Soup to Nuts.

One thing I adore making time after time is soup. It's usually pretty simple and even the complicated recipes really aren't that complicated. Have I mentioned Heidi Swan's blog yet, 101 Cookbooks yet? She has easily become one of my favorites, with her whole foods approach to cooking, her book, Super Natural Cooking and her blog are not intimidating at all when it comes to healthier cooking and eating.

I pulled her recipe for Thai Spiced Pumpkin Soup a couple of weeks ago and finally made it this evening. It's been a cool and rainy day in Los Angeles and nothing is more rewarding than a big bowl of homemade soup. The recipe calls for pumpkin, but any winter squash will do honestly. I bought some butternut squash at the farmer's market last weekend and thought it would be an adequate substitute given that pumpkins aren't in season currently.

This soup is so satisfying and good for you, the Thai inspiration comes out in the coconut milk and red curry paste. The coconut milk is silky and sweet and the red curry paste balances it out with some heat. The consistency of this soup is all about preference, I happen to like my soups thicker than most, so I added very little chicken stock (the recipe calls for water, but that's boring). I topped it with some cilantro leaves for garnish. What I also adore about this recipe is that it calls for so few ingredients, which makes for a simple meal but also one that you can whip up anytime throughout the week.

** Note that the adorable owl bowl is created by Eclectic Clayworks.

Shhh...it's Forbidden....

For a couple of weeks now, I have been making better choices when it comes to food, one of my personal goals is to eradicate (as much as possible) highly processed foods, soda and America's favorite, fast food. Essentially, I'm aiming for a "whole foods" approach to cooking and eating. I was introduced to J&P Seafood at the Hollywood Farmer's Market a couple of weeks ago, and bought some of their sea scallops.

Last week I found a recipe at Bon Appetit for Seared Scallops with Bok Choy and Miso and I gave it a college try. Scallops are delicate creatures and one must handle them with a lil' TLC when preparing them. If you overcook them, they become tough and dry, like mini hockey pucks. Admit it, you don't want to be caught dead eating a scallop hockey puck.

What brings this easy weeknight meal together is a simple and fresh sauce made of miso paste, mirin, rice vinegar and ginger. The scallops are seared for about 2 minutes on each side and the bok choy is sauteed. Upon completion, you throw the sauce in the pan for a minute or two til it sizzles and pour over the scallops and bok choy. The sauce is super tasty and I think it would go well with any piece of mild fish, like tilapia, halibut, swordfish or cod.

My nutritionist, Jessica Hilton, introduced me to a new rice, at least it's new to me - forbidden rice. In the package this rice is black but when you cook the rice it meta morphs into a deep aubergine color. It's quite beautiful and adds a nice "wow" factor when it comes to presentation. While this rice is "pretty", it's also really good for you. Forbidden rice is high in fiber and iron, and it contains the same antioxidants as berries do. Besides, it's just so darn pretty.