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.

Pizza Bowl

(Note to self: I need to start remembering to take a photo after making it instead of in a Tupperware when I'm eating my lunch!!)

Craving pizza but not wanting to sacrifice your healthy diet for all the carbs and cheese? Pizza bowl to the rescue! Grill up some diced chicken and your favorite toppings and add a couple spoonfuls of sauce. I used bell peppers, mushrooms, green onions, a few slices of pepperoni, yellow squash, & zucchini. You can cut out the cheese if you are counting calories, or sprinkle a little bit on top, whatever suits you. Delicious!

Sweet Potato Salad

-by Megan

A healthy twist on the original

I ended up making this from a handful of leftovers in my fridge. It made a great lunch!

Serves 1

Ingredients:

-1 Sweet Potato or Yam, diced

-A handful of steamed asparagus, chopped

-1/4 of a chopped bell pepper

-one handful washed spinach leaves, torn

-fresh herbs of your choice, I used dill

-mayo, plain yogurt, and honey mustard to taste (oil and vinegar would also work well)

Directions:

Grill the diced sweet potatoes in a skillet with a small amount of oil until tender and browned. Turn off heat and put sweet potatoes in a medium sized bowl. Stir in all veggies and add about ½ TBSP mayo, 2 TBSP plain yogurt and 1 TBSP honey mustard (or to your taste). Mix well and enjoy!

(You can also do as I did and cook the sweet potatoes then night before, adding all the other ingredients the next day. I prefer the potatoes slightly warm, so I microwaved it before adding my other veggies. )

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