If you know me at all, then you know that I am VERY diligent about my schedules and routines. Schedules and routines keep me sane, and without them, I feel lost.
That’s why it’s so important for me to keep up with my Monday/Wednesday/Friday posting schedule. Alas, Friday went by, and no post.
I am not exaggerating when I tell you it was on my mind all night and day. In reality, I know the world can live without my scheduled post, but my little routine-oriented brain could barely take it. Friday was a bit of a hectic day, and Saturday, well, I just didn’t feel like writing.
But, I have a delicious recipe to share with you, and it just couldn’t wait until next Friday’s recipe post. So, lucky you, here comes a recipe on Monday. This Black Bean Squash Soup is just what you need as the days grow shorter and colder. I’ve made it twice in the last week, and on Halloween, we enjoyed two heaping bowls with some red wine as our little puppy barked non-stop from 5:30 to 9:00 PM.
I don’t think anyone hates Halloween more than Mr. Witch 1) Because his mommy dresses him in a ridiculous costume 2) Because the evil doorbell dungeons ring non-stop. It’s been a tough week for this guy between the vet and Halloween, so we’ve been giving him lots of extra love in the form of long runs and doggie treats.
Enough about the doggie, though – let’s talk about that filling, flavor-packed Black Bean Squash Soup. If you’re a veggie-lover, then this soup is for you, because the black beans and quinoa provide you all the protein you need. The adobe chiles kick up the flavor, and the tomatoes with diced chiles pull it all together. The best part is that it’s all done in, you guessed it, just under 30 minutes.
I’m not a spice-loving girl (I always order mild guac and salsa in Mexican restaurants), but the adobe chiles truly give this dish the perfect amount of spice, without overshadowing the taste of any other ingredients.
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 small butternut squash, peeled and cubed (about 2 cups)
- Sea salt and black pepper to taste
- 1 large yellow onion, roughly chopped (about 1 ½ cups)
- 1 yellow and 1 orange bell pepper, roughly chopped (about 1 cup each)
- 1 tablespoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 2 medium cloves garlic, minced or grated with a microplane grater
- 3 1/2 ounces (1/2 small can) chipotle chilies in adobo
- 2 cups homemade or store-bought low-sodium vegetable broth
- 2 (15 ounce) cans black beans, drained and rinsed
- 1 cup quinoa
- 2 cans diced tomatoes with green chiles
- 2 tbsps corn starch
- 1 cup shredded cheddar or white cheddar cheese
- 1 avocado, diced
- Heat the oil in a large pot over medium-high heat and add butternut squash; season with salt and pepper to taste.
- Cook, stirring occasionally, until lightly browned, 4 to 5 minutes; add the onion and peppers, stirring and cooking until softened, about 3 minutes; add the cumin, oregano and garlic and cook until aromatic, about 1 minute.
- Add the chipotle peppers, stock, beans, quinoa and tomatoes; mix 2 tbsps of corn starch with 2 tbsps water until formed into a smooth paste - stir into soup; cook until the squash has finished cooking and the quinoa is fully cooked, about 15-20 minutes.
- Season with salt and pepper and ladle into bowls, topping with grated cheese and avocado.
- For the meat-eaters in your household, serve over pulled chicken. Pour 2 cups chicken stock into crockpot, along with spices, including garlic salt and basil and about 1.25 lbs chicken breasts. Cook on high for 4-5 hours and pull.
If you’re feeling saucy, you can do what I did last week and serve it up in a “faux bread bowl” baked acorn squash.
If you’re serving to a household of men who refuse to go straight veggie, simply throw 1.25 lbs of chicken breasts in the crockpot with spices and 2 cups of chicken stock. Cook on high for 3-4 hours, pull chicken and throw chili on-top.
That’s what I did for the meat-lovers in my household!
Here’s a look at how it went down in the kitchen.
Make this chili tonight, and you’ll have leftovers all week, like me!
Now, about that rowing workout. I promised you a rowing workout weeks ago, and I always keep my promises!
First, let’s talk mechanics very quickly. Just like making fudge, it’s really not that hard to use the indoor rower. However, it’s just as easy to row incorrectly.
Simply remember these two things: Drive and Recovery. Drive is the work portion and recovery is the rest portion, preparing you for the next the drive. Combine both of these movements into one smooth sequence to create a rowing stroke. Here’s a little cheat sheet for you.
You might also find these tips from FitSugar useful!
And, now for the workout, which also incorporates another extremely useful piece of gym equipment: the kettlebell.
This workout should take you a good 45-50 minutes, and the best part is that the rowing machine will work your core/legs, while the kettlebell exercises will tone your upper body. Reference this article for any questions on the kettlebell exercises.
Before signing off, a quick congratulations to to all of the finishers of the ING NYC Marathon, and even more importantly, a huge congratulations to my brother and sister-in-law who yesterday celebrated their one year wedding anniversary!
One year ago today, Hurricane Sandy wreaked a bit of havoc on their wedding day, but despite losing their apartment in the flooding, as well as the hotel and rehearsal dinner venue, they persevered. While there was quite a bit of stress and chaos leading up to the day, the night was perfect, and the above picture shows them leading the crowd through the last dance. They have lots of exciting things coming their way, and I couldn’t be happier for two of my favorite people in the world.
You can read more about their experience in this NY Times article about weddings affected by Sandy. Note, that this article doesn’t even capture the fact that their hotel and rehearsal dinner venue lost power 24 hours before everyone arrived…It was certainly a weekend to remember!
YOUR TURN:
Where were you when Sandy happened?
Questions on rowing or kettlebell?
What’s your favorite workout of the moment?
that’s a lot of rowing! looks like a TOUGH workout!
It’s tough, but the result is great! Let me know if you try it 🙂
That chili looks awesome! I made chili for my family last week but had to make it “man approved” with meat so I added ground turkey! Definitely going to try the veggie version since I’m a huge squash fan!
Kelsey recently posted…Monday’s Muse [3] and Weekend Recap
Great – hope you like it. I feel you on the man-approved thing. My man is the same way!
I LOVE that you served the soup in an acorn squash “bowl.” What an awesome and creative idea!
Hanna @ Clean Eating Veggie Girl recently posted…Fit in the Fall: 45-Minute Interval Elliptical Workout
Thanks – if you love squash it’s a great idea! Some people might call it squash overload. Not me 😉
In my book, there is no such thing as squash overload! 😉
Hannah @ CleanEatingVeggieGirl recently posted…Vegan Chorizo Grilled Cheese Sandwich
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