Fast Ramen Noodle Upgrade

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I'll admit to still eating ramen noodles from time to time--you know the kind you ate in college because they cost .10?  Yeah, those ramen.  I have an upgrade for you today, and it won't take much more time than just tearing open the spice packet. I buy the carrot shreds at the store all the time to add to salads, but you could use the cheese grater to grate your own.  I prefer napa cabbage in this recipe, but I didn't have any on hand, so I sliced regular green cabbage super thin and it worked out great. I am super lazy when it comes to garlic and ginger--I buy it already chopped up in the squeeze bottles you find in the produce section.  Makes it easy to always have ingredients on a hand for a quick stir fry.

Serves 1 as a meal, but if you added some potstickers on the side (hello, Costco frozen ones are awesome), you could stretch this to two servings.  Easy to double.

Ingredients

1 package of ramen noodles (do not use spice packet)

2 cloves garlic, minced

1/4 tsp. ginger, minced (I use the squeeze bottle from the produce section)

1/4 C. shredded carrot

1/2 C. thinly sliced cabbage (napa or green)

1 head baby bok choy, sliced crosswise (about 1 cup)

Sauce

1/2 Tbs each of dark soy sauce  and low sodium soy sauce (or just 1 total Tbs of whatever soy sauce you have)

1 Tbs sweet chili sauce

1/4 tsp sesame oil

Sriacha to taste (opt)-I like about 1/4 tsp

Garnish

Green onion

cilantro

sesame seeds

Start cooking your ramen noodles in boiling water.  Heat up a medium non-stick skillet with 1 Tbs vegetable oil over medium heat.  Add the garlic and ginger to hot oil and stir for about 10 seconds until fragrant and then add the vegetables.  Saute for 3-5 minutes until veggies are soft but not soggy.  Add the cooked noodles (make sure to drain them first)) and add the sauce.  Heat for about 1 minute and garnish with chopped green onion, cilantro and sesame seeds if you like. 

Wild Rice and Turkey Soup

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 It's soup season, and leftover turkey is the perfect reason to make this yummy soup. 

Ingredients

1/2 c. wild rice mix (Winco bulk bins are perfect for this)

4 c. turkey broth or chicken broth , divided (1 cup to cook rice, 3 for the soup)

2 ribs celery, finely chopped

2 carrots, diced

1 small onion, diced

1/2 c. butter

1/2 tsp. ground thyme

2 bay leaves

1/2 c. flour

2 c. half and half (or 1 c. milk and 1 c. heavy cream)

2 c. cooked turkey, diced or shredded

Salt and Pepper to taste (about 1 tsp each)

 

1. Cook the rice mix.  Use 1 cup of the broth and the dry rice mix and bring to a boil and then turn down to low, cover and simmer for about 35-40 minutes until tender.  The 1/2 cup of dry mix will cook up to about 1 1/2 cups of rice. 

2.  While the rice cooks, chop the vegetables.  In a large stock pot (I use my 6 quart enameled cast iron pot), melt the butter over medium heat and add the onion, celery and carrot and bay leaves.  Cook and stir until translucent and softened (about 8 minutes).  Add the ground thyme and stir for about 30 seconds.  Remove the bay leaves before the next step.

3.  Add the flour to the sauteed vegetables and stir with a wooden spoon to form a paste and cook for 1-2 minutes to cook off the flour taste and build some flavor.  Slowly add the remaining 3 cups of broth (add about 1/2 cup at a time and stir in to avoid lumps in the flour).  

4.  Add the half and half (which I don't usually have on hand, but I do have milk and I keep shelf-stable cream in the pantry all the time, so I use the combo of milk and cream).  You can make it with just milk, but treat yourself with the richness of cream. 

4.  Add the turkey/chicken and cooked rice.  Bring to a boil slowly over medium heat (stir constantly to avoid burning).  Check for seasoning and if needed, add salt and pepper.

 Serve with some delicious bread and a salad and you are good to go!