Tuesday, April 20, 2010

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!

27 comments:

  1. Meena, it looks declisious dear. I love the concept of earth day but agree with you that it should be a mind-set and not just one day celebration.

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  2. Dear Meena, The soup is really too good..perfect for the event..love the presentation too..

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  3. good to see this blog and this name belongs to my son, great recipe's too

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  4. Soup looks perfect and beautiful colour too

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  5. soup looks great!!, good one for the event!!, good clicks too!!

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  6. Heyy Meena,,hw r u ter,,, soup looks great paa very rich n creamy in beautiful presentation n pics dear... agree with u dear all the things we should keep in mind n do follow all the time not only keeps firm for one day.

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  7. I've never tried Black-eyed Peas but they sound great in this southwestern style soup. I think you have it just right, it's all about balance and making life long changes. Not just one day.

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  8. healthy soup..looks rich and creamy.....nice shots....

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  9. Soup looks cool...they have something similar here in Soup Spoon..my fav.

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  10. Woww Meena, wat a fabulous soup dear, thanks for sharing,feel like grabbing the bowl of hot soup..yummm!!

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  11. I can't agree with you more..no extremes..it's all about balance :D
    Soup looks wonderful.

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  12. Healthy, hearty and absolutely delicious.

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  13. Healthy and delicious soup..Great pics too..

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  14. Very healthy and delicious soup Meena...I have to try this soon :) I too agree with you on the Earth Day concept, it will be really good if everyone follows the same everyday...just with small baby steps at a time.

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  15. That soup looks incredibly delicious! I love soups like this.

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  16. V tempting and a healthy soup.....

    New in ur space... Its soo well shaped!!

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  17. The soup looks delicious! Love that asparagus and this is a great recipe using it! Thanks!

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  18. We should be aware of things we use everyday, not just for earth day!

    Soup looks delicious, thanks for the entry.

    http://ruchikacooks.com

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  19. lovely bright color soup ...and i completely agree with you regarding earth day but its necessary to celebrate every year for those who might forget their responsibilities in their busy life:)

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  20. Nice post about Earth Day. Looks delicious and well presented!

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  21. All, thank you for the comments on the soup and Earth Day!!!

    Preety, I totally agree that there should be something to remind people who forget their responsibilities to Mother Earth! Very valid point!

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