today i took a very unexpected and unfortunate nap.
naps are the biggest tease.
going into a nap is one of the best feelings.
but waking up from one...
Worst.
the worst. everything feels clammy.
and my mood is now funky because i'm remembering so clearly all those strange, probably disturbing nap dreams i was having.
as a kid, naps were a way of life. there are only so many hours of playing hide-and-go-seek-in-the-dark that a small child can take before it turns into cranky brat demon kid.
it was then that a good daily nap was normal and essential.
and now, as a grown up gal, sleeping during light hours of the day can feel weird.
as a kid, i also ate frozen peas. probably after my nap.
as a larger grown up person, eating frozen peas is weird. borderline gross. i don't feel like doing that ever again.
unless i found myself in a tom hanks cast away situation...a situation i thought about often when i was in middle school, a time when i was obsessed with the movie cast away.
like an awkward amount of obsessed for a 12 year old.
i'd make all my friends watch it. i'd think about gathering water from leaves. it was weird. it still is weird.
but really, what i was coming around to say, is that out on that island, frozen peas would be gold.
maybe i'd even let them thaw out.
i probably wouldn't have basil or an onion. unless the fedex plane landed right near the best, most convenient island ever.
enough of this. i'm making soup. who me? go figure. I LOVE SOUP.
green soup, just for two. light and naturally sweet. good for our bods. topped with yogurt, spicy roasted pepitas, and sauce that is hot.
i made a bunch of these spicy pepitas. they were snacked on hard. they went into a salad with mango. they were sprinkled on this soup.
and the rest were made into candy. itsa nice. itsa pretty.
i will eat this soup with glee. but i will not be watching glee. and i will not accidentally fall asleep.
i might watch cast away.
Pea and Basil Soup for Two
adapted from goop
1 tbsp olive oil
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 yellow onion
about 10 oz fresh or frozen green peas
2 1/2 cups water or stock
1/4 tsp kosher salt
1/4 tsp fresh black pepper
1/2 cup fresh basil, roughly chopped
lemon
greek yogurt
spicy roasted pepitas (recipe below)
hot sauce
heat the olive oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. add the garlic and saute for a minute until fragrant. add the peas and cook for 5 minutes until bright. add the water, salt and pepper, and bring to a boil, lower the heat and cover. cook for 8-10 minutes or until the peas are tender. pour the soup into a blender and puree with the basil until very smooth. i like to do this in two batches so that the steam doesn't blow the lid. serve the soup with a squeeze of lemon, dollop of greek yogurt, hot sauce, and spicy roasted pepitas.
Spicy Roasted Pepitas
adapted from epicurious
2 cups pepitas (pumpkin seeds)
1 large egg white
2 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp smoked paprika
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp cayenne
3 tbsp brown sugar
3/4 tsp sea salt
preheat oven to 350. spray baking sheet with nonstick spray. mix together the spices, sugar, and salt. beat egg white in a small bowl until frothy. mix together with the nuts and the spices and stir to coat. spread pepitas in a single layer on baking sheet. bake until they are golden and dry, stirring occasionally, about 15 minutes. remove from oven and break up pepitas with a fork while they're still warm.
Spicy Pepita Brittle
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup water
3/4-1 cup spicy roasted pepitas
line a baking sheet with a silpat, if you have one. if not, you can still make it, it just might be a tad more difficult to remove from the baking sheet. combine the sugar with the water in a small saucepan over medium heat. cook until sugar melts and caramelizes, and turns a amber, caramely color. stir in the pepitas and spread on the baking sheet quickly. let cool and the brittle will harden. break into pieces.
