Guilt-free Shrimp Hot & Sour Soup

I'm not a big soup eater. There, I said it. It's fall and I'm not that into soup. I know millions of people look forward to this time of year so they can eat soup again without feeling weird/too hot? (I'm not a big seasonal eater - eat what you want, when you want. Who cares?) The only soup I'm totally in love with is coconut green curry soup (and now this one!) This soup is really nice and chunky even though it's a broth based soup - hence my claim that it's guilt-free!

But, for some reason I've had this craving/wanted to try a hot & sour soup. I had these brown rice vermicelli noodles in my pantry and I thought I'd try something different. So, I went to the gym after work, came home and changed, went to the grocery store and started in on this soup. And, now it's 9:20 and we just finished eating! Isn't that always the way with an ambitious weekday dinner plan?

I based this recipe on one I found on FoodNetwork.com.

Ingredients

• 1 pkg brown rice vermicelli noodles
• 1 pkg raw shrimp (easy peel - meaning shell on) 400g
• Sprinkle of salt
• Few drops sesame oil
• 2 L chicken stock
• 1 cup sliced mushrooms
• 6 thin slices fresh fresh ginger

• 6 garlic cloves, smashed
• 5 green onions, sliced
• Pinch of red pepper flakes
• 1/4 cup Thai fish sauce
• 3 teaspoons sugar
• 1/4 cup whole fresh cilantro leaves
• 1/4 cup lightly chopped basil 
• 1/3 cups freshly squeezed lime juice
• 2 tsp salt

1. Saute the mushrooms with a small handful of the onions. Set aside.

2. Peel the shrimp and set the shells aside. Sprinkle the sesame oil and a sprinkle of salt to the shrimp and keep in the fridge until you are ready to use.

Just a side note - I think it's worth the 2 or 3 extra dollars you pay to get your shrimp already peeled. Unless you have a pretty small amount (like this) it's a huge pain in the you-know-what. I only got this kind because I actually used the shells for something.

3. Simmer the chicken stock for about 20 minutes with the ginger and garlic.

4. Add the shrimp shells and simmer for another 15 minutes.

5. Meanwhile, juice the limes. I juiced 2.5 limes to get 1/3 cup of juice.

6. Strain the broth and discard the shells, ginger and garlic. Then, basically add all the remaining ingredients to the broth (including the mushrooms you set aside earlier). Let the noodles soften (this takes about 3 minutes) and add the shrimp.

7. The shrimp takes no time at all to cook and once it turns pink, it's done. Then, just scoop the works into a bowl and enjoy!

(Local) Zucchini Pumpkin Mini Muffins

Yesterday we had my relatives from California over for dinner. Given the fact that they are quite the foodies and they live somewhere that always has fresh, local produce available, we thought we would serve them as local a menu as possible. So, I went with my mom and my Nana on Saturday to a Hutterite colony just west of the city. Just an FYI - if you love the St. Norbert farmers market, you will love this place. It has just as much wonderful produce and meat without the high prices and ridiculous crowds.

Anyway, we decided a menu of chicken, meatballs (made by my nana), potatoes, corn on the cob and watermelon basil salad. We had a wonderful time and Jean and I are even thinking of a trip out their way over spring break!

So, we stocked up and bought a ton of veggies for the evening and for ourselves to enjoy. Anyway, the moral of the story is that I ended up with a very large zucchini and thought it might be nice to make some kind of zucchini bread. I also had some pumpkin puree in the freezer and thought, tis the season, why not try a pumpkin zucchini bread?

I based my recipe off this one I found on skinnytaste.com.

• 1 cup all purpose flour
• 1 cup whole wheat flour
• 1/2 cup brown sugar (not packed)
• 1 1/8 tsp baking soda
• 2 1/2 tsp pumpkin pie spice
• 2 tsp cinnamon
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 large egg, beaten
• 2 tbsp melted butter
• 1 cup pumpkin puree (not pumpkin pie filling)
• 1 1/2 cups shredded zucchini (not packed)

1. Preheat oven to 325.

2. Combine all dry ingredients in a bowl. Mix well.

3. Mix all wet ingredients in another bowl. 

4. Combine both the wet and dry ingredients together. I used my hands for this. It was messy but it was the only way to get it mixed really well. 

5. Lightly spray a muffin tin with cooking spray (or use muffin cups). I used a mini muffin tray and it filled it perfectly. Although, the muffins did puff up quite a bit. 

They're not the prettiest but they are quite tasty! The only thing I think I would do is maybe increase the sugar slightly or make a simple cream cheese frosting for the top. They were a tiny bit bland for my taste but if you don't have a huge sweet tooth, they would be perfect! 

Your favourite restaurant appie, lighter at home

I'm finally feeling a bit more inspired to cook these days. I think it's kind of taken us this long to build up a good inventory of sauces, oils, spices and other non-perishables to feel like we have a chance at making something delicious without having to specifically go out and buy every single item in a recipe.

I think Pammy's got her groove back in the kitchen, so to speak. Now, if only a young Taye Diggs would come over so I could cook for him. A girl can dream, right? And, just FYI - I saw that movie recently on TV. I'm really too young to have seen it when it first came out. Just thought you should know.

Anyway, I skipped the gym today and ate an entire box of Kraft Dinner for lunch (it was just one of those days. Don't judge), so I thought I would make something somewhat healthy for dinner. My mom has made lettuce wraps before and I thought I would give them a try myself. My mom sent me this recipe she always uses and I doubled the recipe and added my own spin, of course. I also doubled the recipe as I have a growing man-boy who lives with me and I like to have enough for the next day's lunch. Here's how I made mine:

What you will need:

2 packages of Granny's ground turkey
1 medium onion, minced
S & P
4 large garlic cloves
2 tbsp minced fresh ginger
2 tbsp sesame oil
2 tbsp natural peanut butter
1 tbsp water
5 tbsp soy sauce
1 tbsp liquid honey
2 tbsp rice vinegar
4 tsp chili garlic sauce (or less if you're sensitive to spice)
6 green onions, chopped
2 227ml cans slice water chestnuts, drained and chopped (these are like mini cans - found in Oriental section of grocery store)
a couple handfuls of Chinese style steam fried noodles
few tbsp peanuts, chopped for garnish
Outer lettuce leaves - I used the hydroponic kind but iceberg works well too

1. Heat a large, non-stick skilled on high. Add turkey, onion, salt and pepper, and cook until turkey is nearly done, stirring often to break up the meat.

2. Add in minced garlic and ginger, and continue cooking until turkey is no longer pink.

3. Meanwhile, combine sesame oil, soy sauce, water, peanut butter, honey, rice vinegar, and chilli garlic sauce in a bow. Microwave for 30 seconds, then stir until smooth. It should look like this:

4. Add to skillet and stir to combine.

5. Add green onion and water chestnuts into the skillet, then cook for 1-2 minutes until the onions are soft and the water chestnuts are heated through.

6. Add the noodles and stir. Cover and let cook on medium low for about 5 minutes or until the noodles  have softened. It's okay if they are still slightly crunchy though.

Let cool a bit and spoon onto lettuce leaves. I spooned mine out when it was still quite hot and it wilted the lettuce leaves a bit. Then, I topped with the chopped peanuts and a spoonful of Thai sweet chilli sauce.