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NEXT MAIN MENU PREVIOUS Vegetable Noodle Soup Feeling like you’re starting to come down with something? Maybe it started with the sniffles. Maybe your throat is a little sore. Maybe you just feel achy. Still stuck in winter but with spring on the horizon (please, please, please, you can’t arrive too soon), now is the time when many of us find ourselves fighting off various germy malaises that just suck the joy out of life. If you feel yourself coming down with something, make yourself a batch of this soup and you may just stand a fighting chance of not going down for the count. With crisp, raw, antioxidant-rich vegetables and a tasty broth powered by infection-fighting garlic and stimulating ginger, and Vitamin C-rich chile peppers, we have a spicy immunity-boosting machine in soup form. Feel free to adapt: if you don’t like spicy foods, feel free to omit the pepper; don’t worry, it will still pack a wallop. If you don’t like the vegetables I used, substitute others. The point is to create a delicious soup that is packed with a health-supporting nutrition profile. You might also want to consider freezing the broth for the next time you need some. (This ice cube tray method works great for freezing soup.) Vegetable Noodle Soup 7 ounces rice noodles, soaked according to package instructions 4 1/3 cups low-sodium vegetable broth, divided 1 tablespoon fresh ginger, minced ½ to 1 whole fresh chili pepper of choice, seeded and minced (optional) 4 cloves garlic, pressed 1 tablespoon low-sodium tamari 4 cups water 4 kaffir lime leaves (use fresh or dried), minced (optional) Over a medium-high heat in a large pot, heat 1/3 cup broth for about a minute. Add the ginger and the minced pepper. Cook, stirring often, for three minutes. Add the pressed garlic and tamari. Cook for one minute. Add the remaining four cups of vegetable broth and water, raise the heat to medium-high and bring to a low-boil. Add the soaked and drained rice noodles and cook until the rice noodles are softened. Meanwhile, prepare your vegetables. I used: Shredded carrots Bok Choy Cilantro Scallions Bean Sprouts Limes on the side Scoop out your soup and noodles (you may want to use tongs to grab the noodles), leaving enough room in your bowl for adding your vegetables. Bring to the table while hot and top with your veggies. Squeeze in plenty of lime juice, dress it up with a little more tamari and maybe some chile sauce. Enjoy! © 2015, Vegan Street