Warm up with Yoga & Soup!

It has been frightfully frigid here in Ohio over the past week or so. So, how did the Irishman & myself stay warm this past weekend? By doing some hot yoga, cuddling, & making two very delicious vegetarian soups, of course! Both soups are flavorful, hearty & very easy to make. Pair either soup with a side salad or a loaf of crusty, artisan bread & you'll have yourself a tasty dinner that will warm you from the inside out.

Curried Pumpkin Soup
Heat 4 teaspoons of olive oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add 1/2 cup diced onion & saute 2-3 minutes (until translucent). Add 3 teaspoons curry powder, ground black pepper to taste, & stir to coat. Add 3 cups low-sodium vegetable broth, 2 cups of canned pumpkin, 2 peeled, cubed potatoes. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium, partially cover & simmer 8-10 minutes or until potatoes are tender. Remove from heat & stir in 2 tablespoons of chopped fresh cilantro.
(Makes 2 dinner sized servings or 4 side servings)

32 Bean, Vegetable & Barley Soup
(*There is no actual recipe for this soup. We are lucky enough to have an awesome Whole Foods-esque store near us called The Mustard Seed Market. At the Mustard Seed, they have bins of dried legumes, beans, oats, flours, & nuts. One of the bins had the 32 bean combo. We bought about...4 scoops worth & then Nick, the master of free-style cooking, added spices, veggies, etc. at will. Anyone can easily do the same. Tailor the soup to your own taste buds & the quantity you need! Here are the ingredients we used:

32 Bean & Vegetable mix (place in a large sauce pan, cover with water & bring to a boil, then reduce heat. When beans are al dente, remove from heat & set aside until ready to finish soup), potatoes (peeled & cubed), celery, carrots, vegetable stock, white wine, salt, pepper, cayenne, bay leaves, garlic, canned pumpkin (we had some left over from the previous night), coriander, & oregano.

BON APPETIT!