Hot and Sour Chicken Noodle Soup

Chicken Noodle Soup may be great food for someone with a cold, but Hot and Sour Chicken Noodle Soup is perfect for everyone - sick or not.  And if you are sick, the spice and sour will definitely clear your sinuses and warm you up!  Obviously, I came up with this recipe by combining a hot and sour soup with a more traditional chicken noodle soup.  Feel free to add more or different veggies if you'd like.  If you're adding raw, cut in smaller pieces and add at the beginning - if using frozen veggies, add when you add the chicken, since they'll just need to thaw and heat through.  You may also want to add more red pepper flakes to taste (I certainly did).  Click here to check out my favorite and easiest way to cook chicken breasts. 

Hot and Sour Chicken Noodle Soup Serves 4-6

6 cups chicken broth (or veggie and chicken)
1 cup water
3/4 cup diced carrots
2 T fresh ginger root, minced
4 cloves garlic, crushed
4 teaspoons soy sauce (gluten-free)
1 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
Egg noodles or other thin or small pasta (or GF rice noodles)
1 1/2 cups diced or shredded, cooked chicken breast (approx 2 breasts)
1/2 tablespoon sesame oil
1 can diced or sliced water chestnuts, diced
6 tablespoons red wine vinegar
4 tablespoons cornstarch
1 egg, beaten
2 green onions, chopped
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro (optional)

In a saucepan, combine the chicken broth, water, carrots, ginger, garlic, soy sauce, and hot pepper flakes and heat on medium high.
Place the chicken into a bowl and toss with the sesame oil to coat. In a separate bowl, stir together the cornstarch and vinegar, and set aside.
Once boiling, add the noodles and cook until nearly done.
Add the chicken and water chestnuts. Return to a boil, and then drizzle in the egg while stirring slowly to create long strands of egg. Stir in the vinegar and cornstarch. Simmer over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until the broth has thickened slightly, about 2 minutes. Serve garnished with green onions and cilantro.

Oven Braised Fingerling Potatoes In Wine

Oven Braised Fingerling Potatoes In Wine
1 ½ Pounds fingerling potatoes
1 Teaspoon sea salt
3 Tablespoons dry white wine (I used leftover champagne that I had from a random champagne Saturday)
3 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 Teaspoon herbs de Provence or your choice of herbs - I bought these in France, so it seemed like I should use them

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Cut 1 1/2 pounds fingerlings in half lengthwise.  In shallow roasting pan, toss spuds with 1 teaspoon sea salt, 3 tablespoons dry white wine and 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil.  Scatter with herbs de Provence and toss. Potatoes should be crowded in pan in single layer.  Cover and place in middle of oven 20 to 30 minutes or until very tender.  Serve immediately.

Roasted Carrots and Turnips

I got carrots and turnips with my weekly market bag and I've recently discovered that I love turnips, so I was excited to try this recipe.  It turned out really well - when these veggies roast, they develop a naturally sweet/caramelized taste, which contrasts nicely with balsamic. 

Roasted Carrots and Turnips

6-8 small carrots, peeled and cut into diagonal slices
2 large turnips, peeled, sliced, then cut into diagonal strips slightly larger than carrots
1-2 T olive oil, enough to coat vegetables
2 tsp. plus 1 tsp. balsamic vinegar
couple of sprinkles preferred seasonings (garlic, sage, rosemary) I used 21 Season Salute from Trader Joes
sea salt and fresh ground black pepper to season if desired

Preheat oven to 350 F. Peel carrots and turnips and cut into diagonal pieces, making the turnips slightly larger than the carrots, since turnips cook faster. Put vegetables into ziploc bag, pour in olive oil and 2 tsp. balsamic vinegar, then add seasoning. Seal the bag and squeeze to move the vegetables around until they are well-coated with oil and the vegetables are mixed around.
Spray a roasting pan with oil. Or if you don't want to wash the pan, line it with foil and spray that.  Pour veggies out onto pan and spread around so they're in a single layer. Roast 35-45 minutes, until vegetables are softened and starting to brown. Put into serving bowl and toss with remaining 1 tsp. balsamic vinegar*, and season with salt and pepper if desired. Serve immediately.

*I had a balsamic reduction that I'd made previously and I used this as a topping instead of the straight balsamic.  I would highly recommend making a reduction for this.  To do so...simmer balsamic vinegar until it...well...reduces by about half.  When you drag a spoon across the bottom of the pan, it should leave a little path for a second or two.  Some people add a little brown sugar while reducing for a little more sweetness.