Shiitake Noodle Soup

After a visit to the naturopath earlier this week, I’ve been assigned to do an elimination diet. First step: eliminate ALL grains, except for rice for three weeks. Today is day 4 and, honestly, once I hid all the bread items in the house in the freezer so they weren’t staring at me every time I opened the cupboard, it’s not been so bad. We always have cooked brown rice in the fridge for the dogs, so that’s an easy go-to base for a meal. And I bought some rice cakes and some fresh rice noodles from Trader Joe’s. I find that I most often eat grains/breads/gluten when I’m looking for something quick and easy or when I’ve gone too long without eating, so the rice cakes have been a great substitute for that. I generally really like to eat soup at night. I find something hot and brothy really comforting at the end of a long day. The past couple of nights I’ve improvised with some shiitake soup with rice noodles and vegetables. We have a bucket of dried shiitake mushrooms, which make for a really nice, rich broth. Each night has turned out a little differently, so this is more of a rough guideline than a true recipe. Adjust the flavorings to taste.

Shiitake Noodle Soup

Serves 1

Handful of dried shiitake mushroom slices

1 serving of rice noodles

1+ tsp tamari or soy sauce

1+tsp ginger juice of grated fresh ginger

1/4 tsp toasted sesame oil

2-3 baby bok choy, sliced in half

2 scallions, chopped

2 full slices of onion, thinly sliced

If you have time ahead of making the soup, soak the mushrooms in approximately 2 cups of water in the pot you’re going to use for the soup. Add the tamari, ginger, and sesame oil and bring to a boil, then turn down to a simmer and simmer for approximately 15-20 minutes. Meanwhile, bring a separate pot of water to boil. Drop the bok choy in the boiling water for 1-2 minutes and then remove the vegetables with a slotted spoon and run under cold water. Using the same pot of boiling water, repeat this step with the sliced onion and then finally the rice noodles (cook the rice noodles according to instructions on package and then rinse with cold water). While the broth is still simmering, prepare your bowl. In a large soup bowl, add the cooked noodles, the bok choy, onions, and scallions. Pour the broth with the mushrooms into the bowl. Taste and adjust seasonings as needed (e.g., add hot sauce, more tamari or soy sauce, etc.) and enjoy!

Do you have any favorite recipes that don’t involve grains? I’d love to hear them!