Spicey Ramen

I love Ramen, but can you actually buy a packaged product that's any good? Today I'm testing a a product that I bought at Safeway from Nongshim which is their spicy black label premium noodle soup. First, when you make this, only add 1/4 the pepper spice mix, it will be plenty spicy. Overall, I liked the quality of the noodles and the soup was tasty. If you've got a craving for Ramen, this will get the job done.

Ingredients:

1 package Nongshim Ramen

Preparation:

Even thought he product comes in it's own serving container, cook the Ramen in a medium saute pan. Place the dried noodles in a medium saute pan. Fill the container the product came in with water and pour into the saute pan and bring to a boil. Add the flavor packets and about a quarter of the spice mix. You can always add more if you like. Boil until the noodle are soft and you're ready to serve. 

To serve, place the Ramen in a serving bowl and garnish with sliced green onions and chopped cilantro.

   

Chicken and Orecchiette Soup

I'm a fan of the soups at Olive Garden and here I'm making their chicken and gnocchi soup. I decided to use orecchiette pasta instead of gnocchi. I chose to use De Cecco brand because they make their pasta with a higher amount of durum wheat than other brands. This is important because the higher amount of durum wheat keeps the pasta from soaking up too much liquid and becoming soggy.

 

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 cup diced carrot

1 cup diced celery

1 1/2 diced yellow onion

2 cloves chopped garlic

2 cups spinach

2 cups cooked diced or shredded chicken breast

4 tablespoons flour

4 cups chicken stock

4 cups milk

Salt and pepper

 

Preparation:

Take a large stock pot, heat to medium and add the olive oil. Next add the carrots, celery, onion and garlic. Sauté the vegetables until they are soft and translucent. This should take about 10 minutes. Keep the heat in check, you don't want to burn the vegetables.

 

When the vegetable are ready, stir in the flour and then add the chicken stock 1 cup at time. Next, add the chicken and spinach. Bring the temperature up to medium high. Check for thickness of the soup, it should be pretty think at this point because you still have 4 cups of milk to add. I like my soups to be on the thick side so at this point I mixed in another 2 tablespoons flour in with the milk. Add the milk to the soup and bring up to serving temperature. Check for proper salt and pepper and you're done.

Tofu and Mushroom Miso Soup

I had this dish years ago in a Korean restaurant and it was so good! This dish is called bubbling tofu. The reason it's called bubbling tofu is because it's served in a cast iron bowl that keeps the soup basically boiling for about 5 minutes at your table. What makes this soup so luxurious is the thickness of the broth and flavor of the miso broth.

 

Ingredients:

32 ounce organic miso broth from Whole Foods

1 package firm tofu diced

1/2 pound crimini mushrooms

1/4 pound shiitake mushrooms

1/2 medium yellow onion diced

2 cloves garlic diced

2 heaping tablespoons corn starch 

1 bunch green onions

Cilantro

Chopped nuts

 

Preparation:

This is a one pot wonder and so easy to put together. Take an large 4 quart sauce pan, add the miso broth, reserving 1 cup, bring to a boil. Once at a boil, reduce to high simmer. Add the diced yellow onion, diced garlic, crimini and shiitake mushrooms and tofu and cook for 15 minutes.

 

Mix the corn starch with the reserved cup of miso broth and add to the soup. This should thicken it up quite a bit. You want the consistency of the soup to be like motor oil, not a great comparison, but I can't think of anything else. If the soup didn't get thick enough, mix another heaping tablespoon in with a half cup of water and mix into the soup. The soup is done.

 

To serve, place a portion of soup into a serving bowl. Garnish with chopped green onions, chopped cilantro and chopped nuts. Yummmm!

 

Fully Loaded Baked Potato Soup

Well, as advertised, this soup tastes just like a fully loaded baked potato. You taste of course the potato, but also the sour cream, bacon, green onion, garlic, butter and cheese. This soup would be perfect on a day where you got some good exercise, if you know what I mean...

 

Ingredients:

2 large russet baked potato's, skin removed

16 ounces 2% milk

1 table spoon bacon bits

1/2 cup lite sour cream

2 green onions, diced

1 clove garlic

1 tablespoon butter

Salt and pepper to taste

1/4 cup shredded lite cheese

 

Preparation:

I made this soup in a Vita Mix which makes it really easy, but also the Vita Mix gives the soup the most wonderful texture.

 

Combine the cut up baked potato's, milk, bacon, sour cream, green onions, garlic clove, butter and a grind of salt and pepper to the Vita Mix. Place the Vita Mix on the soup setting and let it do its thing. After a few minutes the soup will be blended and piping hot. Yes, the Vita Mix actually heats the soup because the blades spin so fast. Add the cheese to the soup and stir with a large spoon to incorporate. Check the soup for proper salt and pepper and you're done.

 

To serve, place a portion of soup in a bowl and garnish with a few diced green onions and a sprinkle of shredded cheese. 

Zuppa Tuscana

 

For my 176th posting and final posting of 2014, I made Ryan's favorite meal, Zuppa Tuscana from Olive Garden. When we go to Olive Garden for dinner Ryan always gets all you can eat Zuppa Tuscana and spaghetti and meatballs. Ryan's strategy is to have 4 bowls of soup with bread sticks and take home the spaghetti and meatballs and have for lunch and dinner the next day. We all really like this soup and I think I'll be making this many more times.

Ingredients:

1 pound ground sweet Italian sausage

4 pieces of bacon cooked and chopped into bits

1 medium yellow onion

1 glove garlic

4 medium size Yukon gold potato's

6 kale leaves

1 - 32 ounce fat free, reduced sodium chicken stock

16 ounces water
Pinch red pepper flakes

1 cup heavy cream

 

Preparation:

Take a 12" sauté pan and heat to medium high. Add the ground sausage and cook thoroughly. When done, drain off the fat in a colander and discard the fat. Take the sausage and add to a large stock pot you're going to use for the soup.

 

Fry the bacon until crispy. Drain the bacon slices on pepper towels. Discard all but one tablespoon of the bacon fat from the sauté pan. You will use this to sauté the onion and garlic. When the bacon is cool, dice into 1/4" x 1/4" pieces and toss into the stock pot.

 

Dice the onion to 1/8" x 1/8" pieces and mince the garlic. Sauté the onion and garlic on medium heat until translucent, about 10 minutes. Don't be in a rush and burn the onions or garlic. Add the cooked onions and garlic to the stock pot.

 

Cut the potato's into large bite size pieces and add to the stock pot. Remove the stem from the kale leaves and cut the leaves into ribbons and add to the stock pot.

 

Add the chicken stock, water and pinch red pepper flakes to the stock pot. Heat the soup on medium high to just below a boil, reduce to simmer and cook 15 minutes. After 15 minutes the potato's should be fork tender. Lastly, stir in the heavy cream and you're done.

One thing I would recommend time permitting, make this soup mid-day, cover and just let sit on the stove all day slowly cooling to room temperature. The flavors will be so much more rich. Re-heat and serve in the evening.

Pumpkin Soup

Here's a quick and easy soup that I will sometimes make for lunch. In this version I left out the dairy, but if you want to take this soup to the next level of richness, add 1/4 cup half and half and a tablespoon of butter.

 

Ingredients:

32oz organic chicken broth

1 can Farmers Market organic pumpkin available at Whole Foods

Salt and pepper to taste

Preparation:

Combine the chicken stock and organic pumpkin in a large stock pot and bring to boil. Reduce the heat and let simmer for 10 minutes. Take half the soup and blend until silky smooth. Blend the rest of the soup and check for proper salt and you're done. 

Split Pea Soup

We had the pleasure of hosting Easter dinner this year and we usually keep it pretty traditional with spiral cut ham from Costco, green beans, twice baked potatoes and salad. It didn't occur to me that Costco would run out of spiral cut hams, but they did. So the day before Easter I got no ham...

 

I went to Safeway and they still had their Safeway Select spiral cut ham in stock so I didn't have much choice and bought it. As it turned out, this was the best spiral cut ham any of us at the table could remember eating. The ham was moist and had a great sweet smokey flavor. So not only was the ham awesome, but the split pea soup turned out pretty great as well.


Ingredients:
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 rough diced onion
1 cup sliced carrots
3 celery stalks
Ham bone plus 2 cups reserved ham
1 bag split peas, rinsed and checked for pebbles
28 once low sodium chicken broth
2 - 3 cups water


Preparation:
Add the olive oil, onion, carrots, celery to a large stock pot and heat to medium. Cook the vegetables for 4 - 5 minutes until soft. Add the ham bone, chicken stock, water and split peas and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to a simmer, cover and cook for 2 hours.

After 2 hours remove the ham bone to a cutting board and let cool. Take half the soup and blend until creamy smooth. I like my split pea a little rustic, so I only blend half. Cut off any ham from the ham bone and cut into bite size pieces and add to the soup. Add the 2 cups reserved diced ham to the soup.

To serve, add a helping of split pea soup to a soup bowl, top with croutons, shredded cheese and ground pepper.

Broccoli Cauliflower Soup

This is a wonderfully easy soup to make that tastes so good and fresh. Most all my soups are one pot wonders. Bring the chicken stock up to boil, add the vegetables, cook for about 10 minutes, blend and enjoy.

For added richness you can incorporate 1/4 cup whole milk and 1 tablespoon of butter, but that adds calories so I usually skip it.

 

Ingredients:
1 medium russet potato
1/4 yellow onion
3 cups chopped broccoli
2 cups chopped cauliflower
32 ounces chicken stock

Preparation:

Take the chicken stock and pour into a large 3 quart sauce pan. Peel and cut the potato into small pieces and add to the chicken stock. Cut the onion into small pieces and add to the chicken stock. Bring the chicken stock, potato and onion up to boil and then to simmer for 10 minutes.

After 10 minutes, add the chopped broccoli and cauliflower and cook for 2 minutes. Carefully add the hot soup to a blender and blend until completely smooth and silky. Sometimes this is best done in 2 batches so that the blender is not too full.

Once blended, return to the sauce pan and taste for salt and pepper and add if necessary. If you like a more rich soup, add a tablespoon of butter and a 1/4 cup whole milk.

White Bean Turkey Chili

This is a mild, low fat chili that is perfect for a party. The key to this dish is to have plenty of toppings. I like cheddar cheese, Parmesan cheese, cilantro, sour cream and avocado.

Ingredients:
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 diced yellow onion
6 diced garlic cloves
2 lbs. ground turkey1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon fennel seed
1 tablespoon ground oregano
1 - 2 tablespoons chili powder to taste
3 tablespoons flour
2 -15 oz. cans cannellini beans
1 bunch Swiss chard, stems removed
1 1/2 cups frozen corn
1/8 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 teaspoon sugar
4 cups chicken stock
garnish:
Cheddar cheese
Diced yellow onion
Sour cream
Cilantro

Preparation:
Heat a 12" sauté pan and add the olive oil. When the oil is heated, add the diced onion and cook 5 minutes until translucent. Add the diced garlic, cook 1 minute and then add the ground turkey and cook until well browned, about 10 minutes.

Once the turkey is cooked, Add the salt, cumin, fennel, oregano, chili powder and cook 5 minutes. Stir in the flour and place the entire contents into a slow cooker / crock pot. Add the cannelloni beans chopped Swiss chard, corn, red pepper flakes and sugar and chicken stock.

Cook in the crock pot for 6 hours. Check for seasoning as the chili will likely need more salt and pepper.

To serve, place chili in a bowl and top with cheddar cheese, diced onion, sour cream and cilantro.

Tofu and Mushroom Udon Noodle Soup

I love udon noodles and they're great for a dish just like this one. Udon noodles are Japanese wheat noodles that have a great texture and can stand up to being in a soup without becoming mushy. This udon noodle soup is easy and fast to make and can be made with whatever vegetables you have on hand. The key to this dish's wonderful flavor and texture is the soy sauce and sesame oil in the broth and the green onions, cilantro and crunched nuts tossed on top.

Ingredients:

32 oz low sodium chicken stock
18 oz firm tofu
1/2 pound Udon noodles
1/2 pound sliced mushrooms
1/2 red bell pepper
2 tablespoons lite soy sauce
1tablespoon sesame oil
1 tablespoon corn starch
Green onions
Cilantro
Crushed nuts

Preparation:

Cook the udon noodles according to the directions on the package and set a side. The noodles I use take 5 minutes and they're done.

Pour the chicken stock in to a large 3 quart sauce pan reserving 1/4 cup of the stock. Add the cubed tofu, sliced mushrooms, diced bell pepper, soy sauce and sesame oil. Bring the soup to a boil and and then simmer for 5 minutes.

Take the reserved chicken stock and mix in the corn starch. Add the mixture to the soup and this should thicken up the soup a little. Lastly, add the udon noodles to the soup.

To serve, ladle some soup into a bowl and top with green onions, cilantro and crushed nuts.

Roasted Butternut Squash Soup

This is a wonderful easy to make soup that tastes so good and fresh. The beauty of this soup is that it only has two ingredients, butternut squash and organic chicken broth. Don't let winter pass you by without trying this great tasting soup.

Ingredients:
1 package cut up butternut squash
32oz organic chicken broth
Salt and pepper to taste

Take the package of cut up butternut squash, add to a baking sheet with some olive oil and salt and pepper and roast at 350 degrees for 45 minutes.

Remove from the oven when cooked and set aside while you take the chicken stock and put into a blender. Add the roasted butternut squash and blend until silky smooth. Lastly, add salt and pepper to taste. Serve with crusty bread.







Side Dish Suggestion:
Tuscan Toast



Black Friday Turkey and Orzo Soup

Well, I am the lucky one. I get to be treated to a Thanksgiving dinner at my mother in laws and at the end of the night I get to take home all the roast turkey disposables and make turkey soup. I take everything, the carcass, legs, wings and pan drippings, everything in order to make a rich fat free broth. I like a traditional turkey soup with lots of turkey, carrots, celery and orzo pasta instead of noodles.
 

Ingredients: Turkey Stock

Turkey carcass, legs, wings and pan drippings 

4 cups diced carrots

4 cups diced celery

10 garlic cloves

8 Trader Joe's savory broth base

Salt to taste

Preparation: Turkey Stock

Take 2 large stock pots and put the carcass in one and the legs and wings in the other. Put half the pan drippings in each stock pot. Add 5 smashed garlic cloves, 2 cups diced carrots, 2 cups diced celery and 1/2  a chopped onion to each stock pot. Add 4 packets of Trader Joe's savory broth base chicken flavor to each stock pot. Fill both pots with water and bring to a boil and then simmer without a lid for 3 hours.

Take a pair of tongs and remove the carcass, legs and wings from the stock pots and set in a large bowl. Strain the turkey broth from both stock pots and once strained put all the turkey stock back into one of the stock pots. At this point you should have an almost full stock pot. Bring the stock to a boil and then reduce to a slow boil until 1/3 of the stock has evaporated. By evaporating the turkey stock your condensing the flavor and making a richer turkey stock.

Remove the turkey meat from the carcass, legs and wings. Set the turkey meat a side and toss out the remains.

Ingredients: Turkey and Orzo Soup

Turkey stock

Turkey

4 cups diced carrots

4 cups diced celery

1/2 lb. cooked orzo pasta

Preparation: Turkey And Orzo Soup

Take the turkey stock and skim off any remaining fat. Add the carrots and celery and simmer for 15 minutes. Add the turkey and cooked orzo and serve.

Pho Beef Udon Noodle Soup

I've made this a few times a now and I have to say, this meal is an experience, it's that good! 
 

Ingredients:

Beef stock; Swanson's 50% less sodium beef stock

1 cup water

2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 teaspoon sesame oil

Fresh ginger; 1" x 1" peeled

Jalapeño chili; 1/2" piece seeded and cut in half lengthwise

1 glove peeled garlic

1/2 lb. sirloin steak cut into bit size pieces
Firm tofu, cubed

6 medium thick sliced Crimini mushrooms

1/8 Red bell pepper, chopped

4 - 6 diced green onions

1/2 bunch cilantro

1/2 lb. Japanese Udon wheat noodles

Preparation:

Boil water and cook the Japanese noodles for 4 minutes, drain, rinse and a side.

Bring the beef stock, water, soy sauce, ginger, jalapeño and garlic to a boil and simmer for 20 minutes. Remove and dispose the ginger, jalapeño and garlic clove from the broth. Add the sirloin steak, tofu, chopped bell pepper, mushrooms and simmer for 10 minutes and the soup is done.

To serve, add a generous amount of noodles to a large bowl. Add soup to cover the noodles and top with a generous amount of green onions, cilantro, crushed nuts and Sriracha.

Tortilla Soup

I love to order a cup of chicken tortilla soup when out to lunch, it's generally healthy and can be made so many different interesting ways. My favorite though is blended chicken tortilla soup with shredded chicken breast and topped with sour cream, avocado, cilantro and some crispy tortilla strips.

 Ingredients:

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 tablespoon butter

1 medium yellow onion

3garlic cloves

1/2 green bell pepper

5 - 6" corn tortillas

1/2 teaspoon chili powder

1/2 teaspoon ground cumin

1/2 teaspoon salt

pinch cayenne pepper

1 - 32 ounce low sodium chicken stock

1-2 tablespoons Wondra flour

1 cup milk

1 cooked and shredded chicken breast

avocado

cilantro

sour cream

Preparation:

Add the oil and butter to an 10" sauté pan. Add the diced onion, green bell pepper and garlic. Cook on medium low for 10 minutes until the onion and bell pepper are soft and translucent.

Next, add the chili powder, cumin and diced corn tortillas and simmer for another 5 minutes and you're done. Take the contents of the sauté pan and add to a blender along with the chicken stock and blend until a smooth even consistency. Once creamy smooth, pour the soup into a 3 quart sauce pan. Bring the soup up to a boil and then turn off the heat, cover and let rest until you're ready to serve.

For a thicker soup I'll mix 1 tablespoon Wondra flour with 1 cup milk and whisk into the soup.

To serve, add a couple of ladles of soup into a serving bowl. Place some shredded chicken in the middle and garnish with avocado, sour cream, cilantro and crispy tortilla strips.

Salad Serving Suggestion:
Avocado Garlic Caesar Salad

 

Roasted Corn Chowder with Shredded Chicken

Here's a soup that is so awesome! You can make corn chowder several different ways. This time I chose to make a blended corn chowder with shredded chicken and topped with some roasted corn. Another great option is non-blended where you have a lot more roasted corn kernels and chunks of potato, bell pepper and onion. Either way, this is a great way to enjoy sweet summer corn.

Ingredients:
1 poached and shredded chicken breast

2 tablespoon butter

1 cup rough chopped onion

1/2 medium chopped green bell pepper
1 cup chopped celery

2 garlic cloves

1/4 cup dry white wine

2 tablespoons cooked bacon bits

1/4 teaspoons dried basil

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon ground white pepper

1/4 teaspoon dried thyme leaves

2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce

3 cups roasted corn kernels

3 cups rough chop pealed potatoes

1 1/2 quarts chicken stock

1 Cup whole milk

1 - 2 tablespoons Wondra flour

Preparation:

To roast the corn, I simply take the corn still in the husk and put on the barbeque for about 20 minutes on medium high heat turning every 5 minutes or so. The corn husk will get black and burnt which is fine, but the corn inside will be deep golden brown and charred in some areas.

When the corn is done, let cool and then cut off the kernels. Next take the back of your chef's knife and scrape down the corn cob to get all the great pulp and corn milk.
 

To start the chowder, heat the butter in a large pot over medium heat. Stir in the onion, green pepper, celery, and garlic. Cook and stir until the onion has softened and turned translucent, about 10 minutes.

Pour in the white wine and add the bacon, basil, white pepper, thyme, and Worcestershire sauce.

Next, add the corn, potatoes and chicken stock. Bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce heat to medium-low, cover and simmer 10 minutes for the potato's to cook.

When the soup is done, carefully transfer to a blender and blend until silky smooth. You may need to do this in 2 batches. Pour the soup back into the stock pot and bring to simmer.

While the soup is simmering, whisk the flour into the milk and add to soup, this will give some extra thickness to the soup.

To serve, ladle some soup into a bowl. Add some shredded chicken and roasted corn kernels. Garnish with chopped Italian parsley.

Serve this chowder with my Garlic Caesar Salad:
Garlic Caesar Salad