Flu season will peak between December and February in the U.S., according to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention. With holiday travel and Christmas shopping in full swing, the possibility of catching the winter bug is high with people everywhere. There's a lot you can do to avoid getting sick this time of the year, such as having flu shots. However, if you or someone you love already have the sniffles, you can cook up a batch of tasty soup to fight colds and flu along with medicines.
Below are some recipes:
Ginger Chicken Noodle Soup
From Prevention
Ingredients:
1/2 cup cooked rice noodles
1/4 cup shredded chicken
1 to 2 tablespoon reduced-sodium soy sauce
1 sliced small scallion
1 tablespoon grated ginger
1/2 teaspoon sesame seed
1 and 1/2 cup chicken broth
Sriracha choice, optional
Procedure:
Boil the chicken broth and then put all of the ingredients together in a separate bowl. Then pour the hot chicken broth in the bowl and cover it for a few minutes. Stir before eating, add Sriracha for a better-tasting dish if you like.
Arroz Caldo
From Bon Appetit
Ingredients:
1 whole chicken, about 4 lbs.
1 small knob ginger, peeled and julienned
1 cup short grain rice
1 tablespoon fish sauce
1 tablespoon coconut vinegar
1 tablespoon minced shallots
1 tablespoon minced jalapeño
For toppings:
1/2 cup chopped green onion
1 cup pork rinds
1/4 cup chopped garlic, fried in oil
Salt
Black pepper
Procedure:
Mix fish sauce, coconut vinegar, shallots, and jalapeño together. Chill and set aside.
Place the chicken in a large stockpot and cover it with room-temperature water. Bring the water to a boil to blanch the chicken for 10 to 15 minutes. Remove it from the pot and submerge it in cold water.
In the same pot, sweat the ginger and toast the rice until the rice is slightly translucent, but not browned. Add the blanched chicken and pour in enough water to cover the chicken. Simmer until the chicken is cooked. Pull the chicken out of the porridge and shred the meat off the bones, returning the meat to the pot. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
To serve, top with fish sauce-jalapeño mixture and other toppings as desired.
Egg Drop Soup
From Gimme Some Oven
Ingredients:
4 cups good-quality chicken stock
2 tablespoon cornstarch
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
2 large eggs
2 egg whites
1/2 teaspoon sesame oil
3 green onions, sliced thin
1/4 cup whole-kernel corn or creamed corn, optional
salt and pepper to taste
Procedure:
Whisk the chicken stock, cornstarch, ginger and garlic powder in a medium saucepan to remove the lumps, then proceed to bring stock in a boil. Don't forget to stir occasionally. While that is cooking, whisk eggs and egg whites in a bowl. When the stock reaches boiling point, turn off heat then carefully whisk it using a fork. Slowly into the soup. Stir in the sesame oil, green onions and corn (optional). Season with salt and pepper to taste and garnish with green onions.
For more health tips this winter season, check out Health, Wellness: Cold And Flu Banishing Secrets And Habits Of People Who Don't Get Sick.
