{"id":293,"date":"2011-02-03T07:39:58","date_gmt":"2011-02-03T14:39:58","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/therealfoodchronicles.com\/?page_id=293"},"modified":"2016-04-23T19:50:24","modified_gmt":"2016-04-24T01:50:24","slug":"high-energy-burrito-soup","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.stormysweitzer.com\/recipes\/high-energy-burrito-soup\/","title":{"rendered":"High-energy Burrito Soup"},"content":{"rendered":"

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. \u00a0I 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.<\/p>\n

It was during one of my warm and toasty moments that I texted my running partner to see if she\u2019d be interested in a run later this week, the theory being that it might warm up by then. \u00a0For her, only yesterday morning before sunrise would work.\u00a0 I hesitated to respond right away.<\/p>\n

Weather.com predicted a 5-degree Fahrenheit temperature. \u00a06 degrees if we waited half an hour longer before going. \u00a0Oh, joy! \u00a015 degrees verges on being too cold for comfort; even with layers, 5 might be killer.<\/p>\n

But, then I remembered the people I\u2019d seen bicycling in Finland in January<\/a> several years ago \u2013 many of them much older than I was or am now. \u00a05\u1424 F? \u00a0Try several degrees south of zero.\u00a0 How did they do it?\u00a0 Warm clothes and the attitude that cold weather is just a regular part of life \u2013 it shouldn\u2019t keep you from doing what you want to do.<\/p>\n

My next text message? I\u2019m in if you are.<\/em> Hers: In : )<\/em> We were committed.<\/p>\n

There\u2019s 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. \u00a0When 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.<\/p>\n

And so we ran. \u00a0At 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. \u00a0Eating a big bowl of hot and spicy soup for breakfast did the trick.\u00a0 And this, of course, is where the black beans come in.<\/p>\n

You know the burritos you get at fresh-Mex places? \u00a0The ones filled with beans, meat, rice, salsa, and other goodies? \u00a0A 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.\u00a0 The recipe I came up with is a little different (it includes quinoa and pumpkin), but it\u2019s guaranteed to defrost your running legs and boost your energy for the day.<\/p>\n

To keep it simple and make it quick, I use canned ingredients whenever possible. \u00a0Even turkey breast can be purchased in pre-cooked form; be sure to get the whole breast, not deli slices.\u00a0 Quinoa is easy to make ahead; just use 2 parts water or broth per 1 part dry quinoa.<\/p>\n