Tuesday, July 23, 2013

Summertime Wonton-less Soup

This evening I was in the mood for wonton soup for some reason.  A couple nights ago I made homemade chicken stock by simmering a leftover rotisserie chicken carcass for a couple of hours with about 8 cups of water, Celtic sea salt and freshly ground black pepper.  After it cooled down a bit, I covered and refrigerated it.  When I got home from work this evening, I warmed it back up on the stove (it was gelatinous when cold) and then removed all the chicken bones and took the remaining bits of chicken from the bones and then strained the broth.  I placed it back on the stove and heated it to boiling and cooked the broth uncovered to concentrate for about 20 minutes or so while I cut up my veggies.

The thing I like most about wonton soup actually isn't the wontons, but the super concentrated flavorful chicken stock they are cooked in.  I cut up 3 small zucchini, 1 medium yellow squash, 2 medium carrots, sliced 2 green onions and then added them to the pot of stock to boil while I cut up the remainder of my veggies.  While those veggies cooked, I thinly sliced an entire medium head of napa cabbage, thinly sliced some fresh mushrooms and then added them to the pot of stock and veggies.  I tossed in a 5-oz container of fresh organic baby spinach, a little more Celtic sea salt and black pepper, and then covered the pot and simmered an additional 15 minutes or so until all the veggies were tender.  I served the soup in shallow bowls and sprinkled with sliced green onion tops.  This soup was so flavorful and delicious.  Who needs wontons anyway?  LOL  My summer veggies (squash and zucchini) took the place of wontons in my soup and it couldn't have turned out any better if they had been the "real deal".  I enjoyed my soup with one of my Easy Cheddar Black Pepper Biscuits leftover from Sunday.  I know it's a bit non-traditional (because previously I would have enjoyed an eggroll with my soup)...but I am all about recreating my own traditions and rules when it comes to eating and cooking now.  I can't begin to tell you how liberating that is!  I snapped a few photos of my Summertime Wonton-less Soup below for you to see.  Enjoy!




BOOM!

14 comments:

Andrea said...

This looks so delicious ! Awesome. i think in asian cooking they call this a 'hot pot'? Also, in lieu of wontons, you get some pork/meatballs or go to the asian supermarket (if you have it) and buy the pork wonton filling and just make wrapless wontons for it?
I love soup, and this looks so good! Making it next week. yum!

Ryder said...

This looks fabulous!!! Thanks for sharing. A few weeks ago you provided me a link to the WB blog that served as a good reference for getting started. However, my computer crashed and I lost it. Can you please re-post? Thanks so much!!

CyberSis said...

Beautiful Soup, so rich, so green,
Waiting in a hot tureen
Who for such dainties would not stoop.
Soup of the evening
Beautiful Soup,
Soup of the evening,
Beautiful Soup.

Hi GGC,

The Mock Turtle is *surely* singing the praises of your beautiful Wonton-less Soup!

What a great way to make the stock ... just imagine ... using the rotisserie chicken bones. Brilliant! And I agree: Who needs the wantons?

unter der laterne said...

That is a very healthy soup- so many vegies- I must try that! Did you remove the chicken fat?
I usually wait till I have 3 chicken carcasses and use my pressure cooker with onion, carrots, celery and parsley and cook it for one hour, I discard the vegies , strain the broth and then add fresh vegies and let it simmer for 10 minutes.
Now that we can eat fat I can not believe what the chicken fat adds in flavor! Aren't we lucky
Thank you for the fresh idea of adding cabbage and squash. 6126

Gourmet Girl Cooks said...

Hi Andrea! Thank you. I bet it would be absolutely delicious if you added the little meatballs you described and cooked them in the soup! Hope you enjoy it -- let me know how it turns out if you add the meatballs! :-)

Gourmet Girl Cooks said...

Hi Ryder! Thank you. Yes, I'd be happy to give you the link again. Here it is: http://www.wheatbellyblog.com/2012/12/wheat-belly-quick-dirty-2/

Hope that helps! :-)

Gourmet Girl Cooks said...

Hi CyberSis! LOL...love the song! The rotisserie bones/carcass really made a very flavorful stock. I've used them before to make stock and it makes a nice golden stock. I really liked the nappa cabbage in there too. I really did not miss the wontons! :-)

Gourmet Girl Cooks said...

Hi Barbara! In the past, I used to skim the fat off the top after it the chicken broth chilled -- I did not this time -- you are right, that's probably what makes it so flavorful. The one carcass provided us enough soup for 2 generous servings (1 each) and I have 1 more bowl left for lunch one day this week. I usually add celery, onions, carrots like you do to make the stock and then discard and add fresh veggies to keep and eat in the soup. I didn't do that this time -- I literally just used the chicken bones, salt and pepper. I added enough pepper to give the broth a peppery undertone - it was really good. I have never used a pressure cooker before -- do you use it often? Hope you are doing well! :-)

unter der laterne said...

I love my pressure cooker, actually I have three( no wonder I am running out of space).Lately I have been using it less because of the grain free diet *, trying out the new recipes. I am spending too much time in the kitchen, according to my husband but he always enjoys the outcome.
He adores soups!
Thank you for your good wishes!
When people ask me how I am coping with this horrible RA, I say I could do better but it could be much worse. Thank God for having 2 hands. The left now does the work of the right hand. It is good for the brain to learn new things.
Be well and be safe! Barbara.

Gourmet Girl Cooks said...

Hi Barbara! I don't know if I have ever asked or if you ever said -- have you been grain free long? I'm asking because I'm wondering if there's a chance your RA could continue to improve from reduced inflammation after going grain free (and really hoping that it does get better). You are right about thanking God for having 2 hands -- it seems that every day most of us don't think twice about the "gifts" we have until one of those gifts is either compromised or taken away -- and then we realize how lucky we were and wish we would have appreciated the everyday and ordinary things. This soup did turn out really good and I will try to use the carcass to make soup or broth every time from now on. Most of the time I am too lazy or in a hurry...I need to slow down! Hope you are having a good day! :-)

unter der laterne said...

GG, I would hardly call you lazy, as I said before, it is amazing what you accomplish , you must have a good house keeper, how else could you do it all?
I have been totally grain free(no cheating ever) since the middle of April I think.
I still have hot joints, indicating inflammation, although I also go to the hospital to get monthly infusions of a horrible medication.It is depressing because it is done in the cancer ward and lie next to very sick people, it is so heart wrenching. I had my infusion on Monday and saw a very old man next to his ill wife, being so loving- and caring I actually started crying.
My pain comes from the joints that are already destroyed. Thank God I have a totally new shoulder with titanium, it was pioneer work and a total success!Before that I had to put my head on the counter in order to do my hair. So I am very grateful!
My feet are reconstructed too, but that is not holding up!
We have to treasure our health many people take it for granted!
Excuse me for being so "lengthy" with my post! Be well and safe, Barbara.

Gourmet Girl Cooks said...

Hi Barbara! I am hoping that you will at least get reduction from your inflammation the longer you are grain free. So glad your shoulder replacement was such a success and sorry it isn't as good for your feet. I can only imagine how difficult it must be for you to have to receive your treatments in such a heartbreaking environment. I can imagine that it would bring me to tears as well. Sometimes it is in the saddest or most difficult settings and situations that we also witness the beauty, love and kindness you observed -- the tenderness and caring of the husband to his sick wife. I must tell you how impressed and amazed I am that you have every reason to not want to be on your feet cooking...and there you are, cooking meals for you and your husband. He is a very lucky man and you are obviously a very strong woman! I have tremendous respect for you and always look forward to your posts. :-)

Roye said...

Soup looks delicious, hubby and I both love soup, but usually love a nice crusty bread with it :-O. Oh Well....LOL.

We use our leftover Rotisserie chicken carcass, we boil it down with any leftover chicken and put a little of it on our doggie's dry food with their supper.

I have arthritis in my thumbs and have so hoped that going grain free would help, I've read so many great stories that it did, but alas, it's not helped me at all, I see no difference.

I'd like to give ((((Barbara)))) a hug, my goodness.

Gourmet Girl Cooks said...

Hi Roye! Thanks -- while I didn't get to have any "crusty bread" with my soup -- I did warm up a leftover biscuit that I had made Sunday to enjoy with it -- it was the "next best thing"! LOL How long have you been grain free? So sorry to hear you aren't getting relief either. I do know people that swear it helped them and don't understand why or how it helps some and not others...but then again...I don't understand the "why" of a lot of things (like why you and Barbara have to deal with the pain of arthritis, for instance)! It has helped my tremendously reduce my triglycerides...and weight so those are the 2 significant improvements that I personally can attest to. It also eliminated my cravings for sugar, carbs, etc. I just wish it would also help both you and Barbara with arthritic pain though...and hoping that maybe, just maybe...it might just take a little longer to help some than others. I'm keeping my fingers (and toes) crossed for both of you that it might eventually at least help reduce it. Hugs to you both! :-)