Author: Suzanne

Posted on

4.13.2014 | TI8

Sunday I Ate:

Breakfast: Shredded Wheat and grapefruit juice

Lunch:  sliders at Phil’s Sliders in Berkeley

Mid-afternoon snack:  chocolate chip cookie dough

Dinner:  After eating out for three meals this weekend, I needed salad for dinner — fresh arugula, avocado, carrots, celery, and green onions with apple cider vinaigrette

Posted on

4.12.2014 | TI8

Saturday I Ate:

Breakfast: Shredded Wheat and grapefruit juice

Lunch:  chicken and sausage gumbo at the California Academy of Sciences’ Academy Cafe

Mid-afternoon snack:  lemon-raspberry muffin

Dinner: Oh, my belly is full and happy after eating chips and guacamole & verdes enchiladas at Picante in Berkeley.

Posted on

Ramen Noodle Soup

I know what you’re thinking: “You’re actually posting a recipe for ramen?”

Wait!  Don’t stop reading:  this recipe simmers up into something extraordinary.  We’re going to throw that little flavor packet away and give this ramen some serious taste and belly-filling capacity.

Get ready to go ramen gourmet.   You know you wanna.

Print Recipe

Ramen Noodle Soup

Total Time40 minutes

Ingredients

  • 3 14.5- ounce cans low sodium chicken broth
  • 2 cups water
  • 2 tablespoons soy sauce
  • 1/4 cup mirin or dry sherry
  • 1 2- inch piece of fresh ginger cut into several pieces and smashed
  • 6 garlic cloves lightly crushed with skins on
  • 2 whole star anise pods
  • 4 dried shiitake mushrooms rinsed
  • 2 carrots peeled and chopped
  • 2 sticks celery chopped
  • 1 8- ounce can sliced water chestnuts strained and rinsed
  • 1/2 cup snap peas
  • 12 ounces cooked chicken cut into small cubes
  • 3 3- ounce packages of ramen noodles flavor packets discarded, noodles broken as desired
  • 4 medium scallions sliced thinly
  • toasted sesame oil to taste

Instructions

  • Bring broth, water, soy sauce, mirin (or sherry), ginger, garlic, star anise, and mushrooms to boil over medium-high heat in a large saucepan. Reduce heat and simmer for 20 minutes. Strain broth over a large bowl and return the strained broth to the pot. Remove mushrooms from the strainer and slice them thinly and add them back to the broth. Discard remaining solids.
  • Add carrots and bring broth to a simmer over medium high heat. When carrots are nearly tender, add celery, water chestnuts, snap peas, and chicken along with the noodles. Cook, stirring frequently until the noodles soften, about 3 minutes. Serve immediately, drizzling each bowl with sesame oil and garnishing with scallions.

Notes

Adapted from Cook's Illustrated. If desired, prepare the broth ahead of time and store it in an airtight container up to two days.
Posted on

4.10.2014 | TI8

Thursday I Ate:

Breakfast: Shredded Wheat and grapefruit juice

Mid-morning snack:  honey yogurt

Lunch:  the last two sliced of pizza topped with roasted garlic, dried cherries, prosciutto, and Gorgonzola cheese

Mid-afternoon snack:  lemon-raspberry muffin, carrot sticks, pecans

Dinner:  ramen noodle soup

Posted on

4.8.2014 | TI8

Tuesday I Ate:

Breakfast: Shredded Wheat and grapefruit juice

Mid-morning snack:  a handful of dried apricots

Lunch:  leftover mac-and-cheese (from The Joy of Cooking)

Mid-afternoon snack:  lemon-raspberry muffins, carrots

Dinner:  green salad and pizza topped with roasted garlic, dried cherries, prosciutto, and Gorgonzola cheese

Posted on

Tortilla Soup

Our only copy of the recipe for this warm, comforting, downright delicious soup is a photocopy of a print-out of an email that my niece Katja sent to my mom.  It’s crumpled and soup-splattered and nearly impossible to locate when we need it.  Last time we made tortilla soup, I was on the verge of texting my niece for the recipe when I found it tucked inside my copy of The Bread Bible.  Now that I’m sharing it, we won’t ever have to scramble to find it again.

Both my mom and niece make this recipe on the stove, but we usually simmer it all day long in the slow cooker.  During last week’s dinner emergency, we pressure cooked it and had dinner on the table in less than 30 minutes.  I challenge anyone to find a fourth way to prepare this awesome recipe.  Bring it, people.

Print Recipe

Tortilla Soup

Adapted from Katja Vassilev's recipe. Serves 12.

Ingredients

  • 2 boneless skinless chicken breasts
  • 2 15- ounce cans diced tomatoes
  • 1 4- ounce can diced green chiles
  • 1 28- ounce can green enchilada sauce
  • 2 cups frozen corn
  • 2 15- ounce cans black beans drained and rinsed
  • 1 medium onion diced
  • 2 cloves garlic minced
  • 1 jalapeno minced
  • 2 cups chicken broth
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons chili powder
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons Mexican oregano
  • 3 corn tortillas roughly chopped or torn into 1-inch pieces
  • 2 tablespoons fresh cilantro coarsely chopped
  • 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice

Garnishes:

  • diced avocado
  • lime wedges
  • sour cream
  • shredded cheddar cheese
  • toasted tortilla strips or tortilla chips

Instructions

  • Place all ingredients except cilantro and lime juice in a slow cooker, large saucepan, or pressure cooker. To prepare in a slow cooker, simmer on high for 4-to-6 hours or on low for 8-to-10 hours. For stove-top cooking, simmer on low for about 2 hours. To use a pressure cooker, bring to pressure and then cook for about 15 minutes.
  • Remove chicken and shred. Return shredded meat to the pot with cilantro and lime juice. Taste and adjust seasonings. Serve with garnishes as desired.