I went for a walk with the dog ~ the one that still walks ~ up toward the mountain on which we live. This started my mind churning about what I gave up for Lent and how this Lent, my fasting has kind of taken on a life of its own.
I began the whole giving up thing going easy on myself, since due to gluten intolerance, I am limited as to what I can eat and then recently, I found I have a yeast intolerance as well. So I told myself I'd give up second helpings for dinner. But then, we overspend our budget occasionally due to me not realizing that undergarments for five people should cost well over $100. Or that a couple pairs of church pants and a belt, along with two $5 tee shirts, should cost at about $100. So we don't have quite enough money sometimes weeks before my husband's next pay day.
This said, I realized that this Lent, I have been fasting regularly. I eat little for breakfast because not only my kids, but also my husband like the cereal I can eat. It's often whittled away to nothing before I can get much out of the bag. So, it's often a piece of fruit. I can't eat anything with yeast or wheat, so that limits lunch oftentimes to carrot and celery sticks, sometimes a bit of leftovers, if there are any to be had. It's dinner that I can eat. And I often am so hungry by then, that I mess up and have second helpings. Since I'm nursing a baby still and considering my health-imposed fasts, I allowed myself to waive the original deprivation of second helpings. I'm thinking this fast was Other-imposed, because I certainly didn't intend to do it. But, as is usual with His plans for me, I'm so glad I am fasting.
We are stretching our budget to the limit to raise nine children still at home and improve the house. Some of the recipes through this blog help in this endeavor. Here's another one, based on what we have around the house. This came from 101 Cookbooks.com.
Carrot Soup
2 1/2 pounds carrots
2 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil (or butter)
4 medium cloves garlic, minced
1 large yellow onion, chopped
8 cups+ vegetable stock or water
juice of 1/2 a lemon
parsley and/or basil to taste (we used both)
quinoa (we used two cups but that turned this soup into more of a stew)
fine grain sea salt (as much as you need)
- olive oil, toasted sesame oil, or red chile oil for a finishing drizzle - if you use toasted sesame oil (sometimes labeled pure sesame oil) it is very strong. I typically dilute it with olive oil. I use one part sesame oil to four parts olive oil.
Heat the olive oil in a large, heavy soup pot over medium heat. Add the cut carrots, garlic, and onions and saute for a few minutes or until the onions start to get translucent. Add the stock and bring to a gentle boil. Lower the heat and simmer for 20 - 30 minutes or until the carrots are tender - longer if your carrot pieces ended up larger. But try not to overcook. Remove from heat and cool for a few minutes.
Puree with a blender (we like the soup chunky, so we leave at least 1/2 unblended) - then stir in the lemon juice. Add salt to taste. Keep adding a few pinches at a time until the carrot flavor really pops. If it tastes flat or dull, keep adding.
Finish with a drizzle of great extra-virgin olive oil, one of the other drizzles I mention up above, or whatever twist you come up with. Popcorn or croutons can be popped in at the end.
