It is hard to lose weight during holiday periods. All the Easter chocolate, jellybeans and cake have made this week awkward and I cheated tonight when left on my own. I won't eat the candy in front of the family as they know I'm watching my weight but leave me alone without putting the sweet stuff up out of site and it is too much temptation to this sugar-hound! I tried to make up for it with a healthy dinner but I still feel bloated and guilty so I had to take an hour long walk around the neighbourhood too.

Before I share with you the dinner I had tonight I want to talk about some of the ingredients that I have come to love to use, many of them relatively foreign to me but ones I have now gotten used to and love to use. I have used spices occasionally and was lucky to have many in the cabinet: cumin, paprika, tumeric, cayenne and coriander. I had never used coconut milk or oil or tahini, millet, quinoa, chick peas, Bragg liquid amino (a healthy substitute for soy sauce), sesame oil, rice vinegar, seaweed or miso but all thee are now readily available and used in almost every meal to some degree.

Sweet Potato and Roasted Red Pepper Bisque:
(makes one serving)

1 cup water
1 medium sweet potato, peeled, cubed
1/4 medium red bell pepper
2tsp. finely grated ginger root
1 1/2 tsp. extra-virgin olive oil
2 tsp. miso paste, mixed with 2 tbsp. hot water
1 cup vegetable broth
Bragg liquid amino for taste
herbal seasonings blend (I use loose leaves chopped of fresh basil, dill. parsley & cilantro)

Bring water to a boil in a small saucepan over medium heat,add sweet potato, cook for 5-7 minutes.Drain. Set aside. Roast bell pepper on grill. Turn frequently until skin is evenly charred. place in medium bowl. Cover with a kitchen towel for 10 minutes. (Putting it in a brown paper bag works too). Peel skin under running water. Remove seeds. Chop into 1/2-inch cubes.

Place sweet potato, bell pepper, ginger, oil, miso and broth in a blender or food processor (may need more than one batch). Blend until smooth. Add water to thin id needed. Heat soup in a medium saucepan over medium heat, stirring frequently for 4-5 minutes, until hot. Add Bragg liquid amino for taste if desired.

This in one of my top ten favorites from the food plan and I am happy to share this with you. Keep tuned for more. I'll try to add photos as I remember to take them!

Here is another soup that I rally enjoyed in the three-week plan.

Zucchini-Cashew Soup:
(makes 1 serving)

17 raw cashews
1 1/2 cups of water divided use
11/2 medium zucchinis, cut into chunks
dash Himalayan salt
fresh basil and dill to taste.

Soak cashews in 1/2 cup of water for an hour. Meanwhile bring 1 cup of water to boil in a small pan over medium heat. Add zucchini, cook fro 3-5 minutes. Drain. Set aside.

Place cashews (with water), zucchini, salt and seasoning blend in a blender or food processor until smooth. Heat soup in a meduim saucepan over medium heat, stirring frequently for 4-5 minutes. Do not boil. Soup can be served cold if desired.