Vegetarian Pho

 

INGREDIENTS

Soup

Two 3-inch cinnamon sticks

3 Frontier whole cloves

2 star anise

1 large white onion*, peeled and quartered

4-inch piece of fresh ginger*, peeled and halved lengthwise

4 cups (32 ounces) vegetable stock or broth

4 cups water usually it uses 8 cups stock/broth... since combining with water make sure to use salt!

2 tablespoons reduced-sodium tamari or soy sauce

6 ounces (one large handful) rice noodles

1 tablespoon avocado oil, mild extra-virgin olive oil or your neutral-flavored oil of choice

5 ounces thinly sliced shiitake mushrooms

Salt

Garnishes

Mung bean sprouts

Sprigs of fresh basil (use Thai basil if you can find it) or cilantro

Sprigs of fresh mint

Thinly sliced green onions (mostly green parts)

Very thinly sliced fresh jalapeño (omit if sensitive to spice)

Small wedges of lime

INSTRUCTIONS

• Pot 1 "30 MINUTES" Warm a medium soup pot or Dutch oven over medium heat. 
• Add the cinnamon sticks, cloves, and star anise and toast until fragrant, stirring occasionally, about 3 to 4 minutes. 
• Add the onion, ginger, vegetable stock, water and tamari. 
• Raise the heat to high and bring the mixture to a boil, then reduce the heat as necessary to maintain a gentle simmer. 
• Simmer for 30 minutes to give the flavors time to meld.
• Pot 2 In the meantime, prepare your rice noodles by cooking them according to package directions. Set them aside.
• Pot 3 To prepare the shiitake mushrooms, warm the oil in a medium skillet over medium heat until shimmering. Add the mushrooms and a few dashes of salt. Cook until the mushrooms are tender and lightly browned, about 4 to 6 minutes, then set them aside.  Or maybe I can use Pot 2 for this part once the noodles have been strained and set aside.
• Back to Pot 1 Once the broth is done cooking, strain out the onions, ginger and spices (this is easiest with a small metal sieve, but you can also strain the mixture through a colander into another large bowl). Season it to taste with extra tamari and/or salt until the flavors of the spices really shine.
• Ladle the broth into bowls, add cooked noodles and mushrooms, and fresh garnishes to your heart’s content (don’t forget the lime!). Serve immediately, with chopsticks and soup spoons.

NOTES 

*FOR EVEN MORE FLAVOR: Char your onions and ginger before adding them to the pot. If you go this route, just slice the onion in half (instead of quarters), and don’t peel the ginger. You have a few options on how to char them—you can supposedly char them with metal tongs over a gas flame (I don’t have gas, so I couldn’t try this), or broil them, cut sides down, on a baking sheet, or—the most reliable method—roast them, cut sides down, on a baking sheet, on the upper rack in a 500 degree Fahrenheit oven for 15 to 20 minutes.

**Receipt from Cookie + Kate

Rosemary Chicken with Corn Quinoa

Ready in 40 minutes. Serves 4 or 5.

Chicken Ingredients:
4 skinned and boned chicken breasts (2 lb.)
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
1/2 teaspoon minced fresh rosemary
2 tablespoons olive oil

Preparation:
Sprinkle chicken with salt, pepper, and rosemary. Cook in hot oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat 6 minutes on each side or until done. Serve with quinoa.

Fresh Corn Quinoa Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups uncooked red quinoa
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
4 cups water
4 shallots or 2 small onions, quartered
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 cups fresh corn kernels
6 cups shredded greens (such as chard)
1/2 cup torn basil
1/4 cup torn mint
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

Preparation:
Bring quinoa, salt, and water to a boil. Cover, reduce heat to medium, and simmer 8 to 10 minutes or until tender; drain. Cover and let stand 15 minutes. Meanwhile, sauté shallots in hot olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat 3 minutes or until tender. Add garlic; sauté 1 minute. Add corn kernels and shredded greens; cook 2 minutes or just until wilted. Add quinoa, basil, mint, and fresh lemon juice.

Recipe from Southern Living's September 2013 issue. See it here.

Basil-Peach Chicken Breasts

Makes 4 servings  *  Ready in 45 minutes

"Starting the chicken on the stovetop and finishing in the oven helps prevent dry, overcooked chicken. The flavorful juices make a fresh and clean sauce--much lighter than a flour-thickened gravy. Serve with steamed rice, couscous, or quinoa for a simple summer meal." Southern Living, June 2012.

Ingredients
4 skinned and boned chicken breasts (about 2 lb.)
1 1/4 teaspoons kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
2 tablespoons canola oil
1 shallot, thinly sliced
1 teaspoon freshly grated ginger
2 garlic cloves, minced
12 fresh basil leaves, finely chopped
1 cup reduced-sodium fat-free chicken broth
4 large peaches, peeled and cut into 1/4-inch-thick slices (about 2 cups)
Garnish: fresh basil leaves

Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 350°. Season chicken on both sides with salt and pepper. Cook chicken in hot oil in a large ovenproof skillet over medium-high heat 2 minutes on each side or until browned. Remove chicken from skillet, reserving drippings in skillet.
2. Reduce heat to medium. Add shallot to hot drippings in skillet, and sauté 3 minutes or until tender. Add ginger and garlic; sauté 45 to 60 seconds or until fragrant. Add basil, chicken broth, and peaches. Return chicken to skillet, and turn to coat.
3. Bake at 350° for 15 minutes or until chicken is done.

Italian Goulash

4 big servings.   25 mins prep.   2.5 hours total.

Ingredients
1 tsp olive oil
1 lb of lean ground beef (94/6)
1 small sweet yellow onion, diced
3-4 baby bell peppers, diced recipe calls for red & orange. I used regular red & green pepper as a substitute.
8 oz cremini mushrooms, sliced canned or fresh
4 cloves of garlic, chopped
Sea salt and freshly cracked pepper, to taste
3 cups of Roasted Tomato, Onion & Garlic Marinara i.e a whole container
12 oz elbow macaroni, cooked per instructions 12 oz = 3 cups <- too much. Try 2.5 or 2 cups next time.
Fresh basil, chiffonade
Asiago, grated

Directions
Heat the olive oil in a small Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the onions and mushrooms then cook for 3-4 minutes. Add the ground beef, bell pepper, chopped garlic then season with sea salt and freshly cracked pepper; cook for 4-5 minutes making sure to crumble the ground beef as it cooks. Drain any excess grease from the pan then add the marinara sauce, stir until mixed thoroughly. Simmer the sauce for 1-2 hours so flavors combine.

Cook the elbow macaroni per instructions (make sure to season the water with salt) then drain completely. Combine the macaroni with the sauce, add the fresh basil and mix well. Simmer for 15 minutes so the sauce has time to flavor the noodles. Top with Asiago cheese if desired and serve. Enjoy.

Recipe by For the Love of Cooking.