Behind The Butter

Simplicity

I had a simple early dinner tonight because I have to be at work at 6:00. Earlier today, I made a Spicy Chickpea Soup that I had gotten the recipe from an old issue of food & wine magazine that our pastry chef brought in to work last week. It was an incredibly easy recipe, using a lite coconut milk base, chickpeas, cilantro, tomatoes and garam masala. You throw everything into the blender to puree then just heat up on the stove. I think it took about 10 minutes? It was light and satisfying with spicy Indian undernotes. I froze the other portion for another time since I am going out of town on Tuesday and won’t eat it later this week. With my soup I had a piece of baguette, sprinkled with some herbed goat cheese and broiled for a few minutes so the cheese would melt and the bread was toasty. Along with a small glass of rose wine, this meal was perfect.

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I’m not exactly looking forward to working tonight but I offered to pick up the shift and with Whole Foods only a couple miles away, lord knows I need all the extra money I can get. Hopefully it won’t be a late night and I’ll get to leave around 10:30. I’m packing a chocolate chip zbar for a snack later when I can sneak a treat…

This afternoon I snacked on a yogurt while I finished my book. I need something new to read, quick!

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  • Em
    June 29, 2008 at 10:28 pm

    excited to see your soup pic! hope work goes well! have a great night!

  • ibex hk
    June 29, 2008 at 11:05 pm

    I have yet to crack it, I’m about to finish my other book, but I have “The Inheritance of Loss” by Kiran Desai on my bedside table to start next. I’ve heard it’s amazing 🙂

    have a great night, the soup sounds delish! I’m loving chickpeas these days!

  • Rachel
    June 29, 2008 at 11:24 pm

    Hi Jenna! I remember you saying that you’re lactose-intolerant, but have you found that yogurt and smaller amounts of cheese are easier to tolerate? Also, does one particular kind of yogurt seem to work better for your body? I’m just curious because I’m lactose-intolerant as well and am trying to figure out if my body can handle small amounts of lactose/lactose from certain foods or if I just need to cut it out completely. I know that everybody is different (and my intolerance is pretty severe so it might never work for me) but I’m interested to hear what has worked for other people. It would be a good starting point, at least. Thanks!

  • Cecilia
    June 29, 2008 at 11:46 pm

    hello jenna! just wanna say that I love this blog – sigh, I’m slow I know, it took me so long to get hook on your blog! I’m now catching up on all of your blog post – they are SO freaking interesting!!! Man, do I sound like a nerd! Regarding the prosciutto, don’t worry about it, noone’s perfect! I’m trying to be a vegan right now – but seriously, there’s countless of times where I eat yogurt, they just taste so good. 🙂

  • PinkCowgirl
    June 30, 2008 at 12:30 am

    Wow, that sounds tasty!!

  • Tina O.
    June 30, 2008 at 1:02 am

    I am reading Veronika Decides to Die by Paulo Coelho. It’s like nothing I’ve ever read, in a good way. They are making it into a movie and that’s how I heard about it.
    Summary: a young girl decides to kill herself, but fails and wakes up in an asylum where they tell her she has irreparable heart damage from her suicide attempt and will die very soon.

  • Katie S
    June 30, 2008 at 2:17 am

    What book did you just finish?? How was it? I just finished one tonight and I need a new one too!!!

  • nicole r.
    June 30, 2008 at 3:06 am

    hi rachel–

    just to comment on the yogurt: most (if not all) lactose intolerant people can tolerate yogurt because it has l. acidophilus bacteria in it, which function in the acidic environment of your stomach to break down the lactose sugar that you cannot. try a little and see how it goes!

  • AshleyH
    June 30, 2008 at 3:47 am

    Jenna I know what you mean I am going to go camp out at B&N tomorrow to find a new book too!! I just posted my top ten so go check it out!!

    Oh and that soup sounds amazing!

  • erica
    June 30, 2008 at 4:06 am

    Wow, that soup looks incredible.. I’ll definitely have to give it a try!

  • Serena
    June 30, 2008 at 4:21 am

    Cecilia, Welcome to the blog! Just one (friendly, really) comment – not to be unpopular, but when you say don’t worry about the prosciutto, “no one’s perfect” – I think the point is that eating everything in moderation is healthy – it’s not imperfection to eat what our bodies crave. I know you probably didn’t mean it negatively but that comment stuck with me for some reason and I felt like it was important to point out that had Jenna not eaten any dairy or meat, it wouldn’t mean that she was perfect; nor does the fact that she did mean that she’s not.

  • Cecilia
    June 30, 2008 at 9:53 am

    Hi there Serena, you’re absolutely right! I’m really bad with my use of words, sorry :0) Yea, what I’m trying to say is that no one will see less of her due to what she eats n stuff (like I don’t think being a vegan makes me a better person, it’s just a choice that I make) … Sorry if I confuse you there! have a great day everyone ^^

  • jenna
    June 30, 2008 at 12:28 pm

    Rachel,

    I seemed to be alright with cheese and yogurt but I will continue to stay away from milk because I remember milk really bothering me. Plus, I just love soymilk! I think I will use milk in things but I don’t think I could ever just drink a straight glass of it (gag) or have it in my cereal. Soymilk is a great alternative! I think you just have to try different things until you find what works!

    katie S,

    I just finished a book called “The 10 year nap” by Meg Wolitzer. It was about a group of friends that became stay at home moms and felt like they sort of lost their lives and who they are. It was pretty interesting, not the best though. I have no idea what I will be on to next!

  • happyherbivore
    June 30, 2008 at 8:14 pm

    spicy chickpea soup sounds right up my alley… although now its far too hot for soups 🙁

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