Hot and sour soup

Yesterday I got a crazy craving for Chinese food. I don't know if I caught a whiff driving by Panda Express, or what. I was feeling like I could easily sit down and enjoy a couple orders of something deep fried in a gooey sweet sauce. You know what I'm talking about. It's evil.

Instead, I did this. I modified it a bit from a cooks.com recipe. The changes I made occurred because Dr. G-to-be does not eat mushrooms, which is one of the real sorrows of my life, and I had a lot of chicken and bok choy to use up. We also don't like our soups thickened with cornstarch, so I didn't do that.

It ended up a very flavorful and nutritious recipe with almost no fat or carbs. I felt so virtuous and stuff. Hurray for small victories!

Protein-packed Hot and Sour Soup
8 c. chicken broth
1/4 c. low sodium soy sauce
1 c. white meat chicken, shredded or diced
1 tbsp. hot sauce (we keep Sriracha around so I used that) - adjust amount to achieve your preferred level of heat
1/4 tsp. ground white pepper
1/2 c. white vinegar
4-6 heads mei qing choy or other baby bok choy, washed and sliced. Separate stalks and leaves.
1 lb. firm tofu, cut in 1/4" dice
1 egg, beaten well

Simmer broth in a soup pot. Add soy sauce, chicken, and hot sauce. Simmer 5 minutes.

Add white pepper, vinegar, bok choy stalks and tofu. Simmer 5 minutes.

Increase heat to a medium boil. Pour beaten egg slowly into soup in a fine stream. Stir several times.

Add bok choy leaves (doing this last to keep the beautiful green color!). Cook just until tender. Serve hot.

Optional: garnish with sliced green onions and a drizzle of sesame oil.