Well, tomorrow is going to be a BUSY day for me because I just did not do a dang thing today. I did take a nap. Oh, and I did make soup. But I haven't done any studying or laundry. Oh well, I do have another day. I think there is a physical explanation for my laziness, too. It's no big deal, happens often... 'bout once a month.

I haven't posted any recipes for a while because we've been doing the Sonoma Diet and you can find all the recipes on their site. Plus, mostly, I haven't been the one doing the cooking. And even when I have cooked, I don't deviate from the recipe, so I'd just be retyping something that could easily be found on the internet anyway. I'm not too sure their recipes are free anyway... so if I posted a whole bunch of them here, that might be some kind of infringement.

I recommend the diet, though. We're all loving it and we're all losing weight. You're not hungry, you don't have cravings and you don't miss junk food. I don't anyway. Although, I'm the sort of person who will allow herself a few minor indulgences here and there. Just small ones, infrequently. Just enough that I don't have to feel sorry for myself because I never get this or that thing I really like.

This diet is about healthful eating in moderation with emphasis on low-fat and high-fiber. The carbs are slightly restricted and what carbs are allowed are in the form of whole grains. In other words, if you're going to eat carbs, make sure they're at least very nutritious, healthful carbs. This has just worked wonders for my digestive system.

My friend, Kathy, likes quinoa (pronounced KEEN-wah) and recently we've made two recipes using quinoa that were VERY good. It's good stuff. You'd use it instead of rice. It's kind of like cous cous, but a little bit stickier. What's great about it is that it has tons of protein, fiber and iron. The only problem with quinoa is that it can be hard to find. We don't have trouble finding it in the HEB Plus in Victoria, but they don't always have it at the regular HEB in Port Lavaca. Sometimes they do, most of the time they don't. If your store has it, you'll find it in the rice and beans aisle. I'm SURE it can be bought on-line, you may be able to find it in health food stores.

Toasted Quinoa Pilaf
serves 4

1 T. finely chopped shallots or onion
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1 t. extra-virgin olive oil
2/3 c. quinoa
1 1/2 c. reduced-sodium, fat-free chicken broth
1/2 t. chopped fresh thyme or 1/4 t. dried thyme, crushed
1 small bay leaf
1/3 c. bottled roasted red pepper, drained and chopped

In a medium saucepan, cook shallot and garlic in olive oil over medium-low heat until tender. Stir in quinoa and cook, stirring constantly, for about 5 minutes or until quinoa is golden brown. Stir in broth, thyme and bay leaf. Bring to boil and reduce heat. Cover and simmer for about 20 minutes or until quinoa is tender and liquid is absorbed.

Discard bay leaf. Gently stir in roasted red peppers. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Wine Country Grain Medley
serves 6

1 T. extra-virgin olive oil
1 c. fresh mushrooms, quartered (buy them already sliced, save time)
1 1/2 c. water (never use water when you can use vegetable broth)
3/4 c. quinoa
1 c. canned red beans, rinsed and drained
1 c. chopped zucchini
1 c. cherry tomatoes, halved (easier and just as good to use canned diced tomatoes)
1 T. chopped fresh basil
1 T. red wine vinegar
6 cloves of garlic, minced
1/4 t. kosher salt
1/2 t. fresh ground black pepper

In a very large skillet, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add mushrooms and cook about 5 minutes or until golden brown, stirring constantly. Add water and bring to a boil. Stir in quinoa and return to boiling, reduce heat, cover and simmer for about 15 minutes or until liquid is nearly absorbed. Stir in beans, zucchini, tomatoes, basil, vinegar, garlic, salt and pepper. Heat through, then let stand, covered, for about 5 more minutes.

Tonight I made a very good Tuscan Tomato Soup recipe out of the Sonoma Diet Cookbook. I modified it only slightly. I'm just going to post the way I did it.

Tuscan Tomato Soup
serves 6

3 (14.5 oz.) cans of diced tomatoes
1 medium onion, chopped
2 T. minced garlic
2 T. extra-virgin olive oil
2 medium zucchini, chopped
24 oz. organic vegetable broth (that's most of a 32 oz. paper carton of broth)
1 (10 oz.) can of tomato paste
1 T. chopped fresh oregano
2 - 3 T. chopped fresh Italian parsley
1 T. red pepper flakes
2 T. ground black pepper
Kosher salt to taste

Heat olive oil in a deep saucepan, add onion and garlic and sautee until soft. Add tomato paste and about half the broth. Whisk the tomato paste into the broth. Add remaining broth and turn heat to high. Pour in two cans of diced tomatoes with their juice. Drain one can of the tomatoes and just add the tomatoes. Add in zucchini, herbs and spices. Bring soup to a boil, then reduce and let simmer for about 20 minutes, or until zucchini is cooked.

Serve soup hot with shavings of Parmigiano Reggiano and some good crusty croutons.

I made my own croutons by cutting my dad's homemade wheat bread into chunks, laying them out on a cookie sheet, spraying them with olive oil flavored PAM and drying them out in a 300 degree oven for the entire length of time it took me to fix the soup.

This soup would also be good with mushrooms and sliced black olives in it if you wanted to make it more like a stew. You could also add cannellini beans and some whole wheat pasta to make it like a minestrone. Add some thawed, drained frozen spinach to increase the nutrition.

I like to make vegetarian dishes so I was happy this soup is meatless (also why I added vegetable broth instead of chicken broth), but if you wanted to stir in some cooked, chopped chicken breast meat, that would be good, too. Or you could make it like pizza by putting in some cooked, crumbled Italian sausage and cut-up pepperoni.