A Choleric's Love Language

Even before I discovered that I was a choleric, I had already found it difficult to express my love in words or in touch. Probably service / quality time is really my love language. And so to express my love for my parents, I prepared a healthy hearty meal for them yesterday. I made a creamy potato soup and an orange-glazed spring asparagus.

Both are very healthy and simply to do.

People may connote potatoes as fattening, with all the oily French fries or potato wedges with sour cream scattered in fast food chains all around the world. But if we take off all the oil and sauces, the main ingredient in itself is healthy. You see potatoes are a very good source of vitamin C, vitamin B6, copper, potassium, manganese, and dietary fiber. They also contain phytonutrients that act as antioxidants that fight off free radicals (cancer causing agents) existing in our body.

To make this creamy potato soup, you need the following:

¼ c butter

1 large onion, chopped

¼ c flour

½ tsp dried rosemary

1 tsp dried oregano

Salt and pepper

2 c milk

3 medium potatoes sliced, boiled

2 cups water

First, tenderize the onion in butter over medium heat and then add the flour and spices. Once the onion cooked (but not caramelized), add the milk slowly and blend well. Then place the boiled potatoes and the water (used for boiling, if not amounting to 2 cups, add more water) in the white sauce. Voila! Done! :)

The asparagus on the other hand, as you may already know is also very healthy. It is very rich in Folate, Vitamin K, and Vitamin C. Folate is an essential chemical for our cardiovascular system. Based on the World’s Healthiest Foods website “Folate (along with vitamins B6 and B12) is necessary for the conversion of homocysteine into cysteine. When folate levels are low, blood levels of homocysteine rise, a situation that significantly increases the risk for heart disease.”

So for the asparagus, I used and modified a recipe from a new book I bought entitled “WHY IT WORKS” by Kevin Ryan. Instead of lemon, I used orange. The ff ingredients were used for the dish:

1 tbsp honey

1 tbsp butter

Juice of half an orange

¼ c water

1 tsp cornstarch

½ lb asparagus, blanched

Bring the first three ingredients together to a boil, then add the latter two and lastly the asparagus! See? It’s that easy!

My dad loved the soup! My mom, a Chinese cook, still prefers using the oyster sauce and garlic for the asparagus, for a traditional Chinese taste. But for those who are used to cooking fruits at home, you may want to try this.

Seeing the smiles on their faces was priceless. Job well done. A day closed. :)