It's the September Challenge! Meredith and I have chosen to focus our cooking efforts by trying recipes from one exclusive source all month long. She is working her way through recipes that she has saved from the Food Network and I am making recipes from the July and August editions of "Clean Eating". Never heard of this magazine? Well, if you are interested in organic hippie food, this is the magazine for you. It is SUPER healthy (maybe a little too much so) and is all about eating "close to the earth" and eliminating all the artificial additives that are so bad for us. This is a challenge for me because, although I love healthy cooking magazines, I don't often stray from Eating Well or Cooking Light. Before picking up Clean Eating, I thought that I was a pretty healthy gal, but these people have put me to shame. They are CRAZY healthy and take eating close to the earth to the extreme. I am learning so much about how to use and find the best possible ingredients for my body and how to eat seasonally. I'll keep you updated with all the fun tidbits I come across.
So.... confession. This recipe that I'm about to post is NOT from Clean Eating.
I know I know! My first post in the challenge and I've already strayed from the path.
Here's the deal, Anthony and I are obsessed with this restaurant in Houston called Jenni's Noodle House. It's reasonably priced, off the beaten path, and sooo yummy. We generally go about once a week, but other obligations have kept us away lately. Beginning to crave my miso ramen soup, I decided to re-create my Jenni's favorite dish at home tonight. Here's how I justify posting it: Clean Eating would be proud. This soup is packed with fresh ingredients, lean protein, and tons of vitamins. It's so easy, so delicious, and so healthy (never mind that we shared a quart of ice cream afterwards).
Instead of a miso base, I used my homemade veggie stock spiked with soy sauce. Although a bit pricey up front (I spent $25 on ingredients), I think it evens out because it makes a TON of soup. At least 10 servings... maybe more. We'll be eating it for the next few days.
INGREDIENTS:
- 4 quarts of homemade veggie stock
- About 1/8 cup of organic soy sauce
- 1 package of udon noodles (found in the international section)
- 2 lbs chicken breast: bone in, skin on (for flava!)
- One handful of snow peas, ends cut off
- 1 package of bean sprouts
- 10 ounces of cute little grape tomatoes
- Cilantro to taste, chopped
- 1 bunch of green onions, chopped
- 1 package of enoki mushrooms (I'll admit, these may not be necessary unless you just want them for their nutritional value. They didn't contribute much taste. If you like mushrooms, maybe substitute another kind.)
DIRECTIONS:
1. Rub the chicken with olive oil. Season liberally with salt and pepper. Bake them for 35 minutes at 350 degrees. Let cool. Remove and discard the skin. Shred the meat and set aside. (Save the bones for stock!)
2. Meanwhile, cook the noodles according to package directions. Udon noodles are thick, creamy, and healthy. Yummmmmmmmm.
3. Heat the stock slowly in a very large pot and add your soy sauce. Add your snow peas while you do this, because we want to cook a little bit of their "bite" out.
4. Add the noodles to the stock. Just before you are ready to serve, add all the other ingredients.
Enjoy, people, enjoy. It is so flipping good.
P.S. This soup contained mushrooms, green onions, and cilantro: three ingredients that Anthony vows to hate. He is currently eating his second bowl. Am I proud? Yes, yes I am.
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