Super Bowl Sunday is a big food day for my family. To be honest, I approach it with the same exuberance as I do Thanksgiving and Christmas. Think an afternoon of snacking followed by a big Sunday dinner. Yesterday that meant lots of locally made chips, salsa and guacamole; salty mixed nuts and (God bless my husband, the shopper) my absolute favorite Lay’s potato chips! Top off an afternoon of snacking with a gorgeous Pittsburgh-style filet, red smashed potatoes and steamed peas, and that’s a lot of food.
(And I didn’t even mention the chocolate ice cream chaser.)
In ten days I’ll be plunking myself down into a pool-side lounge chair in Maui. Which means only one thing: I’ve got to lighten up on the salt, snacks, rich dinners and so on (this says the girl who spent an amazing three days eating my way through Disneyland for TECHmunch, complete wtih dinner at Napa Rose with my friend Mimi).
My solution is soup. And lots of it. Probably some juicing will happen as well. And because I don’t sleep as well after a glass of wine or two, no wine so I can get my sleep patterns back on track. All in the name of rocking a bikini (as much as a non-model, soon-to-be 43-year-old can rock one).
This soup turned out good, but not great. The millet sub’ed in for my preferred barley, but since barley has gluten, I’m experimenting with the gluten-free grain. Millet is too close to couscous to give the right texture, so I’m experimenting next with buckwheat and sorghum and will share a recipe then. Until then, check out my version of California Pizza Kitchen’s Dakota Smashed Split Pea Soup (it contains barley, but omit or sub if you are gluten-free).
I know the feeling – I stepped on the scale after yesterday’s salt rampage and paid the price…Do you ever just make the soup with just split peas? I do – extra veggies, etc. Millet kind of reminds me of bird seed but I confess to not knowing how to cook it.
Millet is a new discovery for me. I love it. It has the texture of couscous but has a nuttier flavor. It’s easy to cook and very versatile. And you’re right – it does bring to mind bird seed!
I had the same feeling after I got back from Mexico! I juiced for 3 days, and it was ROUGH. Afterwards, I made this delicious vegetarian pho, and I felt much better. Soup is great for dieting. And this one looks super tasty. Enjoy Maui :)!