Carrot and Cilantro Noodle Soup

2 cloves garlic

One thumb-size piece fresh ginger root

1 mild red chile pepper

2 large carrots

3 cups no-salt-added chicken broth, or more as needed

One 14-ounce can low-fat coconut milk, preferably Aroy-D brand

8 ounces dried rice noodles

Leaves from 2 or 3 stems of cilantro

2 limes

1 tablespoon low-sodium soy sauce

1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil

Cut the garlic into thin slices. Peel the ginger, then cut it into matchsticks. Stem and seed the chile pepper, then cut it into thin strips. Scrub the carrots well, then cut into short, thin matchsticks.

Pour the broth into a deep saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the garlic, ginger and chile pepper; once the liquid comes to a boil, reduce the heat to medium-low and cook for about 5 minutes, until the ginger softens a bit.

Stir in the coconut milk and rice noodles; cook for about 3 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the noodles are tender.

Increase the heat to medium-high. Stir in the carrots and cook for no more than 2 minutes; they should retain a little crunch.

Coarsely chop most of the cilantro leaves, leaving a few of them whole. Add the chopped cilantro to the saucepan. Cut the limes in half and squeeze their juice into the saucepan, then add the soy sauce and toasted sesame oil. Remove from the heat.

Divide among bowls, then garnish with the remaining whole cilantro leaves. Any noodles and leftover soup in the pot will thicken upon standing; you can add more broth and reheat briefly to loosen it up.

Serves 4

Nutrition | Per serving (using low-fat coconut milk): 310 calories, 5 g protein, 57 g carbohydrates, 7 g fat, 5 g saturated fat, 0 mg cholesterol, 380 mg sodium, 2 g dietary fiber, 3 g sugar

Nutrition | Per serving (using Aroy-D coconut milk): 440 calories, 5 g protein, 56 g carbohydrates, 20 g fat, 14 g saturated fat, 0 mg cholesterol, 370 mg sodium, 2 g dietary fiber, 6 g sugar

Adapted from "Fresh: Simple, Delicious Recipes to Make You Feel Energized," by Donal Skehan (Sterling Epicure, 2017).