Food Fast: Hoisin Portobello Noodle Soup

Snow, snow, snow, when will it stop?  Tonight I wasn't feeling 100% and cooking for one isn't always motivating for me.  I didn't want to go out... so rather than take-away I made up a quick slurrpy asian style soup.   Took less than 10 minutes before I was happily slurping away.

Slup-a-Licious

Ingredients:
1 stick of rice noodles
1 veggie cube (I use mushroom)
Soy Sauce
Hoisin Sauce
1 Portobello mushroom

The two main ingredients

Cook the Rice Noodle - the key is Rice noodles don't like to be boiled - first boil the water - then turn off the heat and soak the rice noodle in the veggie cube water.  Use a nice deep fry pan for this.  Cover the noodles & let sit 5-7 minutes.

Slice up the Portobello and add to fry pan with a touch of oil.  After about 3-4 minutes, when the mushroom starts to cook,  add a small spoon full of hoisin sauce to a few tablespoons of soy sauce (mix that up), than pour that over the mushroom.  Cook another 2 minutes or so.

Hoisin - simply great on anything - find it at the Asian market nearest you

Add the noodle and some broth to a bowl.  Dump the mushroom mix on top.  Slup it up.

Ideas for Dinner: Carrot Soup & Hummus Naan Pizza

Look in the fridge and make something out of what you got.  I made this dinner the other night.  Pretty easy and delicious.  A basic tomato based soup and hummus spread on a toasted naan bread was pretty much it.

Carrot Soup - I added 1 jar of tomatoes, 1 bag of frozen carrot pieces, a square inch of fresh ginger (processed through a garlic press), celery chunks (cooked a bit in a pan first) and some left over spinach.  I blended everything but the spinach and then simmered around 20 minutes.

Naan Hummus Pizza - it's one of my theories in life that hummus can make a meal.  For this open faced hummus pizza -  I took naan bread & brushed it with oil & then broiled it around 5 minutes.  I had one extra veggie burger - so I sliced it thin & fried it up with some Portobello. From there I spread on some hummus and then added the veggie burger, mushroom, & some tomato.

Dinner is served.

Later I added a can of coconut milk to the carrot soup.  This was fantastic.  Although my husband didn't seem to agree - I thought it was creamy perfection with the ginger & carrot.

Creamy Leak & Yam-Potato Soup

I love soup - especially creamy soup - this Leak Soup is blended and the flavour is great.  Serve this with some BBQ Veggie Skewers and you got yourself a meal.

Ingredients:

• 2 Leak
• 2 Small Onion or 1 Large
• 2 Large Potatoes
• 1 Large Yam
• 2 Veggie Boullion Cubes
• 6-8 cups water (depends on how thick/ thin you want it)
• 1-2 Cloves Fresh Garlic Crushed
• Salt & Pepper

1.  Chop dark green ends off the leak, then chop the end off the white end - split the stalks open and then clean them through (a lot of dirt can get in there) - Chop up the Leaks

2. Chop up the Onions & put the Leaks & Onions together in a frying pan with some oil - cook on Medium (just a little under) until they are soft could be 10-15 minutes.  Add the Garlic when they are almost done. 

Cook Leak & Onion until soft & slightly translucent

Crush the fresh cloves

3.  While the Onion cook boil the water, chop up the Yam & Potato and Boil for 10 minutes.

Chop up Potato & Yam - if you don't have Yam you can use an extra Potato

Boil 10 minutes - Add the Onion & Leak Mix - Boil another 10 minutes

While Boiling water add 2 Bouillon cubes

4. After boiling the Leaks, Onion, Potato & Yam for 10 minutes together blend everything - you'll need to leave the little top partially open on the blender - hold it with you hand & gently flip the blender to low and then quickly back again - or the steam can send everything exploding out.

After blending add back to the Pot with Salt & Water & cook on low for 10 minutes

5. Simmer all the blended ingredients for 10 minutes - Add some salt & pepper - Voila - Creamy delicious Leak & Yam-Potato soup.

Pumpkin-Potato Coconut Milk Soup

I love making soups.  They are so easy and so delicious.  I used to think you needed a good soup base to start - wrong try again.  You can make soup without so much as a veggie cube.  Here's one of my favorite soups.  Keep in mind that I don't go by recipes so the proportions are approximate - don't worry about getting it perfect - it will be easier than you think.

Ingredients:

• 1/2 - 1 Squash (your choice! I like anything orange but others work too)
• 2-3 Large Potato Diced (Or Yams if you got them!)
• 1 Onion Chopped
• 5-6 cups of water (start this boiling while you chop!)
• 1 Can Coconut Milk
• 1-2 Tbsp Curry Powder
• A Pinch of Fresh Sage (if you got it)
• 2 Tbsp Brown Sugar
• 1 Tbsp Basil
• Salt to taste
• Pepper to taste

1. Cut that squash in half - spoon out the inside cuts & chop off (or peel) the skin.  Chop this up into bite sized pieces.

2. Chop up the Potato (or Yam) into Bit Sized pieces.

3. Toss the Potato & Squash into the boiling water.  Boil for 15 minutes or until soft.

4. While the veg boils chop up the Onion (I like to use Red) and fry this up at Medium until they get a little transparent & soft - I've been happy using Safflower Oil lately for my pan frying.  Half way through frying I like to toss some of the spice right on the onion (your choice).  Once done, add this to the pot of soup along with the rest of the spices

5. Boil at a Medium heat for 15-20 minutes.  Half way through add the Coconut Milk & Brown Sugar.

6. Finally fill a blender to 3/4 with the chunky bits of the soup.  Make sure to hold the top bit open on the blender lid or it will fly out with the pressure.  Keep flicking the switch back & forth from off to low quickly until it's blended.  Add this back into the soup.

7. Done - Beautiful Creamy Delicious home made soup.