Tuesday, February 23, 2010

Adventures in Bountiful Baskets #1: Asian Cabbage Soup

So I do this AWESOME thing called Bountiful Baskets.  Basically a whole bunch of people put their money together and buy fresh produce and some other things for a discount.  They have a regular basket, and then some optional add-ons, usually including a themed set of vegetable. This week the theme was Asian.  So we got fresh basil and cilantro, ginger, garlic, green onions, a coconut (still not sure exactly what to do with THAT), bok choy (also a mystery), and napa cabbage. Today as I was cleaning the kitchen I was struck with a fabulous idea: Asian Cabbage Soup!  It turned out really well, so here is the recipe:

Asian Cabbage Soup

1 head Napa cabbage
1 bunch green onions, thinly sliced
Fresh Ginger, need 1/4 cup grated
1/4 cup fresh basil, chopped
2 large cloves garlic, pressed
1 32-oz box broth *I used Imagine No-Chicken Broth because we're vegetarian
1/4-1/2 cup gluten-free soy sauce (to taste)
Tabasco (optional)
Crushed red pepper flakes (optional)

Quarter cabbage lengthwise, then thinly slice cross-wise.   Add everything to large soup pot, bring to a boil.  Reduce heat, cover and simmer for 10 minutes or until the cabbage is tender and the flavors start to blend.  Serve hot, topped with Tabasco and/or pepper flakes, if desired.

Here's a fun fact about cabbage: it's full of Vitamin C!  That's right, there are more ways to get your Vitamin C than drinking sugary orange juice.  Cabbage, especially cooked or fermented (like sauerkraut), is good for digestion.  Enjoy! Let me know if you try it and like it, or if you made any fabulous changes!

3 comments:

AZSongbird said...

Sounds good! Hooo! Lots of ginger, eh?

I found a recipe to use the bok choy:

Stir-Fried Bok Choy with Ginger and Garlic

Ingredients
1 Tbs. olive oil
2 cloves garlic
1 Tbs. minced fresh ginger
8 cups chopped fresh bok choy
2 Tbs. reduced sodium soy sauce
(I'm going to use broth)
Salt and pepper to taste

Directions
Heat oil in large skillet over medium heat. Add garlic and ginger and cook 1 minute. Add bok choy and soy sauce; cook 3 to 5 minutes, until greens are wilted and stalks are crisp-tender. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

From Food Network.com

Caralee and Jon said...

That is almost exactly what I make except I put in garlic and sliced pork chops in it and put it over rice. Yummy!

Caralee and Jon said...

whoops yup you have garlic in there too! Yes, it is definatley good for digestion and diet foods!! Although the diet stuff would only include your recipe and not the rice and meat like mine. haha.