The Best Chicken Soup EVER

Ingredients:

• 8-12 cups of chicken stock
• 3-4 tbsp. lemon juice (fresh)
• zest of 1 lemon
• 3 cups of mushrooms, thinly sliced (I used baby bella)
• 1/2 cup cilantro, chopped
• 1/2 cup green onions, sliced
• 2-3 thai bird chilies, stemmed and sliced
• 1-2 (inch) piece ginger, peeled and cut into matchsticks
• 4-6 pieces of dark meat (thigh) chicken 
• 1 cup bean sprouts
• extra virgin olive oil
• sea salt and black pepper

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  Season chicken with extra virgin olive oil, sea salt and black pepper.  Bake 15-20 minutes on each side, then set aside to cool.  
2. In a large pot, combine the stock, lemon juice, chilies, ginger and mushrooms.  Bring to a boil over medium high heat.  Cook for 10-15 minutes to infuse flavors.
3. Stir in lemon zest, green onions and cilantro.  Then add chicken (sliced) and simmer for 5 minutes.
4. Ladle into bowls and Enjoy!

Doenjang jjigae (Korean Soybean Stew)

Store-bought Doenjang and Gochujang

Korean hot pepper - gochu 

home-made Doenjang

tofu

Ingredients:

• 2 Zucchini, chopped
• 1 cup of mushrooms, sliced (Baby Bella, Enoki, King Oyster, Oyster)
• 3 - 4 tbsp Doenjang paste 
• 1 tbsp Gochujang paste 
• Korean pepper (gochu), sliced
• tofu (medium or firm)
• green onions, chopped, 2 stalks
• 3 cups of water

Method:

1. In a medium pot on high heat, add zucchini and mushrooms to 3 cups of water. Once boiled, cook for 8-10 minutes.
2. Then turn heat to medium, add Doenjang and Gochujang pastes along with gochu and tofu (add as many pieces of tofu as you would like).  Cook for 5 minutes.
3. Turn heat up to high and add green onions.  Once it boils, stew is ready to be served. Enjoy!

Notes:

• For the sake of authenticity, buy the korean products (Doenjang, Gochujang, gochu, tofu) at a korean/asian grocery store.  
• Ann Arbor: We like shopping at: Galleria Market and Manna
• Troy, MI: E-Mart Asian Grocery   
• Germantown, MD: Lotte Plaza
• Grand Rapids, MI: Lee's Oriental Market and Asian Delight Market Place

Simply, Cod

garlic, ginger, shallots, green onions

Ingredients:

• ginger root, 2 inches, matchstick
• 8 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 cup green onions, chopped
• 2 shallots, minced
• cod, 2 portions
• 4 shiitake mushrooms
• 1 Tablespoon soy sauce (Yamasa brand, low sodium)
• 1/2 cup of water
• asparagus, bunch, chopped in half
• extra virgin olive oil
• 1 Teaspoon korean dried red pepper flakes (optional)
• sea salt
• ground black pepper

Method:

1. In a smaller pot, combine soy sauce, water, red pepper flakes, a third of the ginger root, a third of the green onion, 2 minced garlic cloves and the shiitake mushrooms.  At medium to medium high heat, braise the mushrooms for 5 minutes then turn heat down to low to cook for another 10 minutes.
2. In a large bowl, marinate cod with olive oil, the rest of the ginger, garlic, green onions, shallots, black pepper and sea salt. 10 minutes.
3. Pan fry the cod on medium high heat with 2 Tablespoons of olive oil.  Cook 5-7 minutes each side.
4. After you flip the cod, heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in another pan on high heat.  Add asparagus, black pepper and sea salt.  Sauté for 5-10 minutes.  I like the asparagus to have some crunch, I keep them on high heat until some of them have become charred.  
5. Plate and Enjoy!

Vegetable Lasagna

Serves 6-8

basil

Delicious!

 Ingredients:

• Fat free ricotta cheese (Miceli's brand is amazing!)
• 2 tubs of (3 cheese blend parmesan - 365 brand Whole Foods)
• 1-2 jars of pasta sauce (Rao's homemade brand is my favorite)
• 1 yellow squash, diced
• 2 zucchini, diced
• 1 sweet onion, diced
• 2 cups Cremini mushrooms, sliced
• lasagna pasta sheets (fresh)
• extra virgin olive oil
• basil (hand-torn)

Method:

1. Use your biggest pot, add 2 tablespoons of olive oil and sauté the sweet onion, zucchini and yellow squash for 4-5 minutes or until vegetables begin to soften.
2. Preheat Oven to 350 degrees F.
3. In a bowl, mix the fat free ricotta cheese with the parmesan.  Save a handful of parmesan for later, as topping.
4. Layer in pyrex pan as follows:  pasta sauce, fresh pasta sheet, cheese blend, cooked vegetables.  Repeat 2 to 3 times as ingredients allow.  On the final layer, place hand torn basil on top of the cheese blend before putting down final layer of vegetables and sheet pasta.
5. Bake in Oven for 40 minutes.  Then take out of the oven and sprinkle a handful of parmesan cheese on top and bake for another 2-3 minutes.
6. Enjoy with homemade garlic bread!

Garlic Bread

1. Drizzle extra virgin olive oil on top of any fresh bread (we like french baguette).
2. Bake for 350 degrees F for 3-4 minutes.
3. Using a fresh peeled garlic clove, rub onto bread.  Then spread some vegan butter on top and enjoy!

Bok Choy Noodle Bowl

Adapted from Rachael Ray
serves 4
This recipe was my attempt at duplicating my favorite vietnamese soup "Pho."  Although it was unsuccessful, the soup that resulted from my inspiration turned out to be delicious!  The "fresh" taste comes from cilantro, scallions, and bok choy.  The savory notes are from the stock and shiitake mushrooms.  It is both hot (spicy) and sour.  Since my "first attempt," I have made this soup twice more.  Perhaps one day I will try to re-create the Pho soup (again)...

Shiitake and Cremini

Cilantro and Scallions

Ingredients:

• 2-3 tablespoons of vegetable oil (preferably Canola Oil)
• 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes 
• 4 cloves garlic, chopped
• 2 inches ginger root, peeled and cut into very thin matchsticks or grated
• 1/2 to 1 pound shiitake mushroom caps, sliced (you can also use baby bella or cremini)
• 2-3 medium bok choy, trimmed and cut into 3-inch pieces
• sea salt and black pepper
• 1 quart chicken broth (I like to use 365 brand from Whole Foods, organic and low sodium)
• 1 cup seafood stock** or 1 cup clam juice
• 100 % buckwheat noodles, vermicelli, or thin spaghetti (optional)
• 4 scallions, cut into 3 inch pieces, then shredded lengthwise into thin sticks
• juice of 1 lime
• bunch of fresh cilantro

**Note: To me, the best tasting seafood stock (comes frozen) - Golden Harbour Wild caught fish stock, all natural, no preservatives or additives.  I buy mine at Whole Foods in the frozen seafood section, Net Wt. 1 lb (454g).  After thawing this out, I use the whole package for the soup.  

Method:

1. Using your largest soup pot, over medium-high heat, add vegetable oil and crushed red pepper flakes.
2. Add garlic and ginger, saute for 1-2 minutes.  Then add the mushrooms.  Continue to cook for several minutes allowing the mushrooms to soften.
3. Season with a pinch of sea salt and black pepper.
4. Add chicken broth and seafood stock (or clam juice).  Put a lid on the pot and bring soup to a boil.
5. As soon as the soup boils, add lime juice and bok choy**.  Cook for another 2-3 minutes.
6. When you are ready to serve, ladle soup into bowls.  You may serve the soup with or without the noodles*.  
7. Top the soup with fresh chopped cilantro and scallions.

*Note: Buckwheat noodles are easy to prepare.  Once the water boils, drop a handful of noodles into the pot.  Cooking time is 2-5 minutes.  Drain the noodles and add to the soup before serving.  We like to use the brand SHIRAKIKU - Japanese style- Zaru Soba with Yam, buckwheat noodles.  

**I decided to modify a step in the method by adding broth first then the bok choy. (In the pictures above, the broth was added after I had sautéed the bok choy).  I wanted the bok choy to have a "crunch," in contrast to the soup.

Mushroom barley soup with rosemary oil

Adapted from The Yellow House
serves 4-6

shallots, baby bella and shittake

organic pearl barley

Delicious!

Serves 4-6

Ingredients:

• 4 Tablespoons unsalted butter ( I use Vegan Butter - earth balance original)
• 2 shallots, chopped
• 1/2 - 1 pound of sliced baby bella and shittake mushrooms (the recipe from The Yellow House suggested 6 cups of sliced mushrooms, but I wanted a heartier soup.)
• 3/4 cup dry red wine 
• 10 cups vegetable broth (or chicken broth or water)
• 1 cup pearl barley
• 2 teaspoons kosher salt (optional)
• 4-5 sprigs of rosemary, leaves stripped from stems
• 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil

Method:

1. Use your biggest pot and heat the butter over medium heat.  When melted, add the shallots and cook for 2-3 minutes, stirring occasionally.
2. Add the mushrooms and stir to coat with butter.  Turn the heat to high, and continue to sauté for 2-3 minutes or until mushrooms begin to soften.
3. Pour in the wine and stir.  Allow the wine to reduce by half.
4. Then, add the broth or water and bring the mixture to a boil.  Add the pearl barley and a pinch of salt (I chose not to use more than a pinch of salt because the vegetable broth already has added salt.)
5. Reduce to a rapid simmer.  Simmer 40 minutes to an hour or until barley is cooked through. (I pre-soak the barley in cold water for at least 2 hours - so that the cooking time is reduced.)
6. While the soup is simmering, mince the rosemary leaves and mix in with the olive oil or you can use a food processor to create a smoother mixture.
7. When the soup is finished, ladle into bowls and drizzle the rosemary oil on top.  Serve with bread. (we like pumpernickel).

This is one of our favorite soups.  I have made this twice now and it gets better each time.  Soups are great for fall/winter months and by adding more mushroom - it becomes a heartier dish.  As for the wine, since the recipe calls for a small amount, I like to use wine that I usually drink.  I used a 2008 cabernet sauvignon from Frank Family Vineyards, but I'm sure ANY red wine will work.  Next time I will try a zinfandel from Klinker Brick Winery (since it's about 20 dollars less than Frank's).

I hope you enjoy the soup as much as we do.