Mojito

Ingredients
Ice 6 ounces
 light rum
12 mint sprigs,
8 roughly broken apart
6 tablespoons fresh lime juice
4 tablespoons of sugar syrup
Club soda
4 slices lime

Broccoli & Cheddar Soup

Ingredients

1 tablespoon butter, melted
1/2 medium onion, chopped
1/4 cup melted butter
1/4 cup flour
2 cups half-and-half
2 cups vegetable broth or chicken broth
1 cup carrots (julienned)
1/2 pound fresh broccolli
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
8 ounces grated sharp cheddar cheese
salt and pepper

Asian Lettuce Wraps

Asian Lettuce Wraps:
The only thing missing from this recipe was a topping of crunchy noodles or peanuts. You can also ditch the lettuce and serve over rice for a more filling meal.

Ingredients
•16 Boston Bibb or butter lettuce leaves (any lettuce works)
•1 pound lean ground beef*
•1 tablespoon cooking oil
•1 large onion, chopped
•2 cloves fresh garlic, minced
•1 tablespoon soy sauce
•1/4 cup hoisin sauce (Less for vegetarian version)
•2 teaspoons minced pickled ginger
•1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar
•Asian chile pepper sauce (optional)- sriracha sauce is great! Add as much or as little as you like.
•1 (8 ounce) can water chestnuts, drained and finely chopped
•1 bunch green onions, chopped
•2 teaspoons Asian (dark) sesame oil
•4 scrambled eggs (optional)

8th Meeting

September 25, 2011

Our 8th exchange was at Nishal's house in Trumbull, CT.. the theme was Soups and Salads! While Nishal's house isn't tucked away, this town sure is tucked away in Connecticut. Similar to Jalpa's house, the drive for couple of the girls was certainly adventurous to say the least. With drives like these, you get a nice glimpse New England. The lovely host had yummy mojitos prepared for us when we arrived. These were definitely needed today - we were all expecting rain per the weather people. Turned out to be a warm-mostly cloudy day... perfect for our lunch outside on Nishal's deck. Since the theme was soups and salads, all of the girls decided to pick something they'd never made before...which can be a daunting task, especially when us girls tend to reach for the same-ole-same-old when it comes to soups and salads. Parul made delicious "lettuce wraps"; Jalpa made a tangy-spicy "Tom Yum" soup; Vaishali made a soulful "brocolli chedder" soup; and Nishal hosted with delicious mojitos, crispy-flaky bread, and perfectly-moist chocolate cake! Amisha and Vaishali Shah couldn't make the exchange today - we missed you! Amisha just gave birth to the cutest little gem, Veer Anand - so she had to host some people at her. Vaishali Shah had a birthday party come up that she had to attend.

Tom Yum soup (Thai hot and sour soup)

If you love tangy, spicy, hot goodness in a soup, you'll love this soup! Especially on a cold day.

Ingredients:
- 1/4 yellow or white onion chopped into thin rings
- 2 cloves garlic minced or grated
- 1-2 inches of galangal (Thai ginger), cut into thin "match sticks", grated, or minced
- 3-4 basil leaves roughly chopped
- 4 green chillies halved
- 2-3 tablespoons red pepper flakes [ground red pepper (1-2 teaspoons) works just as well]
- olive oil
- diced tomatoes (3-4 big tomatoes)
- chopped broccoli
- sliced mushrooms
- 1/2 - 1 cup small cubes of firm tofu
- vegetable stock (4-6 cups)
- 4-5 kaffir leaves
- salt to taste
- 2 teaspoon brown sugar
- 1-2 lemongrass stalks (size of 1 popsicle stick)
- 8-10 spoons of lemon or lime juice
- 4-5 sprigs cilantro roughly chopped