Tom Yum Hot and Sour Chicken Soup with Rice Noodles

2 cups water (for soup)
1 cup chicken or vegetable stock
1/2 cup freshly squeezed lime juice
2 stalks lemon grass
1 small onion - diced
2-3 garlic cloves - minced
2 tsp vegetable oil
3-4 tsp fish sauce
1 tbsp roasted red chili paste
1 tbsp unrefined cane sugar
1/2 lb chicken tenders already cooked (or quorn brand meat substitute)
Red pepper flakes to taste
4-6 cups water (to cook noodles)
1/2 package rice noodles - thin, not wide

Pull off and discard course outer layers from lemon grass and trim off and discard stem ends. Cut each stalk into about 3-inch lengths. Lightly crush with the flat side of a knife. (I often skip this step and use a few pinches of dried lemon grass sealed in a teabag.)

In small saucepan, heat oil and saute garlic and onion. Add remaining ingredients and simmer for 10-15 minutes.

While soup is simmering, bring large pot of water to a rolling boil. Remove from heat and add the noodles. Let sit for 8 minutes (or according to package directions). Drain water and scoop noodles into serving bowls. A slotted spaghetti server works best.

Remove lemongrass from soup and discard (compost!). Ladle the soup over the noodles and enjoy.

I love to make this Thai version of chicken noodle soup. This is one of the first recipes I perfected. It's ideal for a cold day and/or when you're feeling not-so-hot during the cold/flu season.

Garlic Scape Pesto

8-12 garlic scapes (tops removed)
1/2 cup olive oil
1/2 of a freshly squeezed lemon
1 cup grated parmesan cheese
salt to taste
almonds and/or pine nuts

In a food processor, finely chop the garlic scapes. Slowly add oil and mix until a paste.

Chop the garlic scapes into 3 inch lengths. Process in a food processor until pureed. Add the parmesan and nuts and process until smooth. Slowly add the olive oil as the food processor runs and continue until all the oil is combined into the garlic. Store in an air-tight jar in the refrigerator with a little olive oil floating on top of the pesto to preserve it.



I made this out of my very first harvest of garlic! So exciting! It turned out really good and I've been using it on sandwiches ever since. I froze some of it by putting it ice cube trays to make convenient little portions but I've already used the jar I kept in the fridge plus a quarter of the cubes and it's only mid-August!

Oatmeal Pancakes

1/2 cup old fashioned oats
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup whole wheat flour
3/4 cup reduced fat buttermilk
1/4 cup skim milk
2 egg whites
1 tbsp sugar
2 tbsp vegetable oil
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
opt:
raspberries
strawberries
bananas
blueberries
etc...

Heat griddle to 375.
Beat all ingredients or whisk until smooth.
Cook on one side until almost done. Bubbles will form on top and bottom will be golden brown.

I made these with my mom and sisters at my mom's lake house in Minnesota. So yummy!

Basic Brown Rice

Rice to Water ratios:
1/2 cups - 3/4 cups
1 -1/4 cups - 2 cups
2-1/3 cups - 4 cups
3-1/2 cups - 6 cups
2 tbsp Vegetable Oil

Rinse the uncooked rice and drain. Boil water in a separate pot. While waiting for the water to come to a boil, heat two tablespoons of oil in the bottom of a heavy, tight-lidded sauce pan, and sauté the rice on med - med high. Stir constantly to avoid burning. After a few minutes, it'll begin to smell nutty.

When the water in the other pot has come to a boil, pour it over the rice in the sauce pan. Bring it to a boil, put the lid on and simmer, covered, for 45 minutes. Don't peek. After 45 minutes, turn off heat and let sit for 10-15 minutes. Fluff and serve.

This is the best way I've found to cook brown rice. It's easy, almost fool-proof and roasting it prior to cooking gives it a nutty, robust flavor.