may i direct your attention to...

Hello friends!  As most of you, I have been happily busy enjoying time with family and friends over the holidays.  Blogging has taken the back burner, but I have been thinking up some healthy and tasty treats that I will bring in the new year.  Another day of indulgence, right?  (In moderation, of course).

I wanted to point you in the direction of some really great recipes I've run across lately.

First, I'd urge you to try this locro soup.  I spent several months in Ecuador when I was in college, and I practically lived off of this stuff.  I was a vegetarian at the time, and that didn't seem to translate there, but this soup was a staple.  It's a creamy, delicious potato soup - and it is healthy, too.  I like to use yellow potatoes and top it off with a little reduced fat feta and sliced avocado. The recipe calls for achiote powder, but feel free to substitute paprika.  It really is worth a try!

Secondly, the CrockPot Lady saves the day again!  I made a batch of her chicken and rice the other night - and it was absolutely delicious.  I wanted an easy, healthy, tasty meal, and that's what we got. If you still haven't taken to brown rice, don't worry - it cooks up perfectly tender. And say goodbye to cream-of-whatever soups in this version - you make your own, and it comes together in a snap! *Just a note from me: it needs some salt, and I threw the chicken breasts in frozen, under the rice, and they cooked in under 4 hours on high.

I wish you all an enjoyable, safe, and happy new year!  Bring on 2009!