Creamy Chilled Vegetable Soup

It has been HOT in Sacramento! I'm used to summer weather in the 80s, maximum (since I've always been in either a mountain town or Colorado, which both had snowstorms in May). About a week ago we had our first 105 degree day and I thought I might die. Or sweat enough that my body would shrivel up. 

Thankfully, my mini garden is doing really well despite all the heat. The Roma tomatoes are starting to sprout little buds which makes me so excited, and all of them are growing quite well. I've been fertilizing them because two days ago they looked a tad droopy, and they perked right up. I'm sure I'll have photos of them and the first tomato/pepper/whatever, because I am obsessive and seriously have proud parent syndrome. Normal people post photos of their kids on Facebook; I post photos of my vegetables. To each her own.

Speaking of vegetables, I have this awesome soup for you today. Since it has been so hot, I've been craving chilled everything (ask my poor barista, who has been making my iced coffee for a few weeks straight now. I must be so boring). This soup is a mixture of tender broccoli, meaty mushrooms, and the pop of onion all blended together with some creamy white beans and tangy Greek yogurt. Basically, it's the bomb. Super refreshing and packed with vitamins: Iron, Fiber, Vitamin A, Vitamin C, Calcium-- the list goes on! I even snuck in some spinach, because I love my leafy greens (I had this awesome Kale salad with a friend the other day, but you'll see that mentioned in a different post soon!). 

Creamy Chilled Vegetable Soup

Serves 6

Ingredients:

• 2tsp extra virgin olive oil
• 1c. chopped yellow onion
• 2 large stalks celery, diced (about 1c.)
• 1c. sliced white button mushrooms
• 2 cloves garlic, minced (about 2tsp)
• 4c. no salt added vegetable broth
• 2 pounds uncooked broccoli crowns, chopped into bite-sized pieces
• 1 (15oz) can reduced sodium white beans
• 1tsp cumin
• 1/2tsp salt
• 1/2tsp pepper
• 3c. baby spinach leaves
• 1c. nonfat plain greek yogurt
• Garnishes: 6tbl light sour cream
                    6tbl reduced-fat cheddar cheese

Instructions:

1. Heat a large pot with olive oil over medium heat. Add in celery, onion, and mushrooms. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes. Add in garlic; cook an additional 2 minutes, stirring frequently.
2. Add broth, broccoli, beans, salt, pepper, and cumin to the pot. Bring to a boil over high, then reduce heat to low and simmer for 20 minutes covered. Add spinach, and remove from heat. 
3. Allow to cool, and then blend with either an immersion blender or a normal blender (in batches) until creamy and smooth. Refrigerate, covered, for at least four hours and as long as a few days.
4. Before serving, stir in Greek yogurt until well-blended. Ladle approximately 1 and 2/3 cups of soup into each of four bowls. Top each serving with 1tbl sour cream and 1tbl cheddar.

Nutrition Information:
Sodium: 550mg
Total Fat: 4g
         Saturated: 2g
         Trans: 0g
Sugar: 8g
Protein: 17g
Calories: 231

Thyme, Blueberry, and Banana Steel Cut Oats

This morning I got up at 4:45 AM so I could make it to yoga class.

They had this membership deal where for the first twenty days, you only have to pay $20 and can come whenever you want. If I wanted to (and was crazy flexible, which I'm not), I could technically go to every single class for twenty days. That's about eighty classes. I couldn't resist the deal, particularly because some of my coworkers were going and invited me along and I love yoga. I also went yesterday morning and they did hot yoga, which oh my god. Not to be gross, but I think I produced enough sweat to water my tomato plant.

TMI? TMI.

Anyways. This morning I got up and I managed to shove a Greek yogurt down my throat before I took off for the 6:15 AM class. After doing plenty of down dogs, some planks, and some Warrior positions, I was most definitely hungry again. I didn't feel like going out, so I came home and looked in my fridge and pantry (side note: that's pretty much how I do everything. Half the things I make are like that. I want quick and easy, you know?). I pretty much came up with this on the fly, and I am so happy with how it turned out.

First, you have the awesome texture of the Steel Cut Oats. If you've only ever had rolled before, Steel Cut is so different in the best way. It has more of a hearty feel to it, kind of similar to rice but with the creaminess of regular oatmeal as well. It also has this slightly nutty flavor that goes really well with fruit and herbs which, coincidentally, I added. Who can resist blueberries and bananas, right? They're a fantastic way to pack in some vitamins and nutrients, along with natural sugars, into your meals. The blueberries add nice pops of sweet flavor and the bananas help make the oats smooth and soft with each bite. I love love love it. I also added some thyme because it goes really well with the other ingredients, adding some more brightness and a slight complexity that you wouldn't have otherwise. I know that you will be tempted to leave it out, but don't. I promise that it's delicious.

Happy Tuesday morning, everyone.


Thyme, Blueberry, and Banana Steel Cut Oats
Serves 1

Ingredients:

• 3/4c. water
• 1/4c. (dry) steel cut oats
• 2 sprigs thyme (about eleven little leaves), cut roughly
• 2tsp honey OR a packet of splenda (if vegan, feel free to use agave)
• 1/2c. fresh blueberries
• 1/3c. banana, sliced

Instructions:

1. Bring water to a boil. Add Steel Cut Oats, and cook, covered, for ten minutes on low. Add thyme and honey (or splenda), stir, and cook for another ten minutes, uncovered. Oats should be soft and water evaporated.
2. Ladle oats into a bowl and top with blueberries and banana. Serve hot.

Nutrition Information:
Sodium: 2mg
Total Fat: 3g
        Saturated: 1g
        Trans: 0g
Sugar: 26g
Protein: 7g
Calories: 317

Nutrition and Health News: 5/23 to 6/6

Every few Fridays, I like to make a collection of news stories that revolve around the field of Food Science, Human Nutrition, Vegetarianism, and other Health News. These are studies or reports that are not only super interesting, but also really work to open my mind and remind me that these fields are constantly evolving and finding new information. Click on the links for more info!

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign found that physical activity correlates with language skills and intelligence in children.

A new study brings diet sodas back into the positive light, showing it can help people lose weight.

For the first time, researchers have confirmed that women who eat a poor diet before they become pregnant are around 50% more likely to have a preterm birth than those on a healthy diet.

Good news for older runners: a study shows that it takes an 18-year-old athlete the same amount of time to finish a marathon as a 55- or 60-year-old.

University of Leeds has confirmed the positive effect of introducing vegetables and new foods to kids early. According to the study: "exposing infants to a new vegetable early in life encourages them to eat more of it compared to offering novel vegetables to older children."

These are articles that I find fascinating. If you want to keep up on more news, I suggest going to ScienceDaily, BBC News Health, and EatRight.org. The next news update will be on June 27th.

Basil and Chive Grilled Corn

Corn is flying off the shelves here.

Does anyone else not really consider it summer until corn goes on sale for insanely cheap prices? Like five-cobs-for-a-buck prices? For me, that's always signaled summer. Partly because I've never lived in a place that actually has summer weather until late June (Flagstaff, AZ and Fort Collins, CO always seem to have freak winter snowstorms in May, so how can one tell if it's summer or not?), and partly because corn on the cob is just the classic summer thing here. I'd add it onto my summer list with sorbet, watermelon, and melty ice cream cones-- those are always going to just scream summer to me.

Now that I'm in California for the summer, the weather is plenty hot and the corn is on sale! I decided to throw together some basil and chive grilled corn, which I grilled until tender and aromatic. The basil lends this slightly peppery taste, while the chives give a faint onion flavor that compliments that natural sweetness of the corn. For some salt and texture, I added some Parmesan cheese into the mix, which basically made it even more awesome.

Words. I can't find them. This corn is delicious. Eat it.

Basil and Chive Grilled Corn
Serves 4

Ingredients:

• 2/3c. (5/8oz) packed basil, chopped finely
• 1/2c. (5/8oz) finely chopped chives
• 1/4c. (1oz) grated Parmesan cheese
• 1/4tsp salt
• 1/4tsp pepper
• 1/4tsp garlic powder
• 1tbl extra virgin olive oil
• 1 tbl butter, melted
• 4 medium ears corn, husked and cleaned
• Aluminum foil, 4 pieces, big enough to wrap around each corn

Instructions:

1. Turn on grill to medium-high heat.
2. Combine basil through garlic powder in a small bowl. In another small bowl, combine olive oil and butter.
3. Lay out the four pieces of foil, and place each corn cob on the left side. There should be room at the top and bottom ends. Drizzle or brush the oil mixture over the corn. Evenly divide the herb-cheese mixture between the four corns, turning to coat and assure full coverage. Fold the top and bottom ends of the foil over the corn, and then roll like a burrito, nice and tight.
4. Grill for ten minutes on bottom rack, then transfer to top rack and cook for another 10-15 minutes, or until tender and aromatic. 

Nutrition Information:
Sodium: 277mg
Total Fat: 9g
       Saturated: 4g
       Mono: 4g
       Trans: 0g
Sugar: 3g
Protein: 6g
Calories: 170

Blueberry Muffins

I remember that blueberry muffins were the first thing I ever posted on Michelle's Healthy Bites. I was only sixteen years old and I had started a food blog for my photography class (which was taught by the mother of my boyfriend at the time, so I basically wanted to make it really really good so she would be impressed and let me hang out alone with him at their house. Which, shockingly, didn't really work). I remember sitting back and thinking, "What's a recipe that everyone loves but that isn't normally healthy?"

The first thing I thought of was blueberry muffins. Most of us grew up the boxed or bagged kind; or at least, in my family we all grew up on it. I remember walking downstairs with bare feet in the morning and begging my mom or dad to let me mix the batter (because licking the spoon went to whoever did that and duh the batter is always the best part). The blueberries were from the can and the batter didn't have even a pinch of whole grains but damn, they were good.

These are even better. I say that as someone who has eaten blueberry muffins for years, and made this recipe too many times to count. It started off as just a lower-sugar, lower-fat version, and now I've gone full-out vegan on it. They're fantastic, with a hearty-yet-tender texture from the oats and just a touch of sweetness from brown sugar, applesauce (instead of calorie-dense oil) and blueberries. Almond milk adds in some healthy fats, while lightness is achieved with a mix of whole wheat flour and all-purpose flour. They're so good. They're the first thing I ever made for my old blog, and I couldn't resist sharing them any longer.

Blueberry Muffins
Serves 12

Ingredients:

• 1 cup (3 ¼ oz) oats (quick cooking)
• 1/2cup (2 ½ oz) all-purpose flour  (Plus 1 tbl. if using frozen blueberries)
• 3/4cup (4oz) whole-wheat flour
• 1/3c. sugar (I like using Splenda instead, but to each her own)
• 1/4c. (1 ¼ oz) brown sugar, unpacked
• 1 tbl. baking powder
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1/4c. no sugar added applesauce
• 1c. sweetened plain almond milk
• 1/2 tbl. vanilla
• 1 and 1/3 cup blueberries (use only 1 cup if they are large) (fresh or frozen- I recommend frozen) rinsed and drained
• Cooking spray

Instructions:

1. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.
2. Mix together the oats, flour, sugars, baking powder, and salt together in a medium-sized bowl.
3. In a smaller bowl, combine the applesauce, milk, and vanilla. 
4. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry, and stir together until half-moist. If using frozen blueberries, mix them with 1 tbl. flour until they are coated. If not, skip adding the flour and fold them into the batter. Mix until just moist (over-mixing can cause unpleasant texture).
5. Spray a 12-cup muffin pan with cooking spray, and fill each muffin cup about 2/3 of the way full with batter (Tip: I like to use a ice cream scooper to fill mine. Just spray the scooper with cooking spray beforehand, and the batter will slide out easily). 
6. Place the muffins in the oven and cook for about 20-25 minutes: this changes depending on where you live and such, so make sure to keep an eye on them! (Tip: To test if they are done, either stick a toothpick in and see if it comes out clean, or touch the top of the muffin and if it springs back it is ready). 

Nutrition Information:
Sodium: 226mg
Total Fat: 1g
      Saturated: 0g
      Trans: 0g
Sugar: 13g
Protein: 3g
Calories: 137