SWEET AND SOUR NOODLE SOUP

The temperature is still in the 30s and 40s for us here. Many of my friends like me feel like we’ve had enough of winter and snow. We are all waiting for spring and warm temperatures :) I still continue making soups for dinner. Soup is turning into sort of comfort food for us these days. Most of time, our dinner will be some of kind of soup and garlic bread. For those of who feel garlic bread is high in fat, you can make your own garlic bread with whole wheat Italian loaf or any crusty bread and low fat butter like Smart Balance or Promise Activ. I usually mix some garlic powder or garlic paste with Promise Activ butter and smear it over the bread and toast them for 10 minutes in the oven. This is so good with soup. Sometimes instead of making garlic bread, we used to dip the toasted plain bread in garlic-flavored olive or canola oil and have them with soup. A real treat for garlic lovers like us!

INGREDIENTS:

1. Whole wheat noodle rolls, 2. (or whole wheat spaghetti).

2. Small red onion, 1.

3. Mixed vegetables like cabbage, carrots, and peas, 1 cup.

4. Ginger-garlic paste, 1 teaspoon.

5. Soya sauce, 1 tablespoon.

6. Corn starch, 1 teaspoon.

7. Salt and pepper as per taste.

8. Honey or agave nectar, 1 teaspoon.

9. Chili sauce, ½ teaspoon. I used a regular Chinese chili sauce, it has some chili flakes in it. (can be increased according to taste).

10. Any dried herbs of choice, 1/2 teaspoon.

PREPARATION:

Dice the onions and other vegetables finely. Heat a pot with some oil. Add the onions and sauté for a few minutes once the oil turns oil. When the onions are translucent, add the ginger-garlic paste and the vegetables and sauté for a few more minutes. Mix the corn starch with ½ cup of water and add it the soup. Then add 4 cups of water along with the sauces, honey, dried herbs, salt, and pepper and let it come to a boil. Once the soup comes to a boil, add the noodles and let it cook for a few more minutes until the noodles are done (cooking times for the noodles varies according to package instructions) and serve hot.