The Best Cure for a Cold

 

 

 

It’s that time of the year again when Keith and Little Miss M will get the flu or a cold with the usual sore throats, cough, runny noses etc. I however, have been very lucky not to have gotten a cold in the last 4 years! I’m not sure what I’m doing right, it could be the multi-vitamins and vitamin C that I take every day, healthy eating or maybe as a mommy my body knows that I just can’t afford to get sick! Anyway the best cure when Daddy and daughter aren’t feeling well is chicken noodle soup which has actually been scientifically proven to help alleviate symptoms of a cold!


If you have the time, buy chicken bones or inexpensive thighs/drumsticks to make the chicken stock. Cover the bones with water and boil for at least 3 hours, strain, let it cool, refrigerate overnight then remove the solidified fat. One of my favorite ways to make stock is to use the bones from a rotisserie chicken which has a lovely depth of flavor because the chicken has been roasted. I almost always have a container or two of frozen chicken stock in the freezer, but today I didn’t because I had used it a couple of weeks ago for the Steamboat and had to resort to store bought stock. Use any type of vegetables you like and cut them as big or small as you like, just ensure that they are the same size. You can cook the pasta in the soup but I prefer to cook it separately because we usually can’t finish the soup in one sitting and I don’t like the pasta to soak in the soup and get mushy.

 

CHICKEN NOODLE SOUP
Serves 4

8 cups (64 ounces) low sodium chicken stock
1 chicken breast (about ½ pound), cut into ¾” pieces
2 small carrots
2 ribs celery
1 zucchini
1 potato
A few sprigs of thyme or ½ tbsp chopped parsley (optional)
Salt and black pepper to taste
1 cup pasta, any type, cook according to package directions

 

• Clean and cut vegetables into even sized pieces
• Bring the stock to a boil in a large pot, add chicken, carrots, celery and potatoes together with the thyme or parsley if used, lower heat and simmer for about 10 minutes until almost tender.
• Add zucchini, cover and cook another 5 minutes. Season to taste.
• Serve with pasta.

 

 

Me So Like Miso

I have a new favorite right now, Miso soup. I have been making it to serve with dinner (if we have Asian style rice and meat), with noodles for lunch or just as it is as a snack in the mid afternoon. We have been trying to eat healthier and also have smaller meals so I have been stocking up on lots of fruits, serving bigger portions of vegetables and serving soup for dinner which obviously is more filling and helps us eat smaller portions of the main meal.

It is so easy to make and literally takes only as long as the time for the water to boil. As you can see from the picture my miso soup is not like what you would get in a Japanese restaurant, mine is chock-a-block full of tofu and wakame (seaweed).

MISO SOUP

Serves 2 as a side or 1 as a main meal

1 1/2 cups water

1/4 tsp granulated Dashi (I use Ajinomoto brand)

1/2 tsp miso paste

8 - 10 strands cut, dried wakame

1/4 block medium or firm tofu, cut into 1/2" cubes

1 stalk spring onion, finely sliced

• Boil water, add dashi and miso, stir until they dissolve.
• Add wakame and tofu, boil for 10 seconds.
• Serve in bowls and scatter spring onion if used.