Asian Carrot and Mushroom Noodle Soup

This soup will heal whatever happens to be ailing you. I should know. I've been trying to battle some form of cold for the last 2 weeks. Ugh! Make it go away. All I want to eat is soup and this one takes the cake.

It's a light and healthy meal that takes chicken noodle soup to a whole new level.

It starts by sautéing fresh ginger, garlic, green onions and red pepper flakes in olive oil (you could take this recipe another step further by using coconut oil instead). Just the scent of this cooking on the stove top is enough to be medicinal. It will clear your head...It will also make your mouth water. You can use as little or as much red pepper flakes as you like. I like my spice so I add somewhere between 1/4 to a 1/2 tsp. If you don't like spice then keep it tame with an 1/8 tsp.

Cilantro is stirred in right at the end to give the soup a burst of fresh light flavour that really brightens things up.

Last but not least, I used whole wheat egg noodles, which is what you see in the photos, but you can use any type of noodle you like. For a gluten free option substitute rice noodles or rice vermicelli. Be sure to add them with the snow peas at the end watch them carefully to avoid noodle mush. Vermicelli noodles will cook through in just a few minutes.

This soup also boasts a whopping 103% of you daily intake of vitamin A and 40% for vitamin C.

Time to feed my cold.

Asian Carrot and Mushroom Noodle Soup Gluten free option | Serves 4

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Ingredients:

• 1 tsp olive oil (or coconut oil)
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 1/2 tbsp minced fresh ginger root
• 3 green onions, chopped
• 1/8-1/4 tsp red pepper flakes (depending how hot you like it)
• 1 cup sliced mushrooms
• 1 cup thinly sliced carrots
• 2 cups each no-sodium added chicken broth and water
• 1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
• 2 tsp each of low-sodium soy sauce (or tamari if GF) and sesame oil
• 2 oz whole wheat egg noodles (or rice noodles if GF)
• 6 oz /1 large boneless skinless chicken breast, cut into small chunks
• 1 cup snow peas, trimmed and halved
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro

Directions:

1. In a large stock pot, heat oil over medium heat; cook garlic, ginger, onions and red pepper flakes, stirring, for 1-2 minutes.
2. Add mushrooms and carrots; cook, stirring, for about 5 minutes or until moisture from the mushrooms evaporates and deglazes the bottom of the pan.
3. Add chicken broth, water, lemon juice, soy sauce and sesame oil; bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer, uncovered, for 10 minutes.
4. Stir in noodles and chicken and bring back to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 5 minutes. Add snow peas and cook for 2 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in cilantro.

*Tip* 

• If using rice noodles, add them in when you add the snow peas and monitor the noodles closely for doneness. They should only take a few minutes to cook.

Nutrition Information 

Serving Size: about 1 cup Calories: 206 Fat: 7g Saturated Fat: 1.7g Cholesterol: 45mg Sodium: 245mg Carbohydrates: 16.8g Sugar: 3.5g Fiber: 3.2g Protein: 18g Vitamin A: 103% Vitamin C: 40%

Pumpkin Pie Spice Roasted Pepitas

It's amazing how fast the time has just flown by lately. It's the middle of October already, and Fall is in full swing. If there's one thing I love about this time of year it's taking walks through the forest or at the park. I love the fresh fall air and sweet smell of fallen leaves. After a crisp long walk it's nice to come home to warm up with something comforting and warm. A cup of hot apple cider would do the trick. These roasted pumpkin pie spiced pepitas would be the perfect healthy little snack to go along with it

Pepitas are actually just pumpkin seeds that are shelled. They look flat and light to dark green in colour.

The healthy benefits of these little seeds are out of this world. They are a very good source of omega 3 essential fatty acids, quality protein, fibre, vitamin E, potassium, magnesium and manganese, iron, zinc, and copper. How's that for nutrition? You'll want to start adding these to your clean diet right away.

There are alot of different recipes out there for roasting pumpkin seeds. Some roast them at high temperatures for a short amount of time and others at lower temps for a longer amout of time. In this recipe I roasted the seeds at a lower temperature, 325 degrees, and they came out perfect. I think roasting them at a lower temperature is key to getting the pumpkin seeds perfectly crunchy without any burning. Just remember though that all ovens are slightly different.

I promise you won't regret making these. They make your whole house smell like fall. They also make great additions to salads or quinoa and are perfect for snacking just the way they are. I calculated the nutrition based on a 2 tablespoon serving.

Pumpkin Pie Spice Roasted Pepitas gluten free (makes 8, 2 tbsp servings)

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Ingredients:

• 1 cup raw pepitas (shelled pumpkin seeds)
• 1 tablespoon maple syrup
• 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoons ginger
• 1/2 teaspoons nutmeg
• 1/8 teaspoons sea salt

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 325˚. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
2. In a large bowl, toss all of the ingredients together until the seeds are well coated. Spread the seeds out in an even layer and roast, stirring occasionally, until golden, 13-15 minutes.
3. Let cool for 10 minutes, then transfer to a small serving dish or store in an air tight container at room temperature.

Nutrition Information:

Serving size: 2 tbsp Calories: 93 Fat: 7.6g Saturated Fat: 1g Cholesterol: 0mg Carbohydrates: 3.9g Sugar: 1.5g Sodium: 59mg Fiber: 1g Protein: 4.5g