The Flu Stew

The instructions for making this soup are very simple. I think most people can do it with little or no problem. Just follow these simple steps:

1. Get the flu.
2. Go to work anyway, like an idiot.
3. Go home from work early because your fever is way too high to function.
4. Get home exhausted from braving public transit and sleep for a long time.
5. Wake up starving and delirious from your fever. At this point, it's best if your fever is well over 100F. Lower than that and you're just rubbing it in with your wellness.
6. Throw random things into a pot and call it soup.

Or if you're feeling better, you can always just use this recipe. It actually tastes pretty good considering I was making this by just putting whatever was easiest into a pot and boiling it. If I had made this and I wasn't sick, I would have probably started this out by sauteeing some onions in olive oil, adding some garlic, then some carrots, celery and mushrooms.

I really didn't have the energy for any of that, so I pretty much just heated up some broth and added stuff to it. I'm lucky that I had some fresh herbs in the fridge. I've also been really into freezing things lately, so it's awesome that I had some seitan in the freezer to add to this.


The Flu Stew

2 large potatoes (I used Yukon Gold), diced into bite-sized cubes
4 Cups vegetable broth
1 Cup seitan, chopped
4 cloves garlic, chopped
1-2 carrots, chopped (enough to make about a cup after chopping)
1 teaspoon fresh thyme, chopped
1 teaspoon fresh sage, chopped

In a large pot, heat some water. Add the potatoes and boil for 15-20 minutes or until the potatoes are soft when you stick a fork in them. Drain the potatoes into a colander and give them a quick rinse to remove any residual starch.

In a large soup pot, add the broth, potatoes, seitan, garlic, carrots, thyme and sage. Over medium heat, simmer the soup for 20-30 minutes.

Eat and then go take a nap. If you live with someone else, make them do the dishes. Hell, make them make you some soup while you watch bad daytime television and fade in and out of sleep.