Thai Noodle Soup

This is a very easy soup that anyone can make. Crisp tender vegetables, silky Thai noodles and a flavorful vegetable broth for the basis for this recipe. Pair it with some egg rolls or pot stickers and you'll have yourself a satisfying lunch or dinner.

Click here to view the video demonstration with additional tips.

For this recipe, you'll need the following:

• 2 T olive oil
• 1 T butter
• 2 cups of shredded cabbage
• 2 stalks of celery chopped
• 2 carrots julienned
• 4 green onions finely chopped
• 2 T peeled and chopped fresh ginger
• 2 T soy sauce
• 1 T garlic chili paste (available in the Asian section of your grocery store)
• 1 T brown sugar
• 4 cups of vegetable stock (or chicken stock if you prefer)
• 1 3 oz package of chicken flavor Ramen noodles
• Salt and pepper to taste

In a large pot over medium high heat, add the olive oil and butter. Once the oil and butter mixture is hot, add the cabbage, celery, carrots and green onions. Stirring frequently, lightly saute (sweat) the vegetables for 5 to 7 minutes. Do not let the vegetables get too soft.

Next, add the ginger, soy sauce, garlic chili paste and brown sugar to the soup. Stir until evenly distributed.

Once everything is evenly distributed, add the vegetable stock. When the soup starts to simmer, reduce the heat to medium low. Add 1/2 of the flavor packet included with the Ramen noodles.

Break the Ramen noodle cake into quarters and add it to the soup.

As the noodles cook, use a spoon or spatula to break apart the noodle cake pieces. Continue to simmer the soup until the noodles are just tender. Be careful not to over cook the noodles.

Once the noodles are tender, season the soup with salt and pepper. Be careful when seasoning this soup with the salt. The garlic chili paste and the half of flavor packet we already added contain a fair amount of salt.

Enjoy!

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Gazpacho

Gazpacho is a quick and simple dish that anyone can make. It is a chilled vegetable soup of Spanish origin and perfect on a hot Summer day when you don't feel like cooking. Its refreshing and light, overflowing with vegetables from the garden or your local farmers market.

For this recipe, you will need the following:

• 1 hothouse cucumber (these are the cucumbers you see in the grocery store wrapped in plastic)
• 1 yellow bell pepper (you can substitute red or orange if you like)
• 4 plum tomatoes
• 1 red onion
• 3 cloves of garlic
• 3 cups of tomato juice
• 1/4 cup white wine vinegar
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1 tsp salt
• 3/4 tsp pepper
• 1 cup chopped cooked shrimp or cooked bay shrimp (optional)

Chop the cucumber, bell pepper, tomatoes and onion into 1/4 pieces. Mince the garlic.

Combine the vegetables, garlic, tomato juice, vinegar, olive oil, salt and pepper into a large bowl. Add the shrimp (if you choose to do so). Mix well before serving. The longer Gazpacho sits, the more the flavors develop.

Enjoy!