"Doctoring" instant noodle

Even when you are an obsessive cook/baker, sometimes you just want to call delivery instead. And when that isn't an option because your stomach is digesting itself, something quick is required.

Yes, I do eat instant noodle once in a blue moon... *sigh*

As a kid, I used to love eating the noodle right out of the bag as a snack. My mom didn't let me do that too often because she would say "It is bad for you!"

Unfortunately, she was right, as always. Have you ever looked at the nutrition information? Urgh...

So now as an adult, I would "doctor" the noodle to make myself feel better. And I think my artery thanks me.

I use only half a bag of noodle, and put lots of vegetables. And instead of using the soup powder, I would use chicken broth instead.

Get the broth boiling, throw in some tomatoes and string beans like I did, or basically almost any vegetable (I like using tomatoes because they add a tangy taste to the broth)

When it boils again, throw in the noodles, swirl around to loosen up the strands for a minute and pour everything in a bowl.

Zap!

How many minutes did that take? Five at most.

Slurp it all up. Relax, and pour yourself a glass of red.

Udon noodle soup with watercress

Sun dresses, bermuda shorts and flip-flops were frantically pulled out from the closets all over Montreal this morning. The humidity was suddenly quite present in the air.

This is it! This is when the ice cream machines take over the ovens, when cold treats are invading the brownies & bread puddings. This is when I'm prone to making noodle soups for lunches & suppers instead of well... everything else!

I always have a couple of boiled eggs still in the shell for quick snack or "emergencies" that i keep in the fridge. I'm not a vegetarian, I like meat but I actually don't eat a lot of it, so a boiled egg slightly pan fried face-down for colors, sounds good for the protein part of the meal.

So for this bowl of goodness, you will need:

• A splash of olive oil
• Some minced garlic
• One hard boiled egg, halved
• A handful of chopped tomato
• Broth (homemade of chicken, or vegetables, or boxed)
• A bunch of watercress
• Fresh instant udon noodles (I only eat half a bag at a time, but put more if you eat more)

In a medium pot, heat olive oil over medium high heat. Put in garlic. Put the egg halves in, face down, for about a minute. Shake the pot a bit so they don't stick. Scoop out into bowl.

Throw the tomatoes in, cook 1 minute. Pour broth in. Turn heat up to high and when broth boils, put in noodles. Swirl the noodles around a bit until the strands detach themselves from one another. Then immediately put watercress in to cook, about 30-45 seconds. Turns off heat. Pour everything into bowl. Crack some pepper on top if you'd like.