Simple & Light Sunday Soup

Yesterday afternoon, I was a bit hungover and still full from a big brunch of migas at The Shed. It was a surprisingly cold and really windy day (hello, beginning of the windy season in the desert!) and I was tired and just wanted to make a quick, kind of soothing dinner. I also wanted something light and healthy-tasting, so I threw together this easy Asian-inspired soup in about 20 minutes and it came out really well. It has just a few ingredients, but it's fairly flavorful due to the pepper flakes and the garlic.

lame cellphone pic

Soothing Spinach, Leek & Tofu Soup
hands on time 20 minutes
total time: 15-20 minutes

1 leek (or onion)
couple of handfuls of fresh spinach, torn
1 block of extra firm tofu, pressed
4 cups broth
1 good, heaping tbsp of garlic
1 tbsp olive oil
1 or 2 tsps of soy sauce
sprinkle of powdered ginger (optional)
couple sprinkles of red pepper flakes
salt to taste
pepper to taste
green onions as garnish (optional)

1. Press the entire block of tofu between two heavy plates for a half an hour or so.
2. Chop the white and light green part of the leek into rounds; discard dark green portion.
3. Combine oil, garlic and leeks in a medium-sized pot; saute until leeks are soft, about 5 minutes or so.
4. When the leeks are soft, add in the spinach and stir to coat the leaves with oil. Cook until spinach leaves are just wilted.
5. Add in broth, pepper flakes and ginger; cook on low medium heat for about 10 minutes.
6. Taste; if it seems underwhelming, add in some soy sauce for a bit more flavor.
7. Chop pressed tofu into small squares and add to the mixture, cook for another 5 or so minutes.
8. Add more of the pepper flakes, ginger, soy sauce, salt and pepper, to your liking. The flavor should be noticeable, but still pretty mild.

Feel free to make this spicy if you like spicy; I always feel like eating spicy food helps me get rid of all of the toxins I take in during a night of drinking, so I made mine really spicy last night.

This would also be good with onions, bok choy, swiss chard, or any other combination of oniony-type vegetables and greens. If you don't like tofu, you could easily substitute in rice or quinoa, but I like the texture and added protein of the tofu here. I'd steer clear of noodles for this soup, as the whole point of it is that it's really light: pasta adds some some bulk that is kind of the antithesis of this soup.

What do you like to eat for a hangover? I used to swear by greasy stuff like burgers and fries, but now I feel like lighter stuff makes me feel better faster. Plus, soup is hydrating!

In Which I Finally Make Frittata

If you've been reading this blog for any length of time, you know I am a big fan of egg dishes (see here, here, and here). Eggs are easy, healthy, and can be dressed up to taste really delicious with only minor time and effort.

I frequently come across frittata recipes on food blogs, especially on 30 Bucks A Week (they are always whipping up these incredible looking frittatas from random ingredients they have laying around. It's intimidating in a weird foodie way). I never had the oven-safe pan required to make one, though, until I recently bought a cast-iron skillet.

I like making brunch on the weekends, so I decided to try a frittata last Sunday morning and was pleasantly surprised at how easy it actually was. I sort of quickly threw this together after googling a few recipes, and it came out really well. It's easy enough that it doesn't feel like work, but tastes good enough that it feels a bit more festive (special? weekend-worthy? I don't know) for a Sunday brunch. I'm thinking frittatas could also be good for dinner, with a little salad and some some crusty toasted bread.

Spinach, Asparagus, & Feta Frittata

hands-on time: 10 min total time: 20 min

6 eggs (I used 2 eggs, 4 egg whites)

splash of milk

7 or 8 asparagus stalks, woody ends removed, chopped into 1 in pieces

handful of torn baby spinach

2-3 green onions, chopped

feta cheese to your liking (I used an herb blend)

2 glugs olive oil

chopped garlic to taste

an oven safe pan or skillet

1. Preheat oven to 450. 

2. Saute the asparagus with the chopped garlic and olive oil, about 5 minutes, until it turns a bright green.

3. Stir in the spinach and green onions, cook until spinach wilts.

4. Beat eggs thoroughly with just a splash of milk added, then pour into pan, making sure eggs are evenly distributed throughout pan.

5.  Sprinkle about half of the feta on top, then cook eggs and vegetables on low heat for 4-5 minutes.

6. Once the mixture has begun to set (but there is still egg liquid in the pan), add the rest of the feta and transfer to oven for 7-10 minutes.

7. The frittata is ready when the cheese is melted and the egg is set, but not browned; you can try inserting a fork or toothpick to see if it comes out clean. 

The feta that I used was extremely salty, so there was no need to add any more salt to this recipe, even after cooking. I loved this frittata so much I made another one the very next day, with tomatoes, spinach, and shredded Mexican cheese. I think the shredded cheese may have actually turned out better than the feta, and the tomatoes added some necessary juiciness. This would be easy to tweak by using different greens, adding onions or other vegetables, or changing the ratio of egg whites to eggs. 

I Cook To Trick Myself Into Thinking I'm Productive

I feel a really large (probably outsize) sense of accomplishment when I make a good meal, even when I haven't accomplished much else that day. I have been ostensibly working on my MFA thesis for the past few weeks, but after a few hours of writing (and websurfing...) at the coffeeshop, a nap, and various errands, it's hard to look back at the day and feel like I've gotten much of anything done, you know? I'm unemployed this summer and don't really have anywhere to be or anyone to hold me accountable for how I spend my time, which is something I'm quickly realizing is not the most productive way for me to work. So I've been trying to least create decent dinners, so that the pile of dishes in my kitchen sink is a concrete reminder that I've done something each day, at least as opposed to the myriad of Microsoft Word windows I've had open for the past 5 days.

Two dinners I made this week to convince myself of my productivity:

- Chili, Lemon and Basil Shrimp---quick, easy, spicy, good. I didn't bother with the lemon zest, just substituted a splash of lemon juice. I also used couscous from a box. I think it would also be good with white or brown rice.

- Five-Minute Tomato Pasta--- an awesome way to utilize fresh summer tomatoes, literally takes 5 minutes, ridiculously easy for the deliciousness it produces, lasts well in the fridge, and very cheap. I used quinoa pasta for more protein, but you can easily use dollar-store spaghetti, if that's all you've got; I also used spinach instead of arugula. And the recipe is written in a mildly amusing way, at least by recipe-writing standards.

Anyone else use cooking to convince themselves they've accomplished something? I know it's pathetic; I also know I'm going to be missing these long, hot, lazy(ish) days when I'm trying to frantically grade 27 student papers, complete my reading for my own classes, revise upwards of forty poems and eat something other than frozen taquitos once the semester gets going.

this doesn't really have anything to do with this post, other than it's the gorgeous new mexican sky
 I attempt to work under every day

On a different note, we've just been added to the Foodie Blogroll, check out the widget to the right!

One-Pot: Rotisserie Chicken, Asparagus and Couscous

I like rotisserie chickens for several reasons, not the least of which is because they smell amazing at all points of contact: in the store, in the car on the way home, and in the kitchen. I've been known to impulse buy them at the supermarket, just because I walked past and accidentally got a whiff of honey-barbecue. They're also quite useful for those of us who are too lazy to regularly roast chickens on our own, and it's easy to make the meat of one chicken last for several days' worth of meals. The particular chicken used in this recipe also provided us with taco meat, and I'm planning on using it for chicken chilaquiles tonight, as well.

Anyway, I made this recipe for dinner the other night, adapted from here. My main adaptations were eliminating parsley, adding spinach and using couscous-from-a-box. I will definitely make this again, as it's fast, easy and surprisingly tasty (for how simple it is). It's especially good for summer, I think; filling, but light enough to eat at the end of a long hot day. Also, light enough to eat at the beginning of a long hot night when your swamp cooler is partially broken....

One Pot: Rotisserie Chicken, Asparagus and Couscous

Ingredients:
total time: approx 20 min
total hands on time: 20 min

1 box of couscous mix (I used Near East Parmesan mix)
3-5 green onions
1/2 a bunch of asparagus, chopped into 1 in pieces
1 tbsp lemon juice
3 tbsps butter (I always use SmartBalance)
1 1/4 cups chicken or vegetable broth
few handfuls of fresh baby spinach
few handfuls of shredded rotisserie chicken

1. Make the couscous according the directions on the box.
2. While the couscous is cooking, chop the green onions and the asparagus.


3. Melt the butter in a saucepan on medium-low and add the white and light green parts of the onions. Cook until wilted.
4. Add the broth and a little bit of salt and pepper. Turn the heat up and bring to a boil.
5. Add asparagus and a few handfuls of baby spinach. Bring to a boil.
6. Add the couscous and chicken, then turn the heat off and let sit, covered, for 3-4 minutes.
7. Stir in the lemon juice, green parts of the onions, and serve!




Please forgive the picture quality, as these were taken on my phone. This may be the first in a series of posts on "one pot" meals: would you guys like to see more recipes like this? Let us know!

Spinach-Leek Egg Drop Soup

I kind of combined a few recipes to make this, namely this one and this one. I added the leeks and the spinach, because I really like leeks and because I eat spinach with basically everything. I also think they look pretty in the soup.

Unlike most soup (which I find tends to be most flavorful 1-2 after days initially cooking), this soup tastes the best when eaten immediately.


Spinach-Leek Egg Drop Soup

Ingredients:
2 cans of low-sodium chicken broth
1 cup water
2 tbsps cornstarch
1 leek, chopped
4-5 handfuls of fresh spinach, torn (2-4 cups)
3 eggs
1 egg yolk
garlic salt to taste
1 tsp ground ginger

You will also need a fork. Conveniently, I used the one I had just whisked my eggs with.

1. Put the broth into a soup pot on medium-high heat. Let it warm up a little.
2. Chop leeks and tear spinach; add to broth.
3.In a small bowl, combine the water and the cornstarch, then add to broth and stir.
4. Add salt and ginger. Stir again.
5. Crack eggs into bowl (or, in my case, a really large measuring cup with a spout. Spout is good for pouring the eggs in) and whisk until blended.
6. Turn off heat. Don't forget to do this!
7. Slowly, very slowly, pour the eggs into the broth (here comes the weird part) through the tines of the fork. This keeps the eggs from meeting the water too fast, and it also seperates them into smaller "ribbons." It should take 2-3 minutes to pour all of the eggs in.
8. Periodically while pouring the eggs, stir the soup in one direction.
9. When all eggs are gone, stir and eat! Optional: more garlic salt

A bonus to this recipe is that it is extremely low in calories. A leek has about 54 calories, baby spinach has 15 calories per 2 cups, and eggs are about 100 calories each, with one yolk being about 54. The brand of broth I used (Albertson's Fat Free) has about 10 calories per can. I'm not good at math or at figuring out servings, but it's pretty clear that this is a healthy soup.

Some people have referred to this soup as "girl food," but the soup is way more filling than it looks, due to the protein in the eggs. I like to eat it with toast.