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!

November Gratitude - Day Thirteen

Today I am thankful for today's rainy, drizzly, downright cold and gray soup weather!

This is the soup I've been making making weekly for the last few weeks.  I created it during the October Unprocessed Challenge.  I needed a soup that didn't have a stock base because none of the stock containers I had on hand fit the challenge. This is easy, fast, nutritious and so delicious.  It's also low in calorie and inexpensive both of which are always a good thing.

I love cooking with Tumeric as it is a great anti-inflammatory and great for aches and pains and I add even more garlic when fighting off a bug. The spices are the key to the flavor and you can vary the veggies depending on what you have on hand. I like a blend of onion, carrots and butternut squash the best. I've been cheating and buying peeled chunks of butternut squash at Trader Joe's because it's so fast. I would love to try pumpkin but Chris really has a pumpkin aversion. If it sounds good to you, go for it and let me know how it is.  The red lentils and spice combination are similar to Dal, hence the name.

Dal-icious Soup!

In a large soup/stock pot, sauté

1 or 2 Tablespoons Coconut Oil
2 pounds chopped veggies - approximate amount, include at least 1 large onion
3 cloves Garlic, or more to taste
1 teaspoon Tumeric
1 teaspoon Ginger
1/2 teaspoon Cumin
1/8 teaspoon Cayenne or one fresh Cayenne Pepper, sliced and de-seeded.

Continue to sauté until spices are fragrant and golden but not browned.

Cover vegetables with boiling water making sure the water level is about two inches over the veggies to leave room for the lentils and mushrooms later. Simmer over low heat for an hour or until you're nearly ready for dinner. Simmering longer just mingles the flavors.

When veggies are soft, use an immersion (stick) blender to purée thoroughly.  Then add:

1 pound Red Lentils, sorted and rinsed
1 pound sliced mushrooms

Stir occasionally as the lentils cook and the soup thickens. It takes about fifteen minutes for me.

If it's a little too thick for your taste you can thin it with more water. Add:

Salt & Pepper to taste.

I love to top a bowl with a large handful of chopped cilantro to give it a nice, fresh and healthy kick.

Gabby, there's a jar in the fridge waiting for you.

Enjoy!

GF White Chicken Chili with Green Salsa

Although warm spring weather came early this year yesterday and today were really cold and drizzy days. I wasn't sure what to make for tonight's dinner but wanted something warm and satisfying. In looking through the pantry this morning the first thing I noticed was a bag of white beans near a large jar of green salsa. There were chicken thighs and cilantro in the fridge and although I'd never made a white chili - one without tomatoes - it sounded quick to make and perfect for a cold day.

It was quick and easy to make and there was enough for a crowd. I was happy that it ended up being a big hit. I took the photos a couple of hours before we actually ate so I wouldn't lose the light but we actually topped our chili with big spoonfuls of chopped cilantro and had a fresh green salad with it.  Simple and colorful and really satisfying. One of the best parts of this meal was the wonderful aroma that filled the kitchen all afternoon.

Chicken Chili with Green Salsa
Six to Eight Generous Servings

1 lb. White Beans (Great Northern) dry, sorted and rinsed
2 quarts Organic Gluten Free Chicken Stock (homemade would be even better)
1 Cayenne Chili - dry (optional)
1 24 ounce jar Natural Gluten Free Green Salsa
3 cups of water (or more if you want a thinner chili)
1 lb chicken thighs, boneless and skinless
salt & pepper to taste
1 bunch Cilantro, washed and chopped

In a large stock pan or Dutch oven place sorted and rinsed beans and cover with the two quarts of chicken stock.  If using a whole dried Cayenne chili, place in pan now.  Bring almost to a boil and reduce heat to low.  Simmer until beans are soft - mine were very fast today - maybe three hours.

Once beans are nearly cooked heat a saute pan to cook the chicken.  Saute both sides until cooked through (I didn't use any oil to saute) and once cooked (15 minutes for me) chop into 1/2" pieces.

Add the salsa, water and chicken to the beans and stir gently but well.  Add salt and pepper to taste and let simmer.  It was delicious at that point but even better three hours later when we finally ate.

Add chopped cilantro to taste and stir it in. My bowl was bright green because I'm crazy for cilantro. The guys' bowls varied in color considerably but we were all happy.

Enjoy!

Curried Squash Soup with Spicy Pepitas & Chives

The smell of this soup is intoxicating. It makes me miss walking into my friend Migi's house because it always smelled of wonderful Sri Lankan spices. She cooks everything from scratch and nearly all Sri Lankan food starts out with similar spice blends. If only we weren't a continent away now. Anyway, it makes me so happy when when this scent fills my house.

Butternut squash and carrots give you tons of Vitamin A and the spices are full of anti-oxidants and have anti-inflammatory properties. The pepitas (pumpkin seeds) are full of minerals and protein. It's great when something so tasty can be so healthy, too.

This is a really quick soup to make. If you have homemade broth, by all means use it but a box of organic gluten free vegetable broth works great.  Fresh ginger would have been great but I was out and used powdered today and it worked beautifully.  You can adjust the heat with the cayenne from just a dash to a good shake.  

The spices toast in a bit of olive oil to bring out their flavors and then simmer in broth with the garlic, onions, carrots and squash until the vegetable are soft which took about fifteen minutes. All that's left to be done is to quickly puree and stir in some coconut milk to give it an extra creamy flavor.

While the veggies simmer toast a cup of pepitas and you'll be ready to serve in about thirty minutes.

Curried Squash Soup with Spicy Pepitas & Chives

In a large saucepan, saute together the following until the spices just start to lightly brown which takes under five minutes:

1 Tablespoon Olive Oil

1 teaspoon Tumeric

1 teaspoon Cumin

1 teaspoon Ginger

1/4 teaspoon Sri Lankan Curry Powder or Curry Powder of your choice

dash Cayenne

When toasty, add:

2 large Garlic Cloves, chopped

1 small Onion, chopped

1 cup Carrots, peeled and chopped

1 pound Butternut Squash (approximately)

1 quart Gluten Free Vegetable Broth

1 teaspoon Sea Salt

Bring to a boil then reduce heat to simmering.  When vegetables are soft, turn off heat and puree the soup using an immersion  (stick) blender right in the pot on the stove.  (If you use a counter top blender do it in batches of two or three. )

When well blended and creamy, add:

1 can Coconut Milk, regular or light

Stir and bring back to a simmer.

While your soup is cooking, start toasting the pepitas.  

In a medium saute pan over medium heat add:

1 cup raw pepitas

1 Tablespoon Olive Oil

1 teaspoon Cumin

dash Tumeric

dash Cayenne

dash Ginger

Stirring frequently to coat the pepitas in oil and spices toast until medium brown. Add sea salt if desired.

Chop desired amount of Chives - I used about a teaspoon per bowl.

To serve, ladle soup into bowl sprinkle with chives and toasted pepitas.

Enjoy!

Meatless Monday - Curried Coconut Vegetable Soup

My poor Marc is sick.  Really gunky, tired and achey sick.  If anyone ever needed a bowl of steamy hot soup full of vitamins, minerals, antioxidants and love – it’s Marc. 

I like to keep a variety of spices, beans, rices and gluten free pastas in the pantry to make fast impromptu meals. A couple of bags of frozen veggies in the freezer will round out just about any pantry meal. Lentils are the quickest cooking dried bean/pea I know of so that helped me decide what soup to make.  We them in just about any form – from Sri Lankan Lentils to veggie burgers so why not soup, too?

It takes about ten minutes to put everything together and well under an hour to simmer. You can adjust spices to taste and even vary the amount of water to make a thinner or thicker soup. Any veggies you like will work for this soup but I used a bag of mixed veggies and one of sliced okra today.

Curried Coconut Vegtable Soup

In a very large pan over medium heat, sauté:

1 cup Onion, chopped

2 cloves Garlic, minced

1 teaspoon Cumin

1 teaspoon Tumeric

½ teaspoon Ginger

Cayenne, to taste

Curry Powder, to taste

As soon as the onions and garlic are soft the spices will have cooked enough to bring out their flavors.

Add:

1 cup Red Lentils

1 can Coconut Milk

2 quarts (give or take) Filtered Water

Simmer at least thirty minutes but longer if desired.  At this point you can use an immersion blender to puree the onions and lentils for a smooth and creamy base.  I didn’t do that this time so it’s a bit chunkier with a thinner broth.

Then add:

1 lb. Vegetables – your choice, chopped.  I used a frozen chopped mix this time.

1 lb. Okra sliced – I used frozen this time

1 teaspoon Sea Salt

Simmer until vegetables are cooked through.

Serve with love and 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!