Last Sunday was a Northern Michigan PERFECT summer day, a warm and sunny Sunday. I spent the morning in the garden harvesting a bounty of fresh produce and the afternoon by the water reading a great book and jumping in the cool, blue lake. Truly, it couldn’t have been a more perfect day.
Summer is a beautiful time that I absolutely cherish, especially living in Northern Michigan. The weather is beautiful, the sun is shining and there is plenty of fresh produce to be found. My summer weekends are often packed with activity on the water and in the sun. Its the simple things that make my weekend special. A 9 Bean Rows croissant and Higher Grounds Coffee while at the Farmers Market on a Saturday morning. An early morning run with my dog when the weather is still cool and the sun is rising. The calm, fresh water on my skin… simple, yet it means everything.
Simple.
After a long work day, I dream of the word simple. A dish with few ingredients and one that takes only minutes to prepare. Dinner, in this case, was a gathering of laid-back ladies; Myself, my boyfriends mother Susan and her dear friend Tracey. We spent the late afternoon drinking red wine and discussing how to make a new house into a new home. Both Tracey and I are recent new homeowners and thus the topics of discussion ranged from paint colors and shag carpets to our love of woodstoves.
Soups and Stews are my comfort food. They warm up both body and soul when the weather outside is dreary and they fill the house with incredible wafting aromas while they simmer on the stove. This stew was a must-try recipe I picked up from Sarah at My New Roots. Sarah is a holistic nutritionist and chef-extraordinaire that I absolutely admire and whom I receive inspiration from regularly. If you haven’t checked out her blog and your a lover of fresh seasonal whole food recipes, its about time you received an introduction.
Sarah was recently asked by Whole Living to develop a menu for healthy living in the new year. The Menu is built as a detox, to start the new year off fresh, and this stew is featured among the first week of recipes. Though I haven’t jumped on any strict detox train, I certainly expect to be enjoying quite a few of these recipes on their own in the coming weeks.
The color in this dish is incredible and I’m a firm believer in eating with my eyes. Not only does it taste delicious and bring you warmth physically, but the colors themselves instil a sense of warming comfort as well.
ingredients:
directions:
This stew will be a new staple in my recipe box and I am so excited to have found it. The savory spices paired with sweet potato and red pepper are an instant well-balanced, delicious meal. And what’s even better about soups is you’ll often have leftovers for lunch!
Do you have a favorite soup or stew this season? …Tell me ALL the details…
Fill your day with color and warmth
love,
tricia