The Covered Dish - Shrimp Ramen Noodle Soup

Can you believe I’m bringing a brand new recipe to the column this week while I’ve been elevating and icing my new knee! It basically came to me after looking at a picture in a magazine.
All the ingredients I needed were on hand, so I pushed ahead.
Luck was not 100 percent with me because I had to stop and lead my husband, Ervin, through the end of the dish. He did just fine and the outcome was oh so good. In fact, I’m anxious to write another ramen soup recipe using steak and mushrooms!
Like many of you I really enjoy the warmth of soups this time of the year. My next ‘major’ soup undertaking will be Christmas Eve. This week the chosen recipe will be chicken tortilla soup. It’s been a little tough at our house since Ervin doesn’t cook. The last thing I want to try and do right now has been cooking. Which is why the new soup recipe is so ‘unreal’.
I did get out for a late breakfast with Ervin this past week. It was wonderful! I am lacking my usual hectic lifestyle to comment about this week. I lay out a plan for the day and then I realize the ‘knee’ is setting the pace, and making all the plans for me. There’s been a great deal of frustration for this strong willed ole’ gal. Actually; I think the ‘patience’ thing has been the hardest for me.
This may be one of my shorter columns, but I promise, the recipe will make up for the length of my usual chatter. Enjoy the joy of this wonderful season. Simply yours, The Covered Dish.

Shrimp Ramen Noodle Soup
2-3 tablespoons olive oil
3 peeled & grated carrots
1⁄2 cup chopped green onions
1⁄2 cup finely chopped celery
8-10 sugar snaps, sliver sliced at an angle
2 tablespoons low sodium soy sauce
2 teaspoons fresh grated garlic
3⁄4 teaspoon black pepper
4 cups low sodium chicken stock
1 dozen jumbo shrimp, cut into chunks, thawed
15-20 leaves fresh spinach, no stems
2 plain ramen noodle packages, DO NOT USE SEASONING
PACKETS.
3-5 hard boiled eggs, peeled and sliced for garnish
In a medium saucepan, heat olive oil over low to medium heat.
Meanwhile in a separate pan cook hard boiled eggs. Saute carrots, green onions, celery and sugar snaps until al dente’ or just about tender. Add in soy and garlic. Heat thoroughly; add pepper and stock, add shrimp to cook. About 3 minutes before serving add noodles and fresh spinach. Place on low while serving soup and garnishing with the hard boiled egg. Serves four.
We absolutely adored this soup this past week. I’ll be using the ramen noodles foundation to come at you with a steak ramen soup in the coming weeks.
As always there are other ingredients that would also have been good in this recipe. Instead of sugar snaps, use frozen peas, grated red pepper, fresh sliced mushrooms. If you don’t have the green onions use finely slivered sweet onion. If you need to use regular soy sauce use only 1 tablespoon.