Spicy Asian Onion Mushroom Soup!

Happy 2016!

2015 was such a blur here and I really got out of the habit of posting recipes and even experimenting in the kitchen as much as I enjoy. As I look to 2016, it is time to start being proactive with our menus and having fun in the kitchen again.

I don't make New Years resolutions, but I do want to eat a little healthier this year by increasing our vegetables and by lowering my beloved carbs. Nothing too crazy or austere, but I'm hoping to add new flavors and recipes to make this challenge one that sticks.

This simple and delicious gluten free and vegan recipe is now on the rotation. It actually started as French Onion Soup and morphed into an Asian-inspired light, but satisfying meal. This is the kind of soup that will no doubt continue to evolve depending on what's on hand and what sounds good. So be creative and make it your own. A bit of rice noodles or one half cup of dry rice can be added towards the end to make a heartier soup. Add more onions if you like and vary the type of mushroom you enjoy. Thinly sliced Napa cabbage, bean sprouts or any veggie you like can be added. A big spoonful of kimchee on top is also amazing.

The Sriracha, Miso and Soy Sauce can be adjusted to taste. You may want to start out with less heat and use half the Sriracha. Its easy to add more later. Fresh garlic, turmeric and ginger are a favorite combination but you can use dry spices, too. We like lots of different stocks and broths in our soups from homemade to purchased, but I really love Pacific's Organic Mushroom Broth. Simple ingredients and a really nice, deep flavor makes a wonderful base for the soup.

Asian Onion Mushroom Soup

In a large pan over medium heat saute:

A splash of Olive Oil

1 pound Sliced Mushrooms

3 large Red Onions

As they soften add:

Garlic - at least one clove minced, but more is great 

Turmeric - I use fresh and approximately 1 teaspoon, minced

Ginger - I use fresh and approximately 1 tablespoon

As everything is completely cooked and barely starting to brown, add

2 quarts broth (if I am out of homemade I use Pacific's Organic Mushroom Broth)

2 tablespoon Miso Paste (I love Miso Master Organic Red Miso)

Sriracha - to your taste, I use at least a teaspoon for a very spicy soup

Gluten Free Soy Sauce - about a tablespoon

Continue to simmer covered thirty minutes or so, but the flavors will continue to improve if you can wait.

When ready to serve, ladle into bowls and top with a large spoonful of this mix:

1 bunch Cilantro, chopped

1 tablespoon fresh Mint, chopped

1 Jalapeno, minced

1/2 Onion, minced 

The fresh herbs and crunchy jalapenos and onions work so well together with the warm, aromatic soup. We love it and I hope you do, too.

Enjoy!

Honey Sriracha Madness

So this Honey Sriracha Madness is Marie's fault entirely. You see, Marie, Marc and Aiden were running in the grocery store as Joe and I were running to our car a few weeks ago. 

Marie mentioned she was making Honey Sriracha Chicken for dinner that night and I was intrigued. A quick check of Pinterest later that night gave lots of variations. All super simple and I never did go back to look at a recipe.

And since it's been way too long since Aiden has made an appearance on the blog I am sharing this photo our amazing Gabby took at his dedication last month. It's hard to believe he's going to be one in just under a month!

But back to food. So why am I giving you three? Because it was a great excuse to put up a pic of Aiden and because it's really good! I love to play around with a good recipe and make it my own varying ingredients to my family's tastes. You can adjust the honey and Sriracha to your taste to make it sweeter or milder or scorching hot! 

For the Honey Sriracha Chicken Bowls, I just let one and a half pounds cubed chicken simmer in a tablespoon of coconut oil. As the cubes were barely cooked through I added about 1/4 cup honey, about a tablespoon Sriracha and a dash of lime juice and garlic and simmered until the sauce was thick and caramelized but not dry.

Stop when you like the consistency - really saucy to drizzle over the rice - simmer a little less time. Super caramelized, go a little longer.

It was amazing over a bowl of steaming rice with some fresh herbs sprinkled on top. We used mint, cilantro and basil for a Thai-inspired flavor.

Our favorite vegetarian version is this delicious Honey Sriracha Mushroom Sauté.

It's super simple. Clean and quarter a pound of mushrooms. Sauté mushrooms in a medium skillet in one heaping tablespoon of honey and one heaping teaspoon of Sriracha. No oil is necessary. Leave the lid off and stir everything together. The mushrooms will release their juices and the sauce with start to thicken after a few minutes. We love this served over rice (fried rice in this pic) and with kimchee.








Honey Sriracha Beef Lettuce Wraps have to be the easiest lettuce wraps you can make and are amazingly flavorful. To make these simply brown one pound of organic, grass fed ground beef with about a half cup of minced onions. Stir in the same heaping tablespoon of honey and heaping teaspoon of Sriracha and sauté until the sauce is thickened.

I topped lettuce leaves with julienned red peppers and spiralized cucumber and added the beef and cilantro. Chris loved these even though our lettuce didn't "wrap" this time. 

Relax in the kitchen and be creative - it makes eating healthy much more fun.

Happily shared on Gluten Free Wednesdays!

25 and Counting at Tamishii Sushi And Spoons

Fuzzy but happy shot, thanks to Dan. 

Saturday night we celebrated our 25th anniversary much the same way we spent our very first date so many years ago and so many miles away. I honestly cannot believe how fast time has flown - in fact it only occurred to me we were celebrating 25 a few weeks prior to our anniversary. Time really does fly when you're having fun and are so blessed.

We were able to sneak away for a weekend at the beach. Nothing helps us connect like long walks on the beach away from phones,computers and responsibilities. Chris found this sand dollar as we walked. They my sentimental favorite and the first one we've found since our 20th anniversary beach trip.

Since this was a BIG anniversary, we indulged and bought folding travel bikes a couple of weeks ago. Best anniversary gift ever. They fold up in minutes and fit in the hatchback and are ready to ride just as quickly. My only request was a the silly basket and bell on mine. Otherwise they are identical and since the traditional 25th anniversary gift is silver we figure the chrome spokes fit the bill there. The rides, even the one that ended with us being drenched by rain on Sunday morning, were such a fun addition to our beach days. It's so much easier to park away from the hustle and bustle and bike up to quieter spots. Neither of us sits well for very long and biking up and down new streets was so much fun.

That first date of ours so many years ago was a sushi date and so was this one. I had done a search of gluten free restaurants in the Wilmington area and found a sushi spot that looked good. Neither Chris or I could remember the name of it so we did another search and this time Tamishii Sushi and Spoons caught our eye. Chris made an early reservation, not for a senior early bird meal, but to have time to talk to the chef prior to any rush and check about gluten and food dyes. I loved that thoughtful gesture.

We ended up getting there very early and because it was graduation weekend it was quieter than usual and we had the friendly staff all to ourselves for quite a while. We sat at the sushi bar and found that Chefs Mark and Josh were knowledgeable about gluten and because they make a point to use sustainable seafood and really fresh ingredients we had lots of great, safe options.

As dyes cause severe headaches I asked about the wasabi and found it did have food dye but no worries, I had brought my own and we were there early enough to unobtrusively sneak it into the gluten free tamari.

Dan, our waiter, was as careful as Mark and Josh about gluten. He brought out a complimentary appetizer of  edamame hummus served with fried strips of eggroll wrappers with a spoon for me to try the humus. It was a pleasant sign of things to come. Really flavorful and so nicely balanced.

Our first order were "spoons" - lots of spoons. There are several different options on the menu and most were gluten free. Seeing these shots makes me wish I'd pulled my camera out of my bag rather than using my phone but bear with me please.

Each spoon has a fish or shellfish combination of different vegetables, herbs and/or seasonings. Each of them was delicious - can you see the spoon in the very front? That's their classic Tartare - check out the two thin slices of yellow fin tuna with a sliver of avocado a sprig of cilantro. Tasted as wonderful as it looked.

Further up was my favorite spoon. It's hard to really have a favorite when all of them were so good but the Demarisco really stood out. It was a spoonful of scallops and shrimp roasted corn, manzano peppers (HOT!), shallots and cilantro. As hot as the peppers were you could still taste each and every fresh ingredient.

The rolls were really tasty. We chose two to share- the Firecracker Roll and the Fantasy Roll.

Because the wasabi sauce has regular soy sauce in it we ordered the Firecracker Roll without it and can testify it was still plenty fiery! Just the right amount of heat for us. I was excited to have this roll because so many rolls that say "crab" really use faux crab that has not only wheat but food dyes. This was real, fresh and amazing.

The Fantasy Roll was a little different than anything I'd ever ordered while out for sushi. The scallops, tuna and salmon were combined with charred pineapple, a mango citrus sauce, toasted coconut and scallions. Delicious and cooling between bites of the Firecracker Roll.

Chefs Mark and Josh were both young but experienced sushi chefs and made the dinner interesting and fun. Tamishii has a traditional sushi bar look with a hip twist - at least from my perspective - and is very inviting. It was a nice spot to linger and enjoy good food and good company before another long walk by the water.  Not only would I highly recommend you try it, but we've already planned a July visit.

A Surprise at Spize Cafe!

Saturday Chris and I ran over to the venue for Marc and Marie's wedding so Chris could see it finally and so he could check out the "techie" side of things.  We wanted to check the WIFI to see if we'd be able to Skype his mom in to the festivities since she isn't able to fly out for the wedding. WIFI testing went great and we decided to walk through the gardens a bit when Marc joined us there and wandered a bit with us. The gardens are so beautiful and it will be the perfect spot for their wedding.

Marc left his car there and went with us for lunch and an errand. Ever since going to Spize with the lovely Laura I've wanted to get Chris there to try one of their baguette sandwiches.  Definitely NOT gluten free but their artisan/local baguettes looked like the real deal and something Chris would love.

Chris chose the pork sandwich with lemongrass and a honey mayo. The pickeled veggies and chips rounded out his plate. I had to take this picture quickly or I would have missed it all together but since this is a gluten free blog it really shouldn't be here in the first place! =D

There's an eggplant and mushroom sandwich with basil and chili paste that I want to recreate in a gluten free version - it sounds amazing!

Spize Cafe has the most flavorful sauces and dressings and they take really simple fresh ingredients and make the most delicious combinations.

Marc had the Chicken Thai Red Curry Rice Plate - the chicken version of the veggie meal Laura and I enjoyed.

Marc really enjoyed the fresh veggies - especially the bamboo shoots.

The pickled veggies are more than a pretty plate garnish - each veggie seems to have a different heat to them - all fresh and crispy and yummy.

The red curry is super hot but so flavorful.

This time I chose the White Peppered Shrimp Asian Noodle Salad.

Our cashier asked if I would like it hot or hotter.  He used the terms medium and burning. Burning seemed like a good choice but in retrospect why it seemed like a good choice is beyond me! The red peppers you see on top of those rice noodles were really and truly burning hot! But once the sweet and tangy vinaigrette mixed with everything it was the most delicious salad I've had in a long time. I'd order it again but I might order a medium next time.

The only thing I'd love to see at Spize Cafe are more gluten free veggie options without tofu. This salad would have been just as good without the shrimp and even better with more veggies. Their gluten free menu is really varied and better than most but that one small thing would thrill me.

Oh, and the surprise?  We bumped into our sweet neighbors!

Justin, Kyle, Andrea and Gabrielle, from left to right. They were in Raleigh for the NC Museum of Natural Science Bug Fest and stopped in for lunch. Empty plates and happy faces are always a good sign.

Spicy Sriracha Potatoes

This post was supposed to be about Marc's first cooking lesson but I have to blog this recipe quickly so that I don't forget the measurements.  These are just too good to wait. And I just got too excited to eat this plate to take the time to take better photos. Potatoes do that to me.

Recently Chris and I went to PF Chang's for lunch.  Every time we go - which really isn't often - it's a great gluten free experience. Friendly waitstaff and one of the largest gluten free menus around - you can't go wrong. Our last couple of visits we've had the spicy Dali Chicken.  It's the hottest dish on their menu and we just love it.  But the chicken doesn't thrill me nearly as much as the spicy potatoes and leeks.

I've wanted to give the dish a try for a while and didn't have much luck finding a recipe in any of my books or online that looked right to me. I knew I'd have to wing this one.

This afternoon the bowl full of tiny organic rainbow potatoes sitting on the counter just called out to me so I just dove in.

I decided to skip the chicken and make these vegan. Chris volunteered to slice the potatoes thinly while I tried to figure out what to use to spice them up. We threw them in the hot pan with coconut oil. Aren't they the prettiest potatoes ever? 

Garlic, cumin, Sriracha hot chili sauce and green onions were lined up on the counter and tossed in one at a time. PF Chang's uses leeks in their dish but I had green onions and they worked really well.

From start to finish these took only thirty minutes. The potatoes were so thinly sliced that they cooked in no time at all. A few stuck a bit but the browned flecks were really yummy  and added to the dish so don't worry about that.

The garlic went in just after the potatoes had started to get soft and all the seasonings went right in after that. That quick! And we absolutely loved this dish.

Marc wants to make these together soon so he can make them for Marie.  Chris would like me to add some veggies to the potatoes next time so I think I'll start with several handfuls of kale or spinach.

So next time you're in the mood for something spicy, try this.


Spicy Sriracha Potatoes

In a large pan over medium heat saute:

1/4 cup Coconut Oil
5 cups Potatoes, thinly sliced

Some potatoes will brown a bit, some may stick, just scrap them off the bottom and gently move them around. When potatoes are soft and just cooked through add:

3 Cloves Garlic, chopped
2 Tablespoons Sriracha Sauce
1 Tablespoon Gluten Fee Soy Sauce
1/2 teaspoon Cumin
1 cup Green Onions, chopped

Stir until everything is mixed and heated through.  Serve immediately.

Enjoy!

36 Fast, Frigid and Gluten Free Hours in Chicago & Hot Coconut Shrimp Soup Back Home!

Last night was the holiday dinner for the company Chris works for and since it was in Chicago it meant a quick flight and a weekend away together. We were really looking forward to going because while Chris had met several fellow employees on different projects there were many people he hadn't met yet. This was a great opportunity on many levels. We were also excited to have a mini family reunion with some of his family.

We flew in Friday night and visited with our personable young Kenyan cab driver while stuck in rush hour traffic before checking into our hotel.  It was fascinating hearing about his move from Kenya to Wisconsin to Chicago. We’d noticed that there was a Chipotle right across the street from the hotel so we scratched our plans for a cab and an unknown, but promising, meal across town for something quick, close and known.  As always, Chipotle was great. The customer right ahead of me had already asked the line to change their gloves for a gluten free bowl.  Our fast meal gave us an hour or so to wander up and down Michigan Avenue and experience the coldest shopping experience of my life.

Saturday morning we had breakfast at our hotel.  I brought a container of my sneaky chocolate peanut butter muffins along with and Chris brought coffee and fruit up to the room from the buffet.  It was a perfect start. We spent the morning shopping for a couple of items we forgot to pack and even found a few small Christmas gifts for our sons. The morning somehow felt even colder than the night before and the sidewalks were packed tightly with other shoppers.  This proved to be a very good thing as our fellow shoppers served as great windshields! 

Lunch was great fun.  Chris’ cousin Matt and his wife Alma picked us up at our hotel and took us to HUB 51 where we met our nephew John and his girlfriend Marina. That's all of us above. It had been seventeen years since I’d met Matt and Alma and about eleven since I’d seen John so there was a lot of catching up to do.  We all met Marina for the first time and really enjoyed the opportunity to get to know her. Reminiscing and sharing stories kept us laughing. HUB 51 has a separate gluten free menu and while everything sounded great; a sushi roll called my name.  It was fresh and perfect. I was glad I’d brought a couple of packets of gluten free soy sauce with me – it seemed silly to pack at the time but since they had run out I was really glad I had them. The dessert menu looked great but it is not gluten free friendly (they do have sorbet if you need something sweet).  Our waiter was helpful and patient and didn’t mind that we spent most of the afternoon at the table.

The party at Quartino was a brisk walk of three or four blocks from our hotel. Once there it was fun to finally put faces to the names I hear so much about and the turn out was great.  Crystal, who coordinated the event with Quartino, had made sure there were gluten free and vegetarian choices – and delicious ones at that.  The room was beautiful and dinner was just an amazing amount of wonderful food served family style.  As we sat to dinner there were plates of olives and cheeses and meats with a grape salad, a fennel salad and an apricot puree in the center of each table. All of them were very different and so tasty. Our waiter brought out a separate plate of without the bread for me and went over the night’s menu. He was very attentive to two of our vegetarian table mates as well as making sure everything was safe for me. The meal was served family style and the there were two salads coming, followed by two pastas, salmon, chicken and beef. It was no problem to skip the pasta with so many great choices. Dessert was Tiramisu but our sweet waiter brought out a little scoop of chocolate gelato for me.

Saturday was a blur.  A wonderful blur of a day. I took terrible pictures but have great memories.

This morning we had our coffee and muffins and hopped in a cab about 7:5 a.m.  We were home just after noon and in time for a quick lunch with Marc and then I was off to pick Joe up from church and shuttle him to work.  Since Marc is catching a cold and Joe’s cold is still hanging and because it's pretty cold here, too,  it seemed like a good night for a nourishing bowl of hot soup. It’s full of immune boosting and detoxifying ingredients and it’s just awesome.

This soup is loosely based on the coconut chicken soup from Nourishing Traditions. This quick and easy version is made with boxed organic chicken broth, coconut milk, garlic, ginger, shrimp and vegetables poured over a bowl of rice and garnished with cilantro, jalapeños and real fermented kimchee.  While there are a lot of healthy ingredients this soup goes together in no time at all.

Coconut Shrimp Soup 

The broth:

2 quarts Organic Chicken Broth

2 cans    Coconut Milk

1 T.         Minced Fresh Garlic

1 T.         Minced Fresh Ginger

1/4 t.       Fish Sauce (or 1 t. Gluten Free Soy Sauce)

1 lb.        Peeled and deveined shrimp - any size you like

Pour all ingredients except the shrimp into a large saucepan and bring to a simmer as you prepare the rest of the ingredients.  Hold the shrimp aside for now.

The rice:

2 cups Basmati rice washed and cooked according to package directions.

The vegtables:

1 lb     Mushrooms of your choice, sliced

1 cup Carrots, peeled and sliced

1         Shallot, minced

1 T     Coconut Oil

1 lb     Baby Spinach Leaves, washed

Saute the mushrooms, carrots and shallots together in a large saute pan until soft lightly browned.  Lower heat to warm.  Hold the spinach aside.

The garnish:

1 bunch of Cilantro, chopped fine

2 large  Jalapeños, seeded and sliced

1 cup naturally fermented kimchee, chopped fine

Use any or all of these to your taste.

Once the rice is cooked and the garnishes are ready add shrimp to broth and spinach to veggies. The spinach should just be wilted and the shrimp will turn pink when ready.

To serve spoon rice into bowl, top with veggies and broth and garnish as desired.  This recipe should serve about eight and can easily be cut in half for smaller appetites.

Enjoy!

Meatless Monday - Asian Salad Rolls

Chris wanted spring rolls for his Father's Day dinner and I happily obliged. I love to make these in the summer and in the past I've always made them all assembly line style and then served them. Recently we started putting all the ingredients on the table to make them together and it's much more fun. Chris requested grilled shrimp last night and they were wonderful, but today we had a vegetarian version for lunch and enjoyed them just as much.

Chris using Thai Peanut Sauce and San-J Szechuan on the one. Yum!

The table is chaotic, messy and fun. Marc is dipping his wrapper.

It's kind of like sitting down for fondue in that everyone is making their own meal and eating as they go.  You choose the fillings and the sauces you like so everyone is happy with their creation.  Your gluten free friends won't have any idea they're eating "gluten free".  On warm summer nights when you just don't want something hot or heavy these are the perfect thing.

You don't even need a recipe because it really is simple - just follow a few easy steps. As you prepare each step, just set it on the table.

First I prepare the veggies.  The easiest way is to use this tool.  You'll have nice long uniform shreds of carrot and cucumber if you do.  The first year I made them I didn't have one and just cut the veggies by hand so don't stress it if you don't happen to have one.  This time I used only carrots and cucumbers but you can sliver bell peppers, onions, radishes or anything you like.

Pick some herbs and wash a few leaves.  Basil, mint and cilantro make a great combination.

You'll need need one package of these rice noodles.  Rice sticks are very thin rice noodles which can be soaked rather than boiled.  Empty the package into a heat proof bowl and pour nearly boiling water over them.  They need to soak for about 10 minute.  Drain and use kitchen scissors to cut into sections about three inches.

Next step - your sauces - there are many ready made sauces that we usually have in our fridge.  These make them great for busy weekday nights.  Gluten free soy sauce, Trader Joe's sweet chili sauce and San-J Szechuan sauce are our favorites.  The peanut sauce is homemade and not typically used in salad rolls but it's a big hit here.

You'll need rice paper wrappers like this.  I buy mine at the Asian market and you'll find you will get about three times as many wrappers for your money by shopping there.  They are a little delicate and messy so it's nice to have plenty to practice on.

I use a ceramic pie plate filled with hot water to soak our wrappers.  Each person just slides a wrapper into the water and waits for them to become translucent which takes about a minute.

At this point each person just takes turns soaking a wrapper and filling their own spring roll. This one has rice noodles, veggies, herbs and sauce.  As you fold them up into little bundles the wrappers will stick to itself and make a nice little bundle.

We find that a lot of that yummy sauce drips on to our plates and now enjoy these with a bowl of rice.  Any sauce or filing that falls goes right into the rice and makes it so good.  This bowl had lots of fresh herbs and edamame on the side.

Hope you enjoy these as much as we do!