It’s no big secret that what we eat has the power to have a dramatic impact on our health. I spent several amazing weeks visiting my family for the holidays, enjoying lots of warm weather and eating ever abundant citrus. Unfortunately, at the end of the break I came down with a terrible cold and spent several days on the couch. Now that I’m back at school and getting ready to start a new semester I’m determined eat my way back to strength and good health so that I can hit the ground running. This soup is full of garlic and ginger which helps with inflammation post sinus infection. I ate mine with vermicelli noodles, you can also use thin spaghetti or rice. Enjoy!

Soup for a Speedy Recovery 

Time: 30 minutes  Serves:  3-4

Ingredients

• 1 quart low sodium boxed chicken broth
• 2-3 tbsp soy sauce
• 3 cloves garlic
• 1 3-inch piece of ginger
• 1 bunch cilantro
• ¼ tsp red pepper flakes
• 5 white mushrooms
• 1 zucchini
• 3 baby bok choy
• 1-2 tbsp rice wine vinegar 
• rice noodles (about a handful dry per person)

Substitutions

• To make vegetarian, use vegetable instead of chicken broth
• You can use onion instead of garlic and ginger (dice onion and add when you would add garlic and ginger)
• You can use any type of mushroom you like
•  You can use yellow squash instead of zucchini
• You can use thin spaghetti or white rice instead of rice noodles. I usually use about 1/4 cup rice or about a handful of dry noodles per person

Add the chicken broth, about 3 cups of water and soy sauce to your large pot, bring to a boil at medium heat. Peel your garlic and cut into thin slices. Cut the skin off of your ginger and dice finely. Add to the broth. Add red pepper flakes.

Bring to a strong boil for at least 20 minutes or until ginger begins to get soft.

Meanwhile, wash all your vegetables. Cut your mushrooms into thin pieces. Cut your zucchini into thin strips about four inches long. Cut the ends off of the bok choy and pull apart until just the few pieces at the center are still together. Wash well.

Bring water to a boil in a separate pot. Cook your noodles according to directions on the package.

Meanwhile, add your bok choy to the soup. After about 3 minutes add zucchini, then add mushrooms. When all vegetables are soft and bok choy leaves turn dark green, the soup is ready. Add some noodles to your bowl, then add broth. Garnish with cilantro and add rice wine vinegar to taste.

Save extra broth to eat at another meal!