Pip's Plate

I didn’t make tortilla strips for this soup, but you could. The broken chips from the bottom of a tortilla bag work too and is very quick. This recipe is dairy free and gluten free and could easily be made vegetarian by omitting the chicken. I don’t usually make soup (due to past miserable failures) but this one turned out really well. And spicy, of course.

Healthy Chicken Tortilla Soup

serves: 4

time: 35 minutes

1T olive oil

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 serrano chile, minced (I use the seeds too because I like spicy – if you don’t like spicy, replace this with a jalapeno and remove the seeds before mincing)

1 Quart organic chicken broth

3/4 cup diced canned tomatoes with juices

1 chipotle chile canned in adobo minced + 1t sauce

1 bay leaf

1t cumin

1t dried oregano or 1T chopped fresh oregano

3/4# skinless, boneless organic chicken breasts

1 can black beans, drained and rinsed

3/4 cup frozen corn

2 scallions, sliced

1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro

juice of 2 limes

salt & pepper to taste

In a medium (3-4 quart) sauce pan, heat 1 T oil over medium low. When hot, add the 2 cloves minced garlic and 1 minced serrano chile. Saute for about 1 minute.

Add 1 quart chicken broth, 3/4 cup tomatoes, 1 minced chipotle + sauce, 1 bay leaf, 1t cumin, and oregano. Raise heat to high, bring to a boil then lower heat and simmer for 3-4 minutes.

Add 3/4# chicken breasts, 1 can black beans, and 3/4 cup corn. Bring back to boil then simmer for 5-8 minutes covered until chicken is cooked through (covering will decrease cooking time and keep the moisture in the soup).

When chicken is cooked through, remove and shred with 2 forks. Place back in sauce pan. Add 2 chopped scallions, 1/4 cup chopped cilantro, and juice of 2 limes. Stir to blend seasonings. Add salt & pepper if needed.

You can serve this with various toppings: sour cream, cheese, diced avocado, tortilla strips, etc. in any combination – as long as it’s something you like.

Oh, man. I randomly found this on the NY Times website – how? don’t ask I have no idea. But it sounded good so I made it the other night. I’m soooo glad I did. Rarely do I make something the first time and want to make it immediately the following day.

Looking at the number of ingredients was kind of daunting – especially when I realized I was out of my usual stock of miscellaneous Asian necessities – but it ended up being pretty easy and most excellently balanced. Flavor-punch, lip-spanking good.

I upped the spice on this quite a bit…probably not by accident either. I would say it ended up being a 4 on a scale of 1-5. It was spank-your-lips spicy.

Drunkard’s Noodles – Pad Kee Mao

serves 2-3

time: 35 minutes

Soak noodles in cold water for 15 minutes. Meanwhile, bring a large pot of water to a boil.

Make the sauce: in a small bowl, combine 2T oyster sauce, 2T fish sauce, 2T sugar, 1T mirin, 1T rice vinegar, 1T Maggi, 1t sambal and lime juice. Mix well and set aside.

Place a large wok or skillet over high heat.

When the large pot of water is boiling, add the noodles. Cook until tender but still firm, about 8 minutes. Drain the noodles. These should be done about the time your wok-mix is done.

When the wok is hot, add oil. Add garlic, jalapeños and sliced scallion bulbs, and sauté to let flavors infuse oil, about 1 minute. Add chicken and cabbage, and stir-fry until chicken is opaque and beginning to brown, 2 to 3 minutes.

Add basil, cilantro and scallion tops. Drain noodles and add to pan. Add sauce, and toss until mixed and well-heated, 1 to 2 minutes. Serve hot, with lime wedges for squeezing over noodles.

And if that isn’t spicy enough for you, add some Sriracha for crying out loud.

Note: Maggi or Gold Mountain sauce is a brand of very strong soy sauce. It can be found at Asian markets. If you can’t find it, tamari works as a substitute.

recipe source

Stopped by Jasmine 26 the other day after hearing nonstop raves from friends of mine, claiming it is “their place.” On my way home, me and a friend decided to stop by.

Jasmine 26 is only open for dinner and is located right around the corner from Eat Street on Nicollet Ave and 26th St. The same owners have Jasmine Deli up the street, which is only open for lunch.

Keeping up with the excellent Vietnamese served at the deli, Jasmine 26 has overly delicious food. Well, let’s start with the interior. It’s warm, cozy, and inviting. Fairly contemporary with dark wood and dim lighting, it’s not too dim to see your food or drinks. ‘Nuf said. On to the food.

We started with the Sea Salt & Pepper Tofu – WOW. I really wasn’t expecting much from this, and I like tofu. This was easily the best tofu I’ve had. It was like it had a really light breading on it, was fried, and was still moist and juicy on the inside. That’s right. I’m talking about tofu. I’d order it again in a heart beak. Come to think of it, I haven’t stopped thinking about it since.

We also had a shrimp crostini fried thing and it was terrible. Don’t order it. It sounded good, but I would like that 30 seconds of ordering in my life back.

On to entrees…I had the Vietnamese ribs served with rice and fresh tomato & cucumber. De-lic-ious! Tender, falling off the bones ribs with a nice lemongrass marinade. Had it for leftovers the next day and it was just as good.

We also had the (can’t remember the name of it now) veggie dish with oyster sauce and ginger. It was pretty good, but there wasn’t enough sauce.

I’m anxious to try the pho and other curries on their menu. I’ll be back soon.

They have a full bar with some fun martinis and the like on the menu. They also serve sake which is always a plus. OH! and it’s affordable. Very affordable for excellent food.

Jasmine 26

8 East 26th St

Minneapolis, MN 55407

(612) 870-3800

For some reason I’ve made chocolate cake and cupcakes 3 times in the last couple weeks. I know I said I would start baking more this year, but is this getting out of hand? I know several people who would adamantly disagree with that last statement.

I like chocolate just as much as the next person, but I love baking with chocolate. Stop the presses…I just said “I love baking…” is this really happening? Sweet.

I was vacationing up north (Two Harbors, MN) this past weekend and it just so happened that two of the friends with were celebrating birthdays. And what do they like? Cupcakes. Chocoloate cupcakes. Lots and lots of cupcakes.

My friend and I essentially made homemade Hostess cakes. Oh yeah they were good.

Pictured above are the Cream-Filled Devil’s Food Cake cupcakes for the birthday boys.

As for the cake that I made the following night…I felt like making chocolate cupcakes a couple weeks ago. And they turned out pretty good with the exception of my complete and utter lack to successfully make that buttercream frosting. Never fear, I found the one that I made 4 years ago (that’s right, 4 years ago) that worked!

When I remade this chocolate cake with the new frosting, I added chocolate ganache topping…oh yeah. I love chocolate ganache like a nervous tic I can’t get rid of.

A friend and coworker has changed jobs and his last day was yesterday so I baked him this chocolate cake. It was pretty darn good.

In fact, I should quote another friend:

“Your cake is sick… by that I mean phat…or dope…”

You get the idea.

So make this cake. It’s easy and it’s fun to get a lot of stuff like flour and cocoa all over the kitchen and yourself.

Recipes after the jump…

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