mushroom vegetable stir fry

Cooking for cancer is challenging. Tastes change: things are too sweet, the wrong texture. Foods that were once loved are no longer appetizing. While many of my attempts have missed the mark, this one hit it: consumable and (bonus) nutrient-rich. The sauce is mellow and earthy in flavor, thinner than a typical stir fry. On the second night, I added additional mushroom stock and we enjoyed it as an asian soup.

Mushroom Vegetable Stir Fry
Serves 4

Brothy sauce:
1 c. mushroom stock
3 Tbsp. tamari or soy sauce
2 Tbsp. orange juice
1 Tbsp. rice vinegar
1 Tbsp. honey
1 clove garlic, minced
1 tsp. ginger, peeled and minced
1 tsp. sesame oil

Stir fry:
6 oz. soba noodles
2 Tbsp. refined coconut oil
2 carrots, sliced on the diagonal
2 stalks of celery, sliced on the diagonal
4 baby bok choy, diced, stalks and leaves separated
4 green onions, chopped, white and green parts separated
2 handfuls snow peas, trimmed
2 handfuls mushrooms, quartered

Mix sauce ingredients in a small bowl. Set aside.

Cook soba noodles according to directions. Drain and run under cold water. Set aside.

Heat coconut oil in a wok over medium-high heat. Add carrots, celery, whites of bok choy, whites of onion, and snow peas. Stir fry for about 5 minutes, until carrots begin to become tender.

Add mushrooms and bok choy greens. Continue to stir fry until greens begin to wilt and veggies are crisp-tender.

Add sauce to veggies. Cook and stir two minutes. Add noodles and cook until heated through.

Serve individual servings in a big bowl; ladle some brothy sauce over the top.

mom's split pea soup

Lesson #1: Split pea soup does not photograph well (especially given the limitations of my phone camera, which is the only photo-taking device I have with me at my mother's house).

Lesson #2: My mom makes the best split pea soup. She says it's different every time because she doesn't follow a recipe. Which means I had to give her the 5th degree to tease out something that resembles a recipe (exactly how many stalks of celery equates to "quite a bit of celery"? the answer, it turns out, is 5). Here's what I pieced together:

Mom's Split Pea Soup

Makes a big pot of soup

2 c. split peas, rinsed

2 ham hocks

10 peppercorns, smashed

1 onion, chopped

3 carrots, chopped

5 stalks celery, chopped

marjoram, thyme, celery salt

1 c. milk

1 c. beef boullion

Simmer peas, ham hocks, and peppercorns in 6 cups of water in a partially covered soup pot for one hour.

In a separate pan, saute vegetables in a bit of olive oil until crisp tender.

Remove ham bone from broth and set it aside to allow to cool. Add vegetables and herbs/spices to broth and simmer for 1 hour.

Once ham hocks are cool enough to handle, cut the meat from the bone and chop.

Add ham, milk, and boullion to soup. Simmer for 20 minutes.

Lesson #3: Mom's split pea soup is even better on the second day. :-)

minestrone soup

I woke up at 3am this morning. I lay in bed, knowing I should be sleeping, but unable to turn off my suddenly wide awake mind. So I started thinking about what to make for dinner. Yep, I'm totally serious. I thought through the contents in our fridge and pantry, I thought through what could be added via a trip to the grocery store. What to make, what to make...I finally landed on minestrone soup. Sometime after that, my mind thankfully surrendered itself to dreams again.

Before titling this post minestrone, I did a bit of research to make sure the name would be appropriate. Minestrone is Italian for the big soup. It turns out that there is no set recipe; rather, the content varies across Italy and by season. It can have meat, but doesn't have to (my version is vegetarian). It can contain rice or pasta, but it isn't required (I didn't include any). And it's the perfect way to use up the myriad of veggies in my fridge.

I love recipes like this one, that can be modified based on the ingredients you have on hand. If you don't have everything listed below, don't worry about it - omitting an ingredient or two will still yield a tasty meal. If you have other things in mind that might go well, throw them in, too. Have fun with it! Here's the version we ate for dinner tonight:

Minestrone Soup with Parmesan Toasts

Serves 6ish

2 Tbsp. olive oil

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 shallot, diced

1 onion, diced

2 c. potatoes, diced

1-2 c. carrots, diced

1-2 c. celery, diced

1 tsp. dried or 1/2 tsp. fresh basil, chopped

1 tsp. dried or 1/2 tsp. fresh oregano, chopped

1/2 tsp. dried or 1/4 tsp. fresh thyme, chopped

freshly ground black pepper

3 c. vegetable broth

1 c. water

1/2 c. red wine

1 can diced tomatoes (with juiced)

1 can cannellini beans, rinsed and drained

1 bunch baby dino kale, chopped (or substitute 1 bunch regular dino kale, center rip removed and chopped)

Heat olive oil in a large soup pot over medium-low heat. Add garlic. At this point, I started chopping my way through the vegetables in the order listed above, adding each to the pot as I was done chopping it, stirring occasionally. By the time you've added the last of the celery, the onion should be translucent, the other veggies are beginning to become tender, and the aroma of simmering veggies fills your house.

Add herbs and spices. Stir well to disperse through veggies. Cook an additional few minutes. Add broth, water, wine, and tomatoes. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer 40 minutes (or longer, if you have more time and patience). Add beans and kale. Cook an additional 20 minutes.

Serve hot, topped with parmesan toast if desired (recipe below).

Parmesan Toasts:

olive oil

1 small baguette, sliced into 1/4" rounds

1 clove garlic, halved

1/4 c. parmesan, finely grated

Heat oven to 375 degrees. brush baguette rounds with olive oil. Bake 5-7 minutes, until just beginning to turn golden. Once toasts have cooled enough to handle, rub with cut side of garlic. Sprinkle each toast with parmesan. Return to oven until parmesan begins to melt, 2-3 minutes.

One year ago: caramelized carrot risotto