So what if it's summer? It's time to make soup and roasted vegetables. There are so many amazing things at the farmer's market here in Göttingen. There is a very popular kind of squash-like pumpkin which is ubiquitous. I bought some last week, cut it in half and roasted it cut side down in the over at 200 C for about half an hour. Served this with pasta-and-tomato-sauce and a salad for some friends. Very easy and delicious farmer's market dinner.
Today I'm going to make some kind of golden-lentil soup using one of these pumpkins. (I roasted it yesterday, scooped out the insides and then put them in the fridge to wait for me to be motivated.) I think I tried something like this earlier in the spring, combining aspects of a lovely recipe for Moroccan lentil soup (from my Canadian friend Carrie who has sadly since left Gö) with some sweet potatoes added.
I haven't made it yet, but I plan on it being delicious.
It will include:
Ginger, Garlic, Onions, minced and sauteed in Olive Oil until soft
Coriander, Cumin, Turmeric and Cayenne and a Bay Leaf added to this and sauteed also for 1/2 a minute or so
(Garam Masala could be used instead of the Coriander and Cumin)
One can of whole, organic tomatoes (plum tomatoes or anything good)
Some yellow lentils and water - choose the amount at your discretion.
When the soup is boiling and lentils are starting to get fluffy I will add the pre-cooked pumpkin/squash
Don't forget to add salt, at the beginning, middle and end (just a little at a time)
Add more water if it seems too thick and lentils aren't done cooking.
When lentils are totally soft, it's done.
Then I'll use my immersion blender (a happy gift to myself for breaking my jaw!)
to make it smooth. Why is smooth soup so much more tasty? It really is.
Love,
Naomi
09 September 2009
On The Mend
I guess breaking my jaw really distracted me from eating and cooking for awhile. It distracted me from a lot of things, as I had to cancel some shows I was really looking forward to, and couldn't sing much in others. But when I did finally get those awful plastic-metal braces off (most horrifying experience ever!) and was allowed to open my mouth in any direction I could think of, I was most excited to get back into singing and playing music, and into eating apples and salads and things that were not cooked or blended!
At the same time that I am now relishing the ability to bite into a sandwich or a piece of fruit, I have a new appreciation for blended foods. I lost several pounds during my healing, and that felt good. It felt good to eat minimally. Aside from being limited in what I could consume, I just didn't want to eat as much because I'd have to clean my braces and teeth so carefully afterwards. Also, I started getting full more quickly, probably because what i consumed was of a higher water content than normal. I had smoothies, coffee, juice, soup, and more soup. And ice cream.
My mom came to stay with me for a week after I got out of the hospital. I felt pretty weak and injured but she helped me to heal by being so excited about how beautiful Göttingen is. We took careful, slow walks all over the place. And we both decided that the liquid diet has got to be the best way to lose weight fast: only eat blended or liquid foods! It's pretty nice, actually. I started to feel more healthy than I have for a long time. (Eating ice cream every night isn't my ideal vision of healthful living, but I needed a few extra calories, I guess; or I just felt sorry for myself and wanted a treat.)
Now, four and a half months after breaking my jaw, I can eat anything again. But I also feel less excited about cooking and preparing food this summer. I think it's because life has felt sort of chaotic and all-over-the-place. We went to the U.S. for three weeks, I brought my cats back with me, I'm preparing for a month-long tour in the UK and learning to be a "Business English" teacher on the fly in the meantime. I feel distracted and unfocused. And I gained back some weight!
But being conscious of nourishment, nutrition, food and general health always makes me feel stronger and more able to focus on accomplishing things that are meaningful to me. So I think I'll try to do this again. I'm going to start writing about food and health here, whether or not anyone is reading!
At the same time that I am now relishing the ability to bite into a sandwich or a piece of fruit, I have a new appreciation for blended foods. I lost several pounds during my healing, and that felt good. It felt good to eat minimally. Aside from being limited in what I could consume, I just didn't want to eat as much because I'd have to clean my braces and teeth so carefully afterwards. Also, I started getting full more quickly, probably because what i consumed was of a higher water content than normal. I had smoothies, coffee, juice, soup, and more soup. And ice cream.
My mom came to stay with me for a week after I got out of the hospital. I felt pretty weak and injured but she helped me to heal by being so excited about how beautiful Göttingen is. We took careful, slow walks all over the place. And we both decided that the liquid diet has got to be the best way to lose weight fast: only eat blended or liquid foods! It's pretty nice, actually. I started to feel more healthy than I have for a long time. (Eating ice cream every night isn't my ideal vision of healthful living, but I needed a few extra calories, I guess; or I just felt sorry for myself and wanted a treat.)
Now, four and a half months after breaking my jaw, I can eat anything again. But I also feel less excited about cooking and preparing food this summer. I think it's because life has felt sort of chaotic and all-over-the-place. We went to the U.S. for three weeks, I brought my cats back with me, I'm preparing for a month-long tour in the UK and learning to be a "Business English" teacher on the fly in the meantime. I feel distracted and unfocused. And I gained back some weight!
But being conscious of nourishment, nutrition, food and general health always makes me feel stronger and more able to focus on accomplishing things that are meaningful to me. So I think I'll try to do this again. I'm going to start writing about food and health here, whether or not anyone is reading!
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