I'll remember this next time I make angel hair pasta and make extra for another bowl of this! If you're not a fan of basil, this brand also makes a really great tomato pesto! Both are sold at Aldi Grocery Stores. . .Lin
Cook 8oz. angel hair pasta about half way. Drain and rinse well in icy water. Rinse again every half hour, until you can add it to the soup, so it doesn't stick together.4 stalks celery - 3 carrots - 3/4 lg. onion
14oz. chicken breast meat
5 big cloves of garlic - 1/3 head of green cabbage
Sauté the celery, carrots and onion in good quality extra virgin olive oil. When it starts snapping, add the chicken and be ready with a little water to keep it from sticking to the pot. Cook and stir for 10-15 minutes.
Add the minced garlic, cubed cabbage and continue cooking this way another couple minutes until the garlic scent reaches you.
Add 2 quarts of fresh cold water
3 bay leaves, soup base and seasonings you like
Stir, then simmer - covered another 15 minutes then add:
zest and juice of 1 lemon
2c small frozen peas
Cover and remove from the heat for a little while, to blend the flavors and be sure the pasta is done just right.
This is a good basic soup for summer, eating light or recovering from a virus. . .Lin
I'm not always a fan of cooking right up until the time my guests arrive. This is one way of avoiding the last minute hassle, yet still making something really yummy with lots of time to breathe, and relax with people I love. An added benefit of making anything-pasta ahead of time - cooking, chilling then reheating - creates what's known as resistant starch. A very health technique. (this applies to all other starches as well, ie.: potatoes, rice, cooked cereal, starchy vegetables. . .)
When the vegetables are almost done, add the zest and juice of 1/2 big lemon and 14oz. jumbo Wild Caught shrimp, cut into smaller pieces. Increase heat and stir all of this only until the shrimp are about half way cooked.
12oz. sour cream
12oz. Sonoma lemon-herb-ricotta pasta sauce (Costco)
1/2c Sherry cooking wine
Layer the pasta, then vegetables and shrimp twice, adding half the sauce to each and folding everything together gently.
When ready to serve, reheat on 60-70% in the microwave, until everything is steamy.
Serve with crusty garlic bread and a simple green salad. . .Lin
Those of you who know me well, know I have an assortment of physical issues. Among these, are several autoimmune diseases that weaken my immune system, resulting in catching common viruses that healthy people usually fight off. Colds and lots of 'gut' stuff.
Often, the only thing that helps calm down stomach and intestinal upset, is a clear liquid fast, followed by simple, easy to digest food for a day or two. This is a good thing to do - to rest our bodies - not only after a bad bout with a digestive bug, but after a time of excessive eating and drinking. Holidays or reunions for example.
I've decided to start a special category just for this, and call it Simple Recovery Food. So many people who are plagued by such things, don't realize the importance of good gut health! When it's irritated, or compromised due to illness or chronic problems, what it needs is a rest from heavy, spicy, solids.
If you find yourself struggling with this, check back here for future additions. Type simple recovery food in the search line, for recipe ideas to get you back to Feeling Good again.
Bring the water to a boil then add the carrot, pasta and soup base. Stir, turn down the heat and simmer on low, until the pasta and carrots are well cooked, not al dente, to make it easier to digest.
One word of caution, with stomach-intestinal flu, if you can't keep anything down, wait 4 hours from the last time you had a vomiting episode. NOTHING to eat or drink for 4 hours after the last time. Then start with regular cola (Coke / Pepsi, etc.) NOT diet, your body needs a little real sugar now, not chemicals! Stir out the carbonation, then sip that slowly. Cola is the best vs. clear sodas, since there are properties in the cola bean that calm the long muscles of the stomach. At first, stick to just flat colas for 6-8 hours. Then add clear, weak chicken broth for the sodium and electrolytes, then tea and finally water. The next day you can add a few soda crackers and this sort of mild, simple soup.
1/3c rice* would have been better. It's much easier to digest than wheat pasta.
For today, this, some mild lemon tea, and naturally flavored seltzer will be it for me. Resting my gut, yet staying well hydrated. By tomorrow morning, I'm sure I'll feel much better.
