Miso Ramen

I have an obsession with Ramen. My two favorite places in Pittsburgh to go to are Ramen Bar in Squirrel Hill and Fukuda in Bloomfield (my old stomping grounds!) Just Yelping it now, Fukuda is now closed. RIP best ramen ever with pork belly. 

It's crazy how much the restaurant scene in Pittsburgh has changed since I've left!! So many new places to try. To be honest, I'll probably just continue to go to my favorites like OTB. I do want to try the new Smoke location though.

I haven't had ramen yet in Philly but I heard there's some good hipster Jewish ramen in south philly!! My cousin told me about it!! Can't wait to try.

I have had ramen at Momofuku in NYC and it is fantastic. Also when we had ramen in Japan, there were lots of hungover dudes at the same place as us. Ramen = the best hangover food ever I guess?? Either way I'm all about ramen for breakfast.

I found large packets of ramen noodles (instead of the instant ones) at whole foods. You can also find fresh ramen noodles at certain whole foods or Asian grocery stores.

Sorry in advance for sucky pictures. I was in a hurry to eat. Will replace later.

Salsa Verde Soup

This is the first recipe that I've ever posted with meat. I never thought I would go back to being a carnivore, but being a part of the farming community showed me there's a more sustainable way of consuming meat. In Philly there are a ton of sources for local, organic, free range meat options. I go to my local coop and in the summers, hit up the farmer's market. I am just dreaming of the farmer's market! There's nothing better. I still make the majority of my meals vegan and vegetarian, but I've been throwing in a few meat dishes. This is one of them. I stumbled on this recipe via Laura who recommended a spicy sausage gnocchi stew from Gimme Some Oven. I had never heard of the site before, but it's bright and full of really accessible recipes. This soup stood out to me some I always have salsa verde in the freezer waiting to be used up! Next time, I'm going to try a vegetarian version with peppers and hominy.

Salsa Verde Soup

2 cups tomatillo salsa

4 small chicken breasts 

1 small onion, diced

2 jalapeños, diced

2 cups frozen corn

1 1/4 cups dried small white beans, soaked overnight

1 bottle light summer beer

4 cups water (or chicken broth)

1 tbsp ground cumin
1 lemon, juiced

Toppings:

sliced avocado, cilantro, tortilla chips, sliced green onions, hot sauce

Place all ingredients in slow cooker and cook on low for 6-8 hours. Add more water or broth to thin as you like. Shred chicken. Season with plenty of salt and pepper. Add lemon juice. Add toppings. Enjoy!

Hot & Sour Soup

I am very much in agreement with Michelle - I've been making soup almost every day this week. This one is Martha Stewart's hot & sour soup - I was actually really sure I had already posted this because I've been making it since college, but it looks like I haven't. Usually I do include the tofu, but this time I didn't have any, and it was way too cold to go out and get some.

HOT & SOUR SOUP
From Martha Stewart

3 cups chicken broth
2 tbsp soy sauce
1/2 tsp crushed red pepper
4 cups fresh mushrooms, thinly sliced (I usually use button but the original recipe calls for shiitake)
4 tbsp rice vinegar
2 tbsp corn starch
1 egg, lightly beaten
1 1/2 cup tofu, cubed
2 tbsp freshly grated ginger
4 green onions, thinly sliced

Vegetarian Tortilla Soup

While winter seems never ending at least we can all feel ok about never leaving our houses. That means Netflix, homemade cookies, and so much soup. Also puppy snuggles. Rex is the best foot warmer. I've made tortilla soup twice so far and everyone has loved it. I went on a wild search for hominy and found 2 types at Wegman's- white and golden. I went with golden for the recipe. I also bought some dried hominy which I cooked with dried black beans for the second time I made tortilla soup. I found this recipe on Cookie+Kate!

• 1 dried ancho pepper, chopped with seeds if you want more spice
• 1 red bell pepper, chopped
• 1 medium red onion, diced
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 jalapeño (if you want even more spice)
• 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne powder
• 1/4 teaspoon smoked chili powder
• 1/2 tsp dried oregano
• 14-ounce can diced tomatoes
• 1 tablespoon tomato paste
• 4 cups vegetable broth
• 14-ounce can hominy, rinsed
• 14-ounce can black beans, rinsed

In some ghee or coconut oil, sauté the onion for about 5 minutes. Add pepper and cook for a couple more minutes. Add garlic and stir until fragrant, about 1 minute. Then throw in the spices including the ancho pepper for a couple seconds. Add the broth, tomatoes, and paste. Bring mixture up to a boil and simmer for 1/2 an hour. Add in the beans and hominy. Simmer for 15 more minutes on low heat. Then if you can wait, let sit overnight for the flavors to meld and serve hot the next day! 

Toppings:

Cheddar cheese

Cilantro

Avocado

Tortilla chips (obvii)

Pumpkin Red Thai Curry

I like my curry strong- like strong enough to punch you in the face just like they serve in Thailand. It needs to be super spicy and flavorful. None of that mild stuff. If you want something more gentle, try the recipe from Love and Lemons. My recipe is loosely based off of it. I also like to make about 10 servings at a time, so if you're not feeding lots of people, halve the recipe.

Also this is a picture of Rex eating a Turkey cake from the Dining Dog. It's the coolest pet store with food for animals and humans. I had a chai spiced yoghurt sample from there. So good.

Pumpkin Thai Curry

4 cups Kobocha + pumpkin squash purée

1 jar Red Curry paste

7 kefir lime leaves, sliced

5 cloves garlic

1 medium red onion

3 shallots

2 inch piece ginger, peeled

1 red thai chili, whole

1 can coconut milk

1/4 cup maple syrup

Splash fish sauce

4-5 cups water

Coconut Cardamom Squash Soup

At the organic apple festival back in the fall, there was a farmstand complete with a mountain of squash. Literally all of the pumpkins and gourds. I picked out a couple I've never heard of before and decided to make soup with one pumpkin. I completely forget the name, so I've been calling it mystery squash. I saw this recipe on Love and Lemons and knew this is what the mystery squash was destined to become.

1 medium squash or pumpkin

2 cooking apples

3 leeks

1 medium yellow onion

1 head garlic

1 can coconut milk

1 inch piece ginger

1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom

1/4 teaspoon cayenne

Vegetable broth, to thin

salt + pepper

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Slice squash in half, remove seeds, and drizzle with olive oil. Roast, cut side up, for about 30 minutes until fork tender. Let cool, then scoop out all the squash meat.

At the same time, I roast all the veggies. Peel and quarter the onion. Slice the white parts of the leek into coins. Halve and core the apples. Peel ginger. Peel garlic. Place everything on a baking sheet and drizzle with olive oil. Roast for about 15-20 minutes until golden brown. I like to roast until the edges of the onions are black.

Once everything is cooked, place all vegetables and fruit into the blender. Add spices and thin a little with vegetable broth. Blend until completely smooth. Then add coconut milk and season with salt and pepper.

I ate my soup with some cheese ravioli with garden peach tomatoes and prosciutto on the side.

The mystery pumpkin:

Z

Gazpacho

Nothing says summer to me like a bowl of cold gazpacho. Right now, the tomatoes are all coming in from the garden! Finally! I feel like I've been waiting for tomato season all year. Anyways, all the ingredients are available right now. I went to the farmer's market with my sister and Rex and we loaded up on so many fruits and vegetables. We made a vegan stone fruit cobbler for dessert which I sadly forgot to photograph! For a lot of people, this gazpacho is hit or miss. It's pretty acidic but I love it as is! You can cut the acidity by using canned tomatoes but you would miss the point of gazpacho entirely. Just saying.

3 large ripe heirloom tomatoes, quartered

1 cucumber, peeled and sliced

1½ green peppers, seeded

1 large onion, peeled and quartered

2 Tbs. olive oil

2 Tbs. apple cider vinegar

3 cloves garlic

Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Diced green peppers for garnish

 

Throw everything in the blender for as long as you like. I like my soup super smooth. Then place in the refrigerator for a couple of hours to chill. Taste and season it according to your tastes. Garnish with fresh globe basil and lemon thyme. Serve with warm bread.

 

Vegan Black Bean Soup

We have shelter! Now everyone can come visit. We move in this Saturday but we won't fully be living in the apartment until later this month. The kitchen floor is being converted from carpet (ew) to hardwood floors or tile. My sister is in town from California so we're spending time with her aka she is free labor to help me move in.
I made this soup for dinner last night. It's so versatile. I just threw whatever veggies we had in the fridge and it came together nicely. The inspiration for this soup came from a vegan restaurant we ate at over the weekend plus a recipe from allrecipes.com. It was served with a green strawberry salsa. So, so delicious. Strawberry season is only days away so I'm looking forward to some strawberry picking!
This soup is not so photogenic.

Soup Ingredients:

1 large yellow onion
4 stalks celery
3 carrots
5 cloves garlic
2 red bell peppers
2 jalapeños
1 1/2 cups frozen corn
1 lb dried black beans
1-28 oz can diced tomatoes
3-4 cups vegetable broth
1 tbsp cumin
2 tbsp chili powder
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper

Garnishes:

Fresh cilantro
Spicy salsa
Sour cream
Tortilla chips
Avocado
Cheddar cheese

Directions:

Soak the black beans in double the amount of water overnight.
Dice all the veggies and mince the garlic. At this point, you can throw everything into the crock pot...which I couldn't do since mine is in Pittsburgh! I would imagine the soup would take all day to cook, maybe with some extra water added in.
Anyways, if you're doing this over the stove, rinse and drain the soaked beans. Add to a large pot with plenty of water. Bring to a boil and then lower heat to a simmer. Cover and cook for about an hour. This may take some more time depending on how old the beans are. Keep the cooking liquid when straining the beans after they are cooked!
In a separate soup pot, sauté the onions, celery, and carrot over medium heat for about 10 minutes. Add the red pepper and cook for another 3 minutes. Add the spices and garlic and cook for 1 minute. Add the vegetable stock, half the black beans, and half the can of tomatoes. Bring to a boil and simmer for 15 minutes.
Take the other half of the black beans and tomatoes and blend. Add about a cup of the cooking liquid from the beans to thin out. Add to the soup and simmer for about 20 minutes more until all the vegetables are tender. Taste and season with salt and pepper. Enjoy!

Creamy Broccoli Soup

As you all can see I've been obsessed with making vegetable soups lately. It could be because I recently acquired a Vitamix and now blend everything I can. My latest favorite is this soup from A Cup of Joe which is a gorgeous lifestyle blog. It tastes like there is cream in the soup because of the potatoes. I made this in Portland while visiting my friend Lauren. It was the last leg of my journey and so much fun. We hiked, biked, ran, and did yoga. I also got to snuggle with her cute puppy, Khaleesi.

1 medium yellow onion
2 leeks
3 cloves garlic
2 carrots
1 stalk celery
2 heaping cups potatoes, cubed
2-3 heads broccoli
1 1/2 tsp cumin
salt + pepper

Roughly chop the onion, celery, and carrot. Slice the white part of the leek only. Sauté in some coconut oil or ghee over medium heat for about 10 minutes. Throw in the garlic cloves and cumin  and cook for a minute. Then add the potatoes and enough water to cover. Bring to a boil and simmer for 15 minutes. Chop the broccoli including stems and add to the soup pot. Add more water to cover and simmer for another 5-10 minutes.
Blend until smooth and season with salt and pepper. Serve with some shredded cheddar and a dollop of plain Greek yogurt. Another delicious alternative is adding a spoonful of pesto just before serving.

Spiced Tomato Soup

I know I've posted this recipe already, but I've made it so many times with so many variations that I feel it deserves a repost. This version is for people that don't like the addition of coconut cream. It is originally from 101 Cookbooks and one of my go-to recipes when cooking while traveling. There are minimal ingredients and the soup can be adapted to just about anyone's tastes. I just made this for our friends that recently had a baby girl, and they were very happy for some hearty soup. Who wouldn't be?
This picture was taken in Portland. I ate this soup for lunch with my leftover carnitas burrito smothered in green hot sauce. Such good food in that city.

4 tbsp ghee or coconut oil
2 medium yellow onions, roughly chopped
lots of garlic cloves
1 heaping tbsp curry powder
1 heaping tsp coriander
1 1/2 tsp cumin
1 tsp turmeric
1/2 tsp hot pepper flakes (for even more spice)
2-28 ounce cans Muir Glen fire roasted, whole tomatoes

Toppings:
plain Greek yogurt infused with herbs
fresh herbs (thyme, rosemary, oregano, basil, etc.)
olive oil
farro or brown rice
paneer

Saute the onions over medium heat in the coconut oil for 10 minutes. Add the garlic and spices. Saute for another 2-3 minutes until really fragrant. Add the canned tomatoes plus 6 cups of water. Bring to a boil and simmer for 20 minutes. Blend with an immersion blender.

Lentil Soup

We've been home for about 3 weeks now and enjoying the spring weather. Apparently we got back just right after the last snow. This vegetable lentil soup was my favorite meal in Bali. The hot soup was really cooling even on the hottest days (it sounds counterintuitive but hot soup really does cool down your body). We kept coming back to the Kafe for more. I made it for my family as soon as we got home. I've really been enjoying having a kitchen again and also veggie burgers! There's actually a lot of recipes on backlog since I haven't had too much time to blog yet. So get ready!!!

3 carrots
3 celery stalks
1 large red onion
5 cloves garlic
1/2 butternut squash
2 1/4 cups dried green lentils
1-28 ounce can diced tomatoes
3 cups baby spinach, packed
2 sprigs thyme
1 bunch parsley
plain greek yogurt
lemons

Peel the butternut squash and scoop out the seeds. Slice into small cubes and place on a baking tray. Drizzle with coconut oil and roast at 375 degrees for 30 minutes or until tender. Dice the carrots, celery, and onion to pea sized pieces. In a large soup pot, sauté vegetables in some coconut oil over medium heat until softened for about 11 minutes. Mince the garlic and add to the mirepoix. Cook for 2-3 minutes. Add the tomatoes, butternut squash, and the green lentils. Add about 6-7 cups of water. I like to add less water and add more as the lentils cook to keep the soup pretty thick. If you like a thinner soup, I would add about 8 cups of water.
Bring the soup to a boil. Add the sprigs of thyme. Then lower the heat, cover, and bring to a simmer for about half an hour. Check to see if the lentils are cooked at the end of the cooking time. Add more water if needed. Throw in the spinach and cook for a couple more minutes until wilted. Then season with salt and pepper.
Serve with soup with a dollop of yogurt, lots of chopped parsley, and a squeeze of fresh lemon. It's a perfect lunch with some bread on the side.

Sun Dried Tomato Soup

Sun-dried tomatoes are one of my favorite foods, and this soup did not disappoint. While scouting my regular food blogs that I follow, I stumbled on this gem from Love and Lemons.

So on one of my last days in Saigon, I was trying to return our rented motorbike downtown by myself. Nick and Cate had gone on a tour of the Mekong Delta for the day. Of course the place was not open at its designated hour because this is Vietnam and things happen at their own pace. Usually I can deal with it, but the day was getting steadily hotter (it has been in the 100s this past week). Mostly, I was being impatient. I was also thirsty but I couldn't leave the bike. All of the sudden, a lady at a stand next to me pours half her fruit drink into a glass of  ice and offers it to me. These little gestures happen all the time and the generosity of the people here make it so easy to love this country. Just like that, my day turned around. A random guy showed up, told me the woman I was looking for was still sleeping, and miraculously produced our security deposit. There was a substantial amount of cash, so he went out of his way to make sure I got into a taxi safely. The next couple days went perfectly since (surprise!) my dad as well as my friend Cate came to visit. We celebrated my birthday with tons of delicious Vietnamese food and lots of cousins. My grandma was also very happy that this was the first birthday she got to celebrate with me! That's the last of the updates on Vietnam since we're now in Bali. More on that in the next post...

Ingredients:
1 red onion, roughly chopped
 5 cloves of garlic, smashed
1/2 cup white wine
4 cups veggie broth
1 can coconut milk (reserve a couple spoonfuls of the cream for garnish)
1/2 cup sun dried tomatoes in oil (found perfect size at Trader Joe's)
pinch red pepper flakes
1 1/2 teaspoons dried Tuscan herbs
2 teaspoons aged balsamic vinegar
1 teaspoon maple syrup
salt & pepper

Directions:
Strain the sundried tomatoes from the oil, reserving both. In a soup pot, heat the reserved oil and saute the onions until almost translucent. This should take about 5 minutes. Then add the garlic and stir for another minute.
Add the white wine and let alcohol evaporate for a couple minutes. Then add the rest of the ingredients including the sundried tomatoes set aside.
Bring to a simmer and cook for about 30 minutes until tomatoes are completely softened. Turn off heat and use an immersion blender to blend the soup well. Dish into bowls and garnish with coconut cream, extra sundried tomatoes, olive oil, fresh basil, or all of the above.

Tortilla Soup

Souppppp. Yay for easy, hot soup.

Haircut boy!! Skinny again!

Warning! I used tomato sauce this time since I didn't have paste, and it doesn't work as well. I think the paste is supposed to deepen the flavor and sauce isn't strong enough to do that. Also, when I've made this soup in the past I've used a stronger flavor of salsa and that makes a difference too! Basically, it was good this time, but when I've made it with better ingredients, it's been better!

Tortilla Soup

1 tbsp oil

1 onion, sliced

1 1/2 tsp cumin

1 tsp oregano

1/2 tsp garlic powder

1/2 tsp cayenne

1 jar salsa (Normal-ish size, whatever salsa you like. Spicy if you like spicy.)

4 cups chicken (or veg) broth

2 cups water

1 tbsp tomato paste

1 1/2 cup black beans

1 1/2 cup corn

1 tbsp lime juice

2-3 corn tortillas, sliced (look at the pic below)

Coconut Beet Soup

This soup was made with both golden and red beets to make the swirls you see in the picture. We harvested beets at the farm but both kinds were planted in the same row so it was hard to distinguish since the roots are underground! It worked out this way because I got to make a beautiful beet soup!

1.5 lbs mixed beets
1 cup coconut milk
1 lime, juiced
1 inch piece ginger, peeled and chopped
3 cloves garlic, diced
1 medium onion, sliced
1 hot red pepper, seeded and sliced
nasturtium flowers and leaves to garnish

Trim the beet greens and stringy roots off the beets. Roast the beets in a baking pan half filled with water at 375 degrees until tender, about 45 minutes depending on the size of the beets. Reserve 1/3 cup of the beet water. Saute the ginger, onion, garlic, and hot pepper for about 5 minutes until soft. Separate the golden and the red beets. Once cool enough pull the peels off. They should come off easily.
For the golden beet part: Blend the golden beets, half of the onion mixture, and 1/2 cup coconut milk until smooth. Season with salt and pepper and lime juice. Add more coconut milk if necessary.
For the red beets: Blend with the other half of the onion mixture, beet juice, and the rest of the coconut milk. Add lime to taste.
To serve: pour the golden beet soup into a bowl. Then spoon the red beet mixture into the soup, swirling the two soups together. Drizzle some olive oil over the soup and some jalapeno hot sauce. Top with nasturtiums and enjoy!

Manhattan Clam Chowder

It seems like ages ago that we were at the beach, and now I'm finally posting this recipe. The recipe is loosely based on some others that I found online but it really was formed from the vegetables that we had available. The picture is of my sister Tiffany on the dock by the bay eating some soup.

4-5 strips thickly cut bacon, sliced
1 large white onion
2 shallots
3 stalks celery
1 small bunch or 3 large carrots
3 green peppers, seeded and diced
1 jalapeno, seeded and diced
4 cloves garlic
3 large potatoes, cubed
5 large tomatoes, chopped roughly
1 bunch fresh parsley
1 tbsp fresh thyme
1 tsp chopped fresh rosemary
1 tsp old bay seasoning
3 cups chopped clams
5 cups clam juice

Crisp the bacon in a heavy soup pot over high heat. Remove the meat and set aside. Chop the onion, shallots, celery, and carrots into small pieces. Saute in the bacon drippings over medium heat for about 10-15 minutes until softened and fragrant. Add the hot and sweet peppers and saute for another 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for an additional minute. Add the potatoes, tomatoes, and broth. Bring to a boil and cook for about 20 minutes until the potatoes are tender. Add the old bay and herbs and black pepper. Season to your liking. Turn off the heat and add the chopped clams. Serve with some crusty bread.

Clam Chowder

This is my version of clam chowder made with coconut cream instead of heavy cream. Feel free to substitute if you want in equal proportions. When my family goes to the beach, we spend our time in the bay digging for clams, cutting mussels away from bay grasses, or catching crabs. If my sisters and I are lucky, we'll get a little bit of time on the beach at Assateague Island (wild ponies!). Both my parents love activity! If we're not in the water, we're at the beach house cooking. This soup was a combined effort from all of us. My dad steamed the clams, Tiffany chopped them, and all of us helped to catch them. Well Kelly and I mostly just splashed other people and got in the way...

When we catch the clams, we let them sit in a bucket in they bay for a day to filter out all of the sand before eating them. One of the neighbors recommended pouring a beer on the clams, which apparently makes them spit out all of the sand quickly.

Ingredients:

5 strips thick bacon, sliced
3 cups roughly chopped clams
3 cups small diced potatoes
7 celery stalks, sliced
1 large onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, diced
6 1/2 cups clam juice
1 bunch fresh parsley, leaves chopped
1 can coconut cream
1 tsp old bay seasoning
1/2 tsp ground black pepper

To cook the clams: Steam the clams until they open, pulling them out individually as they just open. Keep the clam juice that's in the shells and the clam juice in the steamer. You should have about 6 cups, but if not just dilute with some water. Once cool enough to handle, chop roughly (I like big chunks of clam).
For the soup: Fry the bacon until crispy over medium high heat in a large soup pot. Take out the bacon and set aside. Keep the bacon grease in the pot, add the onions to cook until translucent. Add the celery and garlic and saute for about 5 minutes.
Add the clam juice and potatoes and bring to a boil. Cook on medium heat until they are tender, about 15-20 minutes. Then add the coconut cream and the spices. Cook until the soup is heated through. Add the chopped parsley, the chopped clams, and the bacon. Season again if needed and serve with some sourdough bread.

Fresh Corn Soup

I made this soup for the first time last year, and I was excited to make it again this year. When I can get corn at Schramm's, we can have corn on the cob but until then I'm making corn soup. I got the corn for this soup on sale at Whole Foods.

FRESH CORN SOUP
From Better Homes and Gardens

4 tbsp butter

1/2 cup onion, chopped

4 cups fresh corn, cut off about 10 cobs

1-2 tbsp sugar

2-3 cups milk

1 cup half and half

1/4 tsp nutmeg

Thai Coconut Soup

I've been wanting to make this soup as soon as I saw it on My New Roots. The first time I had it was when we were in Iceland in a great Thai restaurant. It blew my mind! Nick and I were amazed at the complexity of the subtle flavors. It was perfect served over rice.
We pulled out the cilantro plants at the farm today and I was able to take all the roots home. They have a great delicate taste. The roots:

I wasn't able to track down the keffir lime leaves, sadly. I left them in the recipe just in case someone out there can track them down. There's actually an article in the Pittsburgh Post Gazette about how you can't buy them in Pittsburgh, even at Lotus. Therefore, I'm investing in a lime tree!!! I was, however, lucky enough to get some gorgeous spring shallots. If you can't find them, just use the shallots themselves.

Ingredients:
2 cans coconut milk (full-fat!)
10 cilantro roots
7 stalks lemongrass
3 spring shallots with greens attached
3 whole thai chilies (I used fish peppers)
50g / 1.75oz ginger root
1/4 cup palm sugar
12 kaffir lime leaves
7-9 shittake mushrooms, sliced
4 cloves garlic
juice of 3 limes
3 Tbsp. fish sauce
1 pound shrimp, deveined
thai basil, to garnish

Prep:

-Wash the cilantro root well in a bowl full of water. Cut the stems off, leaving about a half inch attached to the root.
-Bruise the lemongrass by pounding it with the side of the knife and cut some slits in the stalks.
-Slice the shallots about 1/3 of their greens (use the other greens as you would a green onion).
-Peel and cut the ginger into chunks and pound it until it releases a little liquid.
-Peel and smash the garlic.
-Cut slits into the chilies.
-Slice the mushrooms.
-Cook the shrimp in about 3 cups boiling water for about 1 minute. Reserve the water.

Cooking Directions:

In a soup pot, place the coconut milk, cilantro roots, lemongrass, shallots, chili, ginger, sugar, lime leaves, and garlic. Bring to a very gentle simmer and cook for about 15 minutes, with a lid on.
 

Strain soup through a sieve into another saucepan. I kept the shallots and garlic in the soup to eat. Add the sliced mushrooms, lime juice, fish sauce, and 2 cups shrimp cooking water. Bring soup up to a light simmer again just to cook the mushrooms slightly. Do not boil. Season to taste and serve immediately with thai basil and shrimp. Serve over rice.

Update! Since I went home this weekend, I was able to stop at the asian market with my mom. They had all the ingredients I needed like galangal root and keffir lime leaves. We were also able to use lemongrass and thai chilies from my parents' garden. The coconut sugar was from a neighbor. It was definitely a group effort. We also got some shrimp with the shells on, which makes a much better shrimp broth. Overall, this soup was excellent with all the right ingredients. I also ordered a lime tree so we can make coconut soup whenever we want!

Vegetable Gumbo

I helped a friend make this soup for dinner last week. It was so great, I decided to make another batch! The recipe is from Vegetarian Times. We just harvested some leeks from the farm, so I threw those in too. Did you know you can eat the green part of leeks? They are tender and delicous when they are young.

Ingredients

1/2 cup olive oil

1/2 cup gluten free flour mix (Bob's Red Mill is great)

1 medium onion chopped

1 yellow bell pepper, chopped

4 stalks celery, chopped

1 -28 oz. can fire roasted, diced tomatoes

4 carrots, sliced

3 leeks, sliced

3 jalapenos, diced

2 vegan Italian sausage, sliced

1 tablespoon ground cumin

1 tablespoon dried oregano

1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper

cajun spices

Directions

Stir together oil and flour in Dutch oven or heavy-bottomed pot until smooth. Cook over medium high heat 10 minutes, or until roux turns a dark caramel color, stirring constantly. The roux will start to give off a nutty fragrance as it is cooking.
Add onion, carrots, bell pepper, and celery to the roux and cook 5 minutes, or until vegetables are softened.

Make sure to keep stirring. Add the spices and cook for one more minute. Then add in all remaining ingredients and 2 cups water. Bring the mixture to a simmer. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and cook 20 minutes. Season with salt and pepper and a cajun spice mix.

I served this over wild rice. It's also great with some shrimp too!

Thai Chicken & Coconut Soup

This soup is one (not at all traditional) version of tom kha gai, a very popular Thai soup, adapted so you don't need things like fresh galangal and kafir lime leaves. I pretty much always get tom kha gai when I go to Thai restaurants, so I've been working on different home versions for a while. 

It's such a light, tasty soup. And like most soups, it's flexible. This time I added in cubed tofu, green onions and baby bok choy to make it even more filling. You could also try brocoli, carrots, radishes, definitely mushrooms... Or just add in everything in the produce section of Lotus, the Asian store at the Strip where you can get the lemongrass and fish sauce.

I've made another shrimpy version where I did a shrimp broth with the shrimp shells, and it was really really good but I'm not sure where I got that recipe from. If I find it, I will make it again and post it!

1. THAI CHICKEN AND COCONUT SOUP
2. From Food & Wine
3. 1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts (about 3), cut into 2 1/2-by-1/4-inch strips
4. 3 tablespoons Asian fish sauce (nam pla or nuoc mam)
5. 1 1/2 tablespoons lime juice
6. 1 quart plus 3/4 cup canned low-sodium chicken broth or homemade stock
7. 3 stalks lemongrass, bottom third only, peeled, smashed, and cut into 2-inch pieces, or three 3-inch-by-1/4-inch strips lemon zest
8. 1 1-inch piece peeled fresh ginger, cut into thirds
9. 1/2 cup long-grain rice
10. 1 3/4 cups unsweetened coconut milk (15-ounce can)
11. 2 fresh red chiles or jalapeño peppers, seeds and ribs removed, cut crosswise into thin slices (or Sriracha hot sauce to taste)
12. 3 tablespoons chopped cilantro