THIS IS WHY WE CAN'T HAVE NICE THINGS

I went to my general practitioner, mostly because I'm attempting to get a recommendation to see an allergist because I'm CONVINCED something in my environment is slowly killing me. The last time I went to the doctor, she said that if I felt that my allergic medication wasn't really doing anything, I should try not taking it.

So I did.

Apparently, Zrytec is all that stands between me and being completely unable to eat solid food, get out of bed, or even think coherently.

brb vomiting blood.

Bell Pepper and Corn Soup

When I opened my box of vegetables this week, I was honestly confused. It's December. Why are there lettuce and bell peppers? I thought I was doing this to get seasonal vegetables?
I don't know.
Seasonality is a mystery to me. I just don't know.
Whatever.
Just... whatever. I'll eat it. It ain't no thang.

I wanted to use a soup recipe from the cookbook "Love Soup" but I didn't have all the ingredients, of course, so I pretty much just improvised.

Ingredients:
1/2 white onion, diced... sort of
1 garlic clove, minced
Two Bell Peppers, diced... sort of
1 Jalapeno, minced
~1/2 sweet corn (frozen, it's all I had)
1 tbsp olive oil
4 cups stock
1/4 c parsley, chopped (THIS WOULD BE BETTER WITH CILANTRO, BUT WHATEVER I DIDN'T HAVE ANY)
Juice from half a lemon

Sweat the onions in olive oil over medium heat until they're translucent. Add the garlic and cook for an additional minute. Add bell peppers, jalapeno and stock and bring to a light boil. Reduce heat until it simmers, and let it cook for about 10 minutes. Add in the corn and simmer for five more minutes. Add the lemon juice and parsley when done :)

Arugula and Apple Soup, Topped with Toasted Pecans

I didn't have high hopes for this, honestly. I find arugula to be very assertive, and I was worried the soup would be bitter. I've had arugula and pear salad before, and although I didn't think it terrible, I didn't really have high hopes. However, I had the ingredients for this soup in my CSA box, so I thought, eh why not?
My worries were completely unfounded. This was utterly, and somehow surprisingly, delicious. Lemony, bright, and pleasantly spicy.
The recipe is from Love Soup, which is an absolutely adorable vegetarian cookbook. The quantities are a bit varied from hers, though.

Ingredients
1/2 yellow onion, chopped
1 apple, peeled and cored (gala I think maybe in my case? I'm not sure)
5 oz Arugula
1 boiling potato
3 scallions, chopped
1/4 Parsley, chopped
1/2 lemon
2 cups broth
1/4 tsp cayenne
pinch nutmeg
1/4 c chopped pecans
1 tbsp olive oil

Serves two greedy Christina's

• Spread pecans on a baking sheet and cook in the oven at 300 degrees for 10 minutes 
• Sweat onion in a soup pot on medium with the olive oil until translucent 
• Roughly chop the potato, arugula, and apple. 
• Pour 2 cups water and two cups stock in a pot with the apples and potatoes. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to a simmer. Let cook for 10 minutes.
•  Add the scallion and simmer for five more minutes. 
• Add arugula and parsley, and simmer for 6 to 8 minutes.
• Add lemon juice, cayenne, and a pinch of nutmeg 
• Puree in a blender to a consistency you like. Mine was hella hella chunky cause I like biting stuff . 
• top with pecans 
• Nom 

Vegetarian chili

I had a few roommates in college who would occasionally make tons of chili. The apartment would be filled the aroma, the windows would steam over, I would draw bizarre pictures with my fingers, and we would all enjoy huge bowls of steaming, delicious, turkey or beef chili.

Haha, I'm just kidding, I never ate it. It smelled ridiculously amazing but I was probably all NAW DUDES I DON'T EAT ANIMAL FLESH UNLESS I HAVE NOTHING ELSE TO EAT AND IT'S FREE. WAIT IT'S FREE? I ATE ALREADY ACTUALLY BUT HOLY SHIT IT SMELLS AMAZING.
I don't know.

Fun bonus fact: I've never had non vegetarian chili.
I used to make vegetarian chili all the time, so I kind of just pour in whatever I can find.

Ingredients:
1 can diced tomatoes
1 jalapeno, diced
1 head garlic, roasted
1/2 cup kidney beans, soaked if you like
1 (yellow) bell pepper, chopped
1 onion, chopped
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp chili powder
2 cups stock, plus more water

Yeah, it's ugly. It's chili though.. what do you expect?

• Cook onion in a soup pot with olive oil until translucent 
• Add kidney beans, stock, and water to cover. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer. Cover and cook, adding water as needed. It took me about an hour and a half for them to get tender. 
• Squeeze roasted garlic into the soup pot. Add the remaining items to the pot, and simmer until vegetables are tender. 
• Eat with CORNBREAD IF YOU GOT IT 

Beet - Carrot Salad

Beets are one of my favorite new discoveries. I never had them as a child, probably for one o f two reasons. Either my mother didn't know what to do with them since she probably never ate them as a child, or she was exposed to them in canned form when she came to the US. Either way, I never had them until the first time my friend and I held a vegan dinner party. We made couscous with beets and artichokes, and it was positively amazing. I've been a beet fan ever since.
When I found out I would get beets this week in my csa box, I was thrilled.
However, I spoiled my appetite by snacking, which is probably one of my worst habits. So instead, I just made a simple salad of roasted beet and carrot :)

Ingredients:
1 beet
1 carrot, peeled and roughly chopped
1 scallion, green part only, minced
1 tsp olive oil
1 tbsp feta cheese

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit, because I'm lame and from the US. Wrap the beet in foil completely, and roast in the oven until it can be easily pierced by a complete weakling such as myself. If you happen to be lucky enough to have more upper body strength than a 2 year old, it takes about 45 minutes to an hour. When done, allow to cool, and then peel.
It's ridiculously easy.
Roughly chop the beet, then chop in a food processor with the carrot. Top with scallion, feta cheese and a bit of olive oil.

Broccoli Daikon Soup

Every wednesday, we have meetings at work that typically last for three and a half hours. I typically zone out, fall asleep, flirt with my (gay) soulmate via text, or browse reddit for most of the duration. Today, though, I was trolling the internet for yummy sounding recipes. I've come to the conclusion that the internet is generally not a big fan of broccoli in soups. I had a head of broccoli that had gone from delightfully verdant and firm, to limp, flaccid and jaundiced.
Maybe I just wanted to use the word flaccid.
I also had an equally floppy daikon radish sitting in the fridge, languishing alone on the bottom shelf.

Ingredients:
1 small head of broccoli, chopped
1 small daikon radish, chopped
1 pitifully small onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, crushed
1 tsp miso paste
1 tsp chili garlic sauce
1/4 tsp bonito flakes

• Sweat the onion in olive oil in a pot until translucent
• Add garlic, and cook for one more minute  
• Add radish, broccoli, stock, and spices/miso paste. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer. Simmer for 10 minutes 
• Allow to cool, then blend to a consistency you find palatable. 

Apparently, that consistency is CHUNKY for me. 

Coconut Curry Squash Soup

I was whining all day that my throat is sore, my nose is congested and my sinus cavities ache. My coworker suggested I eat something spicy.
OF COURSE.
WHY HADN'T I THOUGHT OF THAT BEFORE.
Not sarcasm.
Sort of.

I don't know I'm woozy from benadryl.

Ingredients:

1/2 a medium sized butternut squash, cubed
1/2 an onion, chopped
1 tbsp garlic
1 tbsp curry powder
2 cups stock
1 cup coconut milk
1 tbsp olive oil

Sweat the onion in the olive oil in a pot. Add garlic, and saute for a minute more. When done, add the stock and butternut squash, and simmer until tender (10 - 15 minutes if the cubes are small enough :) ). Add curry powder, coconut milk, and blend. If using a standard blender, make sure that you let the soup cool a bit before blending.