Recent Happenings and a "SOUP"erfood Recipe

Good afternoon!  Hope you are having a great week so far...almost halfway there!  It has been a busy week around here, but luckily we were well-rested after a low-key and relaxing weekend.  I got lots of to-dos taken care of, including recovering Wendy and Oliver's pet steps in a cute chevron fabric.  (The carpet that they came with was falling off, so it just had to be done.)  Wendy is very pleased with the new look.

The weather was nicer-than-average, and on Saturday I had the best run I've had in at least 6 months.  It was a great feeling, and now I'm starting to get the itch to sign up for some kind of race in the spring.  To celebrate, I made these pomegranate mimosas:

Delicious!

I also bought a ton of veggies at the grocery store, only to realize that, between Jay's work schedule and a couple of social obligations, we are only both going to be at home for dinner one night this week.  In an effort to not let things go to waste, I put together a creamy, dairy-free broccoli "superfood" soup last night.  It was inspired by a recipe I saw recently in a Humane Society e-mail.  The soup was tasty and about as healthy as it gets!

Broccoli Superfood Soup
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 large leek (the white part only), chopped

1/2 onion, chopped

2 cloves garlic, chopped

1 large sweet potato, cut into 1-inch cubes
1 teaspoon thyme

2-3 cups broccoli florets
4 cups vegetable broth

3 tablespoons nutritional yeast

Fresh ground pepper, to taste

Salt, to taste

1. Finely chop the broccoli and, if you have time, wait half an hour (see video below).

2. Using a bit of olive oil, saute the leeks, onion, and garlic in a large saucepan over medium heat for approximately 2 minutes.  

3. Add in sweet potato and saute for a few more minutes.  If the ingredients begin sticking to the pan, pour in 1-2 tablespoons of water.

3. Add the thyme and cook for another minute, then add the broccoli and vegetable broth. Bring the mixture to a boil over high heat, then reduce the heat to medium. Continue to cook the mixture, covered, until broccoli and sweet potatoes are tender (about 10-15 minutes).

4. Add nutritional yeast and carefully puree the soup using an immersion blender.

5. Season with salt and lots of fresh ground pepper.  Of course, I also added a little Sriracha to mine. 

So what makes this soup so healthy?  Check out these great resources:

Broccoli:  Breast Cancer Survival Vegetable video
Garlic, onion, and leeks: #1 Anti-cancer Vegetable video

Sweet potato: The 7 Hottest Anti-Aging Superfoods to Eat in 2014 article

Nutritional yeast: Preserving Immune Function in Athletes With Nutritional Yeast

Why the pre-chopping and half-hour waiting period? Sometimes the Enzyme Myth Is True video

Can you tell I am a big fan of NutritionFacts.org?  The guy is SUCH a nerd, but he provides the best research-based info on the web.  

Enjoy the rest of your week!