Off the Hook

Our fridge is totally empty, so I was supposed to go grocery shopping this afternoon. I don’t love grocery shopping (unless it’s at Whole Foods), so I put off my shopping trip until late in the day. (Sometimes, I procrastinate when I really don’t want to do something! )

As soon as I was about to leave for the grocery store, Mal called and asked if I wanted to eat burritos from Anna’s for dinner. Does a bear sh*t in the woods? Of course, I wanted Anna’s for dinner! Plus, I was off the hook with grocery shopping tonight! Sweet! (I still have to go grocery shopping tomorrow, but I really wasn’t in the mood to do it today.)

Anna’s makes the best burritos ever! They’re relatively healthy and cheap for what you get– a winning combination if you ask me!

I asked Mal to pick me up a veggie burrito with all of the fixings.

As soon as I opened my burrito, I cut it in half and saved part of it for lunch tomorrow.

Anna’s veggie burritos are amazing because of the variety and plethora of fresh ingredients inside. Tonight’s burrito had a ton of beans and a whole slew of veggies– carrots, squash, zucchini, eggplant, broccoli, red and green bell peppers, and onions.

This was a great burrito– and very filling!

Dinner was seriously delicious, but I’m already looking forward to dessert: peanut butter cup ice cream! Mmm!

Snack

Before dinner, I snacked on a Chococonut granola bar, which was very yummy and dessert-like. I really love the combination of chocolate + coconut.

Guest Post: Minestrone Soup

Hello Carrots ?N? Cake readers!

My name is Nurit and write the food blog 1 family. friendly. food which is about life, people, and the food behind it all. I share stories and recipes. Recently I?ve started blogging about food photography as well (food bloggers are welcome to contribute guest posts on this topic. Contact me if you?re interested, nurit@familyfriendlyfood.com). Now, let me tell you about the soup?

This soup has been waiting to be published for a while now. With all the holidays bustle of shopping and cookies baking, it got buried under other recipes and things to do and write about that couldn?t wait any longer.

It started two freezing cold weeks ago. The temperatures were in the lower 20?s Fahrenheit during the day and much much lower at night. Each time I went outside I thought my nose was going to fall off. However, the days were beautiful and sunny with clear blue sky and the nights were gorgeous too with deep infinite dark blue color, sparkling stars and a full moon above the tall Douglas Firs. This is all behind us now. We?re back to normal grey and rainy days here in Seattle (Gosh, I?ve become quite the weather girl due to this big chill and I?m giving you the weather report…) but every day I see snowy photos from places around the world, as well as here on Carrots ?N? Cake, which reminded me of the big brrrr we just had and, of course, the soup!

While it was so freezing outside, our gas fireplace worked non-stop (although it is programmed to shut off when the temps reach 68 F) and the heating system worked around the clock as well, but it was still chilly. The only truly warm place was in the kitchen by the stove so what else was left for me to do besides to make soup?! So here you go, I have this soup to share with you to help you warm up a bit. It very easy to make, healthy, and de-licious. Lots of veggies, flavors, and textures. Slurp slurp. Life is good!

Minestrone Soup

The recipe is based on a recipe by Wolfgang Puck from his cookbook ?Wolfgang Puck Makes It Easy?

Makes 6 servings

Ingredients:

3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 large onion (about 1 cup), peeled and chopped
2-4 oz.bacon or pancetta, chopped
2 garlic cloves, peeled and minced
1 28-oz. can diced tomatoes, liquid reserved
1 14-oz. can cannellini beans, drained, rinsed in water and drained again
2 carrots, peeled and diced
2 celery stalks, thinly sliced
1/4 cup parsley, leaves on the stems
2 potatoes, peeled and cut to cubes
1-2 zucchini, halved lengthwise and chopped
3 sprigs fresh thyme
Salt and black pepper
1 cup small shaped pasta, uncooked
Parmesan, grated
Pesto, store-bought or home-made

Directions:

Heat the oil in a large soup pot over medium heat. Add the onion and bacon and cook, stirring from time to time, until the onion is tender and golden, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook another minute.
Add the tomatoes with their liquid, the beans, carrots, celery, parsley, potatoes, zucchini, thyme, salt and pepper. Add water to cover, bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer, cover and cook about 30-40 minutes, or until the vegetables are cooked. Taste and adjust the seasonings.
About 10 minutes before serving (check the pasta?s cooking instruction on the package), add the pasta to the soup. If the mixture is too thick, add water. Simmer until the pasta is cooked.
Serve and add to each bowl of soup some grated parmesan and pesto.

RIPE In-Store Tastings

Remember when I wrote about the RIPE Bloody Mary mix the other day? Well, the RIPE folks are hosting 3 in-store demos at the Symphony Whole Foods in Boston this week (15 Westland Avenue).

Whole Foods – Symphony (Boston) demos:

Tuesday, March 23 from 4-7pm
Friday, March 26th from 4-7pm
Sunday, March 28th from 11-3pm

If you’re in the area, it’s definitely worth stopping by Whole Foods. Plus, you can do some of your grocery shopping while there.

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Mal and I have a Dexter marathon planned for tonight! I’m so psyched to veg-out!

Good night!