My Oh My It's Soup Monday

Ah, here we are again. Another Monday. At least it's sunny again today, and it's warming up into the 40's. Winter really makes you appreciate the sunshine that much more!

Working Hard on Monday

Today was the first workout of Week 5 of the Total-Body Training Rotation. Only 3 weeks to go! I'm seeing some awesome results with this workout. Today was a whopping 2 sets of 18 (holy cow) reps! I started off with the warmup from Shock Cardio HiiT Pyramid, then did the weights, then finished with the remainder of the HiiT Pyramid workout. Awesome blast for the legs!

Quads - Static Lunges

Hamstrings - Wide Leg Deadlifts>

Biceps - Hammer Curls

Shoulders - Lateral Raise

Chest - Flat Dumbbell Flyes

Back - Double Arm Dumbbell Row

I must brag on myself and admit that I was very pleased with my weights today.  I was able to maintain heavy weights even at these super high reps. I would give myself a high-five, but I can't lift my arms right now! ;-)

Did Someone Say Soup?

Dinner tonight was another soup. It may be hard to believe, but there was a time I was not a soup eater. Now I can't seem to get enough! I had wanted to try a Shiitake Sea-Vegetable Chowder from The 30-Minute Vegan. However, I had the rest of the Kabocha Squash Coulis that needed to be used up. So, a Kabocha Squash Bisque was born by taking the Kabocha Squash Coulis and thinning it with approximately 1/2 cup of low-sodium vegetable broth.

Kabocha Squash Bisque

Ingredients

1/2 lb  Kabocha or butternut squash

1/2 white onion, chopped

1/2 tbsp chopped fresh ginger

1/2 tsp olive oil

1/2 teaspoon  ground cumin

1/2 teaspoon curry powder

2 - 2 1/2 cups low-sodium vegetable broth (for making the bisque)

Sea salt and pepper to taste

Directions

Rinse squash and cut in half lengthwise. Scoop out seeds (save to toast); with a small, sharp knife, pare peel and discard. Cut squash into 1-inch chunks; you should have about 2 cups.

In a soup pot or large sauce pan, saute onion and ginger in olive oil until onion is soft, 8 to 10 minutes. Add cumin and curry powder; stir until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add broth and the squash; bring to a boil, then cover, reduce heat, and simmer until squash is tender, 18 to 20 minutes.

In a blender or food processor, holding down lid with a towel, puree squash mixture, in batches, until smooth. Add more broth if too thick. Add salt and pepper to taste. Return to sauce pan and continue to cook until flavors have all melded, approximately 15 minutes. Re-season as needed.

I topped with toasted Kabocha seeds and served with a salad of red leaf lettuce, spinach, roasted Kabocha, seared tofu, tomatoes, and balsamic vinaigrette along with toasted ciabatta bread. 

So what is your favorite soup (or stew) recipe?