Sick? Try some Hot and Sour Soup!

When I'm sick with a cold or the flu, hot and sour soup has been a family favorite since I was a kid.  Chicken soup with veggies and homemade stock is also a great go-to, but sometimes I need a little more distinctive flavor that cuts through whatever congestion is dulling my tastebuds.  Last week my husband took care of me when I was home with a bad virus, and since I gave it to him this week (sorry love!), I decided to make him some homemade soup in bed.

I found a great recipe on Tea and Cookies Blog below, (it's like the author read my mind!).  Since grocery stores are closed in Vienna on Sundays, I had to improvise a little, but this is a simple base and easy to make substitutions.  

• I added more red pepper flakes and used apple cider vinegar for extra punch
• Used simple white mushrooms and some shallots since we didn't have any bamboo shoots or green onion.  It would be easy to throw in your favorite soup veggies, too.
• Added a few crushed garlic cloves for flavor and immune benefit. 
• Substituted walnut flour as a thickener and it worked just fine.

ENJOY! STAY HEALTHY!

Photo copyright Tea and Cookies Blog

6 Delicious Summer Recipes Starring Eggplant

Eggplant is one of my favorite things, but I know that it’s not for everyone.  It’s one of those weird “vegetables” that’s technically a fruit, but gets put out in the squash section and then salted and cooked in savory dishes. Identity crisis.

In case you're someone with only one tentative foot in the eggplant camp, try one of these recipes and see if you won’t change your mind.  After all summer is the perfect time to take advantage of fresh and locally-grown produce available to you!

Fun Flavors

1. Sauteed Eggplant with Thyme and Honey from A Spicy Perspective (<--click for recipe)

Spicy 

2. Spiced Indian Eggplant Curry from Uproot from Oregon (<--recipe)

Twist on Traditional

3. Julia Child’s Eggplant Pizzas from Kalyn’s Kitchen (<--recipe)

Classic

4. Smoky Baba Ganoush from Food52 (<--recipe)

Fresh & Mediterranean

5. Grilled Eggplant & Zucchini Salad with Feta, Chickpeas & Mint from Cook in Canuck (<--recipe)

Low-Carb Italian

6. Grilled Eggplant Lasagna (Grain-free!) from Gourmet Girl Cooks (<--recipe)

Brb, stuffing my face.