This week, we have had more sun in Salt Lake City than we had in most of January. Unfortunately, we also have below-freezing temperatures, and the combination is messing with my head. I sit in the window and feel the warmth of the sun through the window, but when I walk outside, my disappointment that we are still so far from spring is as bitter as the cold.
It was during one of my warm and toasty moments that I texted my running partner to see if she’d be interested in a run later this week, the theory being that it might warm up by then. For her, only yesterday morning before sunrise would work. I hesitated to respond right away.
Weather.com predicted a 5-degree Fahrenheit temperature. 6 degrees if we waited half an hour longer before going. Oh, joy! 15 degrees verges on being too cold for comfort; even with layers, 5 might be killer.
But, then I remembered the people I’d seen bicycling in Finland in January several years ago – many of them much older than I was or am now. 5ᐤ F? Try several degrees south of zero. How did they do it? Warm clothes and the attitude that cold weather is just a regular part of life – it shouldn’t keep you from doing what you want to do.
My next text message? I’m in if you are. Hers: In : ) We were committed.
There’s nothing easier than going back to bed on a cold, winter morning, and nothing better to make me get out of bed than taking up a friendly challenge. When conditions are bad, setting an expectation with someone else and wanting to avoid the guilt of not living up to that commitment motivate me far more than a vision of myself being fit and healthy.
And so we ran. At least until my legs were so cold that my legs started to numb and it became hard to move. I turned home to defrost myself. Eating a big bowl of hot and spicy soup for breakfast did the trick. And this, of course, is where the black beans come in.
You know the burritos you get at fresh-Mex places? The ones filled with beans, meat, rice, salsa, and other goodies? A restaurant near me uses those ingredients as a base, adding broth and hominy to the mix for a filling and warming bowl of soup. I love to eat it on cold days, and decided that I needed to learn to make something similar. The recipe I came up with is a little different (it includes quinoa and pumpkin), but it’s guaranteed to defrost your running legs and boost your energy for the day.
To keep it simple and make it quick, I use canned ingredients whenever possible. Even turkey breast can be purchased in pre-cooked form; be sure to get the whole breast, not deli slices. Quinoa is easy to make ahead; just use 2 parts water or broth per 1 part dry quinoa.
High-energy Burrito Soup Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 medium onion, chopped
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 Tbsp olive oil
- 2 tsp ground cumin
- 1 tsp chile powder
- ½ tsp cayenne pepper
- 2 cups water
- 1 quart tetra-pak container of broth or stock
- 1 15-oz can pureed pumpkin
- 1 15-oz can chopped tomatoes
- 1 15-oz can corn niblets
- 2 15-oz cans black beans, rinsed
- 1 4-oz can diced green chiles
- 1 pound pre-cooked turkey breast, chopped
- 1 ½ cups quinoa, cooked
- 1 handful fresh cilantro or 1 Tbsp dried cilantro
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- In a large soup pot, sautée the chopped onion in olive oil until translucent. Add garlic, cumin, chile powder, and cayenne pepper and stir for one minute longer. Add broth, water, and pureed pumpkin to onion mixture. Blend well, making sure that pumpkin is smooth. Bring mixture to a boil.
- Add tomatoes, corn, rinsed black beans, green chilies, and turkey to broth. Reduce heat to medium, put a lid on the pot, and simmer for 10 minutes.
- Add cooked quinoa, cilantro, salt and pepper to the soup. Stir and let look for 2-3 minutes longer.
- Serve.