Cleanse Friendly Vietnamese Soup

Considering that there is no snow up in the mountains, my motivation to ski is minimal and my drive to cook kicks into gear. Last weekend I made a Last Hoorah Chicken Chorizo Pizza and yesterday I decided to make Pho, or at least a healthier version of Pho, with my remaining cilantro and basil. Below you'll find this fairly simple recipe, which is more of a Vietnamese soup than a traditional Pho. It can be used in addition to Week One Cleanse recipes with optional chili paste, however the chili paste/rice noodles excludes it from being eligible in Week Two Recipes. The chili paste can be included as an after thought, stirring it into the dish prior to serving it and the rice noodles can be omitted and elegantly replaced by just using mung bean sprouts. Enjoy!

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Organic Ingredients:

• 6 oz rice noodles
• 1 1/2 cups snow peas, ends trimmed
• 1 cup peeled carrots
• 1 1/2 cups shiitake mushrooms
• 1 piece ginger (1/2 inch thick), peeled and chopped
• 3 whole cloves
• 12 cups reduced-sodium chicken broth (that's 3-32oz boxes)
• 1 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1/4-inch strips and sauteed in a pan.
• 8 oz mung bean sprouts
• 2-3 tbsp coconut amino's
• 1 tsp sesame oil
• 1 tbsp lime juice (buy two limes)
• 1/2 cup shopped scallions
• 1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro
• 1/2 cup chopped basil
• 1/3 cup chopped mint
• optional: gluten-free, fish-free, soy-free red chili paste (I like Thai Kitchen's)

Directions:
Marinade chicken in coconut amino's and sesame oil for 30minutes to an hour; saute in a pan until cooked through. Boil noodles in salted water for 3 minutes. Place snow peas and carrots in coriander; drain noodles over them; rinse. Tie a sachet of ginger and cloves in cheesecloth; place in a large pot with broth; boil 5 minutes. Reduce heat to medium; add chicken, snow peas, carrots, and shiitake mushrooms; simmer 5 minutes. Add lime juice. Season with salt, chili paste, coconut amino's. Ladle into bowls and top with remaining ingredients (mung beans, scallions, cilantro, basil, and mint), adding a lime wedge to the side of the bowl.