I have to give full credit for this photo of Thai Chicken Soup to my boys. They helped me stage the shot and then sat with me at the computer to crop and size the photo. They are becoming such little artists, having far surpassed me in this arena.
The delicious Thai soup above is based on a recipe from Cook’s Illustrated. My friend Deb got me hooked on this magazine last year when she gave me a subscription. The recipes in Cook’s Illustrated use fresh interesting combination of ingredients and often are not overly complicated.
We ate this soup for dinner tonight; I downed the bowl in the photo above as soon as I finished snapping the pictures; it is sweet, rather spicy and very comforting. After he finished his, my younger son said, “it was good; this is a happy, happy, happy soup.” That is a direct quote!
I am hoping that with more soup we can build more community. Many people have been leaving comments over here of late which is wonderful. I also want to take a moment to encourage people to respond to each others comments.
Jeanne, one of my regular readers, asked a question here. I hope that any of you who have experience in figuring out which foods work best for you will feel free to jump in and respond to her comment, it’s great when we can support one another…Now, back to soup!
Thai Chicken Soup
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon grapeseed oil or coconut oil
- 3 shallots, chopped
- 8 sprigs cilantro, chopped
- 4 cups Chicken Stock or Kettle & Fire Bone Broth
- 28 ounces full fat coconut milk
- ½ pound crimini mushrooms
- 1 head broccoli
- 1 pound chicken breasts skinless-boneless, halved lengthwise, sliced on bias, cut into ⅛ inch thick pieces
- 3 tablespoons fresh lime juice
- 2 teaspoons red curry paste
- 3 tablespoons fish sauce
- ½ cup cilantro, minced
- 2 serrano chilies, thinly sliced
- 1 lime, cut into wedges
Instructions
- Warm oil in a large saucepan over medium heat
- Add shallots and cilantro, stirring frequently until softened 2 to 5 minutes
- Stir in stock and coconut milk and bring to a simmer
- Pour broth through a fine mesh strainer and discard solids (shallot and cilantro)
- Return broth to saucepan
- Reduce heat to medium, add mushrooms and broccoli and cook until tender 2 to 3 minutes
- Add chicken and cook, stirring constantly, until no longer pink 1 to 3 minutes
- Combine lime juice, curry paste, and fish sauce in a small bowl then stir into soup
- ladle soup into bowls and garnish with cilantro, chilies, and scallions
- Serve with wedges of lime
Equipment
This soup also works very well with leftover chicken. Leftovers are a great thing in so many ways. They save us trips to the store as well as time in the kitchen.
Other uses for leftover chicken? I use it to make a simple Mexican salad for dinner (salad greens with black beans, guacamole and salsa) and to add an extra hit of protein to this sesame noodle dish.
As you can see from the recipes on this blog, while I don’t eat the SAD (Standard American Diet), I do not feel deprived. I focus on the foods I can eat, create as much variety as possible and savor every morsel I put into my mouth! All in all, I feel happy and grateful to have access to the beautiful fresh foods that nourish me day in and day out.
elana says
Courtney -Thanks as always for your comment. I am proud of you and the new smells in your kitchen too! I am glad that you are feeling nourished by the recipes, that is my intention and it is great that your husband is enjoying them too. It is so nice when a family can break “bread” together. :-)
~M says
Hi Courtney, Elana, and others,
I agree – Elana’s recipes are amazing…every single one that I’ve tried just works – tastes great, nutritious, and minimal hassle. Keep up the great work, Elana!
I am a 3L law student (getting ready for finals and the bar!) who usually only cooks for my fiancé. However, I love to cook – it’s my hobby, it reduces stress, and is so much fun for me.
I do meal plan for several reasons:
1. I like to make as few trips to the grocery store since I am busy.
2. If I am using only half an ingredient for one thing, I want another recipe that will finish it off.
3. I find that I reduce our grocery bill by meal planning – and usually we have enough to take packed lunches, which is extra important for me since I am gluten-free. On this note, I keep a grocery price comparison google spreadsheet with the products we use and the different stores’ prices so I can tell what is a good sale/deal.
4. I can make sure we eat balanced meals this way by varying up dinners: meat, fish, vegetarian, salads, crockpot, soup, chili, breakfast-for-dinner, etc. There are so many great recipes out there that I want to try and meal planning helps me fit them in (I usually aim to have about 50% new recipes and 50% tried-and-true favorites).
5. Last, since I meal plan on the same google doc as my grocery list, my fiancé can always see what’s for dinner…we both look forward to shopping, cooking, eating, and cleaning together.
After the meal, I make notes about what to do – or not to do – for next time or list variations.
I usually aim to have 1-2 baked goods per weekly meal plan too, although I often freeze over 1/2 of the baked goods for the future. I do not meal plan for breakfast or lunch, but throughout the week I update the list with leftovers that I might be inspired to use as lunches, snacks, or tucked into some deceptively delicious-style recipe…like a sweet potato.
Also, keep in mind that if you are cooking recipes that serve more than two, you might want to have “leftovers” one day on your meal plan…we usually just eat leftovers for lunch since we enjoy our kitchen time together.
When I see a recipe I like (I subscribe to many blogs via Google Reader), I send an e-mail to my fiancé asking him whether it similarly appeals to him, usually noting how I would “personalize it.” I also check out cookbooks from the library for inspiration. I keep in mind what is in season (tastes best and usually is cheaper) and cooking accordingly (the seasonal produce list is on my grocery/meal planning doc, as well as the list of the 12 most contaminated foods and 12 “cleanest foods”). I look forward to shopping for random fruits and vegetables this summer at the farmer’s market, googling for recipes that use those new ingredients, and then filling in the gaps with my regular grocery store tips. I am also in the process of compiling a list of 30- minutes-or-less recipes for when I’ll be swamped with work this summer and to help my younger brother start cooking for himself.
Let me know if you have any further questions…and I also look forward to Elana’s carrot cake!
Courtney Holden says
Thanks for your reply Elana. Last night for dinner I made your fish sticks and your coconut flour chocolate cake with chocolate frosting. I was so proud to smell the new aromas in my kitchen. That was the first time in a while I have served the same meal to my husband as well as myself. My husband has faith that your recipes may help save us! Right now I am eating a piece of leftover chocolate cake with fresh almond milk. It’s funny… this food makes me feel SO good and nourished. I have not enjoyed chocolate cake in years! I am looking forward to your take on Kelly’s Peanut Butter Bars!
elana says
Robin -I hope you enjoy when you make it!
Debbie -Love that you made changes and especially what you served it with…
Courtney -Great to hear from you again and I am glad that you are enjoying this site. I like your question about pre-planning dinners and hope some others will chime in with advice. I find it helps to have a list of 14 dinners that we like and to simply rotate through them every two weeks. More on that later. I will put the carrot cake on my list to post for you –need to test it a few more times before it is blog-worthy.
Shez -Your version sounds divine!
Chef Erik -Thanks for stopping by. I bet this would be great with shrimp; thanks for that idea.
Marc -It is creamy and delicious and keeps well too; I am still savoring it, had this soup again for lunch today.
Marc @ NoRecipes says
Looks so creamy and delicious! I love the coconut milk/lime juice combo.
Chef Erik says
Great site! I found you from Gretchen’s Pantry. I would try your soup but mabey with shrimp, I don’t eat chicken. I love Thai flavors.
Shez says
I changed the recipe because we are vegan. Instead of chicken stock I used a veggie stock, instead of chicken I added asparagus and baby corn and halved the curry paste. it was delicious. thank you.
Courtney Holden says
Elana and viewers-
I read every blog you send our way… I have a recipe book of simple, low glycemic and scrumptious recipes that I have “intentions” on making. I cannot seem to get out of the rut of memorized dinners. It’s just me and my husband so I do not put alot of time into each night’s dinner. I like Elana’s recipes because ingredients seem to be repetitive and her recipes would not require a significant amount of time. Does anyone have any suggestions on how I can start applying different dinners to my life? Do many of you make weekly menus for your family? What’s your best pre-planning advice? Any suggestion will help! Thanks!
p.s.- Elana- My husband loves carrot cake… I want to make a version with walnuts, almond flour, agave, etc. I found one recipe at http://www.scdrecipe.com/recipes-cake/carrot-cake/ Do you have any suggestions on doctoring it up or have you seen a better version?
Teresa Baker says
I struggle a bit with meal planning as well! The best habit I have adopted is to make my grocery list on Sundays (I shop Monday morning). I plan for 5 meals and make myself try one new recipe per week. If my husband and 2 teenage boys give it a thumbs up then it makes it into the rotation! Pretty simple but it works for us! :)
Debbie says
Yummy. Made this tonite w a few changes. DH does not like mushrooms or broccoli. I used chopped spinach. We both really enjoyed the flavors and mild warmth. I just love soup!
BTW it goes good w a vanilla pineapple martini!!!
Peace,
Debbie
Robin Rivers says
Whoa, I cannot wait to make this.
It looks and sounds absolutely amazing.
Kristi says
my friend made this for us when on vacation and it was awesome.