Lunch: Coconut Corn Soup, crackers and cheese, spritzer

Coconut oil: 2 tablespoons taken 20 minutes before lunch, in tangerine ginger herbal tea

Lunch: 

• Coconut Corn Soup
• whole grain (soaked) crackers or Coconut Crackers, with raw cheese
• spritzer or purchased kombucha

Coconut Corn Soup is simmering away on my stove right now, in my new Le Creuset Dutch oven no less!  I got this recipe from Eat Fat, Lose Fat by Dr. Mary Enig and Sally Fallon. This soup is part of the two week meal plan I am following from the book, as part of my Operation Lose Baby Weight project I started this morning.

I made crackers a couple of weeks ago, so I am using the soaked spelt version I made then.  When I run out I will try the Coconut Crackers recipe from the book.

I am going to drink spritzer with grapefruit juice in it today.  I was really digging my half a grapefruit from breakfast, so I'll use a little more of it for my lunch drink.  The citrus juice aids in digestion.

Coconut Corn Soup

1 can whole coconut milk

4 cups chicken stock

28-ounce can fire-roasted tomatoes

kernels from 4 ears of corn

1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1/2 teaspoon dried thyme

sea salt and pepper to taste

1. Combine all the ingredients in a large pot or Dutch oven and bring to a simmer.  Simmer for 10 minutes.  Serve.

Basic Rich Crackers

1 cup plain, whole milk yogurt

1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened

3 1/2 cups freshly ground whole grain flour (I have used spelt and whole red winter wheat, both with good success)

2 teaspoons sea salt

1. Cream yogurt and butter together. Add flour and salt and stir to combine.

2. Cover with a towel and a plate, find a warm place to soak 12-24 hours (or overnight).

3. After the soaking period, preheat oven to 400 degrees.

4. At this point you can add any herbs, cheeses, or spices to your dough you might like to try. I have only attempted cracked pepper and parmesan cheese, but it was delicious! The possibilities are endless, but the crackers are truly delicious all on their own. Don't feel you need this step, it is optional.

5. Use white flour, sprouted flour, or arrowroot powder (because each of these options have no phytic acid) to roll your dough out very thin. Use a pastry or pizza cutter to cut dough into small squares or rectangles.

6. Place onto a parchment-lined baking sheet. You can put the crackers fairly close to each other, they do not spread. You can prick with a fork, but I have not seen much of a need for it.

7. Bake 8-12 minutes, checking every minute or so after 8 minutes have gone by to make sure they do not overbrown. You know the crackers are done when they are slightly brown on the edges and the middles of the crackers look drier.

8. Remove from baking sheet to cooling racks immediately, but be gentle so they do not break. Enjoy!

Spritzer

sparkling water

juice from 1 lime, 1/2 lemon OR 1/4 grapefruit

pinch salt

1. Add juice and salt to a glass of water.  Stir to combine.

(Cross-posted.)