Ready to workout in the park?

I am, geeze. It was so nice yesterday—I didn't even wear a coat! Awesome. So totally awesome. Let's hope the weather holds through this weekend. It's time for me to (Shamrock) shuffle. The race goes through Chicago's Loop area, which is always a great area to venture about in because it's very true to city style. Tall buildings. hustlin' bustlin' energy. But anyways, more on that later. Let's talk about another event coming to Chicago: the SELF Magazine Workout in the Park.



Time to get tickets! Seriously, if you live anywhere near Chicago (New York City or San Francisco)—you want to get tickets. It's an awesome event. I went last year and came home with an entire bag full of swag. Otherwise known as free stuff. And a subscription to the mag, too. Obviously I will be going again this year. Let me know if you are.

Moving along.

Did you enter my giveaway yet? Contest closes at midnight tonight, so I thought I'd entice you with one more recipe from Terry. And it's a good one, I promise. Take a look:

Soup of the Kale, Sweet Potato and White Bean variety. I know, I know...it's just warming up so why make soup? It's true that this soup is best served warm, but as you can tell, it's quite light. Brothy, I guess you'd say. And the flavors are so refreshing that you completely forget about the temperature. Speaking of flavors, it's got ginger in it.

I don't typically cook with, nor do I really like ginger, but it didn't bother me one bit in this recipe. Perhaps I was too distracted by the delicious nature of that which was in my bowl. Yum!

Terry Walters' Kale, Sweet Potato and White Bean Soup
Ingredients:
1 small yellow onion, diced
2 tbsp grated fresh ginger
1 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
3 stalks celery, diced
1 large sweet potato, peeled and diced
3 cups cooked great northern of navy beans, rinsed
3 tbsp mirin
1 bunch kale, chopped
Vegetable stock
Pinch of ground nutmeg
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
Gomasio or toasted sesame seeds

Note: I skipped the mirin because I couldn't find it in my grocery store. If yours has it, it would be in the Japanese foods section. Mirin is a rice wine of sorts, in case you were wondering. As for the Gomasio, I skipped that one, too. It's a Japanese condiment based loosely on sesame seeds. In fact, I skipped the sesame seeds, too. Only because I didn't have any in my kitchen.

Directions:
In soup pot or large Dutch oven over medium heat, saute onion and ginger in olive oil until soft (about 3 minutes). Add celery, sweet potato, beans and mirin, and stir. Add kale and enough vegetable stock to cover all ingredients by an inch.  Bring to boil, reduce heat, cover and simmer for 30 minutes to cook potatoes through and allow flavors to develop.  Season to taste with nutmeg, salt and pepper, and serve topped with gomasio or toasted sesame seeds.

Oh, and after you eat it, if you're truly interested in working out in a park by your home, I've got a few ideas for ya.

Happy Friday! 

Question: Do you have a favorite, healthy soup that you typically eat only when the temps get warm? Send me your recipe! I might feature it on Daily Dose.

REMINDER! Don't forget to enter my giveaway! You just might win one of two cookbooks from Terry Walters! (Contest ends at midnight EST on Friday, February 8, 2011). 

Recipe reprinted with permission from Clean Start ©2010 by Terry Walters, Sterling Epicure, an imprint of Sterling Publishing Co., Inc.