Snowed in? Make soup!
Snowed in?
So, a HUGE arctic blast is coming through the Midwest, and if you are like me, and dislike the snow, how do you make it bearable to be so cooped up inside?
Choices I came up with? Working out, practicing, cooking, studying, reading, watching TV, writing this blog. Yeahhh, my life is just that boring right now.
Today was supposed to be my cardio day. So, waking up to about 5 inches of snow was not my ideal, especially since my gym is a drive away, and my car refuses to drive when the roads are icy! And with tempertures dipping into the single digits, lots of snowfall, and the wind chill perhaps at -30°F, walking to the closer gym wasn't really my idea of good fun. Whilst brainstorming for indoor workouts, I came up with stairs. Okay, well, those are still outside, but they are under the cover of my apartment complex, so I wasn't exposed to the snow or slicky ick that is outside. Jogged up and down those for about 10 minutes, proving a little more difficult than usual, since the bottoms of the staircases are covered with the aforementioned slicky ick, I had to be careful NOT to slip and fall on my bum.
I, also, ran across this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KPxThtbrl3s
I will update the results once I manage to bring myself to do it (and my sneakers dry). Youtube is apparently FULL of little workouts like these! Who would've thought?!
USUALLY, I tend to cook on days such as this. What's better than chili or soup on a snowy day? Gives you something to do with your hands and keeps you a busybody. Otherwise, I would be stuck watching Netflix. But I've already made soup once this week (a blended butternut squash!), so I don't need to stock my freezer with more soup. Hmm, I will just have to dream of soup instead. Dreaming particularly of my favorite soup-- tomato! Especially a creamy tomato soup... nothing better than a smooth, blended, tomato soup! So, here is the recipe to my favorite version. I learned this when I was staying in the UK, the ideal place for soup lovers out there... I've never been to a place with a love of soup like the UK!
"Creamy" Tomato Soup
Serves 8
Ingredients:
3 tbsp olive oil
1 large red onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, crushed (1 tsp of minced garlic-- or more if you love garlic, like me)
2 celery sticks, chopped
7oz carrots (ummm, I think this is about 3 carrots? I could be wrong, I splurge on carrots and add more bc I LOVE CARROTS)
1 bay leaf
1 tbsp dried thyme (okay, I love thyme too...)
1 large can of peeled plum tomatoes
1 regular can of diced tomatoes
1/2 tsp raw sugar (you can substitute normal sugar, or a tsp of honey... it just makes the tomatoes less tart)
Salt and ground pepper, to taste
500ml/~2 1/2 cups vegetable broth, or a vegetable boullion cube with 500ml hot water
1 tbsp vermouth (I use sweet vermouth, bc my dad bought that for me, but dry works just as well, and so does sherry)
1) Heat olive oil in pot on medium-high heat, once hot, add chopped onions and garlic until fragrant. Then add celery, carrots, bay leaf, and thyme, cook for approx. 5 mins. Don't let it get stuck to the pan! So, stir a lot. 2) Add both cans of tomatoes (with juices) and vegetable broth. Bring to a simmer on medium heat, partially covered, for 40 minutes.
3) Remove bay leaf. Blend until smooth. (Be careful because it is HOT!) 4) Add vermouth. Stir and serve!
~And the exciting part?~
Entire batch: 899 calories
Per serving: 112 calories
(recipe adapted from BBC Food)
I mean, you could leave out the vermouth, BUT I think that is what REALLY makes this recipe good. If you add another tablespoon of vermouth, add 20 calories to the entire batch (and 2.5 cal to a serving). 1 tablespoon of dry sherry is 16 cal, so you can do the maths accordingly :)
Thoughts?
Also, if you think of any ways to make it better, I am totally up for ideas to improve it!
Much Love xx
