Easy Chicken Gratin and a Partial Reveal

Chicken Gratin

As much as I love tacos, truth be told we cannot simply eat tacos every night of the week. Therefore I’m still cooking other things and taking a photo here and again. Due to the time I’m committing to my new venture now, I’m limiting my recipe photos to one or two.

I saw this lovely dish on Food52 website and knew it would be a meal I’d be making soon. It’s very simple and cooks up in one dish! My kind of dinner. If you use the amount of chicken called for the chicken can nestle further into the gratin sauce, but my lonely piece wasn’t so fortunate. However, my husband was duly impressed with the curdled lemon cheese sauce (it’s supposed to be that way!) and it was truly an elegant meal.  I served the chicken over buttered rice and peas. Delicious!

Here is a link to the recipe —> Richard Olney’s Chicken Gratin (which is printable over there if you are so inclined).

Of course, you’ll need to adapt depending on the amount of chicken you are cooking.

NOW, drumroll please…

My new food cart name is…

 

 

This is not the full logo, as I sent it back for some tweaking. But I couldn’t resist sharing! I also wanted to give a HUGE thank  you to all my friends and readers for your overwhelming support for my new career. It means the world to me. xoxo

 

 

 

 

 

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Spanakopita

Spanakopita

My sister made this wonderful authentic Greek dish for the family one night when she was here visiting last week. It was so much fun being able to snap some photos while she explained every step of the recipe and demonstrated the “technique” of this dish. This recipe came from her boyfriend’s mother who hailed from Greece, Zora St. Martin (her Greek maiden name was Zaharias, she married a French Canadian). Zora died about two years ago at age 88, and had a successful catering business in Newport, NH. Before she passed on she wrote down the recipe for her son, which I have shared below. As a bonus, she also included the recipe for Tiropita, which is similar to Spanakopita but doesn’t have spinach.

Spanakopita and Tiropita Recipes

The first thing my sister said before making this was to correct my pronunciation of the dish. I’ve been saying it wrong all these years! It is span-uh-KOH-pih-ta, NOT span-uh-koh-PEE-ta. This also makes a very large amount. She said whenever they cook this at home, they wrap up individual packages to give to friends. They actually have friends calling them asking them when they are going to make it again, it is that good! This also makes a wonderful breakfast or brunch. It took us a few days, but we ate every last bit of this! My sister also found some cute little lamb chops on sale at the store, which she marinated in soy sauce, honey, and red chile flakes and grilled them up as a nice “side” to the Spanakopita. Thank you Molly for an awesome dinner!

Spanakopita

1 package Filo (Phyllo) dough, thawed in refrigerator
3 10-ounce packages frozen spinach, thawed
1 bunch green onions
Handful of fresh dill sprigs
16-ounce container cottage cheese
24-ounces crumbled Feta cheese
6 well-beaten eggs
2 sticks melted butter (1/2 pound)

Spanakopita Ingredients

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Place the thawed spinach in a colander and squeeze out as much liquid as possible with your hands. Literally grab bunches of the spinach and wring it out like a wet washcloth. My sister demonstrated this beautifully:

Squeezing the Water Out of the Spinach

Chop the green onions…

Chopping the Green Onions

then mix them thoroughly with the spinach in a large bowl.

Mixing the Onion and Spinach

Mince the dill, then add to the spinach mixture along with the cottage and Feta cheeses and the beaten eggs. Combine thoroughly.

Spanakopita Filling

Brush a 13 x 9 inch baking pan with some of the butter. Layer 5 or 6 Filo sheets in the bottom of the pan, including up the sides.

First Layer of Filo Sheets

Press in 1/4 of the spinach mixture in an even layer.

First Layer of Spinach Mixture

Layer 3 or 4 more sheets of Filo, then coat with butter evenly with a brush.

Brushing the Filo with Butter

Repeat layers of spinach, Filo, and butter. The top layer should be at least 5 or 6 sheets of Filo. Pour any remaining butter over the top and brush around.

Brushing the Last of the Butter Over Top

Bake in the preheated heated oven for 45 minutes until the top is golden-brown. If it starts to get too brown you can lightly cover it with a piece of foil. After 45 minutes, turn oven down to 350 and bake for 15 more minutes. Remove from oven, and let sit for about 15 minutes before serving.

Spanakopita Out of the Oven!

While the Spanakopita was resting, these pretty babies were thrown onto the grill for a few minutes on each side.

Marinating Lamb Chops

Dinner is served!

Spanakopita and Lamb Chop Dinner

 

 

Download and Print this Yummy Recipe!

Skillet Huevos Rancheros with Homemade Tortilla Strips

Skillet Huevos Rancheros with Homemade Tortilla Strips

I’ve been eying similar tomato sauce and egg dishes lately from the Middle East region, but “Shakshuka” uses quite a few spices that I simply don’t have. (And I have a LOT of spices!) But the ingredients and spices I almost always have on hand are Mexican in origin. Hence, I bring to you a riff on Shakshuka, Tex-Mex style!

My husband and I were disappointed I only cooked four of the six eggs. We both had large lunches, and decided one egg each would suffice. Oh boy, were we wrong! While are daughter munched happily on her second egg, we longed in silence. However, there was plenty of sauce leftover to make a repeat for lunch the next day!

Skillet Huevos Rancheros with Homemade Tortilla Strips

For the Ranchero Sauce:
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 Serrano (or jalapeño) pepper, diced small
1 cup onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
1 28-ounce can pureed tomatoes
1/4 teaspoon New Mexico ground chile (or chili powder)
1/8 teaspoon ground cumin
1 15-ounce can black beans, drained and rinsed
Salt and ground black pepper, to taste

For the Rest of It:
1 tablespoon olive oil
4 6-inch corn tortillas
Sea salt, to taste
4 to 6 large eggs
1/2 cup fresh-grated Monterrey Jack cheese
1/2 cup fresh-grated cheddar cheese
Handful fresh cilantro, (chopped) for garnish
Sour cream, for garnish

Simmering the Rancheros Sauce

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. To make the sauce, add a tablespoon of oil to a cast iron or oven-proof skillet over medium heat. Add the spicy pepper, onion, and garlic, and cook for about 7 minutes until onions are softened. Pour in the can of tomatoes, then bring to a simmer. Lower the heat and simmer for 10 minutes. Stir in the black beans, and salt and pepper, to taste.

Prepping the Tortilla Strips

While the sauce is simmering, brush both sides of the corn tortillas with oil and sprinkle with a little salt. Cut into thin strips. Place on a baking sheet in a single layer and place in the preheated oven. Bake for about 3 minutes on each side, until lightly browned. Remove and set aside. (I tried making the strips before the sauce, and got so busy that I burnt my first batch. Lucky for me I always have a large bag of corn tortillas in the pantry!)

Eggs Nestled in Tomato Sauce (LOOK! There is plenty of room for two more eggs, silly!)

When the sauce has thickened, remove from the heat. Make indentations in the sauce with the back of a large spoon, and crack each egg into the wells. Return the pan to the heat and cover. Simmer gently for about 15 minutes, until the whites are partially set.

Skillet Eggs Ready for the Broiler

Turn the oven to broil. Sprinkle the grated cheese over the dish, then place the skillet under the broiler. Cook until the cheese is melted and bubbling and the eggs are cooked to your liking. This shouldn’t be more than a few minutes, unless you like hard-cooked eggs. Remove the skillet (carefully!) from the oven. Garnish with the tortilla strips and cilantro, scoop out your eggs and sauce, and serve with sour cream if you want.

Skillet Huevos Rancheros

Download and Print this Yummy Recipe!

 

Garbanzo Bean, Spinach, and Spicy Chorizo Frittata

Garbanzo Bean Spinach and Spicy Chorizo Frittata

I was planning on starting out my recipe with “Make sure you prep all your ingredients ahead of time, since this all comes together quickly.” I take my prep shot, then start cooking. Here is my photo:

Prepped Frittata Ingredients (or so I thought!)

Where, you may ask, are the garbanzo beans? DOH! OK here they are, late to the show:

The Elusive Garbanzo Beans

After a quick rinse and drain, I measured out a cup and got them into the skillet with the cooked onions and garlic. Whew!

This is a protein-packed, quick and easy meal. YES, you heard me right. Another quick and easy meal, like under a half hour if you aren’t messing up taking photos without one of the star ingredients. This can be breakfast, lunch, dinner, OR an appetizer! Plus you can switch out the spinach with kale, or any other leafy green vegetable. Very versatile. If you don’t have an oven-proof or cast iron skillet (like in this closet kitchen I’m living with now) then you can do like me and stand there with the oven door open with the handle sticking out from under the heat source.

Setting the Top of the Frittata

Good thing it turned cold today— I wouldn’t want to do that in the summer!

Garbanzo Bean, Spinach, and Spicy Chorizo Frittata
Adapted from Chickpea, Spinach, and Chorizo Frittata by Hadyourtea? from the Food52 website

1/2 cup diced onion
1 teaspoon minced garlic
2 teaspoons olive oil
1/4 cup diced jarred roasted red pepper
1 cup canned garbanzo beans (chickpeas), drained and rinsed
4.5 ounces spicy Mexican pork chorizo (half of a 9-ounce package)
1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
1 large handful fresh spinach
5 eggs, beaten (or 4 if Jumbo sized)

Pork chorizo can be substituted with soy chorizo if you want this meatless. You can also freeze the rest of the garbanzo beans for a later use in a soup or stew!

Cook the onion in an oven proof or cast iron skillet in the olive oil over medium heat until soft, about 5 or so minutes, then add the garlic and cook until fragrant, just a minute or so more.

Add the red pepper, chickpeas, and smoked paprika. Add the chorizo, breaking it up with a spoon as you add it.

Sauteeing the Chorizo and Veggies

Sauté everything together until the paprika oil runs from the chorizo and it is cooked through at least 5 minutes or more.

Add the spinach and keep stirring until it wilts. Add the eggs and stir gently to incorporate into the mixture. Stop stirring and allow the eggs to set over the heat.

Setting the Bottom of the Frittata

Turn your oven on broil, then slide the skillet under the broiler to set the top. This will only take a a few minutes, so keep an eye on it! Remove from the oven carefully with hot pads, then gently loosen from the edge of the skillet with a knife. Place a large plate over the skillet and invert the frittata onto it. Then place another plate on top and invert once again. Allow to cool slightly before slicing. Serve with a dollop of sour cream and/or salsa, or just eat as is!

Garbanzo Bean Spinach and Spicy Chorizo Frittata

Download and Print this Yummy Recipe!

Goat’s Cheese Soufflé ~ French Challenge #1

Goat’s Cheese Soufflé

Julia Child I am not! My friends and readers chose Goat’s Cheese Soufflé as the first French dish to cook from my new French cookbook. While the recipe looks deceptively simple to prepare, two hours and many bowls, dishes and pans later, I had concocted some semblance of a soufflé.

Thyme and Cheeses ~ Thank you Trader Joe’s!

Two hours??? Oh my goodness. I was tired and sad at the end of the process when I realized all I had to eat for my efforts was one small appetizer and a sink full of dirty dishes. I had halved the recipe and made three soufflés so everyone in the family could have one.

While I followed the recipe exactly, I think I over-folded the egg whites into the cheese mixture. I also had to bump the oven up to 400 degrees and bake for well over a half-hour before I got my soufflés to puff up a bit and start to brown. While I am patting myself on the back for taking on this challenge, I do not foresee making this dish again. But all in all it was a good experience. One thing I do know is French cooking takes a LOT of patience. AND my husband ate it, too, after claiming he can’t stand goat’s cheese. So there was some success in that department.

Later in the week you can help me decide what to make for French Challenge #2: Mains.

Goat’s Cheese Soufflé

Goat’s Cheese Soufflé
Adapted from The Australian Women’s Weekly French Classics cookbook

2 tablespoons butter
3/4 cup milk
1 sprig fresh thyme
1 bay leaf
1/8 cup flour
1 egg yolk
2 egg whites
2 ounces goat’s cheese (Chevre), crumbled
3 tablespoons heavy cream
1/4 cup Gruyère cheese, grated

Grease 3 small ramekins with one tablespoon of butter, divided. Line each base with baking paper. Place the dishes in a large baking pan.

Heat milk, thyme and bay leaf in a small saucepan until simmering. Strain into a heat-proof dish (I used my Pyrex measuring cup). Melt a tablespoon of butter in the same pan, add the floor, then slowly pour in the hot milk. Cook and stir over medium low heat until thickened and bubbly.

Turn a boring milk shot into fun with a Zak spoon! Thank you Ranting Chef!

Transfer to a large bowl and stir in the egg yolk. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and set aside to cool for about 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 400 degrees and set a kettle of water on to boil.

Beat the egg whites in a small bowl with an electric mixer until soft peaks form. Fold a quarter of the egg whites into the cheese sauce, then fold in the goat’s cheese and the rest of the egg whites. Do NOT overfold! (I think that was my problem.) Spoon the mixture into the ramekins, then add enough boiling water to the baking dish to come half-way up the sides of the ramekins.

Bake the souffles for at least a half an hour, until they are puffy and browned. Carefully remove ramekins from water and cool on a wire rack for 30 minutes.

Soufflés in Ramekins

Run a knife around the soufflés, then gently turn each over onto a plate. Next carefully flip each of the soufflés back over into small baking dishes. Pour one tablespoon cream over the soufflés, then sprinkle with the  grated Gruyère cheese. Bake the soufflés in the oven on high broil, until cheese is bubbly and lightly brown. Serve as a light brunch with toast and jam.

Goat’s Cheese Soufflé

Crêpes Caroline

Crêpes Caroline

Last weekend I asked our foreign exchange student if she had a French recipe she would like to cook for the family, and if so, what would she like to make? Luckily the French word for crepes is the same as the English word, so I understood immediately what she was planning to make. I told her she could make them for us for breakfast the next morning. Around 9:30 am the next day, I asked her if she was ready to make the crepes for breakfast. She shook her head yes, then brought up the recipe on her cell phone — in French and metric! Thank goodness for Google  Translator and my handy dandy weight scale that converts to metric! (I discovered that 250 grams is 2 cups!)

Weighing the Flour

When I finally got the gist of the recipe translated, I found out we had to let the batter sit for two hours. Looking at the time, I said, “I guess we are having crepes for lunch instead!” So we ate small bowls of cereal to tide us over.

Caroline told me the French eat their crepes filled with jam. I said we like to put fresh fruit in ours. I let her assemble the first one, and she filled hers with jam and folded it over like a washcloth. I then made mine (using both jam and fruit) and showed her how to roll one up enchilada style. We sprinkled them with powdered sugar. A wonderful, light lunch!

Crêpes Caroline

2 cups flour (250 g farine)
3 eggs (3 oeufs)
2 cups milk (1/2 litre de lait)
1 tablespoon sugar (1 cuillère a soupe de sucre)
1 pinch salt (1 pincée de sel)
A little oil (Un peu d’ huile)
Let stand for 2 hours (Laisser reposer pendant 2 heures) 

Cracking in the Eggs

Add the flour to a bowl, then crack in the three eggs. Mix the eggs into the flour with a whisk until well combined. Slowly add the milk, whisking to combine. After watching her struggle with some lumps, I decided to pull out the electric mixer for her, as she was having trouble getting it to combine well. Mix in the rest of the ingredients, mixing on high until well combined. Let stand, uncovered, for two hours.

Whisking the Batter

When ready to make, heat up a medium-sized skillet to medium-high and spray with olive or vegetable oil. Pour in about 1/3 cup to 1/2 cup of batter, tilting the pan around so a thin layer coats the bottom. Cook each crepe for several minutes until the bottom stars to brown and the crepe is cooked through to the top. Using a spatula, flip the crepe over and heat about 30 seconds more.

Beautiful Crepe

Slide out of skillet and keep warm on a plate under a kitchen towel. Repeat until batter is gone. This makes about 10 crepes. Serve with jam, fresh fruit, and powdered sugar, folded or rolled any way you want!

Strawberries and Jams

Caroline is leaving back to France tomorrow, and we are all sad to see her go. She has been a wonderful addition to the family this past three weeks, and our entire family has really enjoyed the experience of hosting a foreign exchange student. If you are interested in hosting a student, please check out the Andeo organization. They are very well organized and I can’t be happier with the student we were paired with! Bon Voyage Caroline!

Crêpes Caroline

Download and Print this Yummy Recipe!

Hash Brown, Sausage, and Egg Casserole ~ Starting a New Christmas Tradition

I am going to continue my experiments tomorrow for the cooking competition, and also shop for the ingredients for our new Christmas Tradition I started last year. What about you?

anotherfoodieblogger

Merry Christmas to all my family and friends! I have decided to start a new Christmas tradition in our household this year. We’ve always done a “fend for yourself” for Christmas breakfast/brunch, but this year I decided it would be nice to wake up and bake a hassle-free breakfast casserole. This make-ahead casserole is a cinch to make, and you refrigerate it over night before popping it in the oven just before you unwrap your presents. Well, that was the plan anyways. I forgot to put it in the oven (hey it’s my first year to do this!) so we ate a bit later than planned. My daughter went back for a second serving, so I guess it’s safe to say this is a tradition I can continue.

There are hundreds of recipes online for this, most of them stating they go way back from their grandmother or handed down…

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Potato Moussaka

Potato Moussaka

(Pssst! It’s my birthday today. Any and all comments to that effect welcome. 😉 )

I chose this tasty recipe to test over the weekend as part of Food52’s most recent recipe contest for Your Best Potatoes. I entered my Ooey Gooey Au Gratin Potatoes to the contest, and when I didn’t make the first cut, I looked over all the Community Picks and this one stood out as one I’d enjoy cooking AND eating! So I pressed the Test This button and got to cookin’!

Since I was testing a specific recipe, I did not change or substitute any of the ingredients so that I could give it a fair assessment of the original. I was also very brave and served this to a couple we had over for dinner as the main course, with never even making it before to know how it would turn out. Very brave indeed. With a sigh of relief, all plates were polished off. Whew!

Potato Moussaka Assembled and Ready to Cook

However, if I ever made this again, I would double the amount of spices and herbs called for in it. With the large amounts of potatoes, milk, and cream, the taste of those got lost in the mix. While this was very tasty on its own, three out of the five eating it decided to splash some Sriracha hot sauce over top, which made it just delicious! The other thing I would do different is buy a mandolin to slice the potatoes. It was sure slow going trying to evenly slice that many pounds of potatoes. Oy! Plus I only ended up with three layers of potatoes because I couldn’t slice them thin enough with just a kitchen knife. If you look at the original recipe photo, you can see she did a much neater job with the slicing and presentation. I also did not wait the requisite 15 or 20 minutes to let it set, and that’s pretty obvious from my “square slice” that really wasn’t square or sliced too well.

HINT: Add the sliced potatoes to a bowl of cold water while slicing them, then keep them in the water while you prepare the other ingredients. Remove and pat them dry with a towel when you are ready to assemble. This prevents them from browning.

Soaking Sliced Potatoes

Without further ado, here is the recipe I tested, as originally published:

Potato Moussaka <<– link to original, you can also print it from there
Recipe by QueenSashy on Food52 website

Author Notes: Moussaka is a famous Turkish/Mediterranean dish with eggplants, minced meat, tomatoes, béchamel and an occasional potato. However, as the Turks gradually conquered more and more of the Balkan territories and traveled north, towards Serbia, Bulgaria and Romania, most of the fancier ingredients were dropped and only potatoes remained with a scant sprinkle of minced meat, a testament to the life in these impoverished farming lands and their colder climates. And that is how the famous Potato Moussaka, one of the staple dishes of the Balkan cuisine was born. Potato moussaka is a seemingly simple dish to make, but the essence of getting it right lies in the baking process. When executed properly potato moussaka is a true masterpiece — wonderfully crisp on top, soft and caramelized on bottom, creamy in the middle, filled with wonderful little caves of fragrant minced beef, and bursting with rich, cheesy taste, despite of containing no cheese at all!  – QueenSashy

Serves 6

• About 3lb Russet potatoes (to the extent possible, try to use potatoes of similar size and shape)
• 1 pound ground beef (preferably 80% lean)
• 2 small shallots (about 4 oz)
• 4 eggs
• 2 cups light cream
• 2 cups whole milk
• 1 generous teaspoon of dried summer savory (or ½ tsp dried oregano and ½ tsp dried marjoram)
• 1 tablespoon fresh parsley, finely chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, finely minced
• A pinch of nutmeg
• 2 tablespoons sunflower oil, plus more for oiling/brushing
• Salt and freshly ground pepper
• 9×13 inch rectangular baking dish

1. Preheat oven to 400°F.
2. In a large sauté pan heat the oil over medium heat. Add the shallots and sauté until translucent, for about a minute or two. Add the ground beef and cook until browned on the surface. Do not overcook. Remove from heat and season with salt, pepper, parsley and summer savory. Divide the meat into three parts.
3. Peel the potatoes, rinse them and pat them dry. Slice the potatoes 1/8-inch thick, no more, no less. (You may want to discards the smallest pieces.)
4. Liberally oil the baking dish. Arrange the potato slices neatly in the baking dish in one layer, overlapping each one about the third of the way over the slice that came before, until the bottom of the dish is neatly paved. Sprinkle with salt and cover with the third of the meat. Repeat the process (potatoes + sprinkle of salt + ground beef) two more times. Finish with another neat layer of potatoes (for a total of four potato layers.)
5. In a small bowl beat the eggs. Add the milk, cream, garlic and a pinch of nutmeg. Mix well. Pour over the potatoes.
6. Cover the baking dish with a foil and bake covered, until the liquid starts to bubble. Once the liquid starts to bubble, remove the cover, reduce heat to 365°F and bake for another hour or so (this will depend on your oven, dish, and many other factors, so start watching at about 45 minutes). The moussaka is done when the potatoes on top are golden brown, spotted with dark crispy areas, while potatoes inside are very soft. (If you notice during baking that top layer is getting dry, sprinkle it with water and brush it with vegetable oil. If you notice that the entire dish is getting dry, add a bit more warm milk. If you think that top is getting baked faster than the inside, cover with the foil again. If the inside is fully done and the top is not golden, finish the dish under the broiler for a minute or two.)
7. Remove the moussaka from the oven. Let it settle for about 15-20 minutes, then cut into square slices and eat immediately.

Potato Moussaka

Asparagus, Mushroom, and Onion Frittata

I couldn’t bear the thought of not posting midweek when I am not even out of town, so thought I’d repost one of my earlier recipes from early 2012 that some of my new followers may have never seen. My workload has been pretty crazy and my husband has cooked all this week, and I didn’t even have time to take one picture for you or write up his delicious meals. So here it is!

Asparagus, Mushroom, and Onion Frittata

Yes, I still had some of that lovely thin asparagus left that I wanted to use today, and while pondering my options in the shower I thought “Frittata!” A frittata is a fancy name for an omelet that is started out on the stove and finished off in the oven.  Remembering that I now have a cast-iron skillet, I was anxious to finish my morning routine and start making a wonderful brunch for the family.

You can use any combination of fresh vegetables and cheeses you have on hand for this dish. I happened to also have some sweet onion, mushrooms and shredded Parmesan cheese and thought they would pair nicely with the asparagus. They did.

Asparagus, Mushroom, and Onion Frittata

6 eggs
Mrs. Dash Garlic and Herb Blend
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
Black pepper
1/2 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon butter
1 cup asparagus, trimmed and cut into one-inch pieces
1/2 cup sweet onion, roughly chopped
1/2 cup mushrooms, sliced

Set your oven rack about five inches from the broiler. Preheat on broil. Meanwhile, crack the eggs into a bowl and whisk together with the seasonings and cheese. Add the oil and butter to a heated cast iron skillet then add the vegetables.  Sauté the veggies until tender, then pour the egg mixture evenly over them.  Cook over medium-low heat without stirring for about 10 minutes, jiggling the skillet a few times to help distribute the eggs as they set. To finish, place the skillet under the broiler for another five minutes or so until the eggs are set and the top is lightly browned.

Egg Drop Noodle Soup with Mushrooms and Spinach

Egg Drop Soup with Mushrooms and Spinach

Here’s a quick and easy soup I made for lunch the other day, but it’s filling enough for a meatless main and packed with protein and nutrients. I actually had it in mind to  make a turkey noodle soup with the leftover turkey breast I had hanging around in the fridge, but at the last minute I switched it out with eggs because, well, that’s what I do sometimes. After I ladled this into a bowl and took all my photos, I took a sip and frowned, thinking, “something is missing.” DOH! I forgot the lime juice and cilantro. I poured my bowl back into the pot, squeezed in the lime, and chopped up some fresh cilantro, and mixed that in. There, much better.

But I didn’t retake the photos, because I was on lunch break and had to eat and get back to work. And that brings me to a very important lesson in cooking. Always taste test throughout the preparation, so you can adjust seasonings accordingly or “notice” the lack of an ingredient — or two. Yes, I was rushed for time, but it was no excuse. But it all turned out good in the end. This made enough for four servings. The next day, I packed the leftovers for lunch and added some shredded turkey breast. Power lunch!

Egg Drop Soup with Spinach and Mushrooms

Egg Drop Noodle Soup with Mushrooms and Spinach

1 teaspoon sesame oil
1 teaspoon olive oil
1 cup sliced mushrooms
1/8 teaspoon dried, ground ginger (or 2 teaspoons fresh, diced)
1 teaspoon minced garlic
2 green onions, chopped, white and green parts divided
4 cups homemade or low sodium chicken or turkey broth
2 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce
2 teaspoons rice wine vinegar
1/2-inch round of angel hair pasta, broken in half
2 eggs, lightly beaten
Juice of one small lime, plus wedges for serving
1/2 cup fresh chopped cilantro, plus more for serving
4 cups fresh spinach, roughly chopped

In a soup pot or dutch oven over medium heat, add the oils then saute the mushrooms, ginger, garlic, and white onion parts until the mushrooms have released their liquid, about five minutes.  Pour in the chicken or turkey broth, add the soy sauce and rice wine vinegar, and bring up to a boil. Add the angel hair pasta, and bring to a low boil and simmer until pasta is tender, about five more minutes. Slowly stream in the eggs, breaking up with a fork and stirring to make egg threads. Add the chopped spinach by handfuls, pushing down into the liquid and stir until wilted. Squeeze in the lime juice, then add the chopped cilantro. Simmer until heated through. Ladle into bowls and garnish with green onion, cilantro, and a lime wedge.