1.05.2012

Asian chicken noodle soup

All this New Years cleanse nonsense is kind of driving me crazy honestly.  Every HuffPost email flying into my inbox or turning on the news is telling me about ways to cleanse and detox.  Maybe this year I didn't party enough over the holidays, but I feel like drinking liquids exclusively isn't going to change my life at this point.  Do I need to throw away those lonely holiday cookies and chocolates lying around the house?  Yes.  Check.  (Except for these dark chocolate peppermint crispy wafer candies which would be sinful to pitch.)

I think sticking to real ingredients, lessening the butter/cream content, maybe cutting out booze during weeknights for a couple weeks, and really exercising more are the keys to getting back on track. You have to be honest with yourself.  For example, I found that I cannot totally restrict much of anything from my diet (oh well).  I need to be conscientious and honest with myself about what I eat and in what amounts, then stop worrying and get on with it.

This week I made this great Asian Chicken Soup from Food Everyday, Fresh Food Fast.   This is a greattt cookbook.  I highly recommend it - tasty recipes, lots of healthy options, and many doable weeknight meals.  I adapted it somewhat based on what was available at my grocery and pantry.  We slurped our bowls a little at the end honestly, so you know it's good.


Asian Chicken Soup

5 cups chicken broth
2 T grated fresh ginger
2 garlic cloves, cut into slivers
1/2 t crushed red pepper flakes
2 cups water
4 oz. udon noodles
2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (about 6-8 oz each), thinly sliced into pieces
1 ball pepper, cut into thin 1 inch strips
6 oz. snow peas, steams and ends removed, sliced into 1/2 inch pieces
1-2 T fresh lime juice (I forgot this ingredient and used a lemon, but lime would be better.)
3 scallions trimmed and thinly diced
2 T fresh mint leaves minced for garnish
Soy sauce as accompaniment

In large pot, bring chicken broth, ginger, garlic, red pepper flakes, and water to boil over high heat.  Add noodles, reduce heat to simmer and cook until noodles are tender, about 6-8 minutes.

While broth is heating up, cut chicken, red pepper and snow peas - add these ingredients once noodles have become tender, cooking 1-2 minutes, until chicken is cooked through.  Add lime juice and scallions.  To serve, use tongs to divide noodles and ladle soup mixture over each.  Serve with mint, soy sauce and even a little Sriracha if you crave more heat.

(Serves 4 as a main course.)

Image via 

No comments:

Post a Comment