Foodie Fridays: Green Vegetable Soup

I had a vegetable bin full of mostly green vegetables that needed to be used up before they went bad, so I decided that the easiest way to prepare them would be in a soup.  Even though it is quite hot right now, this soup can be eaten at room temperature, so once it is cooked a quick warming in the microwave is all that is needed for a fast and healthy lunch or light dinner suitable for summer weather.  Just add a protein source to complete the meal, and a starch if you like.  For a creamier soup, add a cup of milk, but I found the soup to be creamy enough without it.  Have a great summer day, and remember to social distance and wear your mask in public!

Green Vegetable Soup

2 T. canola oil
1 container (5 oz.) fresh baby greens (I used a spinach and arugula blend)
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 bag (12 oz.) microwaveable broccoli florets, cooked
1 bag (12 oz. or 2 C.) frozen peas
4 cups vegetable broth
1 C. sliced scallions
1/2 C. flame-roasted green chiles (this one is my favorite)
1/2 T. tajin seasoning
1/2 tsp. salt
sour cream or plain yogurt (optional)

Heat the oil in a large stock pot over medium heat.  Add the baby greens and cook for a few minutes until wilted.  Add the garlic and cook 1 minute longer.  Stir in the broccoli, peas, and broth.  Bring to a boil.  Reduce the heat to medium and cook until the peas are softened, about 5 minutes.

Remove from the heat and stir in the chiles, tajin seasoning, and salt.  Let cool for 15-20 minutes.  Use an immersion blender and process until smooth.  Top individual servings with sour cream and a sprinkle of tajin seasoning, if desired.  Serves 4.
               

Wish List Wednesdays: Plant Pot Feet from Signals

When I was still in Georgia, we had numerous plant-filled pots on our wooden deck.  I was always on the lookout for attractive plant pot feet to raise the pots up off of the wood to keep the deck from rotting underneath, but never found what I was looking for.  I ended up using small paving stones instead, which worked just fine but were not particularly interesting.  Now that I am in New Mexico, where we have no wooden decks, I have found exactly the sort of plant pot feet I wanted in Georgia!  The Plant Pot Feet ($29.95 for a set of three) from Signals come in several different animal shapes.  All are adorable, but I am especially enchanted by the tortoise and the hedgehog choices because these are two of my favorite animals.  I even like the antique bronze finish.  I do not really need to elevate any pots with feet here in arid New Mexico, but I may just have to purchase a set or two for purely decorative purposes!

Weekend Wardrobe: 2020 Outfit of the Week #23

With the hot weather we have been experiencing lately, my girls seem to spend a lot more time sleeping!

Last week I finally got my dogs to the groomer for baths and nail trims, which were long overdue!  They are so much cleaner now, and Ruby (the dog on the left above) in particular benefited from having her nails professionally trimmed.  She has lameness in her right shoulder which makes her put more weight on her left leg, resulting in nails growing at an odd angle that aggravate her lameness even more.  Like a lot of dog grooming establishments, the one where I take my dogs also has boarding facilities, so their business is down significantly due to the pandemic.  I plan to get my dogs groomed on a regular basis so that hopefully I can help the business stay afloat until COVID-19 becomes less of a problem and people begin traveling and boarding their dogs again.

Coldwater Creek Natural Inspirations Printed Tee in Canyon Rose (no longer available)

The hot temperatures continue here in New Mexico, which means my outfits get simpler.  I wore a pair of light chambray crop pants with yet another animal-themed lightweight t-shirt for the trip to the dog groomers.  I wanted to wear something that would not show too many dog hairs since I have to lift both dogs into and out of my car (Ruby's lameness prevents her from jumping in and out, while Madison does not like car rides and refuses to jump in on her own).  I also needed an outfit that would look decent enough to run some errands around town until my dogs were ready to be picked up.  My apparel for the day worked out perfectly:

Clockwise from top left: Coldwater Creek Natural Inspirations Printed Tee in Canyon Rose (no longer available); Tibetan Turquoise Turtle Pendant (similar to mine); Great American Leatherworks Leather East/West Crossbody Bag in Dark Tan (no longer available); Sperry Lounge Away Poplin Sneaker in Taupe (color modified to more closely resemble my similar shoe); Chico's Secret Stretch Straight Leg Crops in Chambray (no longer available).

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My animal-themed t-shirt this week features turtles, which are one of my favorite animals.  I also wore a turquoise and silver turtle pendant necklace (another gift from my husband a few years ago) to emphasize the turtle theme.  If you are familiar with Native American fetish carvings, then you may know that the turtle is one of the spirit animal symbols, albeit apparently a more recent addition.  Turtles symbolize Mother Earth, as well as self-reliance - I like to think that the turtle's shell represents the ability to carry the feeling of home with you no matter where you are, which is especially relevant in my life at the moment as our moving plans are on hold in mid-transition due to COVID-19.  Many people feel drawn to a particular fetish symbol, and for me it is the turtle.  Do you have a favorite spirit animal?

Zuni turtle fetish carving (from Horsekeeping).

                

Wish List Wednesdays: Mystery Lover's Teacup from Signals

I have been reading a lot of mystery novels lately during our COVID-19 lockdown.  A nice cup of tea is always the best accompaniment to a good read, and while I am normally a mug sort of person I have been seriously thinking about getting myself the Mystery Lover's Teacup ($29.95) from Signals.  On the outside it seems like a traditional, rather ornate floral cup and saucer.  Look down at the bottom of the empty cup, however, and you will find this cleverly hilarious message:

"You have been poisoned."

Once again it is the little things that make our shutdown bearable, and finding this sly message at the bottom of my cup when I finish my tea would amuse me every time (obviously I am easily amused!).  Are you finding simple ways to keep yourselves amused these days?
             

Weekend Wardrobe: 2020 Outfit of the Week #22

Temperatures are really starting to soar here, which is good for my garden plants but rather uncomfortable for me and my animals.  Luckily it always cools off nicely at night, and so far I have only had to turn on the air conditioning once.  I did finally decide it was time to wear shorts into town when I did my biweekly grocery shopping trip.  I wore yet another new animal-themed t-shirt, this one in a green dragonfly print purchased on sale from Coldwater Creek a couple of months ago:

Another necklace from my collection, this one a carved jade fish pendant on a short gold chain (a gift from my husband years ago), accessorized this outfit:

Clockwise from top left: Coldwater Creek Natural Inspirations Print Tee in Thyme Dragonfly (no longer available); Jade Fish Pendant on Gold Plated Chain (similar to mine); Great American Leatherworks Leather East/West Crossbody Bag in Dark Tan (no longer available); Croft & Barrow Adagio Women's Boat Shoes in Ivory; L.L. Bean Women's Wrinkle-Free Original Fit Hidden Comfort Waist 9" Bayside Shorts in Khaki (similar to mine); Land's End Women's Skinny Leather Belt in White (similar to mine).

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The coming week promises to be another hot one.  My dogs are finally going to the groomer for much needed baths, and that will probably be my only trip to town.  More of my time will be spent pulling out tumbleweeds - not exactly an exciting week, but at least I will be keeping busy!  I hope you are finding ways to stay busy this summer as well.
             

Weekend Wardrobe: 2020 Outfit of the Week #21

Immature but rapidly growing tumbleweeds that will be yanked out tomorrow!

I know I've been away from my blog for a while - my only excuse is that I have been extremely busy waging war against Russian invaders!  No, not the human sort, but an invasive plant here in the southwest called Russian thistle (Kali tragus), more commonly known as tumbleweed!  I always assumed that tumbleweeds were native to the southwest, but it turns out they were accidentally introduced in seed shipments from Russia in the 1800s.  These pesky annuals are extremely efficient at colonizing disturbed ground.  A new septic field and gravel driveway were installed on our property just before we bought it, both of which turn out to be ideal disturbed habitat for tumbleweeds.  Since last year was unusually wet and no one was living here at the time, tumbleweeds took over in these spots, and I did not arrive until after these invaders had already dispersed most of their seeds.  I am now spending way too much time yanking out baby tumbleweeds as fast as I can to prevent them from going to seed and spreading even more!

Anthropologie Weekend Tee in Playful Pups (no longer available)

I did get into town two weeks ago to get a slow leak in one of my car tires fixed, so today I am posting the outfit I wore that day.  I got to wear another new t-shirt, one that I recently purchased from Anthropologie for half price.  I adore the doggie print on this shirt!  Since it is very lightweight and loose-fitting, it is perfect for summer.  I added my favorite short faux turquoise bead necklace for a little color, and I was good to go!

Clockwise from top left: Anthropologie Weekend Tee in Playful Pups; James Avery Twisted Wire Link Necklace with Turquoise (similar to my much less expensive faux turquoise one); Great American Leatherworks Leather East/West Crossbody Bag in Dark Tan (no longer available); Sperry Women's A/O 2 Eye Boat Shoe in Dark Brown (similar to mine); Coldwater Creek Hidden Stretch-Waist Chinos in Sierra Clay (color no longer available in this style); J. Crew Skinny Italian Leather Belt in Pecan (similar to mine).

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Tomorrow I will post another weekend wardrobe outfit that I wore this past week for my essentials shopping day.  Hopefully I will be able to get back to more regular posting here, but if not you can be sure that I am outside battling the onslaught of tumbleweeds that threatens to take over all my spare time this summer!
             

Foodie Fridays: Chicken and Tajin Cauliflower Burritos

I recently discovered tajin seasoning, and it has become one of my new favorite seasonings (right up there with smoked paprika and everything bagel seasoning).  This blend of mild chiles, lime juice, and salt can be used as a flavoring for fruit, but I like to use it on bland vegetables such as cauliflower.  You can eat the cauliflower as a side dish, or use it as part of the filling in my chicken and tajin cauliflower burrito recipe.  This is an especially tasty dish for hot days like we have been having here in New Mexico lately - if you use the chicken breast from a store-bought rotisserie chicken as I did then the only cooking required is in the microwave.

This burrito is fast and easy, and the tajin seasoning plus the creamy salad dressing add just the right combination of flavors.  I like to use any of the creamy bottled dressings from Bolthouse Farms (made with buttermilk, and relatively low calorie and low fat).  The Cilantro Avocado, Avocado Green Goddess, and Salsa Verde Avocado are my favorites, but any ranch-type dressing you prefer would work.  You could even make your own dressing if, unlike me, you are the industrious type!

Chicken and Tajin Cauliflower Burritos

2 flour tortillas (preferably flavored with Hatch chilies)
1 bag (10 oz.) microwaveable cauliflower florets, cooked
1/2-1 tsp. tajin seasoning
1 cooked chicken breast, shredded
1 small avocado, sliced
2 T. creamy ranch-style dressing

Warm the tortillas in the microwave for 20 seconds each.  Combine the cauliflower florets and tajin seasoning and toss to evenly distribute the seasoning.  Divide the cauliflower evenly between the warmed tortillas (you will have leftover cauliflower).  Top each serving with half of the shredded chicken (warmed first in the microwave) and half of the avocado slices.  Drizzle about 1 T. of the dressing over each burrito.  Fold in half or burrito-style (i.e., fold up about the bottom third of the tortilla and then roll the burrito up to form a wrap that is only open at the top).  Serve immediately.  Serves 2.

Note: Heat each burrito in the microwave after topping with the cauliflower and chicken but before topping with the avocado and dressing if you would like them warmer.