a bit of cooking spray
Clean up the peppers and dice them toss them in (give them a few minutes to cook down)
Take off the tough outer cabbage leaves and dice the head, toss it in
Clean, peel carrots, toss them in too (give it a few mins to cook)
add tomatoes, curry to taste, cilantro, diced garlic, squeeze 1 lime, add bouillon cubes.
Add about 12 cups water and corn, cook for about 2 hours or more.
The end result should be a clean tasting soup with a bit of mexicany zip. You may need to salt and pepper it depending on taste. Serve with home tortillas or some toasted pita and hummus.

There is no need to add rice or pasta here but by all means go ahead, add some beans to if you need. Your cooking to make your belly happy so have at it!

Also on the plan Sweet Potato and Cinnamon brownies ( I think I am secretly trying to find ways to make it ok to eat a brownie everyday and taking out some of the fat and changing them up is allowing me to do so)

SP & Cinny brownies
1 cup whole-wheat flour
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 tablespoon cinnamon, ground
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
1 cup cooked sweet potato
1/2 cup agave nectar
1/4 cup olive oil
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
6 egg whites
Olive oil cooking spray
ICING
1/2 cup low-fat plain cream cheese
3 tablespoons agave nectar
1 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon, ground
1 tablespoon water {optional}
1. Preheat oven to 350°F.
2. Prepare brownies: Combine flour, cocoa powder, cinnamon, baking powder and salt in a medium bowl and set aside. In a food processor, combine sweet potato, agave, oil and vanilla. Puree until combined and smooth.
3. Gradually mix wet ingredients into dry ingredients, until just combined; do not over-mix.
4. In a separate dry bowl, whisk egg whites until fluffy. Then, using a rubber spatula, gently fold egg whites into batter.
5. Lightly spray sides of baking pain {9 x 9 x 2-inch} with cooking spray. Pour batter into pan and place into oven. Bake for about 16 to 18 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Remove pan from oven and allow brownies to cool to room temperature, about 30 minutes.
6. While brownies are cooking or cooling, prepare icing: In a small bowl, combine cream cheese, agave, cocoa powder and cinnamon. Whisk until incorporated, adding 1 tablespoon water if mixture is hard to whisk. Cover and refrigerate until needed.
7. Loosen brownie and turn slab out onto a cutting board or platter. Cut into 16 pieces, wrap and refrigerate overnight.
8. To serve, divide icing evenly over each brownie and serve immediately. Leftovers may be kept refrigerated in a resealable container for up to 2 days.


Till next time, love on your food and each other and keep you bellies happy