Wishful Thinking

Day 7- For sincerely wanting to eat this every day of my life and not tiring of its deliciousness.

May I introduce you to my new love. Move over chocolate, vamoose peanut butter, there's a new food in town and it's name is Plantain Soup. Yes dear reader those rotten looking banana thingies that you have no idea how to cook. Fried, yummy yes they are but a little to much oil for this girlish figure (Ha!) try made into a traditional Cuban soup. After watching an episode of Ingrid Hoffmann's Simply Delicioso I knew I had to give this soup a whirl. (Did you know I loved soup? Oh yes, maybe a close third to peanut butter.) With cilantro, a hint of lime, what's not to like. Give it a try, you'll be pleasantly surprised.

Plantain Soup

2 t olive oil

1 large onion, diced

2 carrots, sliced

2 celery stalks, sliced

2 cloves of garlic, minced

6 or 7 c chicken broth

3 plantains, sliced

1 bunch cilantro, roughly chopped

2 bay leaves

1 t cumin

salt and pepper to taste

lime slices

Saute onion, carrots, celery and garlic in the olive oil until tender about 8 minutes. Add the chicken broth, plantains, bay leaves and cilantro. Add cumin and salt and pepper to taste and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer and cook 45 minutes or until plantains are very tender.

Transfer half the soup to a blender and puree until smooth. Add back to the soup and stir. Take a lime slice and squeeze juice over soup and garnish with cilantro if you want.

Oh so yummy, enjoy.