Recipe: CA Cucumber/Avocado Soup by Khashayar + Poem by Anushka

Has anyone ever asked you about yourself while their eyes glint that they’ve pre-judged anything you might answer? This Thanksgiving, a carnivore friend inquired whether I get bored eating mostly vegetarian, just the occasional fish. First I scrabbled, then politely changed the subject with a segue into my love of writing (click on this link for info about my books). Had I not checked myself, I would have waxed endlessly upon the delicious flavors, aromas, flavors, textures, and colors of the foods I enjoy. All that’s too small a step to resist from a ‘by the way’ of how easily I’ve recently also eliminated starch and sugar, given the utter nirvana of being untethered from decades of frequent brain fog, headaches, fatigue, aching joints, and other general crapola that dragged me down in terms of mind, body, and spirit. No worries, dear reader, you too are spared from my soapbox. This is just a lead-in to Khashayar’s latest ultra tasty and healthy recipe…

California Cucumber Avocado Soup by Khashayar Parsi

Step 1

• 1 large onion, chopped 
• 6 cloves garlic 
• 1 rounded Tablespoon minced ginger 
• 1 level Tablespoon cumin seeds 

Sauté all the above in 1/4 cup olive oil.

Step 2

• 1/3 cup red lentils 
• 4 cups coconut milk, unsweetened 
• 4 cups almond milk, unsweetened 

Stir in above and bring to boil. Cook for 15 minutes, until lentils are tender.

Step 3

Set aside and add:

• 2 medium avocados, chopped 
• 1/2 large English cucumber, chopped
• Salt and pepper to taste (suggestion is 2 level Tablespoons salt and 2 level teaspoons of black pepper. Add half of the amount first to taste whether you want to add more.)
• 1/2 a fresh lime
• Zest of one whole lime 
• 2 cups chopped mixed salad greens (kale, mustard, spinach)

Emulsify. Adjust salt and pepper.

Step 4

Add:

• 4 large mushrooms, sliced 

Bring to boil. Cook 5 minutes.

Step 5

• Mince other half of cucumber.
• Serve with cucumber as garnish.
• For a non-vegan option, you can garnish it with yogurt or cream.

Yum! Enjoy!

• Additional drooling observation from da-AL: you can never go wrong with a drizzle of the finest, most peppery and back-of-the-throat stinging olive oil.

Today’s guest blog post is by blogger/psychology student Anushka Argawal. Based out of India, she explains, “I write poems when I feel emotionally overwhelmed and sometimes just for fun like when I am experiencing some different sensory information that is different”…

A Poem by Anushka Argawal

A false feeling of wellness is settled inside of her,  She is lying, lying to herself for the wellness of others, She is doing everything she can to believe in herself, She is trying, trying so hard that it’s not working, She is breathing, breathing so much that her heart stops beating, She is fighting, fighting so much that only blood is left, She is feeling guilty, so guilty that She stops everything else, She is now still, so still that everyone forgets her.

What food makes you feel amazingly great?