Welcome back

Hello there!  It's nearly two weeks into the new year and I'm finally getting around to saying hello to you all - how rude of me!

I had a week off of work between Christmas and New Year's and it was the loveliest week ever.  I had very little expectations as far as plans go and it was just the perfect balance of relaxing and doing.

We had fancy coffee every morning for breakfast.

We did silly things like make our own baguettes so we could recreate sandwiches that we had in Spain.  (OK, I didn't make any baguettes, but the Man did.  And they were awesome.)

Of course the sandwich fixin's required a special trip to a store in Queens that makes their own chorizo.

And I made these napkins just in time for New Year's Eve dinner.  

Did you also know that my blog turned 6 years old?  I've been doing a lot of thinking re: the blog and I'm going to try to shake things up a bit.  The blogisphere has changed so much since I started in 2005 and a lot of the blog friends I had are no longer writing.  

I have big plans for 2012 - how about you?

5 years

Did you know this blog is 5 years old?  Yep.  I started on New Year's Eve way back in 2005.  I was such a different girl back then - a little lonely, not really sure of her place in the world.  I'm not completely sure of it now, and New Year's Eve still makes me a little blue, but I'm slightly more confident and lot more self-reliant.

If you read the blog, you'll know I'm not one for New Year's resolutions, but this time around, the new year presented me with a chance to re-evaluate my health and the poor turn that it had taken.  I had a summer full of pizza and tacos and pasta with pesto and the extra pounds to prove it. 

I started out the new year with Gwyneth's detox.  I modified it a bit, not following the menu's exactly (I just couldn't stomach that avocado soup and I didn't give up coffee), but sticking with the spirit of the fast.  At the end of about a week of no dairy, no refined sugar, and no processed flour, I was feeling pretty good!  

I'm not a convert, by any means.  I fully intend to indulge in a hamburger sometime soon and possibly some birthday cake at the end of the month.  I may have also had a bagel for breakfast yesterday morning.  But I'm in love with my juicer now, and making a decided effort to eat cleaner foods.

This is where Jamie Oliver's soup comes in.  Well, I've been eating a lot of soup lately because it's the perfect food to keep me going through the day and I can make a lot in advance.  But I particularly love Jamie's soup. It's packed with flavor and veggies and with a dollop of plain (non-fat) Greek yogurt, it's positively decadent.

(I've also been eating a lot of this and this.  Both highly recommended.) 

Lentil and Spinach Soup, serves 6-8

*adapted from "Jamie's Food Revolution"

2 tbs. olive oil

2 medium carrots

2 celery stalks

1 medium onion

2 cloves garlic

2 quarts chicken or vegetable stock

thumb-sized piece of ginger

1/2 small red chili

10 grape tomatoes

2 cups red lentils

7 cups baby spinach

salt and black pepper, to taste

1 cup plain (non-fat) Greek yogurt, to garnish, if you like

Put a large sauce pan on medium heat and add 2 tbs. of olive oil

Chop carrots, celery and onion and add to pan

Sprinkle with salt and pepper and cook for about 10 minutes, with the lid askew, until vegetables are soft

Meanwhile, mince or grate the ginger, seed and finely slice the chili and cut the tomatoes in half.

Next add the stock, ginger, chili, tomatoes and lentils.

Bring soup to a boil and reduce to simmering.  

Simmer, with the lid on, for about 10 minutes or until lentils are falling apart.

Add the spinach and cook, stirring, for another 30 seconds, or until the spinach is good and wilted.

Taste and season with salt and pepper to your liking.

Serve with yogurt if you like!