The Tiny Librarian: Eat, Drink, and Be GREEN!

It's Tiny's Tasty Thursday!

Today's post celebrates green...my favorite food and drink color!? I love salad greens, green veggies, green smoothies, greens in soups,?and?most importantly,?green tea!? For dinner, I made a delicious and hearty lentil soup, which is easy peasy to prepare!? I also have been making?a pitcher of green tea each week to ensure that?I am consuming a daily dose of?antioxidants?in a?healthy, refreshing beverage.?

Now, onto the lentil soup experience using a combination of lentil soup recipes.? This post is a little late because my mom and dad invited Sooper and I over for delicious shrimp salad (not for Sooper who is allergic to shrimp)?and lasagna last night, which is when I planned on preparing the soup.? So, today, I?made the lentil?soup and?decided to fed mom and dad. I am definitely their favorite daughter. :)? This time, I remembered to document the preparation of the soup along with the finished product.? However, I noticed a few interesting things with this soup along the way.

First, there must be a white onion shortage, because I?went to Whole Foods, and there were NO white onions.? Then, I went to a local grocery store, and they had a very limited selection of white onions, but I scooped up two onions.? Who knew I would have to stock up on white onions, my?usual onion choice?because of the mild flavor for Sooper who is particular about too much onion flavor!

Second, looking at the images, I realize that I always place a cutting board on top of the?free?standing?cutting board.? This seems a bit weird, but it may have something to do with my crazy cleanliness!

Also, while cutting the carrots, I must have mistaken my finger for a carrot, given the similar shape, and tried to slice it.? Yikes...that hurt a bit but other than some bloody carrots, everything turned out great!? :) Thank goodness for the boiling process to kill any germs (to all those who ate the soup, just kidding).

Lentil Soup Recipe

1 white onion, diced
2 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil (EVOO)
4 cloves garlic, chopped
1 teaspoon cumin
1 pound carrots, diced
1 stalk of celery, diced
1 pound green lentils (I used Whole Foods?green lentils bagged/purchased by the pound)
2 quarts vegetable stock or vegetable broth

Soak the lentils in hot water for 20-30 minutes.? While the lentils are soaking, saute the onions in?2 teaspoons of EVOO until they are translucent.? Add cumin and garlic and saute for another minute or two.? Add the carrots and celery and saute for 5 minutes.? Then, add the vegetable stock or broth and?drained lentils.? Bring the soup to a boil.? Lower the heat and summer partially covered for about 1 hour or until lentils are soft.? Add?salt and pepper to taste (In my?opinion, you will? not need to add salt, given the?amount of sodium in the stock or broth).?
Green Tea

I love the taste of green tea.? My favorite green tea is The Republic of Tea Daily Green Tea: The People's Green Tea.? I buy both the?caffinated and decaffinated?variation of The People's Green Tea, and Sooper seems to like when I?drink the decaf version, especially since I am already quite a bit active?without the caffine. :)? Usually, I make a pitcher and combine 10 decaf bags with 2-3 regular caffeinated bags...a WIN-WIN!

Green tea is the best source of? catechins, which are considered to be more powerful than vitamins C and E in halting oxidative damage to cells caused by free radials.? They also appear to have other disease-fighting properties. Studies have found an association between consuming green tea and a reduced risk for several cancers, including, skin, breast, lung, colon, esophageal, and bladder.??In addition, because green tea undergoes less processing than black, it contains twice the concentration of these catechins.?no matter what, it is good for you!

Source: WebMD, my favorite doctor! :)

Happy Tiny's Tasty Thursday!
The Tiny Librarian

I am linking up with a few blogs...
Miz Helen's Full Plate Thursday, a little nosh, Amy @ SS&GF for Slightly Indulgent Tuesday, and My Sweet & Savory for Meatless Mondays!

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