Sweet Potato Vegetable Soup

It is very important to have a kitchen helper when available. So I went to my sister's house and got two! My sister Alleta and Beau, my very cute, special kitchen helper...



So this soup is great because everything came out of our garden! That is a very important thing for everyone. Vitamin B12 is not hard to get when you know where to look. In animal protein the B12 is already synthesized and is rendered almost useless to other animals. We need the un-synthesized B12 so our own body can work it. Only through that process do we benefit form it. Anyway, the B12 everyone needs comes from soil. (Cows eat grass/soil and get B12 hence the misconception we benefit from them with B12.)
Not only are the veggies blessed with delicious traces of dirt(!), they are really really pretty!


You will need:
~1 Large Sweet Potato~1 Large Red Onion~4 large stalks of celery with greens
~2cups uncooked quinoa
~Tomato base*
~2 Bay leaves
~s/p to taste
*My family, every year, grows an abundance of garden goods so can. We make a concoction my Gram dubbed 'goop-it' that consists of tomatoes and anything else we have left over. We blanch the tomatoes and peel them and then add the rest of the chopped veggies and herbs. We put them in Mason jars and pressure cook them until sealed. We use these jars of 'goop-it' throughout the year as soup bases. It comes out with the consistency of a soupy salsa. Alleta and I used one that was made with just tomato and basil leaves.
To start, if you have an iron skillet, USE it! Cooking in iron not only gives amazing flavor, even heat and flexibility to the dish, the mineral is actually leached into the food giving us 'veggies' much needed supplements! Start by cubing the potato and chopping the onion and celery into 'healthy' sized chunks. Use a hot skillet with a dash of olive oil and start sauteing the potato. Add a dash of water after the potatoes start to steam a little. This may initiate some splatter so watch out, but it is important to allow the potatoes to get soft. Add the onion as soon as the potato starts to brown.
In a sauce pan add 1 quart of your tomato base. If you don't have 'goop-it' ( yeah right ), you can sub a few seasoned cans of stewed/ herbed tomatoes. Put over low heat and add the bay leaves. Let that simmer and check the potatoes. If they are softer but still put up a little resistance to a knife, add the onions and saute them until soft. Add the celery and greens to the sauce pan. Stir it up. Once the potatoes and soft enough to have a knife go through it but not fall apart, add everything in the skillet into the sauce pan and simmer for a few minutes. Add the quinoa and let simmer for about ten more minutes. Add salt and pepper to taste and you are finished!

Pop Corn With B-12? YES!

I have a small admission to make. I am completely and one hundred percent addicted to pop corn. Not all pop corn, but real pop corn. I grew up eating pop corn that we bought as kernels and used a Stir Crazy popper machine to make it. We would but locally grown pop corn so I was very spoiled. My parents would also put nutritional yeast on the pop corn after popping and that was the best ever! Nutritional yeast is a must eat for vegans and vegetarians. It is one of the only natural sources of B12 out there. We don't need much of this miracle vitamin, that's why mother nature has put it in so few food sources. But we do need some, and this is a really delicious way to get it. As an adult, I have altered the way I make my pop corn and keep playing. I have come up with a great one as a fluke this evening.



You will need:

~Your favorite pop corn, popped and hot
~Extra Virgin Dipping Olive Oil
~Nutritional yeast


Now there are many ways you can do this. In college, I use microwaveable pop corn. But I still used my n. yeast and olive oil. For microwaveable pop corn; pop and pour into a bowl. Drizzle with the olive oil. You don't need much but it adds so much flavor and you get all the great things in olive oil because you are not heating it. Shake the yeast over the top. I don't have a good measurement of the amount. I like a lot, my mom doesn't. It is up to you to play with, but try the yeast first before you waste the pop corn and the yeast; make sure you like it. Tap the side of the bowl to spread the yeast and the oil out and enjoy.

Now, if you are popping your own pop corn, you can always use the olive oil for the heating agent, or you can place your kernels in a brown paper bag without oil and pop them. Therefore not heating the oil and saving it to drizzle over the top along with the yeast.

I like to use the oil after I make the pop corn so I get flavored dipping olive oil. This tends to be higher quality oil and therefore has a stronger, better flavor and is a little heavier on the pocket. BUT, on accident I purchased this amazing oil yesterday and I didn't know it until I tasted a spicy flavor with my olive oil and yeast! I looked and this olive oil was infused with red peppers! Good thing I like really really spicy! Oh it was good. I also love to use garlic and herbed oils as well. All of which you can infuse at home in smaller quantities. I paid 8 bucks for 8.5 oz... A little steep for me, but I can never put a price on my health!

Enjoy some gourmet pop corn next time you invite friends or your date over for a movie!