Teriyaki Soup Rewrite
So, last night I decided to make Teriyaki Soup again.
This time, though, I was working off the recipe I had posted last time, simplifying it, refining it. Rewriting it, essentially. 
The first time through was a very creative experience, as I explored different ingredients and flavors, throwing in everything that I thought might work. It turned out well, but it had a little bit of an edge to the flavor that was harsher than I really wanted, something I had added that didn’t quite meld into the whole.
A lot like a first draft of a novel, actually.
So last night, I simplified, and expanded. I boiled an entire bag of egg noodles in three quarts of water with seven chicken bouillon cubes for several minutes, then added an entire bag of frozen peas, an entire bag of frozen corn, about a cup of fra diavolo tomato sauce, two packages of Aidell’s pineapple teriyaki chicken meatballs, and a full bottle of teriyaki sauce (about 2 cups).
Then I brought it all back up to a simmer and cooked it that way for another 30-40 minutes before serving it out into bowls and leftover containers. It made enough for dinner and about a week’s worth of lunches.
Of course, you can also make teriyaki soup in smaller batches, and with whatever ingredients are to hand. Cubed or ground meat or tofu can replace the meatballs, and you can use or not use whatever veggies you like, and I’m sure plain tomato sauce would work just as well as the fra diavolo. The essential key to the flavor is, I think, the stock base of pasta-water, bouillon, teriyaki sauce and tomato sauce.
Anyway, time to go write. I’m giving the rewritten novel a final once-through and polish before it’s time to send it off to friends and family for feedback – and this time I’m committing to reading any and all comments I get! I’ll also read the couple of comments I got back on the previous draft, since it’ll be interesting to see whether I addressed them already.
Have a great day!
Teriyaki Soup
Teriyaki Soup, as made last night:
(Makes about a gallon and a half)
Boil 1/2 bag of whole wheat egg noodles in 3 quarts of water for the time printed in the directions. DO NOT STRAIN.
Turn heat down to medium or low – enough to keep the pot at a light boil.
Add seven chicken bouillon cubes. (or to taste)
Add one package of Aidell’s Pineapple Teriyaki Chicken Meatballs.
Bring back to a boil.
Add 1/2 cup spicy tomato pasta sauce. (This was just because I had some fra diavolo sauce left over from dipping pizza crust earlier, but I think it worked out well.
Add one bag frozen peas.
Bring back to a boil.
Chop up one apple and add to the pot.
Add another quart or two of water, to keep the consistency souplike rather than saucy.
Bring back to a boil.
Add seasonings to taste – a bit of onion powder, cinnamon, black pepper, etc.
Add about 1 cup of a teriyaki sauce you like.
Boil, stirring briskly for a few minutes.
Taste, and adjust seasonings. I added about 1/2 cup of ketchup to add a little sweetness and cut the bite just a bit.
Turn the heat down to simmer, and let the pot simmer, stirring occasionally, for at least 30 minutes. (Mine wound up simmering about 2 hours, and it just improved the flavor, but make sure the burner isn’t hot enough to burn the soup if you get distracted!)
Serve and eat.
5:30 already… Time for me to go write. Have a great day!
Stir-fried fruit
So, in line with my goal of eating fewer foods with added sugar, I’ve been experimenting with dessert options.
Fruit, of course, is the sweetest option I’ve come up with, but I’m not always in the mood for raw fruit, however delicious. And I’m all about fast and easy solutions.
So far, my best discovery is stir-fried fruit. It’s simple, fast, you can use fresh or canned fruit, and it’s easily sweet enough to satisfy my desire for dessert, while naturally balancing the fruit’s sugars with fiber.
***
Recipe:
Cut fruit of choice into roughly 1/2 inch cubes.
Sprinkle with cinnamon and/or other seasonings of choice.
Add oil of choice (I use olive oil, but you could use pretty much anything you find appetizing to keep the fruit from sticking) to a frying pan and warm up over medium-high heat until the oil runs freely over the bottom of the pan when you tip it.
Add seasoned fruit. Stir often enough to keep it from sticking to the pan or burning – how much will depend on your exact heat and the type of fruit.
Cook about 5 minutes, or to taste.
***
You can do one fruit or multiple types of fruit. I like doing apples this way because they come out like a nice, light apple-pie filling. I’m pretty sure any relatively firm-fleshed fruit would turn out well. (like pineapples, peaches, pears, etc.)
Softer fruits like oranges, and probably most berries, will sort of come apart when fried this way, and you can use them to make a lovely fruit sauce by following the same directions.
Breakfast Burritos (on toast)
So, when I pooched supper a few days ago, I had also made rice, which I put in the fridge since we got burgers instead.
The next morning, I was going cook up some eggs to serve on toast/in a burrito, and decided to cut it down to one egg and then add rice and cheese to bulk it out. I’ve been doing that all week now, and I think it’s successful enough to share
Breakfast Burritos for Two:
One or two eggs
1/8-1/4 cup milk
Seasonings: salt, pepper, chili powder, garlic, other to taste.
Olive Oil
1 cup cooked rice
1/4 cup salsa
1/2 – 1 cup shredded cheese (pepper jack works nicely)
1-3 burritos and/or pieces of toast
Scramble the egg(s) in a bowl with a splash of milk and seasonings to taste.
Heat a skillet or frying pan on medium-high heat with about a tablespoon of olive oil in the bottom. Once the olive oil runs freely, pour in the scrambled egg.
Start scraping the bottom of the pan with a spatula or spoon to keep the egg from burning, breaking up chunks.
Once the egg is no longer runny, add the rice and mix thoroughly.
Add the salsa and mix thoroughly.
Add the cheese and mix thoroughly.
Remove from heat once the cheese is fully melted, and roll up in burritos, serve on toast, or serve on a plate to eat with a fork.
I’ve been putting mine on a single piece of toast, rolling one burrito with a 10″ tortilla for Brian, and serving any leftovers on the side.
I think next week we’re going to chop up some ham to add in, and you could also add sausage and/or veggies like corn and peas.
Very tasty.
Brian also reminded me of a dish I used to do for supper that was very similar, but without the eggs and with spicy sausage. I think I may add that back in to the rotation.
Culinary Adventures…
It all started with the soy sauce, or rather, the lack thereof.
Or maybe it started with deciding to stop eating processed sugar, but loving teriyaki sauce…
Either way, last night, I decided to try making a teriyaki-like sauce by stir-frying dinner with a mix of canned pineapples in juice and soy sauce.
I started cooking the meat, tossed in the pineapples, and then searched and searched until I had to accept that we were entirely out of soy sauce. Things might have worked out better if I had gone out to the store to get some at that point…
Instead, I looked through the fridge and the spice cabinet wondering what I had that might be a similar flavor, or that might simply go well with pineapple. Because I didn’t have a clear intention, though, I’m afraid things got a little muddled.
I added garlic, onion powder, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg and pepper. I added a little lemon juice because it seemed like a good idea at the time. I dithered about adding a bouillon cube, and decided to taste the broth first.
It tasted… odd.
Not necessarily bad, but not necessarily good, either. It was too sour, for one, and I regretted adding the lemon juice. Now, a month ago, I might have added some sugar or molasses, but I was determined to stick to my choice of no added sugars. (Except for things like bread and ketchup. I’m weak that way.) So I tried thinking of other ways to moderate the flavor.
Lots of Indian sauces are spicy and creamy, so I thought about adding yogurt, but was afraid it would add too much to the sourness. I had heavy cream in the fridge, though, so I poured some in, stirred it around, and tasted it. Still not right.
So I added some cheese…
It definitely changed the flavor. I could really taste the cheese, more distinctly than I usually can in normal recipes. But I still wasn’t sure. The dish was edible, but was it palatable? I couldn’t decide.
So I settled in to wait for Brian to get home, to have him taste it and let me know what he thought.
After hearing the story, he didn’t want to taste it, but I made him. He agreed – it wasn’t bad, but it wasn’t good either.
So I went out and picked up dinner from Five Guys instead.
The moral of the story? When experimenting with supper, always have a back-up plan.
And the mystery-dish? It’s sitting in the refrigerator. You never know, it might taste better in the morning! I’ll let you know, if I’m brave (or foolhardy) enough to try it. 
Stuff in a Pot!
Tonight’s stuff in a pot recipe: Couscous Cheeseburger Casserole
Serves two, with a side, or double the recipe if it’s the only thing you’re eating.
1/2 lb ground beef
2 servings couscous, according to package (~2 cups cooked)
1 cup shredded cheese (or more to taste)
Seasonings: (as measured below or to taste, substitute to taste)
Worcestershire sauce, 2 Tbsp
Salt, 2 tsp
Pepper, 1/2 tsp
Garlic powder, 1 tsp
Onion powder, 1 tsp
Cook couscous according to package directions. (I get plain couscous in a canister, which calls for 1 cup boiling water, 2 tsps oil, and 4 scoops of dry couscous)
Brown ground beef in a large frying pan over medium-high heat, strain off excess grease.
Mix seasonings in with ground beef.
Mix couscous in with ground beef.
Mix cheese in with beef/couscous mix, heat until melted and thoroughly mixed. Turn the heat down if it starts to burn!
Serve in a bowl with ketchup to taste. (And whatever other hamburger toppings you enjoy.)
Notes:
I think next time I might mix in some diced tomatoes and/or green peppers.
© 2010 Catherine Wechsler, used with permission.
