Vegan Mexican Jewish Penicillin – aka spicy fake chicken soup.
Vegan Mexican Jewish Penicillin – what’s that? Well, chicken soup – with or without matzo balls – is commonly called Jewish Penicillin because it does such a good job of making you feel better when you’re sick. But, I don’t cook chicken, so this one is vegan. And, I like mine spicy – because it helps clear out my sinuses – and I add chiles, cilantro and lime, so this one is also Mexican. Vegan Mexican Jewish Penicillin – there you go.
I wasn’t planning on making this tonight, but this morning I woke up feeling a little off and it just got worse from there. I used to get really bad sinus infections, but since I started taking better care of myself, I’ve just had to deal with sinus colds. This soup is one of the ways I take care of myself and I want to share it with you. So, here’s the recipe:
Vegan Mexican Jewish Penicillin
3 fake chicken bouillon cubes (watch out for MSG! I use Edward & Sons Not-Chick’n)
3 tablespoons margarine
1 large onion
4 cloves garlic
4 carrots
4 dried red chiles (or more if you like it really spicy)
1 tablespoon distilled white vinegar
1 lime
1 handful of cilantro
6+ cups of water
Onion, garlic, fake chicken bouillon, lime, cilantro – sinus cold kickers!
Slice the onion into half moons. Slice the garlic into slivers. Add the onion, garlic and margarine into a large pot and heat on high. Add the bouillon cubes and smash until dissolved into the onion, garlic and margarine mixture. Slice the carrots into discs and, once the onions are translucent, add them to the pot and turn the heat down to medium. Slice the red peppers and add them to the pot.
Dried red chiles – use as much or as little as you like.
Add a bit of water to keep the pot from going dry. Be sure to scrape inside the pot to get all the yummy goodness off the bottom. Add the vinegar. Allow this mixture to simmer, adding water as needed to keep the mixture just barely submerged, until the carrots are a bit soft, but not mushy. Then, add 6 cups of water and let simmer on low for about 20 minutes.
Lime and cilantro – necessary for Mexican soup.
Chop your cilantro into large pieces (some people like to leave it long, but I find it messy to eat like that) and cut your lime in half. Add the cilantro and squeeze the lime juice into the soup. Let the soup simmer for 10 minutes and serve.
Enjoy! And, if you’re making this because you’re sick, I hope you feel better soon!