Spicy Kimchi Soup

I like to make myself promises when I move. Promises like: Hey Sonnet, if you take this box of beads with you, you'd better make some earrings soon. Or, if you pack this book, you better promise to read it. Truth be told, that book is still unread and that box of beads is still taped shut from my last move, but I'm taking it with me anyways. 

But, I made myself a big promise when I moved a few months ago. I had a giant jar of homemade kimchi in my fridge and I told myself that I would eat it all before my next move - or else! Since my next move came up a little sooner than expected and I hadn't quite worked through that jar of kimchi yet I found myself in a panic this week. What could I possibly do with three pounds of kimchi? 

The solution... make soup of course! Making this soup was an experiment and I knew it could go one of two ways: it would either be a great success or a total failure. Lucky for both of us it turned out to be a success and is now one of my favorite soups of all time.

Kimchi is an incredible fermented food that is filled with healthy, gut-loving bacteria (you can read more about the benefits in my homemade kimchi post). Heat kills the healthy probiotics so it's important not to cook the kimchi directly. Instead, add the kimchi to the soup just prior to serving.
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Since kimchi flavors and spices vary depending the recipe, I had a hard time writing a specific amount into this recipe. I recommend starting with a small amount of kimchi and adding more as desired. Since I was trying to use up my kimchi, I actually added 4 cups to my batch of soup, but I think most people would find 1 - 2 cups of kimchi to be flavorful enough.

If you are storing the soup for leftovers, add the kimchi to the individual bowls prior to serving instead of to the entire pot (to prevent the probiotics from being killed during the reheating process). Depending on the spiciness and flavor of your kimchi, this will alter the taste of the final soup so be sure to wait until the kimchi has been added before adding any gochugaru, or red pepper flakes.

Spicy Kimchi Soup
Serves 6 - 8

8 cups vegetable stock
1 med yellow onion, sliced
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon ginger, minced
3 medium carrots, sliced
1 celery stalk, sliced
1 cup broccoli florets, chopped
1 block organic extra-firm tofu, cubed
8 oz button mushrooms, sliced
1/2 green bell pepper, sliced
1 - 2 cups kimchi (or more if desired)
gochugaru or red pepper flakes to taste, if desired (see note above)
sliced green onions or fresh herbs for garnish

Add vegetable stock to a large pot along with onions, garlic, ginger, carrots and celery. Bring to a boil and then lower heat to a simmer. Cook for about 10 minutes, until carrots are slightly tender, then add the broccoli, tofu, mushrooms, and bell pepper, and continue simmering about 5 - 10 minutes, until all vegetables are tender.

Remove from heat and stir in kimchi. If additional spiciness is desired, add gochugaru or red pepper flakes to taste. Garnish with green onions or fresh herbs and serve.

Recipe shared over at Wellness Weekend

Creamy Cinnamon Oatmeal Porridge

There are days when a smoothie just isn't going to cut it for breakfast.  On these days I wake up craving something warm, filling, and cinnamon-y.  These days call for homemade spelt waffles, fresh from the griddle.  

But, if you're anything like me, you don't end up with warm, delicious spelt waffles.  Nope, if you are me, you end up oddly crispy, yet somehow undercooked waffle-imposters because you decided that you didn't need to follow a recipe for waffle batter.  (Apparently, Sonnet, apparently... you do.)  

No harm done though, because smarty pants you, you had some steel cut oats soaking.  Looks like you get to indulge in that hearty, delicious breakfast after all.  

The key to this porridge is soaking the oats for 12 - 24 hours.  Soaking grains increases their digestibility and makes them more nutritious.  Most grains contain phytic acid which can block mineral absorption during digestion, but soaking and fermenting grains neutralizes this acid and allows your body to absorb more nutrients.  In cool weather, soak the oats for a full 24 hours and in hot weather, soak them for 8 - 12 hours.  I recently soaked and fermented my oats for two days, resulting in a very intense, sour porridge.  For most palates, I would definitely recommend sticking with 12 - 24 hours.

The other important aspect of this recipe is the cinnamon.  I love using cinnamon in my cooking because it helps to balance blood sugar and decreases inflammation.  Sounds like a win-win! Eat up!

Note: If gluten-free, be sure to choose Bob's Red Mill brand for steel cut oats.  Although oats are naturally gluten-free, they are often contaminated with wheat during processing.  

Creamy Cinnamon Oatmeal Porridge

Slightly adapted from Wild Fermentation 

Serves 2 - 4

1 cup steel-cut oats

5 cups water

sea salt to taste

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

Soak oats for 12 - 24 hours in 2 cups of water.  Keep container covered to keep dust and flies out.  The oats will absorb most of the water.

When oats are done soaking, bring an additional 3 cups of water to a boil.  Lower the heat and add the soaked oats with any remaining water.  Add the cinnamon and nutmeg and stir until the oats are hot and have absorbed all the water, about 10 - 15 minutes.  Stir constantly as the oatmeal gets thicker to prevent it from burning.  Serve warm with your favorite toppings.