Thai Coconut Chicken Curry Soup

This soup originally was inspired by the truly AMAZING soups at Safeway, yep that's right, I occasionally buy prepared food at the grocery store, but it is very rare. My goal is always to find something amazing and perfect my own version. This one took lots of work and many trips to the Asian market, but I finally got it down, and boy was it worth it! Some important things to look for at the Asian market, when you go, are red curry paste, lemongrass stalks (I freeze them so I can use them again in a month or so) kaffir lime leaves (mine had baggies in the freezer) fish sauce and coconut milk. Everything else is relatively available in the grocery store. Another helpful tool is a julienne. Mine is a hand held nifty one I picked up at Sur la Table in Seattle, but there are other options out there. Use with care, I've julienned my knuckles, not that attractive. So here's my very own take on...

Thanks angieanew.com for having a pic!

Thai Coconut Chicken Curry Soup


1 Tbs olive oil
1 onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 red bell pepper, chopped or julienned
1/2 c uncooked wild rice

Sauté in bottom of large pot. Then add...
3 stalks lemongrass, trimmed to 1 inch pieces, crushed so juices flow
1 Tbs grated fresh ginger
2 T red curry paste (or to taste if you like more/less heat)
3 Kaffir lime leaves
2 T fish sauce
2 tsp sugar
1 can chicken broth
juice of 2 limes

Reduce heat. In separate pot, boil...
2 chicken breasts
2 1/2 c water
2 tsp salt

When chicken is cooked, remove and shred chicken. Add shredded chicken and boiled broth water to main pot. Then add...


1 can coconut milk
2 carrots, julienned

Simmer soup until carrots and rice are tender. 

Ethiopian Chicken Lentils (Doro Wat)

I have my wonderful job to thank for this gift, and you get the finished recipe before they do, so you should feel loved. This came in a nifty recipe pack sample to us at work, and we have each tinkered with it on our own, making it what we want. The best part of this recipe was my sweet Joseph, who usually strikes out in the "complimenting my crazy experiments" department, texted me the next day to let me know it was the best lunch he had enjoyed ALL MONTH! I take immense personal fulfillment through his enjoyment of my efforts, so this was a home run for me! Forgive me for not having step by step pics at the moment, I'm sure I will be making this many more times, so they will come! This recipe doesn't require an extra trip to the ethnic store (well for me, that is) so I can make it any time, no planning necessary!

Ethiopian Chicken Lentils (Doro Wat, minus egg)

2 lbs chicken (I used bone in, skinned)
1 Tbs lemon juice
1 tsp salt
1 Tbs olive oil
1 medium onion, sliced to 1/2" thin pieces
3 cloves garlic, chopped or sliced thin
1 Tbs chopped fresh ginger root OR 1 1/2 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp fenugreek
1 tsp cardamom
1/2 tsp cloves
1 1/2 tsp paprika
1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp cayenne
1 Tbs chili powder
2 Tbs butter
2 c water
1 c lentils, rinsed

rice and naan for serving

Rinse chicken and pat dry. Rub with lemon juice and 1/2 tsp salt. Let marinate 30 minutes. (Chop your onion, garlic and ginger and gather your seasonings while it marinates)
In a large thick bottomed pot or cast iron dutch oven, heat olive oil. Pat excess moisture off chicken pieces, to ensure browning, add to hot oil in pot and brown on all sides, about 10 minutes. Remove from pot and keep warm.
In the same pot, dry cook onions, stirring occasionally until soft and starting to brown, about 10 minutes. Add garlic, ginger and fenugreek and sautee another 3 minutes, until fragrant. Add cardamom, cloves, paprika, cinnamon, cayenne, chili powder, remaining salt and butter. Stir and continue to cook 3-5 minutes to release the aroma of the spices. Add rinsed lentils, chicken and water, ensuring plenty of water to cook the lentils. Reduce heat and simmer until lentils are tender and chicken is no longer pink, about 25 minutes. Serve over rice with naan.

Kale Chip Nirvana

I'm publishing this more for me than for you, I apologize for my selfishness, but you should be grateful that it benefits you as well, right? I created this recipe last year, and it was delicious! But I have since near lost it altogether several times. I am putting out into the expanse of the great world wide web in hopes that I will never lose it again. This recipe is nutty, cheesy (but Vegan and also Raw) and altogether delicious! It is also a fantastic base to build on. Experiment with different spice blends, or some hard cheeses (not Vegan anymore, but very delicious!) Don't forget that kale is an AMAZING super-food, so when you get those salty carb cravings that sabotage your waistline, reach for this super amazing "chip" that will fool your cravings for sure! So here it is, I don't know how much more lead-in I can muster...it's late on a Saturday...

Kale Chip Nirvana

Those green onion looking things are garlic scapes,
 look for them at farmers markets!

3/4 c sunflower seeds, roasted and salted
1/4 c tahini paste
1/4 c garlic scapes OR 3 cloves garlic
1/2 tsp onion powder
1 Tbs tamari, aged soy sauce
1 tsp salt
1/3 c nutritional yeast
1/2 large red bell pepper, roughly chopped
juice of 1/2 lemon
3/4 c water (or as needed to make sure it blends and is pastey)

1-2 bunches of curly leaf kale (depending on the size of the leaves) rinsed and dried

Mix all ingredients in a blender or food processor, adding water as needed just to aid in blending. Set paste aside. Rip or cut kale into 2 inch pieces, approximately. I found the larger pieces don't hold the yummy flavor coating as well as you bite into it. Coat each piece evenly with the paste flavoring. I found that thin layers work best, too thick and it isn't tasty. Place pieces of coated kale on dehydrator racks, ensuring the pieces do not overlap at all. You may need to spray oil on your racks, depending on how sticky prone your racks are. Don't want to leave any yummy flavor behind.

Dehydrate kale chips at between 105-115 degrees for APPROXIMATELY 10-11 hours. In reality, this time differs every time, as it is greatly affected by how much moisture is in the leaves, in the paste and how humid the air is. Be sure to watch these carefully, starting at maybe hours 8-9. You want the chips to be crispy, the paste completely dried as well as the leaves. If there is any stem piece connected to the leaf, make sure this is completely dried, as this will re-hydrate the chip once removed from the dehydrator. Re-hydrated kale chips are NOT as tasty.

This is BEFORE I figured out that smaller
 pieces work better, do as I say, not as I do!

Once the chips are dried to crispy, remove them from racks and store them in an air-tight container. I have found that hard plastic containers work much better than baggies, as they can be damaged easily in bags. Also, storing them in the fridge helps to keep the chips fresh. But if you're anything like me, these little buggers won't last for very long!