Chicken "Confetti" Soup with Quinoa & Black Beans for Souper (Soup, Salad & Sammie) Sundays

This is one of those "throw it together" kinds of soups. I started out wanting chicken soup because I had just made a bunch of slow cooker stock from an organic chicken. At first I was thinking chicken and rice, but decided to change the rice to quinoa to change it up a bit and add some more nutrients. Then my mind took a south-of-the-border turn with some black beans and spices. With a bunch of veggies added in, it is hearty, healthy (and almost too thick to be called a soup), bright and colorful with the confetti-like pieces of vegetables.

Chicken "Confetti" Soup with Quinoa & Black Beans

by Deb, Kahakai Kitchen

(Makes about 10 cups)

1 Tbsp olive oil

1 medium onion, chopped small

1 medium carrot, chopped small

1 stalk of celery, chopped small

1 red bell pepper, chopped small

4 cloves garlic, minced

1 small zucchini, chopped small

1 Tbsp dried oregano

1 1/2 Tbsp ground cumin

2 tsp ground cayenne or chipotle pepper

6 cups chicken stock

2 cups quinoa (I used mixed red and regular quinoa)

1 can "Rotel" or a can of diced tomatoes plus a can of green chilies

2 cups cooked (or 1 can) black beans

2 cups cooked, shredded chicken

1 cup frozen yellow corn

1 1/2 cups kale, finely chopped/shredded

juice of 2 limes

salt and pepper to taste

cilantro to garnish

In a large stockpot or Dutch oven, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add onion, carrot, celery and red pepper and cook about 10 minutes, stirring frequently until softened. Add garlic and zucchini and saute another 5-6 minutes. Add spices, mixing into the vegetables for 1-2 minutes. Pour in chicken stock and bring soup to a boil. Once boiling, add quinoa, reduce heat to medium and cook about 15 minutes or until quinoa is cooked almost through. Stir in the Rotel, cooked black beans, shredded chicken, frozen corn and kale and return soup to a simmer. Cover and cook about 15 minutes so flavors have time to blend and kale to soften. Add lime juice, taste for seasoning and add salt and pepper to taste. Garnish with chopped cilantro and extra lime wedges.

Notes/Results: Very thick and good--a great way to get a lot of healthy veggies into a meal. The cumin adds a nice smokiness, enhanced by the smoky spice of the chipotle powder and there is a nice tangy brightness from the lime juice. I used the veggies I had on hand but of course you could alter it and the spice level too, to suit your tastes. The quinoa soaks up a lot of broth so another option is to cook it separately and pour the soup over a scoop of quinoa in a bowl when serving. I would make this again.

We have some truly delicious-looking dishes waiting in the Souper Sunday kitchen this week:

Donna from My Tasty Treasures looked to some fellow Bloggers for her entry this week, saying "I saw this Beef and Barley Stew just a couple of days ago on Chris's Nibble Me This blog, who had seen it on Pam's blog, For the Love of Cooking. With these 2 giving this soup rave reviews I knew I had to try it right away. Such goodness in this soup.Absolutely a wonderful, delicious, loaded stew."

Here with a Tuscan Potato Soup is Kait from Pots and Plots. She says, "Several months ago, I threw together an Italian themed potato soup that was fabulous. But I decided to try my hand at lightening it up a bit more, bulking up the veggie quotient and changing things up a little bit. I swapped out the Italian pork sausage for turkey and added some other veggies in place of some of the potatoes. For my efforts, I dropped the calories to 356 and the fat to 12 grams for each of the 5 servings and came up with a healthy and flavorful soup with a taste of Tuscany."

A new face at Souper Sundays is Greg from two blogs, Crostini and Chianti, devoted to Italian cuisine and The Skinny Tipper, chronicling his amazing 125 pound weight loss. Greg has a White Bean Soup appropriate for (and posted at) both blogs. He says, "This is a recipe I decided to make today so I could use up some spinach, so don't look to closely and notice I forgot the spinach. It is only coincidence that my brother Bob asked that I post a bean recipe on the day I make bean soup. Everybody knows if he would have asked for it before I decided to make it I never would have made it, that's what brothers are for." Welcome Greg!

Chaya from Chaya's Comfy Cook Blog, made this Nutty Sweet Potato Soup from an Ellie Krieger recipe. Chaya says, "Can’t pass up a good buy at Costco. Thus, I have a load of sweet potatoes, sitting on a chair. I don’t want it to get too cozy so I will be making sweet potato recipes for a while. I have made a number of my “orange soups”. They are orange because they are made of sweet potatoes, carrots, squash or pumpkin. They are all good with a subtle sweetness and usually some tangy flavor from other ingredients."

A recipe for Copycat Broccoli Cheddar Soup from Panera courtesy of her favorite section of The Food Network magazine resulted in a new favorite for my friend Kim from Stirring the Pot. She says, "This soup recipe is velvety smooth and sinfully delicious! I loved it so much that I am craving it again and will be making it very soon! Altogether, the recipe takes about 1 hour to make, but it is seriously good and very worth it. This is a must make if you are a broccoli cheese fan."

L.K. from Healthy. Delicious. is ready to get some balance back in her diet after all the indulgences of the holidays and this healthy Manhattan Clam Chowder is the perfect way to start. She says, "We love clam chowder, but typically go for the creamy New England style over the tomato-based Manhattan style. Shawn was actually very skeptical when I said I wanted to make this, because he hates tomatoes so tomato based soups really aren’t his thing. He loved it though, and told me that I should make it again! Served with a crusty piece of bread to sop up the broth, this is the perfect dinner on a snowy January night."

A recipe for Shrimp Ravioli in Brodo with Spinach and Ginger from Saveur helped satisfy the ravioli craving Natashya at Living in the Kitchen with Puppies was having. She says, "I also added some chicken stock to the sauce to make it "in brodo", more soup-like and less likely for the ravioli in the tender wonton skins to stick to each other. This was a not-too-difficult recipe with sophisticated results. It seems labour intensive at first but it can be made in stages. Very yummy indeed."

Graziana from Erbe in Cucina made a tasty and spicy sandwich this week, this hearty Jalapeno Burger. Graziana says, "Summer chilies are rich and colorful, but I admit that limited winter chili harvests make me really proud. I cut the Jalapenos into slices, cooked them with the hamburgers, and add to this recipe for a hot touch."

Wow--some wonderful soups and a spicy burger too this week! Thanks to everyone who participated. If you have a soup, salad or sandwich you would like to share, click on the logo on the sidebar for all the details.

Have a great week!

Invigorating and Spicy Green Tea--A "Simple Saturday Sipper" to Warm You Up

No trip to Portland is complete without at least a quick trip to Powell's--my all time favorite book store. Because I had already purchased a few books at another used bookstore (see them posted here), and had luggage weight restrictions to consider (not to mention my out of control cookbook collection!), I behaved myself pretty well and just picked up a couple of small books. One was a sale copy of "Green Tea: 50 Hot Drinks, Cool Quenchers and Sweet and Savory Treats" by Mary Lou Heiss. There are several intriguing recipes for savory foods in the book as well as some delicious sounding hot and iced tea and cocktail recipes. In need of a little pick-me-up while studying for a test, I tried the recipe for the Invigorating and Spicy Green Tea. I liked the idea of adding three of my favorite spices; cardamom, pepper and cinnamon to green tea.

Mary Lou Heiss says, "The bold flavors of these warm spices are tamed a bit so as to add a subtle flavor that imparts a nice bit of underlying heat without overpowering the delicacy of the tea."

Invigorating and Spicy Green Tea

"Green Tea" by Mary Lou Heiss

(Serves 2-4)

2 Tbsp (8 grams) medium-size loose-leaf green tea or 4 green tea bags

9 freshly cracked green or white cardamom pods

9 whole white peppercorns (recommend bruising/crushing to release more flavor)

1 3-inch piece cinnamon stick

4 cups boiling water

Put the tea leaves or tea bags into a pre-warmed large teapot and set aside. Place the spices in a 4-cup heatproof measuring cup and add the boiling water. Stir to mix, then let the spices infuse for 2 minutes. Quickly pour the infusion into the teapot, straining carefully to prevent the spices from going into the tea pot. Steep the tea in the spice infusion for an additional 2 minutes. Strain the brewed tea into teacups and serve immediately.

Notes/Results: Delicious. The warming spices are a nice change to the normal cup of green tea. One note--I tried this tea twice, the first time I just added the white peppercorns as the recipe stated but didn't get much peppery spice--tasting much more of the cardamom and cinnamon instead. It was good, but I really wanted the kick of the pepper so the second time I crushed the peppercorns a bit before adding them in and that made all the difference. If you want a milder-tasting spiced tea, you can just leave them whole. This tea was the perfect afternoon snack with a couple of the raw "donut holes" from yesterday's post. I will make it again.

Enjoy your weekend!

Tropical Raw Donut Holes--A Tasty & Healthy Treat

I'm a "dabbler" when it comes to cooking and eating. I like to try different ingredients, ways of preparing food and food and diet philosophies. For awhile I was into learning about preparing raw foods and even bought a few books and dried some different recipes. Lately, because I have been studying them in my nutrition program, I have been incorporating more raw foods into my diet. Ultimately, although I agree with a lot of things about a raw foods diet, it isn't something I would do full time--my body craves warm food too much. I will instead just keep up with my dabbling; eating plenty of organic salads, drinking fresh fruit and veggie juices from my juicer and enjoying the occasional raw dessert.

My local co-op store has a great little deli section and I became instantly addicted to the raw "donut holes" they were selling in the grab and go section. They are made with shredded coconut, dates, dried pineapple, sea salt and vanilla--kind of like a Lara Bar in a round donut hole shape. At $3.50 or so for a container of about 5-6, I find them to be a bit spendy and thought I could figure out how to make my own at home.

In doing a little research online, it seems like the recipe probably came from raw food chef, Ani Phyo and I just happened to have a copy of the book, Ani's Raw Food Kitchen, with a version of her recipe in it. So I changed it up just a bit, including supplementing the dried pineapple with some dried mango, making these Tropical Raw Donut Holes.

Tropical Raw Donut Holes

adapted from Ani's Raw Food Kitchen, Ani Phyo

(Makes about 30+ holes depending on the size)

1 cup almonds

1/2 cup dried low-sugar pineapple, chopped

1/2 cup dried low-sugar mango, chopped

1 cup pitted dates

3/4 cup shredded unsweetened coconut, separated

1/4 teaspoon sea salt
1 vanilla bean, scraped

Place almonds in a food processor and process until finely chopped. Add pineapple, mango, dates 1/2 cup of the coconut, salt and vanilla and process until mixed well.

Form into small balls and roll the holes in a bowl of the remaining 1/4 cup shredded coconut. Will keep in fridge for a week or so (if they last that long!).

Notes/Results: These turned out perfect, exactly what I wanted and exactly like the ones I was buying--they are chewy, sweet tropical bites of goodness. They are incredibly easy to make and so much cheaper than buying them at the co-op. I loved the touch of mango and would probably leave it in when making them again. A great little snack and I plan to play around with different dried fruit combinations, plus the co-op had a chocolate macaroon version that looked darn good and that I will need to try making. Whether you are into raw foods, a dabbler like me, or just love a sweet, delicious little treat that is made of natural foods and good for you ingredients, give this one a try.

Happy Aloha Friday!

Nigella's Thai Crumbled Beef Bison in Lettuce Wraps--Fully Loaded for Good Taste & Good Health

"Resolutions" is our theme this week at "I Heart Cooking Clubs." I have mixed feelings about resolutions, mainly because I, like others have made many a long list of them for the new year in the past and they generally don't last through the spring. On the other hand to not have any resolutions/goals/commitments (or whatever you like to call them) set for yourself and expect to actually see any changes in your life is an exercise in futility. So for me it is not about making annual "resolutions" but more about periodically taking stock of where I am, decide where I want to be and then setting small achievable goals or action steps will that get me there --whether that be in January, at the start of a new season, or whenever I feel the need. Last year about this time (see post here), I set a goal of cleaning up my food act and focusing this blog and my cooking and eating on healthier food choices the majority of the time, with the occasional indulgence thrown in. (I give myself a B+ for the year. Overall I kept it pretty healthy but the indulgences snuck in a little more often than I wanted!)

This past October, I recommitted to that earlier goal and I added a few additional action steps to help achieve a happier, healthier me. More manifesto than resolutions! ;-) I won't share them all for fear of boring you but a few that pertain directly to this blog are:

• I will put my focus not just on foods that I love but on foods that love me back, that nourish me and fuel my body.
• I will eat as much locally-grown, whole, and organic food as possible utilizing my CSA box, farmers markets, my co-op and natural foods stores for the bulk of my groceries.
• I will create my own healthy recipes or make healthy changes to the other recipes I make and load them up with healthy and nutritionally dense ingredients.
• I will continue to prove to myself & others that healthy food can be delicious and fun.

On that note, I chose Nigella's Thai Crumbled Beef in Lettuce Wraps, not a bad recipe as written by Nigella, but easily improved in healthiness and taste with a few additions. Lean, grass-fed bison replaces the beef, adds more protein and reduces the fat, local Manoa green leaf lettuce replaces the yellow/white iceberg lettuce, red bell pepper, carrots and cucumber add color, texture and nutrients, and a small sprinkling of unsalted peanuts add extra protein and crunch. I also added some thin rice noodles drizzled in a little hot chili-garlic oil to bulk the wraps out a bit and make them more of a meal. There is nothing boring or flavorless about these lettuce wraps!

This recipe can be found in Forever Summer (pages 10-11) or on Nigella's site here. My changes / additions are in red below.

Nigella says: "Given that I made this out of my head rather than out of a book, I don't know how authentically Thai it is, but I do know it's authentically wonderful. What I was going after was that first course (among many) I always order in Thai restaurants, of crumbled meat, quite dry, soup-sharp with chili, which you eat by scooping with crunchy, boat shaped lettuce leaves.

You may need to be rather brutal with the lettuce as you tear the leaves off to provide the edible wrappers for the beef, which is why I specify one to two icebergs. If you wan to perk the leaves up a little, making sure they curve into appropriate repositories for later, leave them in a sink full of very cold water while you cook the minced beef, then make sure you drain them well before piling them up on their plate."

Thai Crumbled Beef Bison in Lettuce Wraps

Nigella Lawson

(Serves 6--as appetizer)

1 teaspoon vegetable oil
2 red birdeye or other small, hot red chillies, finely chopped
3/4 lb (375g) ground beef (Used buffalo / bison instead)
scant tablespoon Thai fish sauce
4 scallions, dark green bits removed (and set aside), finely chopped
zest and juice of 1 lime
3–4 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
1–2 small heads iceberg lettuce (Used green leaf lettuce)

8 ounces thin rice noodles prepared to package instructions and drizzled with chili oil

1/2 red bell pepper julienned

1 medium carrot, julienned

1/2 cucumber, julienned

chopped green scallions

Put the oil in a non-stick frying pan on medium heat and when warm add the finely chopped chillies and cook for a couple of minutes, stirring occasionally. It’s wiser not to leave the pan, as you don’t want them to burn. Add the beef, turn up the heat and, breaking up the meat with a wooden spoon or fork, cook for 3 or 4 minutes till no trace of pink remains. Add the fish sauce and, still stirring, cook till the liquid’s evaporated. Off the heat, stir in the scallions, zest and juice of the lime and most of the cilantro. Turn into a bowl, and sprinkle over the remaining coriander just before serving.

Arrange the iceberg lettuce leaves on another plate – they should sit one on top of another easily enough – and let people indulge in a little DIY at the table, filling cold crisp leaves with spoonfuls of sharp, spicy, hot, crumbled meat, noodles, vegetables, and peanuts.


Notes/Results: I forgot how much I really love good lettuce wraps and how quick and easy they are. I should be making/eating them more often! These were delicious--spicy, savory, tangy and had great texture with the warm meat and noodles with the crunchy, cold veggies. The green leaf lettuce worked well, even if a bit messy with all the toppings--for even more nutritional value kale, collard greens or chard could be used as the wrapper. Although I used ground bison because I really love the taste and the leanness, lean ground beef, ground turkey breast or minced tofu would work equally well. I served these with Sunday's Curried Yellow Pepper Soup for a healthy dinner. These are way better than the ones at my local Thai restaurant and I will make them again. And if you compare these wraps to the picture of Nigella's version on the website--with all the healthy additions I think they look even tastier! (Come on--eat the rainbow Nigella!) ;-)

Nigella's Original Version

Fully Loaded Wraps from Kahakai Kitchen

You can see what recipes the other IHCC participants selected to represent their "resolutions" by going to the IHCC site here and following the links.

So what do you think about resolutions? Do you make them or have another process to set goals for yourself?

Things I Am Loving This Week

It's the first Tuesday of 2010 and time again for "Things I Am Loving This Week"--the (mostly) food related things I am enjoying and want to share.

First, a very recent love...I watched one of my celebrity chef "crushes," Ming Tsai, make this Preserved Lemon-Edamame Tapenade on The Today Show yesterday morning, thought it (and Ming of course!) ;-) looked delicious, and found the pairing intriguing. Since I had preserved some lemons last month, I had everything I needed to make it and so I whipped it right up. It was great on sesame rice crackers and I also used it as a yummy topping for a veggie burger for lunch. I loved how the flavors work together in this--it gets even better as it sits and it would be great on some grilled fish too.

Preserved Lemon-Edamame Tapenade
by Ming Tsai
(Serves 4)

1 cup cooked and peeled edamame, rough chopped
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1 teaspoon minced ginger
1/3 cup minced, preserved lemons
1 tablespoon minced parsley
1 tablespoon low sodium organic soy sauce
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Combine all tapenade ingredients in a large bowl or mortar and pestle, check for flavor and season.

*Watch the salt on this one and taste carefully before adding any. I rinsed my preserved lemon and still found the tapenade plenty salty with the soy sauce so no additional salt was needed.

(Love edamame? This Edamame-Feta Dip from my early days of blogging ;-) is one of my all-time favorites and really delicious too).

I was happy to find some bags of tea from one of my favorite brands, Teavana in my Christmas stocking. My Mom knows what I love and picked out some great tropical flavors "Arcadian Apple" (a blend of white and green tea with apple, papaya and pineapple), "EverSummer Punch" (an herbal infusion of kiwi, pineapple, lemongrass and orange), and this one, "Tiki Twilight" (described as "Succumb to the taste of serene shorelines where wild pineapple and sweet hibiscus blossoms mingle in the breeze, accentuated by a smooth blend of white and black tea."). I have tried them all hot and will be trying them iced too. Yes, I loves my tea! ;-)

Finally, one thing I really love are used bookstores with good cookbook collections. I LOVE old, quirky cookbooks--they are such fun to read and cook from. I met my best friend from Jr. High for lunch and Spanish coffees in downtown Portland and was about 20 minutes early, giving me just enough time to duck into a little bookstore and find a few books that I had to add to my collection. For $19.00 total (love that price!), I got "Herbs for The Kitchen" first written in 1939, (my copy is from 1945), and "A Matter of Taste: The Definitive Seasoning Cookbook" from 1965. Both of these are fun resources for spices and herbs with lots of interesting folklore and information. Then I had to buy "Recipes for Living in Big Sur," published by the Big Sur Historical Society in 1981 because it was mentioned in "My Nepenthe" by Romney Steele, the cookbook I just reviewed (here), and my finding it was kismet. This is a fun, slightly "crunchy-granola" kind of cookbook that is full of colorful history and has chapters like "Living Off the Land," "Self-Sufficiency," and "Starting from Scratch." I can tell I am going to have fun with this one.

So those are "The Things I Am Loving This Week." How about you--what are you loving right now?

Curried Yellow Pepper Soup from Moosewood for Souper (Soup, Salad & Sammie) Sundays

This week's Curried Yellow Pepper Soup is from the new "The Moosewood Restaurant Cooking for Health" by The Moosewood Collective. I love all the Moosewood cookbooks and this one focuses on healthy recipes with nutritious, using local and organic ingredients--perfect for starting out the new year on the right track. The curry spices and coconut milk in it caught my eye, plus yellow peppers are high in vitamin C and bioflavonoids and also contain beta-carotene, vitamin B6, and potassium, making them great for a winter's meal.

Curried Yellow Pepper Soup

"The Moosewood Restaurant Cooking for Health"

(Yields about 7 cups / Time: 55 minutes)

1 cup chopped onions

2 Tbsp vegetable oil

1 cup finely chopped carrots or peeled sweet potatoes

1 apple, peeled and chopped

3 yellow or orange bell peppers, chopped (4 to 5 cups)

1 Tbsp grated peeled ginger root

1/2 tsp ground turmeric

1/2 tsp ground cardamom

1/4 tsp ground cinnamon

1/8 tsp cayenne

2 cups water or vegetable broth

1 cup coconut milk

1 Tbsp lime or lemon juice

1/2 tsp salt

In a soup pot on medium heat, cook the onions in the oil until softened, about 5 minutes. Add the carrots and apples and continue to cook, stirring often for about 10 minutes. Stir in the bell peppers, salt, ginger, turmeric, cardamom, cinnamon, and cayenne, and cook for a minute, stirring constantly. Add the water or broth and stir well. Cover and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and cook until the vegetables are tender, about 10 minutes. Stir in the coconut milk and lime juice. In a blender, puree in batches until silky smooth. Add salt to taste. Garnish each serving with a dollop of yogurt, a sprig of mint or cilantro, and/or a thin slice of lime.

Variations: Replace the apple with 1 cup of apple juice. Substitute unsweetened soy milk or almond milk for the coconut milk.

Per 1-cup Serving: Calories: 168, Protein: 2g, Carbohydrate: 15g, Dietary Fiber: 4g, Total Fat: 13g, Saturated Fat: 8g, Monounsaturated Fat: 3g, Cholesterol: 0mg, Sodium: 191mg

Notes/Results: Creamy, hearty and a great combination of flavors. The spice of the curry, the kick from the cayenne (I doubled the amount), and the tang of the lime, blend well with the peppers and carrots. I used lite coconut milk and my immersion blender to puree it. Since I had a bunch of carrots that needed using up, I made the soup with them but would also give it a try using the sweet potatoes to see the difference in flavor and texture they would add. A good soup to start a meal with some bread or some of my favorite sweet potato corn chips. I would make this again.

Let's see who is here in the Souper (Soup, Salad & Sammie) Sundays Kitchen this week:

LeeAnn from Mangos, Chili and Z is here with some Sopa Caldosa, a cabbage soup with bacon, chickpeas, chorizo and parsley. LeeAnn says, "Well you all know me well enough by now to know that I substituted cilantro for that parsley. This is quick, delicious and somewhat healthy little soup."

Debby of A Feast for the Eyes is here with some Transylvanian Goulash (from Mary at One Perfect Bite), proving that vampires are not the only popular thing coming from Transylvania. Debby says, "I will always love my mother's Austrian Goulash recipe, the best. But, I liked this "Transylvanian" version. The pork was very, very tender! We both loved the texture of the creamy mashed potatoes, with the sauce. Yes, it is very good! Craig had seconds...and, um, so did I!"

Here with a hearty Beef and Dark Beer Chili is my friend Kat from Our Adventures in Japan. Kat says, "I like dark beer, I like chili, so I thought this would be perfect to try. I liked the spiciness of the chili, it creeps up on you but doesn't keep burning for long. Since I didn't have scallions, I left them out and garnished with a little Italian parsley, yogurt & white cheddar." Looks perfect for a cold winter's night!

The wonderful Rebecca from Chow and Chatter made a healthy thick Carrot and Cauliflower Soup to share this week. This one is full of veggies and lentils, along with lots of savory herbs and Indian spices. Rebecca says, "Lets start 2010 with a nice healthy recipe, a wonderfully simple and flavorful soup." A great way to kick off those resolutions!

Here with a favorite classic Italian Wedding Soup made with her homemade chicken stock is Donna from My Tasty Treasures. Donna says, "This is a delicious quick and easy soup for a weeknight and stores well. We loved this quick version of a classic and will be making it again no doubt!"

Natashya from Living in the Kitchen with Puppies made a colorful midday meal. She says, "There's nothing like a little colour to snap you out of your winter doldrums. This lunch has colour, contrast, lots of great nutrients and, most importantly, great flavour. Nigella's Red Soup, filled with the goodness of beetroot, is accompanied by her Small Tomato Tarts - just the thing to satisfy the belly and plentiful enough to have leftovers for breakfast the next day. I love the tartness that the cranberries gave the soup."

Debby from A Feast for the Eyes has her second offering this week inspired by a favorite restaurant, her Special Green Salad with Pears, Blue Cheese & Candied Pecans. The restaurant has since closed but Debby is able to recreate their salad at home. She says, "We love this salad! Doesn't this look healthy? (Well, the candied pecans are a small stretch, but just a few are okay by me.)"

Here with a salad good enough to please almost everyone in her difficult to please family is Joanne from Eats Well With Others and her Broccoli Salad. Joanne says, "Maybe it was the mayo. Maybe it was the bacon. But everyone really liked the salad. Even my father ate some (although he did say, Joanne. I think the broccoli and string beans could have been cooked a little more. I didn't dignify that with a response.) Like I said before, you can't please everyone. But you can come close."

A great variety of yummy soups and a couple of salads too this week--thanks to everyone who participated. If you have a soup, salad or sandwich you would like to share, click on the Souper Sundays logo on the side bar for all of the details.

Have a wonderful week!

"KukiChai" -- A Spiced Green Tea Chai Blend and "Simple Saturday Sipper"

I was craving chai and decided to make a blend using the kukicha tea I have been drinking lately. Kukicha or "twig tea" is a Japanese green tea blend where the twigs, stems and stalks of the green tea plant are slow roasted repeatedly, giving it a slightly earthy, roasted flavor. It is considered to be very balancing to the system and to contain antioxidants. (I have made and posted a couple of other drinks with it, see here and here). The result was this tasty "KukiChai" a perfect spiced tea blend and "Simple Saturday Sipper" served warm with almond milk. Haven't tried kukicha? I buy mine at Whole Foods or my local natural foods store. If you can't find it, any roasted green tea will work.

"KukiChai" Tea

by Deb, Kahakai Kitchen

(Makes about 3 cups plain or 6 with milk)

3 cups water
2 star anise
6 green cardamon pods crushed and split open
10 cloves
2 cinnamon sticks broken into pieces
8 white peppercorns

5 whole allspice

1 tsp fennel seeds
1 tsp powdered ginger or 1 tsp fresh ground ginger

1 tsp dried orange peel
4 bags kukicha or other green tea

1 tsp vanilla

1 Tbsp honey

Bring water to a boil and add all spices, boiling for 2 minutes. Lower heat and simmer for 10 minutes. Return spiced water to just at a boil, add tea bags, remove pan from heat and simmer about 4 minutes. Strain out the spices and tea bags then add vanilla and honey.

When ready to drink, get your favorite cup or glass, add the tea base to the warm milk of your choice (I used an unsweetened almond milk). Proportion milk to your taste (for this I did half chai to 1/2 almond milk). To make iced chai, cool chai tea mixture after adding vanilla and honey and add to a glass of iced milk of your choice.

Notes/Results: It hit the spot perfectly. Although chai is usually made with black tea, the roasty flavor of the green kukicha tea pairs wonderfully with the spices. I find bruising or crushing the hard spices slightly in a mortar and pestle (or in a ziploc with a rolling pin!), before boiling them helps add the most flavor. As I am avoiding dairy as much as possible currently, I used an unsweetened almond milk for my chai and the honey lightly sweetened the blend. I loved it hot, but saved a cup to try over ice and it was equally as good. You can play around with the spices and amounts adding more or less depending on personal taste. I will make this again.

Happy Saturday!