Chicken and Bok Choy Soup

Chicken and Bok Choy Soup

Fall is in the air, at least where I live. And that means SOUP season! This is another recipe I made several months ago during a cool spell. The hardest thing about writing a recipe months after the fact is interpreting the scribbles hastily written down while cooking and photographing. I’m sure at the time I thought I would remember what it all means. So if I’ve missed a step or ingredient, please forgive me! But what I do remember is how much I enjoyed this soup.

Don’t let all those bottled sauces intimidate you, as very little of each is used and they keep for a long time in the refrigerator.  And it’s always nice to have just the sauce you need when you’re in the mood for an Asian dish. I think I’ll make this again very soon, as the cool, fall air is making me hanker for some warm, soothing soup!

Chicken and Bok Choy Soup

1 teaspoon sesame oil
1 teaspoon olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup grated carrot
1­ inch piece ginger, peeled and minced
4 to 5 cups homemade or low­sodium chicken broth
8 ounces boneless, skinless chicken breast tenders
1 serrano or jalapeño pepper, stemmed and thinly sliced
2 heads baby bok choy, sliced crosswise
2 green onions, green part only, chopped
2 teaspoons rice wine vinegar
2 teaspoons oyster sauce
1 tablespoon low-sodium soy sauce
1/4 teaspoon fish sauce
1 teaspoon Sambal Oelek (optional)
Lime wedges, for serving

Chicken and Bok Choy Soup Ingredients ~ I started to crop this photo but couldn’t after I spotted our darling Hannah Banana in the background!

Add the oils to a wok or Dutch oven heated over medium high. Add the shredded carrot and sauté for a few minutes, then add the garlic and ginger and stir until fragrant.

Pour in the chicken broth, rice wine vinegar, oyster, soy and fish sauces to the broth. Raise the heat and cook until starting to boil, then add the chicken tenders and sliced chile pepper.

Simmering the Chicken

Reduce the heat to medium and cook at a low simmer until the chicken is cooked through, about 10 to 15 minutes depending on the thickness. Remove the chicken from broth and set aside until cool enough to handle.

Bok Choy and Green Onions Added

Meanwhile, add the bok choy and green onion to the broth. Optionally, add the Sambal Oelek if you like a little spicy. Simmer until greens are just tender, about 5 minutes.

Shred the chicken tenders with forks, then add back to the pot until warmed through.

Shredded Chicken Added

Serve in bowls with a lime wedge for squeezing into the soup, to taste.

Chicken and Bok Choy Soup

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Asian Pork and Shrimp Noodles with Bok Choy

Asian Pork and Shrimp Noodles with Bok Choy

I had a hankering for fried egg rolls a few weeks ago and thought I was all set with my ingredients, but when I took the egg roll wrappers out of the freezer to defrost, they were totally freezer burnt! I was NOT going to make a trip to the store just for egg roll wrappers, so I put on my thinking cap and decided we could enjoy all the deliciousness of egg rolls — unwrapped! The meal came out perfectly delicious, and just think of all the calories we saved without the fried grease (although I’m not one to pass up a fried egg roll if given the chance).

If you do decide to make this healthier alternative, just make sure you get all your ingredients prepped ahead of time, as it comes together pretty quick once you start cooking.

Asian Pork and Shrimp Noodles with Bok Choy

4 ounces dried rice noodles
1/2 pound ground pork
2 teaspoons toasted sesame oil, divided
2 or 3 green onions, chopped (about 1/2 cup)
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1 teaspoon minced ginger
1/2 cup grated carrot (I used bagged)
3 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce
1 tablespoon oyster sauce
2 teaspoons fish sauce
2 teaspoons rice wine vinegar
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1 cup chicken broth
2 baby bok choy, trimmed and sliced
1/2 pound shrimp (I used frozen deli shrimp)
4 ounces fresh bean sprouts
1 tablespoon cornstarch mixed with 1 tablespoon water
1 teaspoon Sambal Oelek (optional)
Lime wedges, for garnish

Asian Pork and Shrimp Noodles Ingredients

Soak rice noodles in hot water according to package directions. (Usually about 10 or 15 minutes.) Drain noodles and set aside. (Ignore my angel hair noodles in the pic and sub in your mind with the green onions I forgot for the shot.) After adding the rice noodles and bean sprouts, I had plenty of food already!)

Browned Ground Pork

In a wok or large skillet, brown the ground pork with 1 teaspoon of toasted sesame oil over medium heat until thoroughly cooked through. Remove from skillet, drain on paper towels, and set aside.

Cooking the Veggies

In the same skillet (without wiping out oil), add the grated carrots and cook about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the ginger, garlic, and green onions, and cook for several more minutes. Remove to a bowl and set aside.

Add another teaspoon of sesame oil to the skillet, then add the sliced bok choy, cooking until just wilted.

Wilted Bok Choy

In a small bowl, whisk together the soy, oyster and fish sauces along with the rice wine vinegar, brown sugar, and chicken broth and pour over the bok choy. Now add all the rest of the ingredients to the skillet (pork, veggies, shrimp, noodles, and bean sprouts.)

Last, stir in the cornstarch slurry and the chili sauce if you like a little spicy and bring up to a simmer. Turn off heat, then serve in bowls with a squeeze of lime wedge.

Asian Pork and Shrimp Noodles with Bok Choy

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Best Chicken Wings Ever

Best Chicken Wings Ever

No, really. These are Genius! For years, my husband has been trying to cook perfectly crisped chicken wings. He’s tried double-frying in oil, frying then baking, baking then grilling — you name it. And then there was this magical moment about two weeks ago when I hopped over to one of my favorite foodie websites and a recipe for these chicken wings popped up in the Genius Recipes column. Really? Really? Can it be true?

I immediately printed the recipe and ran downstairs to show it to my husband. He wasn’t even skeptical about it and was anxious to try this new version, and promptly put “chicken wings” on the grocery list white board. Much to his dismay he came home wingless that day from the grocery store. “I can’t believe the store had no chicken wings!” I’m a persistent shopper and would have tried a second (or even third) store, but the wings would have to wait until another day.

Cured Chicken Wings

His next trip out a couple of days later and produced said wings. He was all set to cook them up for dinner when he discovered (much to his dismay again) that the recipe required a full 24-hours of prep. “Didn’t you read the recipe?” “Well, uh, I read the ingredients but didn’t read through the instructions.” Cooking Basics 101. Read the entire recipe through at least once (0r more) before starting to cook. Don’t be put off by the 24 hours though. That is mostly all hands off time while the chicken wings “cure” in the refrigerator, for lack of a better word.

I can truly attest that these are the most perfectly crisped chicken wings I have ever had in my life! Crunchy skin on the outside, and completely juicy and tender on the inside. And there is a bonus to them too! Forget the goopy, buttery red hot sauce known to adorn the ubiquitous Buffalo Wings. The recipe also included an amazing dipping sauce that is this spicy, tangy-I-can’t-put-words-to-it delicious! Without further adieu…

Dipping Sauce Ingredients

Best Chicken Wings Ever
Very slightly adapted from Maximum Flavor (Clarkson Potter, 2013) and borrowed from Food52

Vegetable oil spray for racks
3 large egg whites
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 3/4 teaspoon sea salt
4 pounds whole chicken wings
1/4 cup low-sodium soy sauce
3 tablespoons apple juice
1 tablespoon honey
1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar
1 tablespoon sesame oil
1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1 tablespoon toasted sesame seeds
1 garlic clove, finely minced
1/2 teaspoon fresh ginger, finely minced
1 green onion, finely sliced

Oil 2 wire racks and place them over a large rimmed baking sheet. Mix the egg whites, baking soda, and salt in a bowl and stir until salt and baking soda are dissolved. Dump each chicken wing, one at a time, into the mixture and coat evenly. Lift the wing from the bowl and drain off excess marinade. Place each wing on the racks. Refrigerate the wings, uncovered, overnight.

The next day, preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Put the baking sheet of wings into the oven and cook for 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, combine the rest of the ingredients in a small bowl.

Amazing Dipping Sauce

Flip the wings over and bake for another 10 minutes. Turn the wings over again and bake about another 10 more minutes, until nice and golden. Take the sheet of wings out of the oven and let cool for 5 minutes.

Serve with the dipping sauce. Can you say Genius? And the second bonus is that the leftover dipping sauce can be used to marinate almost anything!

Best Chicken Wings Ever

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Carnitas Tacos with Spicy Pickled Red Onions

Carnitas Tacos with Spicy Pickled Red Onions

Some days I go on a cooking binge. I can’t help myself! I suddenly have lots of things I want to make and eat, and yesterday was one of those days. Countless hours of dashing around the kitchen, every measuring device in use, pots, pans, bowls, sticky messes covering all countertops. But when it’s all said and done, I’m tired, happy, and full. And have sore feet.

I had two missions to accomplish yesterday: One, was to concoct a fancy dessert (not my forté as you know) from scratch for an online cooking competition using three required ingredients. (You will get to read about that next week.) Second, was to finally try my hand at making carnitas, which is a Mexican dish of slow-braised pork and then broiled up into crispy bits of yumminess. I added a third mission later in the game and pickled up some spicy red onions to accompany the carnitas tacos. Whoa! Talk about a game changer. My photos don’t do that condiment justice. After my first bite, I went back and mounded way more pickled onions into my tacos. Delish!

Spicy Pickled Red Onions

I did learn a couple of things yesterday during all this though. You really should use a cut of pork butt or shoulder that has lots of fat and marbling in it. I only had some country-style boneless pork ribs, and they didn’t have near enough fat to render so had to add a little vegetable oil during the rendering process. I also figured out that by pouring some chicken or beef broth over the pork just before the broiling process lessened the dryness of the pork since it didn’t have the required fat in it. Lessons learned, but it was still incredibly tasty! We have plenty of leftover carnitas for use in either more tacos, burritos, or perhaps even a stew or chili? We shall see what becomes of the rest of the meat, now won’t we? Now on to the recipes!

Spiced-Up Pork and Juices

Carnitas Tacos with Spicy Pickled Red Onions

For the Carnitas:
3 pounds pork butt or shoulder, cut into 1 to 2 inch pieces
Juice of 4 or 5 limes (about 1/4 cup)
Juice of 1 large orange (about 1/2 cup)
1 tablespoon Ancho chile powder
1/4 teaspoon cumin powder
Ground black pepper, to taste
About a half a bottle or can of beer
Vegetable oil, if needed
About 1 cup chicken or beef broth, if needed
Cotijo cheese, avocado, spicy pickled red onions, cilantro, and lime wedges, for garnish

For the Spicy Pickled Red Onions
1/2 large red onion, sliced thin
1/4 cup rice wine vinegar
1/4 cup white wine vinegar
Juice of 1 large lemon (about 1/4 cup)
6 or 7 thin slices of fresh jalapeno
1/2 teaspoon black peppercorns
2 cloves garlic

Add the pork, juices, and spices to a dutch oven and cover with water to just cover the pork. Bring to a boil, then turn down low to simmer for at two hours. About halfway through simmering, I added a half a can of beer. Why, you ask? Because it was in my hand and seemed like a good idea. Did it make any difference? I have no idea, lol!

Simmering Pork

While the pork is simmering, you can make the pickled onions. Add all the ingredients to a glass jar, microwave uncovered for 45 seconds, cover with lid, and refrigerate until ready to use. Easy peasy!

After two hours, turn up the heat to medium high and cook the pork for about a half hour longer, until all the liquid is gone and the pork begins frying in its own fat. Or, if your pork doesn’t have enough fat, then add a little vegetable oil at this point to help it along.

Crispy Carnitas

Once the pork starts looking crispy and browned, remove it from the heat. Add the meat in one layer to a foil-lined baking sheet, pour about a half cup of chicken or beef broth over it, then put it in the oven on broil for 5 or so minutes. Remove the pan, turn pork over with a spatula, then add a little more broth over it. Return to oven and broil about 5 more minutes. Remove from oven, and serve immediately over corn tortillas warmed up in a dry skillet, with cotijo cheese, avocado, spicy pickled red onions, cilantro, and lime wedges.

Carnitas Tacos with Spicy Pickled Red Onions

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Egg Foo Young ~ With all the Fixin’s or Vegetarian!

Egg Foo Young

Can you say incredible? Oh my gosh, these were so good that my husband and daughter practically ripped the extra one on my photoshoot plate right off from under the camera! They were like vultures, I tell you! I let them split it with each other, as one egg pancake was plenty for me since I filled mine with all the extras.

I had wanted to make this dish the first time I set eyes on it last April over at Lemony Thyme. Libby makes these wonderfully tasty dishes and presents everything so well with her photography. I pretty much followed this recipe except I sauteed the mushrooms first, cooked up some ground pork instead of using ham, plus I added the optional shrimp. Any of the fillings are optional, so this adapts well to a vegetarian dish. Oh and I don’t own a sifter, so I made a corn starch slurry instead.

Since you can only make these one at a time (unless you want to dirty up more skillets), I made each Egg Foo Young to order. This recipe makes enough for four of them. My daughter only wanted the pork added and no mushrooms in hers. My husband didn’t want the shrimp in his (this surprised me, he loves shrimp!) but did want the pork and mushrooms. I wanted it all, so added all three to mine. The final pancake had only pork so my daughter would eat it.  Aren’t I accommodating?

I have always spelled this dish Egg Foo Young, but Libby spelled hers Egg Fu Yung. I got curious and did a little internet searching, and it turns out both spellings are perfectly acceptable. But no matter how you spell it, this is an incredibly delicious meal to serve for breakfast, lunch, or dinner!

Egg Foo Young Ingredients

Egg Foo Young
Adapted from Egg Fu Yung at Lemony Thyme

Hint: Before you get started, you will want to have everything mise en place. That’s just a fancy phrase for getting everything prepped and ready in one place before you start cooking the final dish.

Brown Gravy:

1 cup chicken or vegetable broth
1 tablespoon reduced sodium soy sauce
1 tablespoon oyster sauce
1 teaspoon sesame oil
1/2 teaspoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon rice wine vinegar
2 tablespoons corn starch, mixed with a little cold water

Egg Foo Young:

1 cup ground pork
4 ounces mushrooms, sliced thin
1/2 cup green onions, chopped small
1/2 cup cooked deli shrimp, diced small
8 to 10 water chestnuts, chopped
6 eggs, beaten
1 tablespoon flour, mixed with a little cold water
1 teaspoon reduced sodium soy sauce
1 teaspoon sesame oil
1 cup bean sprouts
Ground black pepper, to taste
3 to 4 tablespoons vegetable oil, divided, for frying
More sliced green onions, for garnish

Egg Foo Young

Start by cooking the brown gravy and just get that out of the way. You can reheat and stir it a bit on the stovetop when ready to serve. In a small saucepan over medium heat bring all brown gravy ingredients, except the corn starch slurry, to a slight boil then reduce the heat to low. Mix about half the corn starch slurry into the broth whisking constantly. Return the gravy to a simmer, and slowly add a bit more of the slurry while simmering, until desired consistency. Remove gravy from heat and set aside.

If you are going to use pork in this dish, now crumble up the ground pork in a skillet sprayed with a little oil over medium heat. Cook until pork is browned through. Drain and reserve in a bowl and set aside. Next, if using mushrooms, add those to the same skillet and saute about 5 to 7 minutes, until they release their liquid and start to brown. Remove from skillet and set aside in another bowl. Now is the time to dice up or measure all the other ingredients in preparation for the eggs.

In a medium bowl, crack in six eggs and beat in the flour slurry while whisking until well combined. Whisk in soy sauce and sesame oil, then add in bean sprouts, green onions, chestnuts, and black pepper and combine well. Heat a skillet over medium-high heat, add a tablespoon of vegetable oil then about a half cup of the egg mixture. I have this wok-like skillet that has a flat 6-inch bottom I used, but any skillet would do. I suppose a smaller skillet would help make the pancakes thicker. I digress.

Next spread on top of it a portion of any of the pork, shrimp, or mushrooms and cook until the bottom is nice and set. You can swirl the pan around to get some of the uncooked egg on top to add to the sides of the pancake. It’s all good. Flip it over, then cook until the other side is done and set. Add about a tablespoon (or less) of oil between batches. Serve with the reheated brown gravy and sliced green onions. This is seriously amazing!

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Asian Chicken Noodle Soup with Edamame, Mushrooms, and Carrots

Asian Chicken Noodle Soup with Edamame, Mushrooms, and Carrots

I have made several variations of this soup over the past couple of years, and each time I make it I love it even more! I’ve been tweaking the flavorings with each round, and this particular recipe got thumbs up all the way around from my family. My husband was pleased I used spaghetti noodles in this instead of angel hair pasta, and I had every intention of using them but somehow I ended up grabbing the spaghetti, not even realizing my mistake until after they were cooked.  But I have an excuse! My daughter was getting ready to go on her first date to the Homecoming Dance. I was a bit distracted.  🙂

Asian Chicken Noodle Soup with Edamame Mushrooms and Carrots

Asian Chicken Noodle Soup with Edamame, Mushrooms, and Carrots

2 cups frozen edamame
4 ounces dried spaghetti or angel hair pasta, snapped in half
2 teaspoons sesame oil
1 tablespoon olive oil
4 ounces sliced mushrooms
1 cup julienned carrots
3 large green onions, chopped, white and green parts divided
1 tablespoon peeled and minced fresh ginger
1 tablespoon minced garlic
6 or 7 cups homemade or low sodium chicken broth
3 tablespoons low sodium soy sauce
2 teaspoons rice wine vinegar
2 teaspoons chile paste (I used Sambal Oelek)
2 cups cooked chicken, chopped or shredded
Lime wedges
Fresh chopped cilantro
Dark green onion parts, sliced thin

Place the frozen edamame in a bowl to thaw out. Meanwhile put on a pot of water for the pasta and cook it according to package directions. When the pasta is done, remove and rinse, and return to the pot, spray with a little olive oil to keep it from sticking, and set aside. While all that is coming up to speed, prep the ginger and veggies, etc.

Chicken Noodle Soup Ingredients

In a soup pot, add the two oils and cook the mushrooms, carrots, white and light green parts of the onion with the ginger and garlic over medium heat. Once the vegetables are soft, toss in the edamame and heat it all up for a few minutes more.

Now add the chicken broth, soy sauce, rice wine vinegar, and chile paste to the pot. Bring up to a low boil, add in the chicken, then turn down and simmer for about 15 minutes to let the flavors meld. When ready to eat, add a serving of noodles to each soup bowl, then ladle the chicken soup and veggies over all. Garnish with lime wedges to squeeze over, dark green onion parts, and cilantro. Add additional soy sauce according to taste. Winner!

Edamame and Veggies

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Asian Green Bean Chicken Noodle Soup

Asian Green Bean Chicken Noodle Soup

This is another great use for leftover rotisserie chicken. I had bought one the other day for the three of us, but then my daughter unexpectedly had dinner and a sleepover at a friend’s house. With a half a chicken to deal with, I decided to make some Asian soup with the leftovers and frozen Trader Joe’s Haricot Verts (skinny green beans) I had bought a few days before. You can use fresh green beans in place but those in the store didn’t look so fresh that day.

Some of the Many Chicken Green Bean Noodle Soup Ingredients

As with most Asian cooking, you will want to prep everything in advance. I finally found some rice noodles in town, and word to the wise: a 6.5 ounce package makes a TON of noodles! Next time I’ll use half the package. But since you assemble these bowls individually, you can bag up and refrigerate the leftovers for another use.

The other thing I did today was go on the hunt for canning supplies to make homemade canned salsa. I wanted pint jars, and the two stores I went to were all out of them. I asked the checker at one store if they had any in the back, and she said there has been quite a run on them lately. But my mom came to the rescue and found some for me on her way home at another store. (She took me clothes shopping today, what a nice mom!) Now, on to the recipe! Simple, satisfying, soothing.

Sauteing the Green Beans

Asian Green Bean Chicken Noodle Soup

1 1/2 cups fresh or frozen green beans, snapped in half
6.5 ounce package of dried rice noodles (can be halved)
1 tablespoon peeled and minced fresh ginger
2 teaspoons minced garlic
1 teaspoon minced Serrano pepper
2 green onions, chopped, white and green parts divided
2 teaspoons sesame oil
6 or 7 cups homemade or low sodium chicken broth
2 or 3 tablespoons low sodium soy sauce
1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar
2 cups cooked chicken, chopped or shredded
Fresh lime wedges
Fresh chopped cilantro
Fresh chopped basil

If using fresh green beans, blanch them in boiling water for about four minutes then dunk in a cold ice bath. Otherwise, set the frozen green beans aside to thaw out a bit. In a large bowl, add the rice noodles then pour boiling water over them. Let them soak for about 15 minutes, then drain and rinse with cold water and set aside.

Meanwhile, prep the ginger and veggies, etc. In a soup pot, saute the ginger, garlic, Serrano pepper, and white and light green parts of the onion in the sesame oil for a few minutes over medium heat. Toss in the green beans and heat them up for a few minutes more. Using tongs, remove the green beans and set aside. Now add the chicken broth, soy sauce, rice wine vinegar, and chicken to the pot. Simmer for about ten minutes to let the flavors meld. When ready to eat, add a serving of noodles to a soup bowl, top with some of the green beans, then ladle the chicken and chicken broth over all. Garnish with lime wedges to squeeze over, dark green onion parts, cilantro, and basil. Add additional soy sauce according to taste.

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Asian Green Bean Chicken Noodle Soup

Asian Grilled-Meat and Veggie Stir Fry

Asian Grilled-Meat Stir Fry

After a false start to spring last month, we jumped back into “sprinter” and had a couple of weeks of below freezing temps at night, and then last week it jumped straight into summer! It’s been in the mid-80s for a week now, and will continue through the weekend. Next week will return to more seasonal temperatures for this part of the country.

So what’s that got to do with food? Well with such hot weather, we’ve been grilling a lot, and ended up with some leftover grilled meats in the fridge. So for a quick and easy meal, we thinly sliced the grilled meats, then chopped up some veggies, and for some color and texture added edamame. At the last minute I also threw in the last of some fresh spinach hanging around. Whip up a quick Asian sauce, cook some rice in a chicken or vegetable broth, and bingo! It’s dinner! What’s nice about this meal is you can use whatever cooked meats and vegetables you have around (fresh or frozen) and also clean out all those leftovers and bits of veggies in the veggie drawer.

Asian Grilled-Meat Stir Fry

Asian Grilled-Meat and Veggie Stir Fry

1 teaspoon sesame oil
1 tablespoon fresh ginger, peeled and diced small
1/2 to 1 pound grilled meat, sliced thin (we had pork and chicken)
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
2 to 3 cups sliced and/or chopped vegetables (we used carrots, edamame, mushrooms, green onion, and spinach)
2 teaspoons minced garlic
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1 tablespoon low-sodium soy sauce
1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar
1 cup low sodium homemade chicken or beef broth (we used chicken)
1/4 teaspoon Sriracha sauce

Heat a wok or rounded skillet to high heat. Add the sesame oil and ginger and stir for a minute. Add the sliced grilled meats and toss to heat up for a couple of minutes. Remove and tent to keep warm. Add the vegetable oil, then add in the vegetables that take the longest to cook. In our case it was the carrots and edamame. Cook until just starting to soften, then add the garlic and the rest of the quick-cooking vegetables and stir. In a bowl, whisk together the cornstarch, soy sauce, vinegar, chicken broth, and Sriracha. Pour over the vegetables, then add the meats back in. Stir and cook until the broth sauce has thickened. If too thick, you can add more broth. Continue stirring until vegetables and sauce are to your liking. Serve with rice cooked in chicken or vegetable broth and additional soy sauce if needed.

Asian Grilled-Meat Stir Fry

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.

Soothing Asian Chicken Noodle Soup

Soothing Asian Chicken Noodle Soup

Mom!? We’re having soup AGAIN??!! You’ve made that like five times already the past week! (Not true.) OK, OK, my soup kick has gotten out of hand. But I’m in comfort mode. It’s winter, the hubby is gone on a business trip for two weeks, my work is crazy busy right now, and that’s what I feel like eating. So there. I did, however, promise the daughter I’d serve her  some “real food” next, although I can’t quite figure out how a good soup for dinner is not real food. Oh well.

So this is another one of my Asian-inspired soups that is a snap to make. I used my Inside-Out Won-Ton Soup broth as the base, but then threw in some new flavors and textures. To make this really simple, I picked up a rotisserie chicken on the way home from my physical therapy after work for my pinky finger (YES, I still can’t straighten the durn thang… apparently in the long healing process my tendon got stuck to the top of my joint and will be awhile to get it unstuck). I also picked up a baby bok choy, which was an astounding $2.99 a pound, but I handled it and it felt pretty light. At the checkout stand it only ended up 53 cents. I can do that! I also picked up some quite spendier fresh basil, as I know I have some cilantro-hater fans (read it’s SOAP!) so I thought I’d throw some of that in to see how that melded.  A fairly decent-priced bag of bean sprouts was also added to the cart. With all that in hand, I traveled home to concoct a really soothing, very slightly spicy, chicken noodle soup. I didn’t bother even looking for rice noodles at the store as I knew they didn’t have any from my prior hunt. So I used Angel Hair pasta snapped in half instead. This took about 35 minutes to make from start to finish to table to eat. Well, it actually took me closer to 45 minutes by dinking with my camera to take pics because I forgot to add the green onion for garnish in my first shots, and when I reshot with them I forgot to do my white balance setting again.My daughter ate it during that process. All in good time.

OK friends, now on to the recipe! Oh, and I made half the amount I normally would, so feel free to double or triple.

Simmering Asian Chicken Noodle Soup

Soothing Asian Chicken Noodle Soup

Angel hair pasta, broken in half
1 teaspoon sesame oil
1 large white mushroom, sliced
1/2 tablespoon peeled fresh ginger, chopped
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1/8 teaspoon crushed red pepper
1 or 2 green onions, chopped, white and green parts divided
1 cup baby bok choy, roughly chopped
1 cup fresh spinach, roughly chopped
3 cups homemade or low-sodium chicken or turkey broth
1 tablespoon low-sodium soy sauce
1/2 tablespoon rice wine vinegar
1 cup rotisserie chicken, shredded
1 cup fresh bean sprouts
1 tablespoon lime juice
Fresh cilantro, chopped
Fresh basil, chopped

Some of the Asian Soup Ingredients

Put a pot of water on to boil for the pasta, then start gathering and chopping up all the ingredients. Things tend to go quickly when cooking Asian, so it’s always best just to have everything ready. When the water starts boiling, add the pasta and cook according to package directions. I’m sorry I didn’t give you an amount to use, as I’m terrible about measuring or guessing pasta amounts to cook. Go with your gut. If you don’t have enough, that won’t matter much with the soup, or if you have too much, just leave some in the pot for something else. When all your ingredients are ready, heat the sesame oil in a soup pot over medium-high heat. Add the mushrooms, ginger, garlic, crushed red pepper, and the white and light green parts of the green onion. Saute for five minutes, then add the broth, soy sauce and rice wine vinegar. Bring this up to a low boil, then turn down to simmer for about 10 minutes. Now add the cooked angel hair pasta, shredded chicken, bean sprouts, bok choy, spinach, and lime juice. Come up to a simmer again, and let the flavors meld for about another 10 minutes. Serve in bowls garnished with the green onion parts, fresh chopped cilantro and/or basil. This was a perfect soothing soup for a cold winter’s night, and I cursed myself for halving the recipe, as the one small  portion of leftovers the next day was fabulous and I was hankering for more.