Mandarin Soup

Year of the Dragon

I’ve been sharing a lot of soups lately, mostly because it’s winter. The weather has been tricking me into thinking spring is coming on, but I’m still in full-on soup mode. Hey, they’re delicious, filling, and most contain everything you need for a complete meal! And, we’re still celebrating the Chinese New Year with this delicious Mandarin Soup that I’ve been making for more than 15 years.

When I was a newly married, bright-eyed baby, I had very little confidence in my cooking. So, early on I gravitated toward simple recipes that didn’t take me outside of the self-imposed comfort zone. One of my favorite wedding gifts was from my friend Cathy, 1,000 Vegetarian Recipes. This 500 page tome starts with the basics of stocking your kitchen, travels through entertaining as a vegetarian, and finishes with a trove of soups, entrees, breads, sides, salads, desserts, and so much more. If you’re need great starter vegetarian cookbook or want to kick start your meal ideas, Carol Gelles’ is your girl! This soup is inspired by Carol's Mandarin Soup.

Total Prep & Cooking Time: 25 Minutes
Serves: 4

Mandarin Soup

1 Cup Boiling Water
2 Cups Shitake Mushrooms – Sliced
5 Cups Vegetable Broth
1 TBSP corn starch
2 tsp Soy Sauce
2 TBSP Cold Water
1 Cup Carrots – Julienned
1 Egg – Beaten
1 Cup Extra Firm Tofu – Diced
2 Cups Fresh Spinach or Kale – Torn into pieces
1/2 Cup Bamboo Shoots
1/2 Cup Baby Corn
Thinly sliced scallions to garnish
Sesame Seeds to garnish

Pour the boiling WATER over the sliced SHITAKE MUSHROOMS and put aside.

In a little bowl, whisk together CORN STARCH, SOY SAUCE, and COLD WATER.

In a large stock pot, add the VEGETABLE BROTH, and whisk in the soy sauce mixture. Add the mushrooms with their liquid and the CARROTS to the broth and bring to a boil, stirring or whisking continuously. After boiling, slowly stir in the EGG, being sure to break it up to ensure a silky texture.

Lower the heat to medium and add TOFU, SPINACH OR KALE, BAMBOO SHOOTS, and BABY CORN. Continue to simmer until the spinach or kale is cooked through, about 5-10 minutes. The kale will take a few minutes longer to cook, if you choose that option.

Garnish with SCALLIONS and SESAME SEEDS. Enjoy!


If you’re wondering why I try to incorporate more vegetables and vegetarian meals into my diet, I’ll be posting more about the Carbon Footprint Debate in the coming weeks. But here’s a bit of *cough* light reading from the New York Times. What are you doing to be more green?

Thanks for reading!

Sara

Green Kids - Part 3

Reduce/Reuse/Recycle

It’s important to raise kind and caring children. To me, and probably you, it’s vital to teach that, plus some. I want my little boy to understand how his actions impact those around him. One of the lessons in that equation is conservation and recycling, which is best taught by example.

Recycle: I’ve seen arguments against recycling programs, pointing to the trucks used, the emissions, the overall efficiency of community based programs. So persuasive are these arguments that it prompted the Waste & Resource Action Programme to publish an international study last year. This study found that in 83% of programs surveyed, the efficiency and benefit far outweighed the drawbacks. Of course the study dealt with tangibles, like energy use vs. conservation, waste cost, environmental impact. But there are countless benefits that can’t be quantified. Teach your kids to sort the recycling and teach them responsibility, give them a feeling of community and a sense of pride in making a difference. Unquantifiable, yes, but real, nonetheless. If your community doesn’t offer curbside recycling, a real luxury, check here to find recycling programs with drop-off points in Pennsylvania and here for the rest of the US.

Reuse: I wont ask you to rinse out those cruddy baggies for reuse, but why not nix them? Maybe not all together, but how about some other options? There are some great long lasting food storage containers out there, for packing lunches, portable beverages. Give them a try. And if you can’t, just can’t let go of your disposable lifestyle, why not try a few green options? Here are a few to add to your list:

Ecoproducts: Compostable disposable cups, plates, and utensils.

The Water Geeks: BPA free reusable water bottles.

Zonbu: The Green Machine is a computer that is just beyond cool. Check it out.

Kids Konserve: Reusable school lunch products.

Reduce: Here's where it gets fun. No, seriously, it does! Depending on their age, kids can help to do all sorts of things to conserve energy, water, resources, reduce pollution.

Electricity

• Turn lights off when you leave the room.


• Open blinds for natural light.


• Switch to the more energy efficient compact florescent bulbs.


• Try Energy Star appliances.

Water

• Don't rinse dishes before loading the dishwasher and be sure to fill it up before running.


• Turn off the water while brushing your teeth or washing your face.


• Try low-flow shower heads and limit your time in the shower to under 10 minutes.


• Don't use pesticides or fertilizers on your lawn.

Gas

• Try carpooling or mass transit for school and work.


• Walk or bike for local errands.


• Check tire pressure on your car or truck


• Group your travels by location to avoid unnecessary trips.

And finally, here are some great resources to get you started:

Environmental Kids Club!

Do Something.org

iConservePA.gov

Thanks so much for reading!

Sara