Last night's meal was a bit of a retaliation against Christmas vacation...
translation=holiday food.
As much as I love cookies, chocolate, chips, and basically anything
else with carbs and sugar... enough is enough! I am back in Keene now,
after sadly saying goodbye to my sweet fiancé... but not-so-sad was my
parting with the carbs! I knew I wanted to make a specific recipe I had
tasted last winter, deep in the heart of Kansas... an
Asian Veggie Soup
made by Nurse Mom- that is, the mother of my dear friend Victoria.
(Shout out to Nurse Mom on graduating with her BS in Nursing this month!
You rock!)
The
soup is simple to make, big on flavor, and easy on the tummy. The
perfect meal after you've eaten too many Christmas cookies.
(Note- If any cookie binge was brought about by my last post and recipe, I apologize.) It is broth-based, which means it is a
volumetric food; research at
Penn State has
shown that starting a meal with a low-calorie salad or broth-based soup
can decrease a person's total food intake at a meal...
helping with weight loss! So grab your German carrot shredder and let's get cooking!
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My
fancy German swirly carrot shredder... these too thick? Flip it over for a
smaller shred!
Zo zimple!
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My parents gave me this top-of-the-line, award-winning,
German-engineered vegetable
shredder for Christmas last year. The first few times I used it, I
couldn't get the hang of it. (I probably should have just watched
this video.) But after a few
tries, I now find it pretty fun and functional! It involves twists and
metal things and slick side handles. The soup calls for "shredded"
carrot (matchstick cut are fun to use, too) but I thought I'd use my
Gefu tool, and it worked out pretty nicely... like long, thick,
carrot-spaghettis.
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My prep bowl- carrot curly-q's, bok choy and scallions
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So here's how you make
Asian-Style Vegetable Soup:
Take
6 cups vegetable broth to a simmer with
2 tbsp soy sauce and
1 tbsp rice wine vinegar. Add in
1 cup shredded carrot, 2 cups sliced bok choy (whites AND greens),
2 tbsp sliced scallions, 2 thick slices fresh ginger root (which you will not actually eat... but you certainly can... okay I did!),
1 minced serrano chili (note- serranos are twice as hot as jalapeños... proceed with caution if you can't take the heat!), and
2 cloves minced garlic. Simmer for 5 minutes. Add
1 cup sliced mushrooms
(I used baby portobellos... if I had a limitless budget I would use
shitake!) and simmer for 5 more. Turn off the heat and add chopped
CILANTRO! I am in love with this herb...
(Lauren Martin, I am not mocking you. But I do love cilantro even though you hate it.)
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So
rustic. (Rustic is the word you use to describe something
that looks haphazardly thrown in a bowl.)
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It's the perfect light meal. I hope you enjoy! Happy cooking... here's to getting through my first winter in New England!
This soup looks yummy! I'll have to see if I can find the ingredients in Germany. You really got the hang of the Gefu - good work!
ReplyDeletehaha thanks for the shout-out morgs..You can love it but just don't ever dare trying to add it to my food! this soup sounds so delicious..rice wine vinegar is like the new wonder food of 2012, so I've heard. nice!
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