The Soup That Conquered My Cold

From January 2010 photos

If you ever catch a cold, please, please, please try this soup. It kicked my cold's tush and tasted incredible to boot! The original recipe comes from my favorite new cookbook, Moosewood Restaurant Cooking for Health.

It's called Ginger Tofu Soup, and is definitely heavy on the ginger and tofu. However, the original is very short on liquid, so I added quite a bit more liquid; skipped the celery; and added mushrooms, carrots, and baby spinach instead. It makes quite a bit of soup, so feel free to freeze a portion or two, or share it with friends.

You might be wondering why my tofu looks a little different than fresh-out-of-the-package-creamy tofu. It's because I freeze my fresh tofu from the co-op prior to using it. When tofu freezes, it takes on a great spongy quality that I prefer over the less-textured variety.

From January 2010 photos

Now the recipe, greatly inspired by the Ginger Tofu Soup recipe on page 121 of The Moosewood Restaurant Cooking for Health book.

Cold Kicking Soup

Ingredients

8 cups vegetable broth (I made mine from low-sodium boullion)
2 cloves garlic, sliced thinly
1 2-in. piece of fresh ginger sliced very thinly and cut into 1/2-in. pieces
4 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce
1 1-lb package tofu cut into 1/2-in cubes (remember I used a package that had been frozen and thawed for extra texture)
3/4 cup chopped green onions
1 cup thinly sliced mushrooms
1 cup fresh baby spinach
1 cup matchstick carrots (basically carrots cut into matchstick-sized pieces)
1 1/2 cups cooked mixed rices (I used a Lundberg mix of wild and brown rices)

Directions

1. In a large pot or Dutch oven, bring the broth to a boil.
2. Add the garlic, ginger, and soy sauce to the broth and reduce the heat to a low simmer for 5 minutes.
3. Stir in the tofu cubes, then the vegetables, and simmer for 10 minutes.
4. Stir in the rice and simmer for 5 minutes.
5. Serve hot and enjoy!

From January 2010 photos