Tip Top Shape

Winter Minestrone

2012-02-09T09:50:00.004-06:00

Happy Thursday, everyone!

Let's get straight to the recipe today, folks. You may, or may not, know this but I am a big soup eater. It's the perfect compliment to just about any meal. It's usually low in calories. And in the case of this soup, I can mindlessly make it while the Superbowl is on.

This minestrone is pretty adaptable, so feel free to throw in any other add-ins that you see fit. Beans would be a great addition. I would have put some in, but I was completely out! The horror!

It's very likely that I posted something like this before, but every separate winter needs its own separate minestrone. Amen to that!

This makes roughly four servings and freezes like a dream. Try this out; you'll never regret a good soup!

Winter Minestrone

2 cups veggie stock

1 can crushed tomatoes

1 cup carrots, roughly chopped

1/2 onion, chopped

1/2 cup frozen corn

1 cup frozen green beans

2 tsp garlic

dried basil

dried parsley

1/2 cup dried pasta

Directions:

Heat 2 tbsp olive oil in a dutch oven. Saute the onion and garlic until the onion becomes translucent, roughly ten minutes. Add the carrots, saute another 5-8 minutes. Give the basil and parsley a liberal shake over the vegetables and stir. Pour in the stock and crushed tomatoes; bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer.

Add in the frozen vegetables and dried pasta. Simmer until the pasta is tender, 10-15 minutes. Now, eat, eat, and eat some more!

Are you guys soup lovers? What are your favorite ones? Link 'em up in the comment section!!

Pet Peeve Wednesday: Slow Walkers

2012-02-08T11:16:00.004-06:00

Last week I talked about my disdain for inter-bathroom-conversations. Today, I bring you another pet peeve that I am sure is shared by many.

Slow walkers.

Now, I don't think I'm a particularly fast walker. I'm by no means a stroller, but my gait is relatively normal. Due to this, nothing irks me more than being stuck behind a slow walker. A window shopper without the window.

Whenever I walk downtown, I always find myself behind some lolly-gaggler whose sole purpose appears to be making me late to whatever engagement I am heading toward. They walk slow, ambling toward whatever non-pressing-destination they have in mind.

Don't they know I have a very important flirting session scheduled with the cute Starbucks barrista? Rude.

Sometimes they'll slow even further beside a skyscraper - one that looks just like every other skyscraper in a metropolitan area - and I'll watch in complete befuddlement as they whip out their camera and snap dozens of photos.

Once, I even saw a guy snapping photos of a brick wall. Like, dude, if you haven't seen a brick wall before, maybe you need to leave the house more often.

I realize some of these are tourists, and therefore their geriatric walk may be somewhat entitled. But, for goodness sake, think of others when you decide to stop in the middle of a busy sidewalk to get another angle of the John Hancock building. Otherwise, we will walk into you. And that sputtered apology that I shot you between the overt glare and passive aggressive passing? Yeah, you're not getting it next time.

Coconut Brown Rice with Brussels Sprouts

2012-02-07T10:33:00.005-06:00

I have a slight problem.

Lately, I have been putting coconut in everything. Oatmeal? Sure, why not! Yogurt? Can only make it better! Minestrone?

Okay, I didn't put it in my minestrone, but I think you catch my drift. I'm going through a phase. A very coconut-ey phase.

I found a can of lite coconut milk in the back of my cabinet last week and used it for a pretty amazing pumpkin-coconut-smoothie. It didn't use all of the coconut milk, though, and I wanted to use the leftovers for something other than additional smoothies or overnight oats. I wanted to stretch my savory-food-muscles but realized that my ideas for coconut milk recipes were pretty limited. Luckily, I have these fantastic things called food blogs.

Have you heard of them?

I found a recipe for coconut brown rice on SkinnyTaste and it was like coconut-flavored-fate. The coconut milk lends a wonderful creaminess to the rice and it pairs beautifully with the brussels sprouts. Feel free to give the brussels sprouts a little saute, if you're so inclined. I considered doing it myself but decided I preferred minimal effort. Serve this alongside a big salad for a tasty meal!

Coconut Brown Rice with Brussels Sprouts

1 cup brown rice

1 cup water

1 cup lite coconut milk

2 cups brussels sprouts

1 tbsp shredded coconut

1 tbsp slivered almonds

Directions:

Combine the brown rice, water and coconut milk in a medium sauce pan. Bring to a boil and then simmer until the liquid is absorbed, about 40 minutes.

Meanwhile, prepare your brussels sprouts. Cut off the tough stem and peel off the outer leaves. Bring water to a boil in a separate sauce pan and cook the brussels sprouts until a knife slides in and out easily, about 8-10 minutes. Remove and slice in half.

Combine the brown rice and brussels sprouts in a bowl. Set aside.

Heat a saute pan over medium heat and add the coconut and slivered almonds. Toast the coconut and almonds until they are lightly browned. Sprinkle over the brown rice and brussels sprouts. And eat!