Recipe: super simple Vegetable and Rice sick-soup

Whenever germs make it into Casa de Moo, I make a few staple wellness-soups. After a few days, I run out of recipes and get desperate. This recipe came from ransacking my refrigerator for ingredients -- luckily, Micah and I believe in always stocking fresh vegetables.

This recipe can easily be made vegan by swapping the chicken stock for canned vegetable broth or just water. As for the vegetables, you are free to use any you have on hand.

Prep time: 15 minutes
Cook time: 30 minutes (on high) or 1+ hours (slow simmer)
Tools: Pot or crock pot
Serves: 4

Ingredients:
* 1 cup cooked rice
* 1 can chicken broth/vegetable broth or just water
* Vegetable cooking oil
* 1 medium zuchinni
* 1 medium squash (any kind)
* 1 medium tomato
* 3-4 large mushrooms
* 1 small onion
* 5-6 cloves of garlic
* 1 inch ginger
* Lime/lemon juice to taste
* 2 tbs soy sauce/fish sauce/salt
* 1 bayleaf
* Herbs and spices to taste. I used rosemary, thyme, oregano, basil and cumin

1. Cook 1/2 cup of rice in 1 cup of water for 30 minutes on low in a pot. Set aside.

2. Dice up the zucchini, squash, tomato and onion.

3. Slice the mushrooms thinly. If you get them out of a package, do not wash them beforehand. A lot of the flavor of mushroom are in the surface. Don't mind the "dirt" bits, that's just natural edible plant stuff.

4. Peel the garlic. Slice large cloves in half. Using a heavy wooden spoon, press firmly on the cloves till they "crack" or "crush" or just make a smooshy sound and are split open.

5. Grate the ginger. This stuff is supposed to be really good for you. Whenever I was sick, my dad would put it into EVERYTHING.

6. Saute all veggies (except tomato) in a pot with oil till the onions are translucent; and the zuchinni and squash are spongy.

7. Add in 1 can of broth with 2 cans of water. If using only water, use a total of 4 cups.

8. Add in the tomatoes.

9. Season with the soy sauce/fish sauce/salt, pepper and herbs and spices. Add bayleaf.

10. Leave to boil on high for 30 mins or allow to simmer on very low for an hour or more. The longer it sits, the more the flavors develop and infuse the broth. Stir occasionally.

11. About 5 minutes before serving, add in the cooked rice. Don't use too much or the rice will absorb all the broth. Pasta can also be switched out for rice. Allow to simmer.

Serving: You can serve this with chopped onion greens and lime/lemon to taste. This helps a cold and the ginger eases the stomach.