Recipe: "Get Better in a Bowl!"

I'm poorly again! Poor Mel, it's the easter holidays and i'm all ill again! This is a sick-recipe standby, this always without fail makes me feel better. Several nations dating back hundreds of years have used chicken noodle soup as a form of culinary medicine- the turkish, the jewish, the asian populace, and eastern europeans. There is a little science behind why it makes us feel better as well- there is a chemical found in chicken and turkey called "Tryptophan". It is a type of amino acid, and it actually works as a form of anti-depressant, and is essentially a natural mood elevator. And of course, this is a healthy dish, as it is a good mix of carbohydrates, proteins, vegetables, and a warming broth- helping with those colds! In my recipe, the garlic and parsley in it also helps with recovery, as garlic is a well known natural remedy for curing colds and also aids in lowering cholesterol. The fresh parsley has a lot of iron in it as well. It isn't the prettiest dish I admit, but its all that i ever want when i'm poorly.

“Get Better in a Bowl” Chicken Noodle Soup (makes 2 bowls)

75g finely diced white onion
75g finely diced celery
75g peeled and finely diced carrot
3 cloves garlic, crushed
1 tbsp olive oil
30g butter
¼ tsp celery salt
¼ tsp dried thyme
100g diced cooked chicken
3 tbsp fresh chopped parsley
700ml chicken stock
1 tbsp soy sauce
1 stack fine egg noodles
Salt and pepper to taste

1. Sautee the onion, celery, carrot, garlic, celery salt and dried thyme in olive oil and butter, covered, for 5 minutes. Add all the other ingredients except the noodles, bring to the boil, and cook for 3 minutes.
2. Add the noodles and cook for 2 more minutes. Season to taste and serve, perhaps with some extra soy sauce on the side.