Potatoes and Leeks and Other Good Stuff

This is my current favorite recipe. It's perfect for late fall/early winter, and because it's high in protein and good carbs, it works as a post-run recovery meal OR as a night-before-a-long-run carb load.


Potato-Leek-Broccoli-Asparagus Soup

Ingredients:

Vegetables
-4 Red Bliss Potatoes
-1/4 lb asparagus
-2 leeks
-1 broccoli crown
-1/2 habanero pepper (if you're into that)
-4 cloves of garlic
-1 lb soft tofu

Seasonings
-Garlic Salt
-Cajun Seasoning
-Salt
-Pepper
-White pepper
-Cayenne pepper
-Bay leaf
-Mustard Powder

Other
-1/2 tbsp butter
-Vegetable Stock (see first blog entry to make your own, or just buy a carton)
-2 oz. cheddar cheese, grated
-8 oz. beer, preferably an ale
-4 oz. half & half


Dice all vegetables except tofu. The smaller you make the pieces, the better. Put them in a stockpot with the butter over medium heat. Mix together. Add salt & pepper to taste. Add a splash of stock. Stir and cover.

Reduce heat. Cook covered, but stir and add a little more stock every 5 minutes. Make sure there's always some visible liquid for the vegetables to simmer in.

When the potatoes are soft, add all other seasonings except Bay Leaf. Use a potato masher to blend everything in the pot and add stock until everything is soft and homogenized. It should be about the consistency of thin mashed potatoes.

Pour the entire pot into a blender and run on pulse. Or, ideally, use an immersion blender right in the pot. If it's resistant to blending, add stock a little bit at a time. Break up the tofu and add gradually until it's integrated into the mixture.

Return mixture to stockpot on medium heat. Add 1/2 cup stock and stir. Add cream and cheddar. Cook to a simmer, stirring constantly. If soup looks too thick, add stock. Finally, add the beer and bay leaf. Bring back to a simmer.

Serve with bread. If you can find quinoa-flax bread at Whole Foods, I highly recommend that.

Makes about 8 servings. Now, let's take a quick look at the nutrition breakdown. This soup tastes incredibly rich and satisfying, but that's because it's well-seasoned and because potatoes are inherently filling. Though it might seem to TASTE indulgent, keep in mind that each serving includes only:

1/16 of a tablespoon of butter
1/4 oz. of cheddar
1 oz. of beer (i.e. 1/12 of a standard bottle)
1/2 oz. of half & half

Everything else is pure vegetables, soy protein, and antioxidant-rich spices. This is, in other words, about as healthy as dinner gets.

Also, it can be portioned out and frozen for future meals.