Cubicle Recipe Trade

Conversations about lunch at work have started getting really important for me.

My new cubicle mate Wendy and I have established a great rapport: we're both trying to eat better, and we're both working within pretty tight food budget constraints. It helps that we are both very open to trying new foods. We're always trading recipes and bites during lunch, and I think this supportive atmosphere is really helping me stick with eating well.

This week, Wendy copied a recipe for me.

Baked veggie casserole courtesy of a magazine she picked up while waiting for the bus. I'll report back once I make it.

She also got me talking about flavoring water. Drinking water is an important part of wellness and appetite control. But, sadly, water can be boring. Wendy made me lemon water at work this week.


Other things that make water Fabulous:

• Oranges
• Strawberries
• Frozen fruits (I'm a fan of black cherries)
• Mint (cheap and GREAT!)
• Limes

In return I shared my newest recipe creation. When I'm making up a recipe I like to draw it out on huge paper and hang it near the stove. When I'm cooking and dancing and wiping my hands on my apron in order to scrawl ingredients up on this huge paper with a sharpie, I feel fantastic. Just sayin'.


Here's a close up so you can make it yourself.

Directions:

• Slice up the carrots and boil them until they are super soft.
  
• Take them out of the pot and set them aside. Save the carrot water!
  
• Put a few tablespoons of oil in the pot and start sauteing the ginger. Add some onions and garlic if you like!
• Once that gets going, I bust out the blender and potato masher.
• Put some of the carrots in the pot with the oil and ginger and mash them up.
  
• Put the rest of the carrots into the blender, adding enough of that carrot water you saved to allow the blender to work up a good orange swirl. The liquid to solid ratio is up to you.
• I also had some left over roasted spaghetti squash on hand. I recommend adding a little bit of some thing besides carrot to your soup. Try a potato, an apple, or a roasted squash. Simply cook the extra ingredient (bake the apple!) and put it in the blender to add some variety to the carrot-y-ness.
  
• Once you get enough pureed carrot (and squash, or apple, or whatever you add) from the blender, add that to the roughly mashed carrots in the pot.
  
• Add the curry, basil, and coconut milk.
• Salt and pepper to taste.
  

Yum!