No Noodle Wonton Soup

I love Asian flavours!  Whether it's the spicyness of garlic or ginger, or the freshness of lemongrass, Asian flavours have a unique taste and aroma.  While eating gluten-free, I have missed Wor Wonton soup.  I remember going out for Chinese food with Michael one night and watching him eat only the meat part of the wonton while setting aside the noodle wrapper.  Sometimes it is a lot of work to enjoy something we love.  This week, I decided to create my own wonton soup without the noodle wrappers. Easy enough?! Actually, it was. :)


No Noodle Wonton Soup 

Broth
1 Tbsp. sesame oil
1 Tbsp. minced/pureed ginger
1/8 cup shaved lemongrass (how to cook with lemongrass)
1/4 cup finely chopped red onion
900 mL beef broth (low sodium)
900 mL chicken broth (low sodium)
1 Tbsp. rice wine vinegar
1/4 cup Bragg's soya sauce

Meatballs
2 lbs. grass fed, grass finished ground beef (or pork)
2 finely chopped green onions
2 tsp. pureed ginger
2 minced garlic cloves
1 tsp. Bragg's soya sauce

Other Ingredients
1 cup baby bok choy
10-15 sugar snap peas
1 cup sliced celery
1 cup broccoli florets
1 can baby corn
10-15 uncooked shrimp (remove vein and shell if needed)


Directions
In a large soup pot, sautee the oil, ginger, lemongrass, and red onion over medium heat. Once the onion is translucent, add the broths, rice wine vinegar and soya sauce.  Turn down to simmer.

In a medium mixing bowl, thoroughly combine the meatball ingredients.  Create small meatballs by rolling the mixture between your hands.  In a medium frying pan, heat some butter over medium heat.  Brown the meatballs on either side and set aside.  Make sure they are cooked enough that they will not fall apart once placed in the broth. 2-4 minutes on each side should do the trick.




Chop all the vegetable ingredients into bite sized pieces.  Place the meatballs and shrimp into the broth and slowly bring the heat up to low-medium heat.  Let simmer for 5 minutes.  Add in the vegetables for about 5 minutes right before serving.  Do not simmer the vegetables too long as they will become soggy and limp.  The best part of wonton soup is the crisp vegetables!

Bacon, Leek and Potato Soup

Winter time lends itself to warm and hearty food.  Last week, I made some cream of broccoli and cheddar soup and I only wish I had wrote down the recipe so that I could share it with you.  Unfortunately, I am really bad for just making things up and hoping for the best! 

At the grocery store a few days ago I was on a mission to buy lots of vegetables.  I ended up buying leeks and bok choy, which are fairly unfamiliar vegetables to me.  I was looking for a recipe for the leeks and most of the recipes I found were for soup.  Knowing that the snow is likely here to stay in Calgary for a while and the city would be chilly, I decided to make my own warm and hearty leek soup (and knew if I added bacon that Michael would love it).



Bacon, Leek and Potato Soup

2 tsp. butter

8 slices of bacon

1 leek

2 white potatoes

1/2 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. pepper

4 cups chicken broth

1/2 cup goat's milk
1/2 cup organic 1/2 and 1/2 cream
(or 1 cup total of one of the above)

Wash the leek and potatoes.  Slice the leek in half and then into strips.  Dice potatoes (small hashbrown size).  Set vegetables aside.

In a large sauce pan, melt butter over medium heat.  Slice bacon into thin strips and place in melted butter.  Sautee for about 5 minutes until bacon is slightly browned. Add vegetables and sautee on medium heat until leeks are soft.  Add salt, pepper, and broth.  Bring mixture to a boil and then turn down to low-medium heat.  Simmer for 15-20 minutes until the potatoes are cooked through.  Remove from heat and add milk and cream.  Divide soup into two batches and puree in blender until smooth. Serve hot with chives as a garnish.