Here’s a dish we made a few weeks ago from The Ultimate Soup Bible. A salmon fillet is cut on the diagonal into thin slices which are seared and then placed into a bowl of steaming hot, richly-flavored broth and udon noodles. Baby bok choy adds color and some crunch.

Oh my god, it’s a miracle.

Chris says:

What?

Lisa says:

Okay, two miracles. One, you’re updating the blog. Two, the recipe doesn’t include mushrooms.

Chris says:

Since when are mushrooms a problem?

Lisa says:

They’re not… it’s just… I’ve gotten comments. I’ve heard things.

Chris says:

Uh…

Lisa says:

Yeah. People are starting to think that’s all we eat.

Chris says:

Well we do like mushrooms.

Lisa says:

That’s true… but… I’m just saying. That last post has been up there for a while. I was wondering if we were going to change the blog’s name to WeHeartShrooms.com…

Chris says:

Hey if that’s not registered yet, I’m gonna grab it. So…

Lisa says:

…yeah?

Chris says:

You want to talk about this dish at all?

Lisa says:

Oh yeah, right! I loved it! Those really thin slices of salmon were awesome. And I just love a big bowl of soup.

Chris says:

Same here — I hadn’t grilled such thin slices like that before. It worked out well. And those thick udon noodles are great for slurping. You know how much I love the slurping.

Lisa says:

Yes. Yes I do. And I guess if the biggest complaint about a dish is how loud it is when your dining partner eats it… well that’s really not much to complain about at all.

Salmon and Baby Bok Choy Ramen
6 cups vegetable stock
1 tbsp minced fresh ginger
2 garlic cloves, crushed
6 green onions, sliced
3 tbsp soy sauce
3 tbsp sake
1 lb salmon fillet, skinned
1 tsp peanut oil
12 oz udon noodles
4-5 baby bok choy, broken into leaves
1 fresh red chili pepper, seeded and sliced
1 cup bean sprouts
salt and pepper

Pour the stock into a pot and add the ginger, garlic, and a third of the green onions. Add the soy sauce and sake, and bring to a boil. Lower the heat and simmer for 30 minutes.
Meanwhile, cut the salmon at a severe angle into 12 slices. Brush a grill pan with the oil and heat until very hot. Sear the salmon slices for 1-2 minutes on each side until tender. Set aside.
Cook the udon noodles as per the directions, then drain and cool under cold running water. Drain again.
Strain the broth into a clean pot, season, and bring to a low boil. Add the bok choy.
Divide the noodles among 4 deep bowls, along with the salmon slices, green onions, chili, and bean sprouts. Ladle in the broth.

4 Servings.

Lisa made this soup when we were in California during the holidays — orzo, chickpeas, and spinach swim in a simple vegetable broth, topped with garlicky tomatoes and shredded Parmesan. Lisa’s dad liked the soup so much he decided to make it again just a few days later. The recipe is based on one from Heidi’s site, with a few additions.

A delicious noodle soup, orzo it seems

Lisa says:

C’mon, no puns tonight please.

Chris says:

Alright, fine. I do love the addition of the chickpeas…

Seto says:

This is very good Lisa! I’m having more.

Lisa says:

Awesome! I love the egg whites… they add a neat texture to the broth.

Chris says:

I bet this would be good with the kale option as well — if we make this when we get back to Seattle let’s do it that way.

Seto says:

I’ll be making this myself by the end of the week. Leave me the recipe…

7 cups vegetable broth
1 1/2 cups orzo
2 cups spinach, chopped
1 14-oz can chickpeas (garbanzo beans)
1 14-oz can fire-roasted diced tomatoes, well drained
1 tsp crushed red pepper
2-3 cloves garlic, minced
extra virgin olive oil
3 egg whites
sea salt

grated Parmesan cheese

Bring the broth to a boil in a large saucepan. Add the orzo and cook until just tender – about ten minutes. Stir in the chopped spinach and chickpeas.

Meanwhile, heat the tomatoes, red pepper, garlic, and a splash of extra virgin olive oil in a separate saucepan. Taste for seasoning and salt if needed.

Just before serving, slowly pour the egg whites into the soup, stirring quickly with a whisk. Taste and add more salt if needed. Divide the soup among four bowls, each serving topped with a spoonful of tomatoes, a drizzle of olive oil, and some of the cheese.

4-6 Servings

Here’s a quick & easy, packed-full-of-flavor slurpy bowl of goodness from Super Natural Cooking: Noodles, tofu, and onions swimming in a rich, creamy coconut curry broth. Just the right amount of spice, and a garnish of cilantro and shallots provide nice color contrast to the yellow broth.

Ooooh, good choice! This is different than what we usually make.

Chris says:

Yeah, I’m usually not in the mood for coconut-broth-type dishes like this. I certainly never order them out.

Lisa says:

Well I’m glad you made this one; and I actually like the spiciness level.

Chris says:

Yeah it’s perfect — could always kick in additional hot sauce if you want it hotter.

Lisa says:

What makes it yellow, the curry paste?

Chris says:

It was a little closer to orange before the turmeric. Adding that and the coconut milk gave it the nice yellow color. I think the only thing I don’t think the recipe as shown in the book needs is the peanuts. I’ll leave them out when I make this next time.

Lisa says:

Agreed — they don’t really add much. It’s plenty awesome without them!

Big Curry Noodle Pot
8 1/2 oz. dried whole wheat udon noodles
2 tbsp coconut oil
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 onion, chopped
1 1/2 tsp red curry paste
12 oz. extra firm tofu, cut into 1″ long columns
1 14 oz can coconut milk
2 cups vegetable broth
2 tsp turmeric
2 tbsp soy sauce
1 tbsp sugar
Juice of 1 lime
2 shallots, sliced into rings
1/3 cup chopped fresh cilantro

Cook noodles according to package directions in lots of boiling water with a dash of salt. Drain, stop the cooking by running cold water over, and set aside.
Meanwhile, heat the coconut oil in large saucepan over medium heat. Stir in the garlic, onion and curry paste, stirring until the curry paste is well incorporated, 1-2 minutes. Add the tofu and gently stir until coated. Stir in the coconut milk, broth, turmeric, soy sauce and sugar. Bring to a slow simmer and keep it there for about 5 minutes. Remove from the heat, add the lime juice and noodles, and stir.
Add the noodles and some extra both to each of 4 bowls. Top with the shallots and cilantro.

4-6 Servings

I’ve been sitting on this recipe for a while, looks like I had bookmarked it about a year ago and finally got around to making it.  Originally from a Cooking Light recipe, this modified version from The Kitchen Sink features chicken, potatoes, and other veggies in a smoky-tasting, creamy broth — using just 1/4 cup of cream.

This is bueno — I knew I’d saved that link for a reason…

Lisa says:

It’s pretty creamy tasting…

Chris says:

I know! There’s a little cream in there, but not a lot — most of the texture is from pureeing the broth and onion, celery, and carrots.

Lisa says:

Oh good, I like that the potatoes aren’t pureed in. I like the chunks.

Chris says:

Same here… and I just want to add lime and cilantro to every recipe.

Lisa says:

Don’t we already?.

Chris says:

Good point.

Lisa says:

Good dinner.

Chipotle Chicken Chowder
1 chipotle chile canned in adobo sauce, minced with 1 tsp of the adobo sauce *
1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
2 cups chopped onion
1 cup chopped carrot
1/2 cup chopped celery
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp ground oregano
6 garlic cloves, minced
6 cups chicken broth
2 small chicken breasts, cooked and shredded
3/4 lb yukon gold potatoes, in 1/2″ dice
1/4 cup whipping cream
1/3 cup chopped fresh cilantro, plus more to garnish
1/2 teaspoon salt
lime wedges

Heat the oil in a large Dutch oven over medium heat. Add chopped chile, adobo sauce, onion, carrot, celery, cumin, oregano, and garlic; cook 7 minutes or until onion is tender, stirring frequently. Stir in broth; bring to a boil. Simmer for 20 minutes or until vegetables are tender.

Remove pan from heat; let stand 5 minutes. Use an immersion blender to puree the mixture until smooth. Stir in the potatoes and chicken; bring to a simmer over medium heat. Cook, uncovered, 20 minutes or until potatoes are tender. Stir in cream and cilantro; simmer 5 minutes. Top with additional cilantro and serve with the lime wedges.

* Tip: To avoid wasting an entire can of chipotles when you only need one for a recipe, do the following: Once the can is opened, line a baking sheet with foil, spoon each chipotle chile with sauce onto the foil, and place in the freezer. Once frozen, remove from the foil (they’ll slide right off) and place into a ziploc bag or other container and keep in the freezer. Easy to remove just one when required for future recipes.

The Third Place Books close to us was having a blowout on used books a couple of weeks ago, and we picked up a copy of The Best of Cooking Light: Everyday Favorites for four bucks (I’m a sucker for cookbooks with pictures). This pork posole recipe caught my eye because it looked pretty much like a normal (aka, non-light) posole recipe. Pork is browned and then added to a stock made from chicken broth and pureed ancho chilies. This recipe is all about the condiments: a squeeze of lime and a bunch of cilantro really brings out the flavors in this soup.

We must love posole — I think we have four different recipes on the site.

Chris says:

Yep, and each one is a little different.

Lisa says:

I’m not sure about this one, you know I like the stewier ones.

Chris says:

Well, even though this one is broth-based, I think you’ll like it.

Lisa says:

Hmmm… kind of bland.

Chris says:

What? Ahhh… hit it with those garnishes. Squeeze that lime! Add those onions! Savor the cilantro!

Lisa says:

Wow, that makes a big difference… yum! It’s definitely growing on me.

Chris says:

Yeah, keep going…

Lisa says:

Awesome — I’m going back for more.

Chris says:

Mission Accomplished!

Pork Posole
4 ancho chilies, stemmed and seeded
2 cups boiling water
1 tbsp cumin seeds
1 tbsp peanut oil
1 1/2 lbs boneless pork loin, trimmed and cut into (1/2″) pieces
1 1/2 cups chopped onion
4 garlic cloves, minced
4 cups chicken broth
2 tbsp sugar
3/4 tsp salt
2 15.5-oz cans white hominy, undrained
sliced radishes
chopped green onions
minced fresh cilantro
lime slices

Heat a cast-iron skillet over high heat. Place chilies in pan; flatten with a spatula. Cook 10 seconds on each side or until blackened. Combine toasted chilies and 2 cups boiling water in a bowl; let stand 10 minutes or until soft. Place pepper mixture in a blender; process until smooth.

Cook cumin seeds in a large Dutch oven over medium heat for 1 minute or until toasted and fragrant. Place in a spice or coffee grinder; process until finely ground.

Heat oil in Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add pork; cook 5 minutes, browning on all sides. Do this in batches if you must — don’t crowd the pork or it’ll steam instead of brown. Remove pork from pan. Reduce heat to medium. Add onion and garlic to pan; cook 8 minutes or until onion is browned, stirring frequently. Stir in pork, pureed chilies, toasted ground cumin, broth, sugar, salt, and hominy; bring to a simmer. Cook 30 minutes or until pork is tender. Spoon equal portions posole into each of 6 bowls; top each serving with radishes, green onions, and cilantro. Serve with lime slices.

6 Servings