Pho Fusion

Some may call this "pho", others may refer to it as a "chick-noodle soup". Either way, enjoy this recipe when you're on the verge of getting a cold or need some heat for the body!


Pho Fusion

Ingredients:

1 lb boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into chunks OR cubed firm tofu

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 tbsp minced fresh ginger

1 tbsp sesame oil

¼ tsp Sea Salt

6 cups chicken broth, vegetable broth

1-3 tbsp Miso paste

1 jalapeno, thinly sliced

3 green onions, sliced

2 tbsp soy sauce

1 tbsp  Rice Vinegar

2 baby bok choy, chopped

5 oz chinese noodles (about half a package)

OPTIONAL: 1 cup mushrooms, sauteed, 2-3 sliced carrots

simmer broth with 30 grams Astragalus Root prior to adding to sauté

4 Tbsp Rachael’s Wildroots Kimchi

sriracha sauce OR Julia’s Good Medicine Cherry Thai Honey for serving (optional)

chopped cilantro for serving (optional)

 

Directions:

1      Heat the sesame oil over medium high heat in a large heavy-bottomed stock pot. Add the minced garlic and ginger and briefly sauté for about 30 seconds.

2      Add the chicken OR tofu and bok choy, sprinkle with herbal sea salt, and sauté for another three minutes until chicken OR tofu has turned white but not completely cooked all the way through.

3      Add the chicken/vegetable broth, miso, jalapeno and green onions to the pot and bring to a simmer. Cook for 15 minutes until chicken is done.

4      Meanwhile, cook the noodles in boiling salted water, drain and rinse with cold water. Set aside.

5      Add Julia’s Good Medicine’s rice vinegar and soy sauce and stir. You can add a little more salt if you like, but taste first because soy sauce already contains a lot of salt!

6      Add the noodles to the pot and serve with chopped cilantro, kimchi and sriracha sauce or Thai honey on top.

7      Enjoy!

The Not-So-Typical Spinach Venison Lasagna

It's seems as if anything Italian is a hit in our household, so when lasagna night comes, everyone is eager for dinner and, well, left overs.

Since we were blessed with a small deer at the start of winter, we have been finding ways of adding venison to our everyday cooking. It turns out that ground venison is our go-to. I know, not everyone has venison stock piled in their freezer, so feel free to make this recipe with ground beef or no meat at all. I will note that the venison is extremely lean and when used in a sauce there's no worries about the "game-y" taste most people are afraid of. 

While venison may not be common in most people's fridge/freezer, I am not one to constantly have ricotta cheese in my fridge. Instead, homemade yogurt or whole milk yogurt is most likely always in my kitchen. So, I experimented with a simple substitution and to my dismay, it turned out great. I hope you enjoy a classic lasagna dinner with a little bit of a twist.

 

Not-So-Typical Spinach-Venison Lasagna

Tomato Sauce Ingredients:

3 Tbsp Julia’s Good Medicine Basil Garlic Olive Oil

1 small yellow onion, finely chopped

2 garlic cloves, crushed

1 lb. ground venison OR beef (optional)

1 can diced tomatoes

1 can crushed plum tomatoes

2 Tbsp tomato paste

1 tsp brown sugar

1 tsp Julia’s Good Medicine Parsley, Sage, Rosemary and Thyme Herbal Sea Salt

1 Tbsp oregano

1 Tbsp dried basil

½ tsp crushed red pepper

½ tsp coarsely ground black pepper

 

Lasagna Ingredients:

2 ½ cups whole-milk yogurt

2 bunches organic spinach, coarsely chopped

1 egg

9 no-cook lasagna noodles

1 lb. part-skim mozzarella cheese, thinly sliced OR shredded

2/3 cup grated Parmigiano Reggiano cheese

 

Directions:

1      To prepare sauce, heat olive oil in a large saucepan. Add onion and garlic; cook until soft and translucent, but not brown.

2      Add venison and cook until browned.

3      Add tomatoes, tomato paste, sugar, herbal sea salt, oregano, basil, crushed red pepper and black pepper; stir well. Bring to a boil; simmer, uncovered, 30 minutes. Let cool slightly.

4      Preheat oven to 375F.

5      To prepare lasagna, combine yogurt, spinach and egg in a large bowl; mix well.

6      Coat the bottom of the 13 x 9-inch baking pan with a third of the tomato sauce. Cover sauce with 3 noodles without overlapping (break noodles to fit), half the yogurt mixture and remaining mozzarella. Top with remaining 3 noodles, remaining sauce and parmigiana cheese.

**To make ahead of time, cover with foil and refrigerate 6 to 8 hours or overnight.

7      Place pan on baking sheet. Bake, uncovered, 40 minutes, or until bubbly.

8      Let stand about 15 minutes before cutting into squares.

9      Serves 12, Enjoy!