Shrimp Stir-Fry Soup – FAAAAAALLLLLLLL is here

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  Yes baby YES!  My most favorite season is finally here.  I had to wait all Winter, all two days of Spring and those few weeks of Summer to get to where we are now.  What’s that?  My incessant nagging of practicing mindfulness.  Oh.  Ahem.  Well, I do.  I am mindful the MOMENT FALL ARRIVES!  I smell it when it is just weeks away.  In fact I mentioned it a month ago that it was coming.

And this morning.  Well, started out rough as my youngest had a 104 temperature, therefore causing me to stay home with the boys since my husband sacrificed his work the last handful of times.  So we sleepily walk downstairs to get some juice and O.M.G. it’s flippin’ cold in this house!  58 degrees to be exact.  I run to my outdoor thermostat reader…..

wait for it

it’s coming

one last pause

33 DEGREES!!!

So naturally we need, no – must make soup.  My giddiness is only maintained in a semi-sane way without reaching a high screech – through soup making.  Here is a recipe I just found in the October 2013 Food Network Magazine.  I made this and changed several things.  I am posting the recipe as I have morphed it into.  You won’t mind I assure you.  For example, I took out the deli diced ham (yuck), and I used the organic basic mushrooms I had on hand as opposed to the shiitake although if I had the choice….shiitake all the way.   Oh, and a big one, soy sauce is so last year.  I only use Tamari.  The dark and glorious gluten-free soy sauce.  Damn that stuff’s good!   Instead of the peanut or vegetable oil, I used coconut oil which added a fantastic “Thai flare” to this traditional Chinese dish-made-into-soup.  As I always say, or maybe this is a new saying I just coined, when in doubt use coconut oil.

This is another dish you are allowed to be creative with.  Also, make it vegetarian by using vegetable broth and tofu.  Make it meaty by adding thin slices of a good quality beef.

This meal is quick and super easy and all you need, unless a slice of warm bread with butter sound delightful to you (when does it not!?).  No matter how you make it, or not make this….IT’S FAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAALLLLLL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  The sound of the heater kicking on is as comforting as smelling home-made chocolate chip cookies baking in the oven.  Classic.  Delicious.  Comforting.

Happy cooking friends!

Ingredients

6 ounces snow peas (about 1 1/4 cups), trimmed and sliced on the diagonal

1 tablespoon cornstarch

3 tablespoons Tamari soy sauce

1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil

3 tablespoons coconut oil

1 bunch scallions, sliced (white and green parts separated)

4 teaspoons grated peeled ginger <—–don’t you dare leave this ingredient out!

3 carrots, diced

3/4 teaspoon sugar

Kosher salt

3/4 pound shiitake mushrooms, stems removed, caps thinly sliced

1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar

4 cups low-sodium chicken broth

1 pound medium shrimp, peeled and deveined

1 1/2 cups cooked white rice

Freshly ground white pepper

Directions

1. Bring a medium saucepan of water to a boil. Add the snow peas and cook until crisp-tender, about 4 minutes. Fill a bowl with ice water. Drain the snow peas and transfer to the ice bath to cool; drain and set aside.
2. Whisk the cornstarch, soy sauce, sesame oil and 1/4 cup water in a small bowl; set aside.
3. Heat the coconut oil in a Dutch oven or heavy-bottomed pot over high heat. Add the scallion whites, ginger, carrots, sugar and 3/4 teaspoon salt; stir-fry 1 minute. Add the mushrooms and stir-fry 1 more minute.
4. Add the rice wine, broth and 2 cups water to the pot and bring to a rapid simmer. Add the shrimp and cook, stirring, until pink, about 1 minute. Whisk the cornstarch mixture and stir it into the soup; simmer until slightly thickened, about 2 minutes. Stir in the snow peas and rice and season with white pepper. Divide among bowls; top with the scallion greens.

High Altitude Adjustment

• None

Compost

• Snow pea, scallion, ginger, carrot and mushroom trimmings.

Recycle

• Mushroom container
• Chicken broth container
• Any used up bottles such as Tamari, sesame oil, coconut oil or vinegar container

Reuse

• Plastic bags vegetables came in
• Shrimp shells to make a fantastic home-made seafood broth