Chinese Inspired Broccolini Soup...

You know that delicious soup you always get in Bad Chinese restaurants? The one that usually comes complimentary with the meal. It’s got that rich salty broth that goes down so smooth it’s almost like drinking a glass of oil. It comes served in delicate cup sized bowls, with wide spoons that have short handles. It’s got all those beautiful uniform slivers of julienne vegetables swimming around in liquid MSG. All except those big honkin’ broccoli florets. Whole and intact with a texture that’s soft yet crunchy. Yeah, you know the soup I’m talking about. Well, the other day that’s what I was craving. I mean really, really craving! All I could think about was broccoli cooked to perfection and bathed in a mouth-watering salty broth. Which is odd since it’s been ages since I’ve eaten bad Chinese and even longer since I’ve given that particular soup a moments thought.

The tastebuds want what they want I suppose, so I finally broke down and decided to try my hand at re-creating a healthy vegan version of that soup. The only problem was that A) aside from a few essentials like Broth, cabbage, broccoli, green onion and carrots I had no idea what else went into that kind of soup - as I said it’s been ages.- and B) I didn’t have any broccoli!

But do you think I let that stop me? Of course not. I had a pound of broccolini which I decided was just as good if not better then broccoli, and the freedom of imagination to do whatever else I pleased. So armed with nothing but my patchy memories I entered the kitchen to work a little magic, and magic is definitely what happened. Now while I can’t say that this soup is in anyway authentic, nor can I say that it tastes exactly like the salty Chinese soup of my childhood memories I can say that this soup is delicious and oil-free. More importantly it has the two main components for such a soup, broccoli, and salty flavor. Which in the end I guess was all I was really looking for. To me this is the perfect soup to eat on a cold fall or winter day when all you want to do is cuddle up in a blanket and read a book. The perfect soup to eat when you’re feeling a little under the weather. Hot, nourishing, and super simple and quick to make. Depending on the deftness of your knife skills you could have a big pot made in about 30 minutes. Who doesn’t love that?

Chinese Inspired Broccolini Soup

1 Small Yellow Onion - Quartered and sliced into thin quarter moons
10-15 cloves garlic crushed or pressed (or very finely minced)
2 Tbsp Ginger Root Grated
1 lb Broccolini (or broccoli)
4-6 C Low-Sodium Vegetable Broth
3 Carrots grated
2 C Napa Cabbage sliced thin
1 Bunch Green Onions sliced (Green & White Parts)
2 Tbsp Red Miso Dissolved in 1/4 C Water (or to taste)
2-4 Tbsp Low-Sodium Soy Sauce (or to taste)
½ tsp Japanese 7 Spice Blend (or to taste)

- Add your Onion, Garlic and Ginger to a medium sized soup pot with about a 1/4 C of vegetable broth. Saute on high until onions are soft and translucent and garlic and ginger are fragrent. Roughly 7-10 minutes.

- While onions are sauteeing slice the stems of your broccolini into small rounds. Leaving the broccolini florets intact. Unless you want more bite sized pieces as I did, then you can slice the florets as well. Add the stems ( but NOT the florets) into the pot along with the onions as they’re sauteeing.

- Add the vegetable broth to the pot and bring to a boil.

- Once boiling reduce heat to medium or medium-low and add Cabbage, carrots, Green onion, Broccolini Florets, Japanese 7 Spice, Soy Sauce, and Miso. Stir to combine then cover and let simmer over medium for 5-10 minutes.

- Because carrots, napa cabbage and green onions are sliced or grated so finely they will cook in no time at all. If you have decided to slice up your broccolini florets they too will cook fast, and so the cooking time will be close to five minutes. If you’ve left the broccolini florets large and intact they could take 10 minutes or slightly longer to get to that nice soft crunch stage. So just keep an eye on it.

- When Broccolini is at your level of tenderness, taste soup for flavor, adjust as needed and serve hot, maybe with a nice side salad.

*** Note - Japanese 7 Spice is a seasoning blend made up of ground Orange Peel, Black, White and Toasted Sesame, Ginger, Nori, Cayenne, and Szechuan Peppercorns. It’s got a hint of citrus from the orange, a bit of heat form the pepper, and a touch of salt from the Nori. It’s a really wonderful combination of flavor that I think really adds something to this soup. However if you don’t have it you can always improvise by creating your own 7 spice blend. But generally Asian Markets, speciality spice stores, or specialty grocers should have it. For those in the Chicagoland area I get mine at The Spice House.***
*** Note - Gluten-Free if using Wheat-Free Tamari Soy Sauce***

Simply Steamed Broccolini with Forbidden Rice...

There’s no doubt that I love cooking elaborate, fancy dinners, but sometimes you just want dinner to be quick and simple. With a minimal amount of ingredients, appliances and dishes used. Am I right? Especially on a busy day, or a particularly hot day. In those moments the temptation to go out for dinner, or have take-out can be fierce and I find too often people give into it. Don’t get me wrong, there’s nothing wrong with eating out once in a while but when you’re eating out more days of the week then you’re spending cooking at home it’s not good. Not good for your health or your wallet as restaurant food is typically very fatty, and more expensive then just buying the goods yourself.

We all have those days though, and yesterday was one of those days for me. I wasn’t feeling particularly interested in cooking, but I was determined to refuse the temptation to go out. So I came up with this very simple, yet incredibly delicious meal. The best thing is that If you own a rice cooker you don’t even need to turn on your stove. Everything can be done with one appliance in one shot. However if you do not own a rice cooker you’ll have to make your rice and steam your veggies the old fashion way. In pots on the stove, which will be using a few more dishes then I had to use, but the meal should still be fairly quick and easy.

Simply Steamed Broccolini with Forbidden Rice

First a few notes about this recipe. 1) Umeboshi Plum Vinegar (also known as Ume Vinegar) is awesome, but if you don’t have it, can’t find it, or don’t want to invest in it then you can use another sweet tasting vinegar but then I suggest you add a sprinkle of sea salt to the dish to enliven the flavors. 2) If you don’t have Japanese 7 Spice you can just add a generous amount of citrus pepper (like lemon or orange pepper) or Black pepper and some finely shredded orange peel. 3) If you don’t have or can’t find Forbidden Rice you can use any rice you like but the taste, texture and consistency are going to be different.

Having said that, Forbidden Rice is an Heirloom Grain that's really worth looking for. Not only is it delicious but it’s highly nutritious. Personally I felt it had a taste very similar to wild rice, but with the tenderness and consistency of white rice. The other great thing about Forbidden Rice (also known as black rice) is that it has a very high mineral count, including Iron. More so then any other type of rice, and of course like all rices it’s also rich in several amino-acids. Interestingly the name Forbidden Rice comes from the fact that in China Black Rice was considered the Emperor’s Rice. It was thought to promote longevity, and so it was forbidden for anyone else to eat this rice.

Simply Steamed Broccolini

11/2 lb Broccolini (roughly. More or less depending on how much you eat)
6-10 Garlic cloves finely minced (or to taste)
1 1/2Tbsp Olive Oil
3 Tbsp Umeboshi Plum Vinegar
1-2 Packets of Stevia to sweeten (Optional)
A few twists of a black pepper mill

- Trim the ends of your Broccolini stems and then place in your steamer basket.

- Steam for 10-12 minutes until fork tender and bright green. Remove from steamer and place into a large bowl.

- While Broccolini is steaming mince your garlic super fine, then place into the bowl in which you’ll be putting your broccolini.

- Also while Broccolini is steaming you can mix together your olive oil, Vinegar, and Stevia in a small bowl. When Broccolini is ready pour mixture over top and lightly toss the Broccolini with your hands to coat it in the sauce and garlic. Twist some black pepper over top and serve.

Forbidden Rice

1 C Forbidden Rice
1 1/2C + 1-2 Tbsp Low-sodium Vegetable stock or water (I prefer stock)
1 Tbsp low-sodium soy sauce
A couple of dashes of Japanese 7 Spice seasoning (Optional)

- Place rice and 1 1/2C Veg stock into rice cooker and cook as directed by manufacturer.

- When rice is done, fluff it up with a fork, and if it seems dry add in the additional 1-2 tbsp of veg stock, (you want it moist but not soupy, so add a bit at a time) along with 1 tbsp of soy sauce, and your Japanese 7 spice. Divide among plates and serve.

Voila! Finito! And you might not think that it sounds like very much at all, but it was extremely delicious and filling. Forbidden Rice is incredible, and I strongly urge you to pick some up when you see it.

*** Note - If you use a rice cooker you can cook the rice and use the steamer basket to cook your broccolini at the same time. This saves on time and the use of an extra appliance or pot. The broccolini will be done before the rice though and so you’ll have to check it after about 10 minutes to make sure you don’t overcook it. Also I served this meal with a large side salad, which I neglected to photograph. Side salads are always a good accompaniment to dinner.***

Simply Steamed Broccolini with Garlic, and Olive Oil...

Oh for the love of Broccolini!

I have just recently come across something wonderful! Broccolini - also known as Broccolette but not to be confused with Broccoli Rabe, also known as Rapini, which is an entirely different vegetable - It’s not as if I’d never heard of Broccolini before, after all my Mom has been praising it’s deliciousness for years now. It’s just that I’ve never actually seen it for sale around here. Then about three weeks ago I was doing my shopping when out of the corner of my eye I saw it. Since my Mom first mentioned it to me I’ve been keeping one eye open for it every time I’m at the grocery store, and finally all my searching has paid off. I immediately ran over to the heaping mounds and grabbed 2 pounds worth, no recipe in mind, just an eagerness to taste this elusive green gem.

When I got this beautiful little vegetable home, I decided I wanted to keep my prep simple. I wanted the full flavor of the vegetable to shine through, rather then have it corrupted by a lot of other ingredients, and I have to say it was phenomenal. This has easily become a favorite vegetable of mine. It’s very similar to Broccoli except it has much smaller florets and longer, thinner more tender stalks. It’s actually a cross between Broccoli and Kai-lan (Chinese Broccoli), a natural hybrid of the cabbage family developed in Yokohama, Japan. It has a similar taste to broccoli, but sweeter, with hints of asparagus, and trust me when I tell you that it’s a vegetable to die for. It doesn’t require a lot of dressing, or fancy cooking, it’s fantastic almost naked. So if you see this vegetable on one of your shopping expeditions I strongly urge you to grab a pound or two. Your tastebuds will thank you for it.

Simply Steamed Broccolini with Garlic, and Olive Oil...

1-1 1/2 lb Broccolini
4-5 tbsp olive oil
4-6 Garlic Cloves finely minced (or to taste)
1-1 ½ tbsp lemon juice (or to taste)
½ Tbsp Balsamic Vinegar
** Hawaiian Black Lava Sea Salt to taste
** Pink Peppercorns to taste
Dash of dried crushed rosemary
Dash of dried oregano

- Trim the ends of Broccolini stalks then put into a steamer basket and steam for about 10-12 minutes. Until stalks become tender, but not limp, and Broccolini is bright green.

- In a small bowl whisk together the olive oil, vinegar, lemon juice, garlic, crushed rosemary, oregano, salt and pepper. Taste for seasonings and adjust as needed.

*** Note - If using Hawaiian Black Lava Sea Salt and Pink Peppercorns I suggest grinding them into a fine powder first. As the salt is very corse, and the peppercorns can be a bit much if left whole ***

- Place steamed Broccolini into a large bowl, pour dressing overtop and toss to coat. Enjoy as a side dish to just about anything!

*** Note - If you don’t have Hawaiian Black Lava Sea Salt you can use Black Sea Salt, Pink Himalayan Sea Salt, or just regular Sea Salt. If you don’t have Pink Peppercorns (Though I highly recommend them) you can use regular black pepper, or white pepper. Also for a slightly sweeter touch to the dressing you can add 1 tsp of agave nectar or raw sugar. Also for a lower-fat version you can reduce the oil to 2-3 Tbsp, or omit it all together. FYI - If you live in the Chicagoland area and you are interested in purchasing either the black lava sea salt or pink peppercorns you can do so at any Spice House location, http://www.thespicehouse.com/ ***