Tom Ka Gai - Thai Coconut Chicken Soup

I adapted this recipe from All-recipes.com. It is a quick and easy recipe if you have all the ingredients on hand. The big adaptation is that I use Gourmet Garden’s Thai seasoning in place of all the spices because it has lemongrass and I can’t get that where I live. It comes in a tube and is found in the produce section where you would normall find fresh herbs.

Ingredients 

(Serves 6)

3/4 pound boneless, skinless chicken meat

3 tablespoons vegetable oil

3 (14 ounce) cans coconut milk (use light or regular, or a combination)

water

2 handfuls Shitake mushrooms

1 lb. sweet peppers, sliced in rings (bell peppers may be substituted)

1 80 g tube Gourmet Garden’s Thai Seasoning (I used the whole thing, you be the judge of your own taste buds)

2 tsp. salt (plus more to taste)

fresh lime juice, to taste

cayenne pepper, optional, to taste

1 bunch thinly sliced green onion

1 bunch chopped fresh cilantro

3 cups cooked Rice, optional

Directions

1.      Cut chicken into thin strips and sauté in oil for to 2 to 3 minutes until the chicken turns white. To use fewer dishes, sauté the chicken in your soup pot. Set aside.

2.      Saute the mushrooms and peppers in oil until softened.

3.      Return the chicken to the pot with mushrooms and peppers and add the coconut milk and 14oz. water and bring to a boil. Reduce heat. Add salt Gourmet Gardens herb paste, and any other seasonings to your taste. Simmer until the chicken is done, 10 to 15 minutes. 

4.      Add fresh lime juice and stir in green onions and fresh cilantro just before serving. Serve over rice, if desired.

Enjoy!

Approximately 35 minutes prep and cook time.

Yummy Taco Soup

I love that Chef Meg uses smashed beans to thicken soups instead of flour! Its a great gluten-free option. This soup was tasty, I would have added black beans instead of kidney, but I had neither. I figured it had enough protein with the meat and the garbanzos. Enjoy!

Taco Soup (Chef Meg's Makeover)

http://recipes.sparkpeople.com/recipe-detail.asp?recipe=681632

Nutrition Info

• Calories: 342.1
• Fat: 16.8g
• Carbohydrates: 29.5g
• Protein: 20.4g

Ingredients

16 oz lean ground beef
1/2 C yellow onion, chopped
1 recipe taco seasoning
14 oz tomato sauce
14 oz diced tomatoes with green chilies
14 oz kidney beans, dark, drained
1 C water
1 C corn, frozen
4 oz green chilies, chopped
1/2 C garbanzo beans, smashed

Directions

Brown ground beef and chopped onion over medium heat in a saucepan, stirring occasionally. Drain mixture and blot away excess grease. Add spices cook for 1 minute. Add tomato sauce and cook additional minute while stirring. Add diced tomatoes, kidney beans, and water. Simmer for 10 minutes. Add corn, green chilies, and mashed garbanzo beans, simmer an additional 5 minutes.

Garnish with chopped cilantro, chips, cheese, or sour cream. (Calories not included.)


Number of Servings: 6

Recipe submitted by SparkPeople user CHEF_MEG.

This soup is one of my favorite that I've ever made! I omitted the ham because I thought it would take away from the flavor of the sausage and shrimp. For 4 people with some leftovers I used 2 bags of frozen shrimp and 2 packages of andouille sausage (the kind with 4-5 brat sized links in it). I used red chili powder instead of cayenne pepper and my homemade green chili hot sauce instead of Tabasco. I also cooked the rice separately because I don't have good experience with getting it cooked all the way in soup dishes. Then each person can add as little or as much rice as they want. The zing of lemon juice at the end is my favorite part. It is a little bit prep-work heavy with all the veggies you add to it, so I like this recipe for the weekend. Enjoy this taste of Louisiana!!!


http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/shrimp-and-sausage-jambalaya-recipe2/index.html

Shrimp and Sausage Jambalaya

Copyright 2010, Amelia Durand, All Rights Reserved

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Serves:

6 to 8 servings

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 pound sausage, such as kielbasa or andouille, sliced
• 1 pound smoked ham, cubed
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1 medium onion, diced
• 1 cup diced celery
• 1 green bell pepper, cored and diced
• 1 red bell pepper, cored and diced
• 1 cup seeded and diced tomato
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and minced OR 1/2 teaspoon cayenne
• 2 teaspoons diced fresh oregano
• 1 teaspoon diced fresh thyme
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste
• 6 cups chicken stock, preferably homemade
• 3 cups long-grain rice, rinsed
• 3 bay leaves
• 2 teaspoons kosher salt
• 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 6 to 8 dashes hot sauce, optional (recommended: Tabasco)
• 1/2 cup chopped scallions, divided
• 3/4 cup chopped fresh parsley, divided
• 1/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 1 pound medium shrimp, deveined (20 to 24 count)

Directions

Heat the oil in a large Dutch oven or black iron pot over medium heat, add the kielbasa and saute for 8 to 10 minutes, until browned. Remove the kielbasa to a bowl, and set aside. Add the ham to the same pot and cook 8 to 10 minutes, until lightly browned. Remove to the bowl with the kielbasa, and set aside. Add the butter, onion, celery and peppers to the same pot and saute for 8 to 10 minutes, until the onion is translucent. Add the tomato, garlic, jalapeno or cayenne, oregano, thyme, and tomato paste and cook until all the vegetables and herbs are blended well. Add the stock and bring to a rolling boil. Stir in the rice, and add the sausage, ham, bay leaves, salt, pepper and hot sauce. Return to a boil, reduce the heat to low and simmer, covered, for 20 minutes. Add 1/4 cup of the scallions, 1/4 cup of the parsley, the lemon juice and the shrimp, and stir well. Cover the pot, remove it from the heat and allow the jambalaya steam, for 15 minutes, before serving.

Garnish with the remaining 1/4 cup scallions and 1/2 cup parsley, and a dash of hot sauce, if desired.

Roasted Corn Chowder with Chicken and Cilantro

My mom sent me this recipe and I tried it on some friends a couple weekends ago. They loved it! I accompanied this hearty, spicy soup/stew with some homemade baking powder buiscuts. The recipe can be found here. Its a really delicious soup that's fairly low in calories. Enjoy! I know I did!

Roasted Corn Chowder with Chicken and Cilantro

By The Gluten Free Goddess
WebMD Recipe from Foodily.com

Ingredients

1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon cumin
1/2 teaspoon curry or chili powder or paste, mild or hot, to taste
4-5 cloves fresh garlic, chopped
1 medium sweet onion, diced
3 ears of corn, roasted, kernels removed (I used about 1/2 a bag of frozen corn).
1 large sweet potato, peeled, diced
1 14-oz can Muir Glen Organic Fire Roasted Diced Tomatoes with Green Chiles
1 cup seeded, chopped fresh heirloom tomatoes- I used yellow and pink (use what's available and in season in your supermarket)4 oz. chopped roasted green chilies
1 quart light vegetable broth
1 14-oz can coconut milk or plain hemp milk
2 rounded cups cooked chicken pieces
Sea salt and ground pepper, to taste
A quick drizzle of organic raw agave, to taste (I left this out)
To serve:
3 tablespoons fresh chopped cilantro
Fresh lime juice from 2 limes

Instructions

If corn is in season use fresh ears of corn- if not- roast thawed frozen kernels on a baking sheet.
Heat the olive oil in a large soup pot over medium heat and stir in the cumin and curry or chili powder; cook for one minute to infuse the oil with spice. Add the chopped garlic and onion. Stir and cook for five minutes. Add the roasted corn, sweet potato, canned fire roasted tomatoes, fresh tomatoes, green chilies; stir for a minute. Add in the broth. Cover and bring to a high simmer. Lower the heat and simmer gently, until the sweet potatoes are tender, about twenty minutes or so. Add the coconut milk and cooked chicken pieces. Stir and season with sea salt and ground pepper; and add a drizzle of organic raw agave to taste. Heat through gently- please don't boil it. Just before serving, add the chopped cilantro and fresh lime juice. Stir. Taste test. Adjust seasoning. Note: The lime juice brightens the taste and accents the spice. Agave cools the hotness.
Garnish with a lime wedge and pass out the spoons.
This chowder works well cooked slowly in a Crock Pot; add the coconut milk and cooked chicken 30 minutes before serving and heat through.
Add the lime juice and cilantro just before serving.
Total Servings: 8

Nutritional Information Per Serving

Calories: 276.2
Carbohydrates: 10.4 g
Cholesterol: 37.5 mg
Fat: 21.0 g
Saturated Fat: 13.2 g
Fiber: 2.9 g
Sodium: 64.5 mg
Protein: 14.3 g