Soupathon continues : Green soup (Broccoli, spinach and Peas)

This one was instant. Just dumped whatever left over I came across in my fridge. And yet delicious outcome. I am happy.

I used :
1. Onion - 1 (White onion preferably)
2. Broccoli- 10 - 15 florets
3. Peas - Frozen or fresh a handful of it
4. Spinach - Just few leaves - used a handful.
5. Coconut milk - I extracted it at home, you could use a store bought one. 1 cup of it if diluted, else 1/4 cup thick/concentrated milk
6. Green chili - 2 (Thai chili )
7. Salt and Pepper to taste
8. Powdered Cumin and 1 bay leaf

Method :

In a pressure cooker saute Onion, Broccoli , Peas , Spinach, Green chili along with the bay leaf in a tsp oil. Add 1 tsp of cumin powder. Add 1 cup water to it and cook it until soft. Cool it. Remove the bay leaf and discard before you blend the mixture.
Blend the mixture in to a smooth paste. Allow it to boil for a minute and then add salt, pepper and coconut milk into this mixture. Let it come to a boil. As I said, do not over cook the soup after adding coconut milk. Just a couple of minutes would be more than enough.

Few mint leaves on this hot bowl of green soup would bring on the flavors.

Soupathon continues - Carrot, celery, Onion soup

I wrote about being on a soupathon to feed my husband's sick stomach, but unfortunately could not blog each one at that moment. The soupathon continues even today and we are slowly learning to eat the right food, during the right season in the right amount. I know it sounds cliched, but believe me, it helps the environment too and saves money that you spend on doctors. We often do that, save tons on grocery, spend twice the amount on doctors every month.

I decided I won't look up at recipes online and make soups. These soups just come out of my pantry, my refrigerator with a little common sense to dish it up.

This one is a slightly orange soup. I love thick, smooth soups with a slightly creamy texture without compromising on the ingredients. What I mean to say is, I don't wanna a creamy texture by adding sour cream or any other thick cream at the end to so called bring in restaurant looks to it.

I used :
1. Onion - 1 (White onion preferably)
2. Carrots - 5 (Peeled and Roughly chopped)
3. Celery stalks - 2 (Roughly chopped)
4. Coconut milk - I extracted it at home, you could use a store bought one. 1 cup of it if diluted, else 1/4 cup thick/concentrated milk
5. Green chilli - 2 (Thai chilli )
6. Salt and Pepper to taste;
7. Powdered Cumin if you like a little spice - Always dry roast cumin until just about fragrant and crush it coarsely in a blender. Store it in air tight container for up to 10 - 15 days. Make a new batch every 2 weeks or so.

In a pressure cooker saute Onion, Carrots, Celery, Green chilli in a tsp oil. Add 1 tsp of cumin powder. Add 1 cup water to it and cook it until soft. Cool it.
Blend the mixture in to a smooth paste. Allow it to boil for a minute and then add salt, pepper and coconut milk into this mixture. Let it come to a boil. Do not over cook after adding coconut milk. Just a couple of minutes would be more than enough.

Adjust the consistency by adding more water or by allowing just the veggie paste to boil for some more time and thicken during the process.

Top it off with a few strands of cilantro or parsley if needed.

Lettuce wrap with Tofu filling - all veggie

My first ever dinner in P.F Chang's was an absolute flop. DH took me in saying this is the best dine in place for Chinese food. And it turned out to be a nightmare for both of us. We were welcomed as the last customer for the night, asked to order. Ma PoTofu and some sort of veggie noodles that I don't remember were served with a couple of sauces. Who the hell on earth new that these accompaniments would spoil our dinner? We pounced on the white sauce which seemed too good to mix. Our entrees were pungent ever since we did that... And that was the last time I ever went into a P.F Chang or even thought about it when tempted for oriental food.

A friend of mine unwillingly took me in again for a farewell lunch (I was so hesitant cos I was paying for the lunch!). Oh Lord, we had a sumptuous lunch that day. Lettuce wrap, snap peas, asparagus stir fry for the appetizer, and went on with the entrees.

Lettuce wrap was something that hit me straight with its slightly sweet, slightly sour, toasted tofu filling in it. I have tried many versions of it but been unsuccessful mostly. Today I pushed myself to make this dish yet again in a slightly varied method by varying the cooking time and marinade recipe.

Marinade:
1. Soy sauce - 3 tsp
2. Sugar - white/brown - 1 tsp
3. Salt - to taste (Soy sauce is a li'l salty, take that into consideration)
4. Lime juice - 1/2 a lime
5. Garlic - 3 cloves finely chopped
6. Ginger - 1 inch finely chopped
7. Sesame oil - 1tsp
8. Red crushed pepper/flakes - 3 tsp

Mix all the above ingredients as is in a dish.
Firm tofu (1/2 of one single pack) - squeeze excess water using paper towel. Cut them into cubes of desired size.
Soak all the tofu cubes in the above marinade for 15 minutes.

Stir fry ingredients :
1. Onion - 1/4th of red, yellow or preferably french onion or scallion ( 4 stems)
2. Bell pepper - Red or yellow for the color, thin slices.
3. Sprouts - 1/2 a cup
4. Peanut oil
5. Salt to taste

In a saute pan/wok, heat some peanut oil, add the marinated tofu - just dump the entire stuff into the wok. Saute it in high heat for 5 minutes, when the garlic seems like browning, just go slow on the heat but continue sauteing for another 15 mins!!! Yes, stir it often to avoid burning. Stop when you think that the tofu is nicely browned and seems a little crunchy on the outside. Place this cooked stuff aside. In the same wok, heat 4 tsp peanut oil, add the onion, and the veggies. Stir fry on high heat for 5 minutes. Add some salt just for the veggies if you need. Add the already fried tofu to it, let it blend well until about 2 minutes. The filling is all set.

Serve this stuffing in a cold lettuce leaf for a healthy snack. You might end up eating much more than you actually thought you would!