On a cold night, what do you crave? SOUP!

And that's a lot of what I've been eating the past coupla days. In an attempt to cleanse myself of bad bacteria, I'm taking a break from sugar. This hearty Provençal soup, paired with a movie on the couch with the roomies, adequately distracted me from any dessert cravings. Success!



Yellow Split Pea Soup
serves 6

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 medium onion, diced
2 carrot, diced
1 stalk of celery, diced
1 bay leaf
2 cups dried yellow split peas, rinsed
5 cups water
1 cup unsweetened almond milk
1 1/2 teaspoons Herbes de Provence
1 teaspoon sea salt
4 medium potatoes, peeled and chopped
freshly ground black pepper to taste

Saute the mirepoix with the bay leaf in olive oil until slightly softened. Add split peas, water and almond milk, then sprinkle with salt and Herbes de Provence. Bring to a boil, lower the heat, cover and simmer for 15 minutes. Add the potatoes and continue to simmer until potatoes can be pierced with a fork. Taste and adjust your seasonings.

Back to it.

Semi-unfortunately, school starts tomorrow, so I'm relishing my last few hours of winter-y freedom. I made a very simple French-inspired dinner for my almost-brother, Tommy, who escorted me back to Gainesville yesterday evening and is visiting for a day or so.



We ate this lovely salad composed of spring mix, Florida avocado, green apple and pepitas with a...

Red Wine Vinaigrette

olive oil
red wine vinegar
s&p
agave nectar
garlic, minced
Herbes de Provence

The oil and vinegar are the main components of this dressing, with the rest of the ingredients added to your particular taste. I know this is a rather vague recipe, but it's pretty hard to mess up. Just eyeball it.

Herbes de Provence were the secret ingredient of the evening - they're my new favorite. I also sprinkled some onto thick slices of fresh, crusty bread that I brushed with olive oil, then tossed into the oven at 400 degrees for a few minutes. REALLY good.

This dinner happens to precede a viewing of the film, Metropolitan, what I've read is a witty comedy about a kid getting mixed up with some NYC debutantes. Me and my roomies are about to crack open a bottle of red, cuddle up on the couch, and attempt to forget how early we have to wake up in the morning. Laterrr.