mmmmMedicine Noodle Soup (and healing mantras)

I must not be the first to have come up with this clever little moniker, I am sure someone must have referred to Chicken Noodle Soup as Medicine Noodle Soup before….But this vegan soup has nothing to do with that salt and fat-ladened concoction, with its starchy-glutenous-noodles and goodness-knows-what-else besides the sad chicken whose sole purpose in life was to suffer captivity only to end up suspended in a can of beige goo.

(unless, your mommy made it using only the very best of everything  around–then, its not all that bad....but, its not all that good either.)

My daughter is no longer hungry and unhappy.  She has spent the last 4 days struggling with an infection, but because we were gone to Vancouver for the last 3 days to go to the PNE it was untreated and really began taking its toll on her as we made the finally leg of the journey home.  Inspired to give her some relief (and possible cure) before we see the doctor tomorrow for the dreaded “ANTIBIOTICS” I devised a soup that I was sure I could get her to eat, with the broth being the most valuable & desired component.  This soup may or may not cure her, but its just got to be good for something…its got all the right stuff!!

And its pretty tasty too.

I regularly chant and try  to remain in grateful presence while preparing food, …Since this was for healing, I made it more spiritually involved that usual and I am recommending some mantras specific for healing…chant these mantras out loud, under your breath or in your head if you choose–However, my sense tells me, that blessing food should be done out-loud.

It will take about 30 minutes to serve this bowl of love to someone you love.

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MEDICINE NOODLE SOUP

Listen to, and set intention with a Healing Mantra, some youtube examples are listed:

click for favorite Medicine Buddha Mantra,
click for Ra Ma Da Sa—the universal healing mantra

or simply:  inbreath=MA (universal love) //  outbreath=OM (universal light & harmony with life)

Soup Base:
simmer in fair amount coconut oil
fine minced organic garlic
fine minced organic ginger
fine minced organic onions
till softened (which I think may be overcooked for medicinal purposes…therefore we will augment with the same ingredients in the broth)

Main Medicine:

add cups of thanked & loved water
organic veggie broth cubes
large slices of fresh organic ginger root (can be remove before serving)
large slices of fresh organic turmeric (can be remove before serving)

(or add turmeric powder—go easy, its stronger than you think,

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Rich Chanterelle Soup

You don’t come across a good load of Chanterelle Mushrooms that often, so when you do–you’ve just got to indulge!! The delicate & delicious taste of chanterelles combined with saffron, sherry, cream & parmesan makes this soup a true treat!

You will have to adjust the volume, depending on how many mushrooms you have–I got lucky with a treasure trove and made a large pot to share with the picker…

In a soup pot, sweat some CHOPPED GARLIC & MINCED SWEET ONION in some OLIVE OIL & BUTTER, a VEG BROTH CUBE, SALT & PEPPER

lightly brown your CHOPPED CHANTERELL MUSHROOMS in a few tbsps of BUTTER in separate frying pan…add this to the stock pot (include the butter drippings)

Add a pinch or two of SAFFRON

shake a jar with MILK & FLOUR (eg: cup of milk + 4tbsp of flour) add it to the soup pot,
Add HEAVY CREAM
Add WATER (this will make the soup cool and allow for the eggs to be introduced)
Add WISKED EGGS with PARMESAN CHEESE
Blend well with immersion blender
finish with SHERRY to taste
adjust seasoning

eat up, don’t count calories…this is forest gold!!

Apple Chipotle Cheddar soup

Having a ton of apples to deal with at the cafe, I decided to create an apple soup that was hearty, sweet’n spicy, delicious and nutritious…Now its a big hit …enjoy!

fry lots of ONIONS & GARLIC and small chopped CARROTS in olive oil, with SALT & PEPPER
add 2 cubes of non-msg VEG BROTH CUBES
add 8 peeled & chopped APPLES (any kind…)
add equal amount of chopped SWEET POTATO (not yams…which are orange)
top with water & boil until tender, then blend
then add for texture & colour:
shredded REGULAR POTATO (about 1 average size)
shredded CARROT (about 1-2 average)
finely diced RED PEPPER
cook until tender
add CREAM or MILK
handful of SHREDDED CHEDDAR CHEESE
SALT & PEPPER
finely chopped CILANTRO OR PARSLEY
finely minced CHIPOTLE PEPPER to taste (seeds removed, use fork and knife–see picture)

using canned chipotle pepper in adobe sauce, hold with fork, split and scrape out seeds…then finely chop until its mush

Creamy Tomato Veg Soup, Rice Bowls & Drizzles

Creamy Tomato Veg Soup Recipe

(This is truly a “clean out the fridge” soup….mostly made with food you might otherwise dispose of, and in truth I don’t know what it would taste like with brocolli or cauliflower florets instead of stems….I have made it 3 times and its so very tasty that it has already become a favorite)

rough chopped 5-6 cloves of garlic and 1/2 large sweet onion, simmer in butter or olive oil until tender
add 2 (non-msg) veg broth cube, salt & pepper
add peeled and chopped broccoli stalks (3-5, or couple of handfuls of broccoli slaw)
chopped cauliflower stems (handful)
big handful of shredded cabbage, about 1/4 head (when I made it without cabbage it didn’t taste as nice)
some celery if you have it
some carrot if you have it
some potato if you have it
simmer till softened

When softened slightly, add strained tomatoes (1 or 2 large tins, or glass jars–I like Italian Bella Tavola)
top with equal amount of water
simmer, till all is tender and blend with immersion blender till relatively smooth
add milk or cream (or not)
add small chopped tomatoes if you have some needing to be consumed
add good handful of chopped fresh or frozen basil
adjust salt
top with Parmesan or feta & cracked black pepper when serving

Avocado Rice Bowl

I like to make a few variation of Avocado Rice Bowl, but I always start with Brown Basmati rice. I love that it has all the extra goodness of brown rice with the delicious pop-corny taste of Basmati, the brand I buy is “India’s Own”, its gmo free and the large 10lb bag costs a very reasonable $12.

Cook your brown basmati 1:2 with water in the rice cooker. meanwhile…For the Rice bowl in the photo:

prepare chopped vegetables (baby carrots, brocolli, cauliflower, pepper strips, snow or sweet peas, chopped kale)
prepare cubed avocado
have pumpkin, sunflower & sesame seeds handy
have drizzle made up (see recipes for ginger-soy & creamy balsamic dressing below)

in a deep steamer basket place in peeled baby carrots (let steam for 3 minutes)
add layer of broccoli Or cauliflower (let steam for further 3 minutes)
add other vegetables if you wish (pepper strips, snow peas, sweet peas etc) (steam for 3 more minutes)
add thick layer of chopped Kale (put on the lid, let simmer for 1-2 minutes)

layer the veg in reverse onto the rice, begining with kale etc.
top with avocado cubes, and seeds
drizzle with dressing I recommend: Ginger-Onion Soy, or Balsamic Cream (recipes to follow–below)

Summer “Fresh” Alternative:
Top hot rice with any fresh mixed baby greens, fresh shredded carrot, lightly steamed broccoli
top with avocado & pumpkin/sunflower/sesame seeds & drizzle

Pesto Roast Veg Rice Bowl;

Cook brown basmati rice 1:2 with water in the rice cooker. meanwhile…

Grill on BBQ an assortment of vegetables tossed in olive oil & seasoned with salt & pepper
(zucchini & eggplant slabs, sweet spanish onion, mushrooms, red pepper, etc)
Cubed or crumble feta or chevre goat cheese
Get almond slivers handy

Make pesto drizzle:
crush 2-3 cloves of garlic with salt
Add 2:1 olive oil & lemon juice,
add small handful of fresh or frozen minced basil
(you can add whole basil and blend with immersion blender)
add a tbsp of mayonnaise for extra creamy texture

Top hot brown rice with a variety of roast veg, handful of almonds slivers (for protein, so don’t be shy) and goat cheese, drizzle with pesto and cracked black pepper.

Japanese Ginger-Onion Soy Dressing

1:1 hunks of ginger & sweet onion roughly chopped should make at least 1/2 cup of veg,
1 part rice vinegar (not “sushi vinegar”–it contains sugar etc. and won’t taste right–wine vinegar is a good substitute, or balsamic in a pinch)
2 parts Good quality Soya Sauce or Tamari
2 parts flavorless oil (eg: grapeseed )
blend with hand blender/food processor until a nice thick sauce is created, taste & adjust to get balance between vinegar & salty-soy flavor
add some black and white sesame seeds for interest
alternatives: nice with added dash of sesame oil &/or honey

Balsami Cream Dressing
1 clove of garlic
1/3 cup balsamic vinegar
1/3 cup grapeseed oil
1/3 cup soya sauce/tamari
2 tbsp Engevita nutritional yeast
blend with immersion blender
taste and adjust to your liking.