Quick Soba Noodle and Vegetable Soup

Friday morning we awoke to more snow but this time it was only flurries thankfully. It its funny I thought I missed snow until it arrived. Since we are well past Christmas I am ready for spring now thank you very much. ;-) I guess we all want what we don’t have. It must be part of human nature.

I typically ask Dan what he wants for breakfast and this time he requested a green smoothie. It was his usual smoothie with kale, frozen banana, cinnamon, powdered ginger, freshly ground flaxseed, and fresh soymilk processed in the Vitamix until smooth. Dan is convinced that smoothies are better when made with soymilk. He thinks they are creamier and the flavor is more well rounded. I still make mine with water because I don’t need the extra calories but if you do I think he has a point about the flavor and texture.

Like usual I knocked out my exercise and then made breakfast for myself. I was in the mood for savory oats this time. This version included nutritional yeast, freshly ground flaxseed, cumin, chili powder and black pepper in the oats. I topped the oats with chopped broccoli, salsa and raw pumpkin seeds. I really could eat these every day. I love having something as nutritious as green veggies in my breakfast. It seems to be the right way to start the day.

As I usually checked on my parents and did some light housekeeping at their place. Since my father does everything at their house I like to give him a hand. Cleaning is not something he is accustomed to which means also he greatly appreciates the help.

Once I was back home and ready to eat my lunch I wanted something fast and decided to warm up the end of the curried lentil and tomato soup which I topped with sliced almonds. Looks like I will be making a pot of soup this weekend again. ;-) As you can see there is some consistency to the universe. If it is a weekend I must be making soup. LOL

After lunch I found time for laundry, reading, organizing and listening to jazz while I sipped tea. I try to be kind to myself everyday and do something that isn’t productive rather just something that I enjoy. Normally I pick listening to music but it could also be taking a long hot bath, reading or talking to a friend. Most women seem to be too busy taking care of their families that they don’t do anything for themselves. I feel that when I am rested and content I can do a much better job of taking care of others. Does anyone agree with me on this?

Like usual for my afternoon snack I had an orange and two Brazil nuts (for the selenium). I am absolutely in a snack rut but I am still enjoying it which means it may not change for a while.

Much to my surprise Dan actually came home from work earlier than usual. Since we had some time before dinner we decided to try to get caught up on season 6 of Criminal Minds. This meant I was not in the kitchen making dinner. When we were both hungry I made a quick pot of soup with soba noodles. Dan loves soba noodles which is why I made this particular soup. It isn’t as healthy as most of my food but it is still better than a lot of things I could have made I suppose. Here is what I did:

Quick Soba Noodle and Vegetable Soup
Serves 2 as dinner

Ingredients:

8 cups water or no sodium veg stock (I used water)
1 large onion, thinly sliced (after slicing allow to sit 10 minutes to allow the chemical reaction to take place)
6 cloves garlic, peeled and thinly sliced (after slicing allow to sit 10 minutes to allow the chemical reaction to take place)
½ tablespoon fresh ginger, finely minced (I don’t peel mine since it is organic I just clean it well to remove the dirt)
2 cups mushrooms thinly sliced (I used crimini but shitake would make more sense)
2 individual bundles of soba noodles
3 cups broccoli, thinly sliced (I used frozen that was most defrosted it is easier to slice when still a little frozen)
½ tablespoons red barley miso, or to taste (you could substitute liquid aminos or low sodium soy sauce)
¼ cup freshly cilantro, minced
½ teaspoon black and white sesame seeds with dried ginger bits for garnish

Directions:

Combine the water, onion, garlic, ginger, mushrooms and bring to a boil. Add the soba noodles and stir so they don’t clump together. Set a timer for 3 minutes then add the broccoli and set the time for 2 minutes. Test the noodles to see if they are done if yes turn off the heat. Mix the miso with a little of the soup broth so there are no miso lumps and add that to pot and stir. Stir in half of the fresh cilantro reserving the rest for garnish. Serve with sesame seeds on top.

Nutritional Information:

Amount Per Serving
Calories - 420
Calories From Fat (6%)- 26.73

Total Fat - 3.06g
Saturated Fat - 0.24g
Cholesterol - 0mg
Sodium - 365.61mg
Potassium - 912.29mg
Total Carbohydrates - 82.69g
Fiber - 11.13g
Sugar - 4.78g
Protein - 19.36g

Comments:

This is one of my very fast one pot dinners. Dan enjoyed it but as always he thought it needed more salt. He says that about everything but he also knows we are trying to keep our sodium level to a minimum for health reasons. I think he likes to remind me that he is paying attention. ;-)

You can add many different items to this soup. I have made it with tofu cubes, julienned carrot, thinly sliced green onion, dried mushrooms, broccoli rabe, shredded Chinese cabbage, julienned bell pepper, jalapenos, to name a few possible options. It is very versatile and you can use almost any veggies you have on hand.

Poor Dan he was so full after the giant bowl of soup that he didn’t have room for his usual strawberry banana soft serve. ;-)

After dinner we watched another few episodes of Criminal Minds and then we turned in the evening. Overall it was both a productive and relaxing day. Not bad for a Friday I thought. ;-)

Happy Thoughts:

I am in a great mood since it is the weekend. *happy dance* I love my weekends, LOL. Here is what I am happy for today:

• It is wonderful to have the ability to help out my parents and be home to make our food from scratch. I realize that most people don’t have that option which makes me very thankful that I can do it.

• I loved that Dan was home much earlier than usual. We had a nice relaxing evening at home. I wish he would relax more often but I will take any little bit I can get. ;-)

• I am grateful that I taught myself to cook when I was younger. I have so many friends in their 40’s or older that can’t cook and have to rely on Whole Foods prepared meals. I am grateful to have the ability to make healthy meals for my family in a minimal amount of time.

• Our fur children are being precious like always. I love that the three of them want to be near us all the time. We are very lucky to have them as part of our family.

• We had a nice evening out on Saturday and got to see Aimee (one of “the kids”). She is always such a joy to be around.  When Michael came to pick her up from work he saw our car and came in to see us.  I was not kidding when I said these are the kids we wished were ours. We picked up some loose tea last weekend and grabbed a couple bags for them too. Since they are also enjoying tea now I wanted to make certain they didn’t run out. We wouldn’t want them going back to soda now would we? ;-) I was very happy when Aimee told me she has been making tea for them to take to class to drink instead of soda.  You go girl!

• I have been enjoying Saturday with Dan. It is wonderful that he doesn’t need to work this weekend. I love spending time with my husband; he has been my best friend for as long as I can remember.

Signing out:

Time for me to spend some time with my hubby and that means logging out. I hope all of you are having a wonderful weekend. Talk to you again tomorrow. I have another quick recipe to share. This one is baked veggies in red sauce topped with homemade “melty vegan mozzarella”. Even my mother and father liked this. Will miracles never cease? ;-)