Fit Fiesta Soup-Working with Liz Pearson
When you meet Liz Pearson you want to be just like her: petite and fit, with beautiful skin and twinkly blues eyes. You might even say to yourself, how could I look like that? Well here’s how: Liz is a leading Canadian dietician who contends that belly fat, (not the scale) is the best measure of health. She co-authored Ultimate Foods for Ultimate Health and has another book due out this year entitled Broccoli, Love and Dark Chocolate. We were destined to meet, she is a soul (aka heart) sister.
If you know me, you know that I carry my excess baggage in an area other than my waistline, but I heartily support having a good health barometer other than the bathroom scale, so I got out my tape measure. According to Heath Canada a red flag should be raised when women have a waist circumference of 35 inches or more, so I guess that it is time for me to be less concerned about my trunk and more about my engine.
Yesterday, I had the pleasure of working alongside Liz, taking care of the food styling for the Winnipeg leg of a promotional tour. I learned first hand, what foods to focus and consume more of for my intended long life (I am newly motivated by the just announced summer arrival of our first Grandchild!). The soup that I prepped for her appearances contain each of these five fat burning foods:
100% whole grains,
high fibre,
healthy fats,
flavonoids
and pepper-based plant compounds. But most important (for me at least), it tastes like Mexico (17 sleeps until my upcoming departure)!
- 2 c (500 ml) Whole grain bows, such as Catelli Healthy Harvest brand
- 2 t (10 ml) extra virgin olive oil
- 1 small red onion, chopped
- 1 red pepper, chopped
- ¼ c (50 ml) dried cranberries
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 T (15 ml) mild chili powder
- 1 t (15 ml) cumin
- ¾ t (4 ml) each salt and pepper
- 8 c (2 l) low sodium vegetable broth
- 1 can (14 ox./398 ml) no salt added diced tomatoes
- 2 cans (14 oz./398 ml) no salt added black beans, drained and rinsed
- 1 c corn, if using frozen, does not have to be defrosted
- 4 c (1 l) lightly packed baby spinach
- 2 jalapeno peppers, seeded and chopped
- 1 lime, zested and juiced
- chopped fresh cilantro
- Heat the olive oil in a large pot or Dutch oven set over medium-high heat.
- Add the onion and red pepper; saute for 2 to 3 minutes or until softened.
- Add the cranberries, garlic, chili powder, cumin, salt and pepper; cook, stirring, for 1 minute.
- Stir in 6 c broth and the tomatoes; bring to a boil.
- Stir in the beans, bows and corn.
- Boil gently, partially covered and stirring occasionally, for 12 minutes or until pasta is tender.
- Stir in the remaining broth, the spinach, jalapeno peppers, lime zest and juice; remove from the heat.
- Add extra lime and broth to adjust consistency and acidity to taste if desired.
- Garnish with fresh coriander.
The emphasis of focusing on foods that promote good health are reinforced for me, since they were first introduced by my friend Mairlyn Smith. Coincidence? No, Mairlyn is co-author of Liz’s books. I love my circle of life.
Kath’s quote: “Some people have a foolish way of not minding, or pretending not to mind, what they eat. For my part, I mind my belly very studiously, and very carefully; for I look upon it, that he who does not mind his belly will hardly mind anything else.”-Samuel Johnson
Love-that is all.
Made this soup last eve (just a quick note that corn is not mentioned in the ingredients). Everyone loved it and I have passed on soup samples and the recipe to several people now.
I feel good eating it. Maybe this is what will switch me over to whole grain pasta.
Thanks for the “corn” detail. I was surprised at how tasty it is too. I learned something about whole grain pasta-1 is that the bow ties are thinner than the penne, for example and therefore tastier (in my mind) AND you cannot cook to el dente but for the full time indicated on the package.