Do you clip recipes from magazines, file them away, then forget to make them or wonder where you put them? Since I’m always looking for new ideas for myself, my cooking classes, and future cookbooks, I needed to find a way to make order of all the recipes I’m collecting. I found two systems that work for me.
Short term files: I use letter size folders with tabs marked “recipes to test.” If I have a lot of recipes in single category, I make separate files, such as “quinoa recipes,” or “dessert recipes.” I keep these in a file cabinet or in an upright metal file rack for easy access.
Long-term keeping: A few years ago I filled several 3-ring binders filled with plastic sheet protectors. I insert divider pages with tabs, then organized the recipes by category: salads, leafy greens, root vegetables, tubers, soups, whole grains, fish, poultry, meat, eggs, condiments, fruits, desserts, beverages. I cut out short recipes and paste them on paper. If they have pictures, I include those. I slip the pages into a sheet protectors and keep the notebooks on a shelf and continually add to them. If I'm looking for inspiration or ideas or ways to use a particular food, I pull out a notebook.
Periodically I pull recipes out of a file folder or notebook and place them in an 8 1/2 x 11 plastic envelope––- the kind with a Velcro closure––- and place them in the kitchen ready for action. If I want to make a recipe in the next week or two, I post it on the refrigerator with a magnet.
Last weekend I pulled this recipe out of my files. I liked it so much I made it twice, once with carrots, once with without. Once with homemade Bone Building Broth, made from leftover chicken bones I'd saved. I’ll post that recipe in the next week or two. For the second batch I used the liquid saved from cooking a chicken in the crock pot. I hate to waste food and this gelatinous broth added a lot of flavor and cut my food bill.
Here’s the recipe with a few adjustments I made.
Immune Booster Soup
Prep: 20 minutes Cooking: 20 minutes Yield: 4 to 6 servings
The original recipe appeared in the December 2008 issue of Yoga Journal and was provided by Debra Brammer, N.D., associate clinical dean of naturopathic medicine at Bastyr Center for Natural Health.
I added quick cooking wakame sea vegetables and miso to her recipe. Sea vegetables add important trace minerals to your diet. They nourish your thyroid gland and help chelate (detoxify) heavy metals. I used quick cooking wakame, sold in the Asian food section of natural foods stores. If you use regular wakame or alaria, you will need to soak it, finely chop it, and simmer it for 15 to 20 minutes before you add the other ingredients.
Note: Since I used unsalted homemade broth, I seasoned the soup with miso just before serving. Read labels carefully. You want unpasteurized, refrigerated miso, a Japanese seasoning paste that makes a great substitute for salt or soy sauce in soups. If you avoid gluten, select a brand and flavor of miso that does not contain barley, such as Westbrae. Or, try some of the gluten-free, wood-fired, handmade miso from South River Miso Company. Miso lasts for years if kept in a cool dry place. I'll give you more tips for using it in future posts.
Ingredients:
4 cups mushroom or chicken broth or homemade Bone-Building Broth
1 small yellow or white onion, cut into thin half-moons or crescents (about 1 cup)
4 to 10 cloves of garlic, crushed and chopped
1 medium carrot, grated or cut into thin rounds or half moon slices
4 to 8 fresh or dried shiitake mushrooms, thinly sliced
1 to 3 tablespoons peeled and grated gingerroot or to taste
3 tablespoons Emerald Cove Ready-to-Use Pacific Wakame or Eden Wakame Flakes
1 fresh lemon, juiced
3 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley or scallions
4 to 6 teaspoons unpasteurized miso: white, yellow, mellow, or red miso (see note above), optional (omit if using salted broth)
1. If using dried mushrooms, place them in a bowl. Add hot water to barely cover. Put a smaller bowl on top to submerge them in the liquid. Let soak until tender, at least 15 minutes, then thinly slice with a knife or kitchen shears. Discard the tough end of the stem. Strain the soaking liquid to remove sediment and add it to the soup.
2. Cover and bring the broth, onion, garlic, carrot, mushrooms, and ginger to a slow boil in a 2-quart pot.
3. Add instant or quick cooking wakame sea vegetable. Reduce the heat, and simmer on low, covered, for about 15 minutes, until the vegetables become tender.
3. Remove from heat. Add the lemon juice and parsley. Cover and let steep for 5 minutes. If you did not use salted broth, add 1 teaspoon of miso to each soup bowl. Ladle in some of the soup broth, mash to dissolve the miso, then add more soup to the bowl. Stir, taste, and adjust as needed.
4. Refrigerate leftovers in glass jars. Heat gently before serving. Season with miso if desired.
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