My women’s hockey team hosted our annual tournament this weekend and it was a blast! We started Thursday night with a practice and Friday night was our opening game. We won 5-0 against a very “dirty” team. I’m all for women’s sports (obviously), but dealing with CRAZY women…with sticks…can seriously test a hockey player’s patience.
I was slashed, hooked around the ankles by a goalie, and called a not-so-nice-name-that-starts-with-a-B for some unknown reason. Sore losers, I guess. Sadly, I was still much better off than some of my teammates. I had one teammate get a concussion after flying into the boards at a bad angle and another teammate who had her helmet ripped off, head put into a headlock, and punched in the face. Uhhhh…yeah. I love the game of hockey, not the fights and injuries.
Anyways, it was an intense weekend. We lost our first game on Saturday to a team from Indianapolis. They were quick and excellent at passing. If I had to guess, that team had been playing together for quite some time. We lost 5-0.
Our second game on Saturday, we won 3-2.
Yesterday, we played the championship game and lost to the same Indy team, 7-2.
My body is aching. I’m not entirely sure I can feel my right arm/shoulder all that well. My car has 400 miles on it from the back-and-forth from South Bend. I saw my husband nil this weekend. I got home after midnight every night only to be completely wired from the activity which lead to not enough sleep. #worthit
At the rink, we ate and drank. As the hosts, we offered up snacks and food all weekend long to the visiting teams. One of my teammates prepared a vegetarian chili which was a huge hit…among the vegetarians and meat-lovers alike. There was even a comment that went around the locker room that one of the visiting goalies really appreciated the vegetarian option. Someone seconded and commented that the chili was “really good!” with a tone of awe, for which I have to assume was only due to the lack of meat.
Surprise, vegetarian meals can be some of the best!
Case. In. Point.
This recipe comes from the Ithica restaurant, Moosewood. I received their vegetarian cookbook for Christmas from my sister-in-law and this just so happened to be my first recipe to try. The unique combination of ingredients piqued my interest and no doubt, I picked a good one!
[print_this]Sweet Potato, Apple, and Chipotle Soup ever so slightly adapted from The Moosewood Restaurant Cooking for Health: More Than 200 New Vegetarian and Vegan Recipes for Delicious and Nutrient-Rich Dishes
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
3 stalks celery, chopped
5 1/2 cups sweet potatoes (about 2 large), peeled and diced
2 cups (about 1 1/2) apples, peeled and chopped
1-2 chipotle peppers in adobo sauce, chopped
1 qt (4 cups) low-sodium vegetable broth
1 cup water
1 1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground black pepper
1 cup unsweetened applesauce
Directions:
Heat the olive oil in a large pot or dutch oven over medium-high heat. Once hot, add the onions and stir frequently until onion begins to soften, about 3 minutes. Add garlic and stir until fragrant, about 30 seconds.
Add the celery, sweet potatoes, apples, chipotles, broth, water, salt, cinnamon, and black pepper. Cover and bring to a boil. Once boiling, lower the heat to a strong simmer, cover, and allow to cook about 20 minutes or until vegetables are softened.
Add the applesauce to the pot and stir. Using an immersion blender, puree soup, or working in batches, puree the soup in a blender, venting the top. Serve hot.
Yield: 12 cups (8 servings, 1 1/2 cups each)
Nutrition Information (per serving): 115 calories; 2.1 g. fat; 0 mg. cholesterol; 559 mg. sodium; 23.6 g. carbohydrate; 4.4 g. fiber; 1.2 g. protein
Result: Very good! I went a little heavy handed with the chipotles, so heed caution with those babies. If you don’t like a lot of heat, use 1 small pepper…some heat, use 2…if you use 3, beware! You must love heat to enjoy 3. I think I may try apple juice as the recipe called for (I didn’t have any so I subbed in applesauce), but I think a little more sweet would be excellent. The texture was very creamy despite being a vegan recipe. I would definitely recommend this soup – perfect vegan comfort food!
[/print_this]Busy week ahead!
Be well,
My friend does roller derby and I just don’t get it… people go nuts and can sometimes ruin the “game” you’re all there to play. Sorry about the dirty team. :p
The soup looks good. However… as a girl who doesn’t love apples… would I be able to eliminate them???
I’ve been cooking from various Moosewood cookbooks for years and years. Welcome to the club!
It would be great if you could lighten up the Cran-apple walnut cake, I really like that one π
Hope you recover quickly,
-sue
I can’t wait to make this soon! I just got a new immersion blender for Christmas and I think this might have to be its first voyage π
This looks likes a lovely Meatless Monday/vegan/vegetarian meal, but my carnivorous brain can’t help but wonder how great it would taste with some crumbled bacon on top π
Well, we made this tonight. We loved it. Great blend of favors π
Author
Yayy! I’m so glad you enjoyed it, Lizzie π
By the way, I subbed apple cider for the juice/applesauce. Worked great!
Your hockey game comments remind me of CSI: Las Vegas episode when a tech said that there was a fight and a hockey game broke out.
Iβm told that hockey is a beautiful game (in person) but youβre not convincing me. π
The soup sounds good. When you have soup do you typically have something on the side? Just wondering. Iβve been making soup quite a bit this fall and winter (including vegetarian chili) but sometimes even with throwing a Wasa cracker or two into the mix, I want a little something elseβ¦
That looks delicious and a great way to get in your fruits and veggies!
Love that you had a “Nicole” weekend, even if that meant not seeing the hubs very much!
This soup reminded me of a butternut squash, apple curry soup I made – you might like it!
http://mybizzykitchen.com/2010/11/28/roasted-butternut-squash-soup-with-apple-and-curry/
Have a great Monday!
This soup sounds amazing. It’s like all my favorite things mixed together, and I’m such a sucker for apples in soup. I don’t know what it is, but soup with apples in it is always better.
HI Nicole, Happy New year. Holy smokes that hockey tournament sounds “hard core”. Glad you came through unscathed. Thanks for ALL the wonderful recipes you provided last year, I’m looking forward to more “nicole bookmarks” in the weeks ahead. Take care.
This sounds yum! My family has started participating in meatless Monday this year so this looks awesome for a hearty lunch. So the original recipe didn’t call for the applesauce?
Author
Hi Rachel: The recipe called for apple juice and I subbed in applesauce. I think either way, you’ll get good results! π
What kind of apples do you recommend?