detox soup.

something is in the air. is it just me? 'tis the week of detoxing. ever since last saturday i've been doing a little makeshift cleanse. lots of juices and smoothies and soups. my body needed it. do you ever feel that way too? 

while it's taken a bit of a toll on my bank account, it has also reset me in a way that i oh so desperately needed. out with the old, in with the new as they say.

tonight i made a recipe from the goddess of gluten-free, ms. gluten free goddess herself.

i'm calling it detox soup. i put my own spin on it by adding kale and subbing the water for low-sodium, gluten-free vegetable broth.

it's absolutely de-lish! make sure you have an immersion blender, that is key, and not always the most common kitchen gadget {i remember hunting the aisles of target for the best bargain when i was in the market for one, and i think it netted out to about thirty dollars. side note, these are the days i covet a vita-mix!}.

tonight reminded me of the nights standing up in my bite-sized kitchen in san francisco cooking soup, post yoga, starting the endeavor way too late, and boiling into all hours of the night.

coast to coast, i guess some things never change. miss you, california.

p.s. for more soup inspiration see here and here.

spaghetti squash with sautéed kale.

i try my very best to cultivate innovative, quick and easy recipes, but i always end up with the very basics, or what i'm comfortable with: roasted veggies. so, when a friend introduced me to the spaghetti squash, you can imagine how excited i was. it's like real pasta! but better! it was truly love at first site, spaghetti squash and i. and, is it just me or does it taste the way cake batter smells? {love when that rare aha moment of synchrony happens between your taste buds and your nose - they get each other!}.

on top of it being simple and delicious, making spaghetti squash is so much fun. you feel like you are doing a bit of an arts and crafts project making your very own spaghetti from scratch {in seconds!}.

tonight i was craving something easy, warm, and nutritious due to an impending cold my body continues to fight. so, i put my very own spin on the spaghetti {squash!} by dolling it up with extra veggies and spices.

...voilà!

spaghetti squash with sautéed kale:

• 1 medium spaghetti squash
• 1 lemon
• olive oil
• kale
• chili flakes
• cayenne pepper
• salt and pepper to taste

cut both ends off of the spaghetti squash. slice in half {long ways down the center - i never know how to properly cut a vegetable!}, remove seeds. fill medium-size bowl with about a half cup of water. place half of spaghetti squash in the bowl and cover with saran wrap. microwave on high for 8 min. repeat the same process with the other half. let cool. once able to handle, scrape the insides of the squash with a fork into a long string-like formation. 

in frying pan, sautée a few handfuls of kale with olive oil and lemon juice.

add to spaghetti squash {... i mean, noodles!}.

season to taste: lemon, olive oil, chili flakes, cayenne pepper, salt, and pepper.

enjoy! the best part is you can add whatever your heart desires to your base of spaghetti squash, the options are endless.

if you are interested in the nutritional benefits of spaghetti squash like i was, you can check them out here. until our next adventure in cooking, goodnight my little chefs!