Soupy Feel Better Pasta

Good for fending off a cold or seasonal stuffiness. Serves 2.

Ingredients:

4 cloves garlic, sliced

one third of a medium onion, diced (small)

one medium tomato, diced (small)

Half a pound of elbow pasta

4-6 cups of broth (depending on desired soupiness level)

Lots of dried basil, black pepper, and garlic

Splash of lemon juice

Some grated Pecorino Romano cheese (if you're feeling sassy)

I prefer to make my broth with Knorr's vegetarian vegetable bullion, but any broth that suits you is fine. Put your broth into a medium pot and bring to a boil. While it is heating, chop up your garlic and onion. Throw half of that into the pot with the broth. The rest is going to go in at the end, raw, which is both great for you and delicious. But if you totally can't deal with raw onions and garlic, I guess you better put it all in now.

Also, splash in your splash of lemon juice and shake your spices in. A few generous shakes of both black pepper and garlic and a shake or two of dried basil -- that's the ticket. If you have fresh basil, yum, lucky you. You may want to slice or tear it up to release the flavor and you can put it in now or wait until the end.

When the broth is boiling, put in your pasta and cook it the same length of time you'd usually cook pasta. Test an elbow now and then to see when it's ready; you don't want to overcook them.

Don't drain, just serve! Garnish with your diced tomatoes and, if you're feeling sassy, some pecorino romano cheese.

Beany Shroomy Love Soup

This is another "you should write this down" soup that my roommate likes. It's sort of vaguely asian tasting.

Ingredients:

-one can of black beans (16 oz)

-one can of water

-two bullion cubes (I like knorr's vegetarian vegetable)

-two scallions

-some olive oil

-a dash or two of cooking sherry

-four or five garlic cloves

-half a tsp to 1 tsp of smashed up sichuan pepper (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sichuan_pepper)

-a few spoonfuls of lemon juice

-6 fresh mushrooms, sliced.

-some cayenne pepper (to taste)

-optional: cubed mild cheese or firm tofu

Chop your garlic and scallions finely. Put them and some olive oil in a pot and on medium-low and let them get bubbling. Add your smashed up sichuan pepper and some cayenne pepper, if you're feeling it, now. Let this simmer a little bit, but stir it so your spices don't get stuck.

When you've bubbled a little bit, open your can of beans and dump that in (no need to drain it; this is soup we're making here). Add a can of water, and your two bullion cubes, and a few spoonfuls of lemon juice (this is a taste thing; go conservative and you can always add more later) and some sherry. Then add your mushrooms. If you're adding tofu you should add it here, but if you're adding cheese wait so it doesn't turn into a blob of doom. Then cover and let bubble for a while.

Ready! If you're adding cheese, scatter it and stir well so it doesn't turn into a blob. That's it!