Hot and Sour Soup with Extra Veggies

Hot and Soup Soup with Extra Veggies

Here’s one of my favorite – easy to make soup meals. It’s so easy you don’t need a recipe!

Start with hot and sour soup from a Chinese restaurant that makes good quality soup (not loaded with corn starch and msg).

Then at home, add plenty of vegetables plus some tofu — and you have a great, light soup meal!

So this is how I made our soup tonight…

I put the hot and sour soup from the restaurant into a pot on the stove over medium heat. (Our microwave is broken or I could have done this in the microwave in either one big bowl or in individual soup bowls.)

To the soup in the pot or bowl, add:

• thinly sliced green or red cabbage
• lightly sautéd sliced mushrooms
• lightly sautéd (still crispy) diced onions
• tofu, cut into bite-size cubes

Heat the soup until the cabbage is tender crisp.

Top each serving with:

• thinly sliced green onions
• chopped fresh cilantro

If you add a lot of veggies and tofu like I do, then the resulting soup will be like a bowl of veggies in a little broth – a nice light meal!

Enjoy and be healthy!

~Leni

No-Name-Yet Healthy Mushrooms (Curry; Miso)

My first attempt to make sauteed mushrooms with mostly turmeric for flavor, was real flop, and it has now been removed from this blog — which is why you won’t find it on this page any more.

Instead, let me suggest sauteeing the mushrooms in olive oil and some Sweet Curry Powder (which is not sweet, just not very hot). I chose Penzeys Spices Sweet Curry Powder because the first ingredient is turmeric and it also contains black pepper, but of course, you could add more black pepper to taste.

While using Sweet Curry Powder instead of turmeric doesn’t provide as much turmeric as if you used mostly turmeric, it tastes a LOT better!

But curried mushrooms do not go with everything…so I started to think again about what I could do to make a great sauteed mushroom dish that would go with most foods…and I came up with sauteed mushrooms and miso! It’s really good.  I don’t have the proportions down yet…but it’s something like 8 ounces of sliced baby portobello mushrooms sauteed in a little olive oil. Then before the mushrooms are fully cooked, pour into the pan a mixture of about 1/2 cup water and a tablespoon miso. Cool until the liquid evaporates and the miso has lightly coated the mushrooms.

Miso.  The darker the miso, the stronger the flavor. Try it you’ll like it!

Ingredients for sauted mushrooms with curry seasoning

1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

1 large white  onion, diced (approximately 1/3-inch dice)

• How to dice an onion (a short video)

2 1/2 teaspoons Penzeys Spice Sweet Curry Powder

freshly ground black pepper

1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

1, 8-0unce box  baby bello mushrooms , sliced (baby bello are baby portobello mushrooms)

pinch of hot red pepper (Note: Use a spoon, not your fingers to avoid possibly burning yourself when you touch your fingers to your eyes.)

salt, to taste, if desired

Optional additions to mix in

1  Smooth and Mild Garlic Flavor Cube I think this works quite well. Just mix a defrosted Garlic Flavor Cube in at the end so that the garlic won’t burn. I took a small (about 1/3-inch high cube) and defrosted it in the microwave and then added it to the cooked mixture of onions and mushrooms. It made the mixture a bit less grainy and more mellow. Very nice.

• Note: If you are defrosting a small amount of food such as a Garlic Flavor Cube in your microwave, it’s a good idea to add something else to the microwave at the same time so that the microwaves have more food to work with. I just keep a half cup of water handy by the microwave and use it over and over for this purpose, as needed.

A squeeze of fresh lemon or lime juice  -  I added a 1/2 teaspoon lime juice after adding the Garlic Flavor Cube. I think I’ll add more next time because it was very nice.

Optional garnish to add on

fresh chopped cilantro (Of course, if you love cilantro, add a touch of green!)

Directions

Heat the olive oil (1 tablespoon) over medium heat in a large (10-inch), heavy non-stick skillet. When hot, add the onions and saute over medium heat, stirring occasionally. When the onions start to become translucent but still have crunch to them (about 8 minutes), add in the curry powder and black pepper; stir to mix; continue to cook over medium heat for 3 more minutes, stirring constantly. (This helps the spices mix and develops their flavor and it prevents the turmeric from tasting awful as it does – at least to me – when it’s raw/uncooked!).  Add a little oil or a little water, if needed, to keep the spices from burning. Remove the onion mixture from the pan and set aside.

Add the second tablespoon of olive oil to the pan (the pan from which you just removed the onions.) When the oil is hot, add the mushrooms. Stir to mix and continue cooking and stirring occasionally for about 10 minutes or until some of the mushrooms get a little brown at the edges.

Now add the onion mixture to the mushrooms in the pan. Add a pinch of hot red pepper and salt, to taste, if desired. Mix well and continue cooking, stirring constantly, for about 4 minutes.

How to use this versatile recipe

Add a few spoons on top of chicken, fish, tofu, eggs, and assorted grains. Mix some into greens and other veggies.

Enjoy and be healthy!

~Leni

Note to Readers: Mushroom Contest – My recipe is on the web!

Hi everyone,

I just entered a mushroom recipe contest sponsored by Taste of Home. For this contest, entrants had to create a recipe using mushrooms, and I created the appetizer recipe, Shitake ‘Bacon’, Avocado and Mango Bites.

I can’t publish this recipe on this blog because I entered it into a contest so it’s the property of the sponsor of the contest. But you can see my recipe on the Taste of Home web site.

As you know, mushrooms have significant anti-cancer properties, so these Shitake ‘Bacon’, Avocado and Mango Bites are not only delicious, beautiful, and easy-to-make, but they are very HEALTHY besides!

I think you will LOVE these Shitake ‘Bacon’, Avocado and Mango Bites. They’re a BIG hit around here!

The contest has not yet been judged so I do not know if my recipe will take a prize….but I sure hope so. And if you would like to rate the recipe and write a review, just go to the link on the Taste of Home site!

Enjoy and be healthy!

~Leni

Why Mushrooms?

Shitake, maitake, enokidake (enoki), cremini, portobello, oyster, and thistle oyster mushrooms all contain substances which stimulate and strengthen the immune system. In Japan, mushrooms are used as an immune-boosting compliment to chemotherapy.  (Anti-Cancer, David Servan-Schreiber, page 123)

What about white button mushrooms?
White button mushrooms also have a significant anti-cancer effect.

Other mushrooms?
For information about ALL the different medicinal properties of many different kinds of mushrooms, check out: Wikipedia.

Singapore Noodles Plus

This is one way that I can get my family to eat more veggies and not complain. I take one order of Singapore Noodles (take-out from a local Chinese restaurant) and to that I add: onions, Savoy or Nappa cabbage, mushrooms, garlic, turmeric, and black pepper and serve it on a bed of fresh baby arugula.

Is this the PERFECT anti-cancer food? Definitely not. After all, noodles are not low on the glycemic index and the restaurant probably uses “vegetable oil” rather than canola or olive oil in preparing this dish. In addition, the slivers of chicken in the dish are from chickens that most certainly have not been raised without hormones. But this dish is EASY to make and DELICIOUS! And…by adding so many healthy foods to one order of Singapore Noodles, we end up with a dish that, on balance, has a lot more positives than negatives — and one that my family really enjoys.

Ingredients

3 ounces dried sliced shitake mushrooms (Why mushrooms? How do mushrooms help to prevent cancer?)

olive or canola oil

1 large onion, cut into wide slices (Why onions? How do onions help to prevent cancer?)
6 cloves of garlic, minced (Why garlic? How does garlic help prevent cancer?)
1/2 head of cabbage (Savoy or Nappa), cut into 1/2-thick strips (Why cabbage? How does cabbage help to prevent cancer?)
1 serving of Singapore Noodles from a Chinese restaurant (take-out)

turmeric (Why turmeric? How does turmeric help to prevent cancer?)
freshly ground black pepper
tamari or soy sauce

baby arugula (Note: Arugula is a cruciferous vegetable just like cabbage so it acts like cabbage in helping to prevent cancer.)

Chinese hot pepper sauce (for example, Sriracha Hot Chili Sauce)

Directions

Reconstitute the shitake mushrooms according to the package directions OR just put the mushrooms into a bowl, pour enough water into the bowl to just barely submerge the mushrooms in the water; set a small plate on top of the mushrooms to keep them submerged; let them sit for 30 minutes; then remove the reconstituted mushrooms from the liquid with a slotted spoon. Squeeze some or the liquid out of the mushrooms and set the mushrooms aside. (Note: You can strain the mushroom liquid and use it for soups and sauces.)

While the mushrooms are being reconstituted, cut the onions and cabbage into pieces as suggested above and then…

In a large wok (14-inch is good), heat the oil over medium-high heat; when the oil is hot add the onions and stir fry until the onions are wilted and starting to turn translucent; remove the onions from the wok and set them aside.

Add more oil to the wok and when the oil is hot, add the garlic and quickly saute it, removing the garlic from the oil with a strainer before the garlic turns brown; set the garlic aside. Add the sliced cabbage to the hot oil, adding the pieces with the thicker ribs before adding the pieces with the thinner ribs. Stir fry the cabbage until it starts to wilt. Return the sauted garlic to the pan with the cabbage and toss the cabbage to distribute the garlic.

Turn the heat to medium-low and add the Singapore noodles to the wok. Then add the reserved mushrooms and onions and toss to mix well.

Sprinkle the contents of the wok with turmeric (you can add a lot!) and freshly ground black pepper. Season to taste with tamari sauce. Serve on a bed of baby arugula. Pass the Chinese hot pepper sauce at the table.

Also, this dish goes well with Chicken with Chaat Masala since the seasonings in the two dishes are quite similar. So if you want more chicken in your Singapore Noodle Plus dish, just add some chunks of Chicken with Chaat Masala.

Enjoy and be healthy!

~Leni

MUSHROOMS: Shitake & Oyster Mushrooms

SHITAKE AND OYSTER MUSHROOMS WITH OYSTER SAUCE

This recipe is one my all-time favorites. It’s a bit of a splurge as the ingredients are a little pricey – but it’s absolutely delicious – and incredibly healthy, as are all edible mushrooms.  And it’s easy to make!

And… if you don’t have time to make this great dish, just reconstitute a bunch of shitake mushrooms (see directions for reconstituting below); remove the stems and store the reconstituted mushrooms in your refrigerator. You can use them in just about everything! Just cut into bite-size pieces (using a pair of kitchen shears) and add to soups and stews, rice, pasta, beans and veggies! These mushrooms are very versatile, delicious and oh-so healthy! They also freeze well. Just freeze in small portion-size packets for later use.

Ingredients
1, 3 ½-ounce package dried shitake mushrooms

• Other names for shitake mushrooms are Chinese black mushrooms, black mushrooms, and black forest mushrooms.
• Medium-sized dried shitake reconstitute nicely. The larger ones get more watery.
• To order dried mushrooms by mail , you might try Wild Mushroom Supply.

2 tablespoons peanut oil (or canola oil) plus 1 tablespoon peanut oil
5 fresh king oyster mushrooms (or as many as come in one 11-ounce package)

• King oyster mushrooms are big oyster mushrooms and you will find them at Asian supermarkets (for example, Grand Mart in Sterling and Centerville, VA) and perhaps at some well-stocked regular supermarkets.
• They can be stored in the refrigerator (in the packaging they come in) for about a week without a problem.
• If you don’t have king oyster mushrooms, you can make this recipe without them. Just use less oyster sauce.

1-2 tablespoons of oyster sauce

• Every Chinese cookbook I’ve read recommends Lee Kum Kee Premium Oyster Flavored Sauce, so that’s what I use.
• If you are vegetarian, you may skip this sauce entirely and use some Bragg Liquid Aminos or just a little soy sauce instead.
• Bragg Liquid Aminos is 100% ok for vegetarians as it’s made with “vegetable protein from soybeans and purified water” and that’s it. Braggs, available at Whole Foods (and other natural foods stores) actually tastes amazingly similar to Oyster Sauce.  But the oyster sauce I used in this recipe has some sugar in it -  4 grams sugar per tablespoon, according to the label, and the Bragg’s product has no sugar in it. One teaspoon of sugar weighs 4 grams.
• So to make 1 tablespoon of the vegetarian equivalent of oyster sauce, you would use about 1 teaspoon of sugar and 3 teaspoons of Braggs Liquid Aminos. Or instead of sugar, you could use agave nectar. Since agave nectar is sweeter than sugar,  just use 1/2 teaspoon of agave nectar and 3 teaspoons of Braggs.
• I don’t think it matters in this recipe whether you use sugar or agave nectar. It’s such a small amount and it’s part of a meal. So the gylcemic index issue isn’t an issue. (More on the glycemic index another time.)

1 teaspoon of toasted sesame oil (optional)

• Note added on 8-28-09. When I first posted this post, I debated with myself whether to include the sesame oil in the recipe. The sesame oil makes the dish taste even better, but heated oils are not recommended. They may contain cancer causing chemical byproducts and they are oxidants — the exact opposite of the anti-oxidants that we need to have more of in our diets. Still, at the time I wrote this recipe, I figured that this is  a very small amount of toasted sesame oil, so I included it – as an optional ingredient. I just want you to know why the sesame oil is optional, and you may want to skip it. The mushroom dish will still taste GREAT without it.

Directions
Reconstitute the dried shitake mushrooms:

• Place dried shitake mushrooms into a bowl of water and rinse.
• Remove shitake mushrooms from water and place in a medium-size pot; add water (to fill with enough water to cover the mushrooms if they were all submerged) and heat to boiling; cover (with lid partly ajar) and boil gently for one minute. You may need to stir the water a little so that it doesn’t boil over.
• Remove the pot from heat; let it sit, covered, for 1-2 minutes, covered.
• Test to see if the shitake mushrooms have been fully reconstituted: Use a kitchen shears and cut through one of the thicker mushrooms. If there is a light colored stripe in the middle, it needs to sit in the water a little longer to get fully reconstituted.

Using a slotted spoon, remove the mushrooms from the cooking water.

When cool enough to handle, cut off the mushroom stems using a pair of kitchen scissors. Set the cooked and stemmed mushrooms aside. Reserve mushroom stems and the water the mushrooms were in for another use.

Slice the king oyster mushrooms lengthwise into slices (slightly more than 1/4 -inch wide). Slice each slice lengthwise to make 2-3 strips per slice. Set aside.

Heat the 2 tablespoons of peanut (or canola) oil in a large heavy bottomed pan over medium heat. When the oil is hot, add half of the oyster mushroom strips and sauté until lightly browned on both sides. Remove the lightly browned oyster mushrooms strips to the serving dish.

Add the one 1 tablespoon of peanut (or canola) oil to the pan from which you just removed the oyster mushroom strips; let the oil get warm/hot; add the rest of the oyster mushroom strips; brown on both sides and then remove the browned mushrooms to a mixing bowl.

Add the reconstituted and stemmed shitake mushrooms to the bowl with the oyster mushroom strips.

In a small bowl, mix the oyster sauce with the toasted sesame oil (if using). Pour the oyster sauce-sesame oil mixture over the mushrooms in the large bowl; stir to mix well.

Notes re directions:

• Note re reconstituting shitake: You will find other directions for reconstituting these mushrooms tell you to soak them longer. That’s OK. The directions I have given above are what I used and were based on what I read on the back of the package of Havista Black Mushrooms that I used.
• Note re mushroom soaking liquid: The water that the dried shitake mushrooms soaked in is great in soup.
• Note re shitake stems:  You can puree the stems in a food processor or blender and add the puree to the mushroom broth for a great soup starter.
• Note re sediment in mushroom soaking liquid: When you pour the mushroom soaking water over into a storage container, you will notice that there’s some sediment at the bottom. I discard the small amount of liquid with sediment because it probably contains some gritty matter (dirt?).

Mushroom links…
For information on how to grow your own shitake mushrooms (in temperate climates)!
I haven’t tried it myself but it sounds like an interesting and quite easy project that could pay for itself many times over. Fresh dried shitake mushrooms are really expensive! Please leave a comment to let us know if you have had success (or not) growing your own mushrooms.

Enjoy and be healthy!
Leni