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Thursday, December 16, 2010

snuggles and soups

some s's getting me through this sh*tty shivery season...=)

snuggling up with a nice read is what i love most in winter. there are plenty of blog posts to peruse, but it's not very comfy to curl up with my huge laptop. i've been compiling a list of worthy books to read, but it seems to have gone missing.

can you recommend a good novel? as long as my local library has it, i'm willing to check it out. i'm open to all genres and am particularly interested in reading about pioneer times, as well as simple living and living off the grid. please share some of your favorites!


until then i'll enjoy my new seed catalogs and dream of warmer days.=)


 onto some eats...


... lentil soup and raw pizza with steamed broccoli. YUM. i've yet to make a pot of soup or raw pizza i haven't enjoyed. as lentils are inexpensive, delicious, and full of protein, they often find their way into our savory soups. they really "beef" up our veggie soups nicely.=) i think i've sung enough praises for raw pizza.


during these dreary days, raw juices and smoothies are quick pick-me-ups full of nutritional benefits to support immune function. now that i'm able to make fresh juices, i've been preferring them over smoothies. however, it feels a bit wasteful to neglect the pulp. after some research, i found a way to use the fiber for veggie broth!

simply puree the pulp with whole tomato or tomato sauce and freeze in ice cube trays. (filtered water would also work.) add one or more to your next batch of soup for a boost of flavor and sustenance.


and there you have it... homemade veggie bouillon cubes!

10 comments:

  1. I love to stay indoors and read books with a cold weather like this! My favourites are Little Women, Anne of Green Gables, Autobiography of a Yogi, Pride and Prejudice, Eat Pray Love, Winnie the Pooh, Little Prince, Harry Potter, Cherry Crush, The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, Alice in Wonderland.... Oh there are so many!

    You make so wonderful dishes!

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  2. There are never enough praises to be sung for raw pizza! Sing them loud!

    I am re-reading all of the Harry Potters right now. From the best-seller list I'd recommend Room and The Help.

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  3. are you talking about fiction? damn i haven't read any fiction in years...i'd recommend anything by Palahniuk, with "Survivor" being most recommended. It's my favorite fiction book of all time probably. In fact, i just looked at my bookshelf, and i only have Palahniuk left - the rest of my fiction was tossed or passed off to someone else...

    and if you haven't read the latest Icke....

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  4. I always refer to Helen and Scott Nearings "The Good Life". It doesn't get any more simple life than them.

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  5. My wife is reading a new book called "The Worst Hard Time" by Timothy Egan that is very good. It is all about those who survived, and the history of, the great American dust bowl..talk about hard times. Other than that I love Janes reccomendation.

    We just recieved our Baker Creek catalogue too.:) I've got to try that raw pizza one of these days...I love the idea of it.

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  6. I haven't received a single seed catalog yet! Probably because I forgot to order any, although I thought the ones I got last year would just automatically send again this year. Oh well, I think I have all the seeds I need for 2011!

    Your lentil soup looks scrumptious. I don't know about the raw pizza, although I do prefer my baked pizzas to be meatless ;-)

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  7. YUM! =) i want to make that raw pizza. and how delicious that juice looks.

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  8. Love that seed catalogue!! I am drooling just from the cover:)
    I've really been into the juices too and am loving the addition of ginger in my concoctions lately!
    As for the bouillon cubes...LOVE this idea! I have a ton of pulp frozen so this is such a great idea to use some of that up:)
    Have a great weekend!!

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  9. thanks lela! great list!

    bitt - ♪raw pizzaaa is sooo delicioussss♫=)

    rick - yeah, i'm looking for some light reading to balance the heavy stuff.=)

    thanks jane, will definitely check that one out.

    thank you, mr. h. i think you'd really enjoy raw pizza. do you grow buckwheat?

    thanks lisa!=)

    granny - this is my first year getting catalogs. i can't believe how many different varieties exist!

    thank you, griffen.=)

    melissa - so funny bc that juice had wayyy too much ginger, john couldn't even drink his!

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