April marks my one year anniversary of going gluten free. Last year, I was too sick to leave my apartment. A book and then a band flipped me right side up again. Kris Carr’s Crazy Sexy Diet could convince just about anyone to try a cleanse. For me, 21 days later I was back to 5 mile runs and girlishly chugging the occasional glass of wine.
Going gluten free was not fun at all. I still miss real bread and pasta and just about every sweet I used to love. However, if you’re sick all of the time and don’t know why, managing your diet and surrendering to the green juice can be a godsend.
We’re making a lot of food for people this week. Cooking is a way to celebrate life when the mind shuts off and the heart wants to dwell on mortality. I thought I’d share this simple recipe since I can’t zap you a taste through the internets. For the love of spring, it’s time to eat pea soup. This is one of my favorite gluten free recipes and it’s easy to unveganize if you want to throw in ham and butter or cream. The ingredients are minimal. It’s light, brothy and fool proof so I dare you to screw it up.
Ingredients
Bag of frozen peas (You can use fresh spring peas, too, or be a lazy bum like me and buy frozen.)
1 cup of mint leaves
1/4 onion
1 carrot
garlic
salt
pepper
Directions
Dice the onion and caramelize it in a pot with garlic, salt and pepper until you mouth begins to water. Then throw in your peas, mint and sliced carrots. Add water until the peas are covered, then add another cup.
Cook on a medium heat for about an hour. If it starts to bubble turn the heat to low. Mash the peas to break them up a bit, but don’t blend them unless you want a thicker soup like split pea. Cook on low for another hour and season with more salt, pepper and garlic to taste. This is one of those soups that tastes best the next day.
Ton of Worms 