And then one day you find Ten years have got behind you No one told you when to run You missed the starting gun...

Today I have for you a carrot and leek soup with an undertone of curry. This soup is adaptable in the regard it may either be served hot or chilled. I tend to like this one chilled particularly for a hot day. The ingredients are simple and healthy. Be sure to use a low sodium chicken broth, and taste before seasoning with salt. If you desire for this soup to have another element you could grate in fresh nutmeg. If using the nutmeg I would suggest to serve this soup warm, accompanied by toasted pumpkin seeds for a lovely garnish (this would be a nice fall dish). Either way you decide to prepare it, I am confident you will not be disappointed. I have also provided you with a simple Popsicle recipe (someone gifted me with molds the other day and these were my first creation). Cherry and Greek yogurt, you won't want to miss them.

• Ingredients

• 3 cups of sliced leeks (about 3 leeks, white and light green part only)
• 5 cups of sliced carrots (about 10 medium carrots)
• 1/3 cup red lentils, rinsed and picked over
• 2 liter cartons of low sodium organic chicken stock (or you could use vegetable stock)
• 2 tb. unsalted butter
• 2 t fresh grated ginger
• 1 T hot curry powder
• olive oil
• salt & pepper
• 1 bunch of scallions
• creme fraiche (heavy cream may be substituted)

Instructions

In a large pot, heat the butter and a splash of olive oil. Medium heat is good.Wash, peel and slice your carrots. The thinner you slice them the faster they’ll cook. Saute the carrots until tender, about 7-10 minutes. Meanwhile, slice your leeks vertically and then cut into half moon shapes. Submerge the sliced leeks into a large bowl of water. Use your hands to separate and remove the dirt. T his step is very important as leeks can be very sandy. Dry thoroughly with a clean kitchen towel, and then add to the pot. Season with curry, ginger,salt and pepper. Saute until soft, not brown. Add your red lentils, 1 1/2 cartons of chicken stock and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and let cook away with the lid on for about 30 minutes or so. You want everything to be nice and tender and the lentils to be completely soft and broken down. While the soup is cooking, chop up some scallions for your topping. When the soup is finished, puree in batches in a food processor blender, or immersion blender.  If your soup seems too thick, add more chicken stock. Return your pureed soup back to it’s original pot and adjust seasoning to your liking. Top with chopped scallions and a dollop of creme fraiche.

16 oz frozen cherries (I use these because they are already pitted)

1 Cup organic Greek yogurt

2 1/2 T honey

 Place defrosted cherries in a food processor or blender. Process until smooth, about 1 minute.

To the yogurt, add honey and stir to combine. Pour about 2 tablespoons of the cherry puree into the molds. Next, pour 2 tablespoons of the yogurt honey mixture into the molds. Repeat until the molds are full and you have layers of cherry puree and yogurt. With the end of a spoon or a chopstick, lightly stir the cherry puree and the yogurt until it just begins to have a swirled effect. Place popsicle sticks in the molds and place in the freezer. Freeze at least 4 hours or until frozen. To remove from the molds, pour warm water briefly over the outside of the popsicle molds and then pull on the popsicle stick.

This yields 10 popsicles

Until tomorrow...Peace.