An Easy One-dish Dinner

Today was one of those days where you end up doing a lot of things you never planned on doing, and then you get to the end and your to-do list has like one or two things checked off (at least they were important) and the rest will have to get added onto tomorrow's list. Ever have one like that?

My wife and I had decided a couple of days ago that on the evenings when we don't go to the gym, we would at the very least hike up to "the reservoir" (a lake about 1000 feet above our house). This was the first such evening, and the odd energy of the day prevailed. She got home around 6:30, and I was just getting started on dinner. A wind was kicking up and it was starting to get dark in the canyon. Compromise sucks, but here's what happened:

This bowl is bigger than it looks.

While she changed into her hiking clothes, I quickly started this soup. I sautéed some diced onion and celery in a little coconut oil for a few minutes, added a diced roasted red pepper, a kabocha squash and a four zucchini. When the vegetables were nice and fragrant, I added water, vegetable bouillon cubes, a spoonful of ras el hanout, a little red chile, some smoked paprika and celtic salt. When it started to boil, I added a handful of quinoa and a bunch of kale, chopped fairly fine. Then I decided to add the remaining tomato puree that I had in a bottle in the fridge. By then it was really boiling, so I turned the flame way down, covered the pot, and and we took the dogs for a brisk walk around town (just enough to get your heart rate up, but not enough to break a sweat). When we got back, I added a couple cans of red kidney beans and chopped cilantro. Just before serving, I added just a squeeze of lime. So good.

I took the shot, we ate, now I'm posting. The bed has been beckoning for the last hour. Good night everyone.