Me and Earth Day...Hmmm??!!!

So I dont believe in celebrating Earth Day...

Now, wait a minute...you are probably thinking...she is a selfish grinch who does not want to give back to Mother Earth!Like the storied Grinch who stole Christmas...am i about to steal Earth Day??

Well, before you label me like that, let me get on my soap-box and start my rant...my fave thing to do! I dont believe Earth Day should be a Single day of celebration...in my opinion, Earth Day should be more of a mind-set and a year-round celebration! What do I  mean?

Well, I believe that the best way to get our future generations to believe in the precious-ness(if that is a word) of nature is by slowly adopting a lifestyle where we Reduce, Reuse and Recycle in little ways...the other thing to  do...that is practical, would be to use more natural, simple ingredients as opposed to refined, highly-processed ingredients in our lifestyle, like say, in our cooking style(Hullo...Healthful Decadence!). Also, I dont mean throw out everything that is refined, artificial or processed...I believe in Moderation with everything in life...so I am making changes only where it is practically possible...with two kids, jobs and busy lifestyles, it is just not possible to eat all raw food, wear bark and leaves and go live in the heart of nature and extreme things like that, I think:))

What do you all think??? I would love to know!

So, here is to a more Earthy Lifestyle!!!

Now, here is a  recipe for moderation...mostly natural ingredients and one or two store-bought ones(what, I never said I am a tree-hugger:))

In this soup, I did not use any stock...just lots of Black-eyed Peas to give the soup some thickness...so this goes to MLLA # 22 hosted by RuchikaCooks and started by Susan.

Recipe for Southwestern Style Asparagus  and Black-eyed Pea Soup:

Serves: 2 or 3

Prep/cook time: 30mins - 35 mins.

Ingredients:

Black eyed Peas - 1 cup pressure-cooked till soft(takes about 3 or 4 whistles on my pressure cooker)

Asparagus - 1 bunch chopped

Green Bell Pepper - 1 chopped

Garlic and Ginger Paste - 2 tsp(or more if you like a garlicky taste, like me)

Tomato - 1 chopped

Cummin powder (jeera powder)- 2 tsp

Cooking oil - 1 or 2 tsp

For seasoning: salt, pepper, cilantro, thick yoghurt - 1 or 2 tsp per person and cilantro(tomato salsa would also be a good soup topper)

Method:

In a pan, add the oil and the ginger-garlic paste...let it cook for a minute or so.

Then, add the chopped vegs. and let it saute for a few minutes till the vegs. turn soft(takes 7 or 8 minutes)

Now, add the cooked black-eyed peas and all the seasonings except yoghurt and cilantro. Let cook for a couple of minutes and take off the heat and let cool for a few minuttes.

Finally, blend everything to a fine soupy consistency. If the soup seems too thick add a little water and let simmer again for few minutes.Serve warm or at room temperature topped with black pepper, cilantro, a few dollops of thick yoghurt(I like Greek Yoghurt here) and maybe, some tomato salsa.

This would be great served with some hearty bread, pasta or even as a dipper for tortilla chips.

Enjoy!