Asian Inspired Curry Soup

Main Soup Ingredients:

Olive Oil

Garlic

Swanson's Thai Ginger Broth

Curry Spices*

Fish Sauce

Firm Tofu or Meat

Coconut Milk

Veggies Of Your Choice

Garnish: 

Lime Juice

Sriracha

Green Onion

Cilantro 

Takes less then 30 minutes, to prep/cook and plate, but feels like a restaurant dish, and so healthy and delicious! Really versetile and simple to prepare, one pot, one cutting board, a knife and a spoon, and you're pretty much set!

Step One:

Heat a medium sized sauce pan over Low-Medium temp. Add a tiny bit of EVOO. Soften one clove chopped garlic in the olive oil for about a minute, not too long, don't want to brown it, just release the juice and delicious flavor.  If you were going to add meat, this is when you'd want to do it. Raw slices of chicken work well. Haven't tried shrimp yet, but I bet it would be awesome!, However, shrimp doesn't take too long to cook, so I'd probably wait on that a little.  

 Add about 1-1.5 cups of the Swanson's Thai Ginger Broth. This broth is semi spicy, so keep tasting it as you add the other ingredients to make sure you get your desired spice level. 

One of the things I love about this soup recipe, is that you can literally prep as you cook. So after you get the broth in, you can let that simmer gently while you peel and chop up some carrots (at this point add any veggies that are hard and need to cook down a bit) I usually use 1 normal sized carrot. Toss that in. 

Then chop up some nice red bell pepper, this is a little less then I usually add, but its what I had left in the house. I make this recipe FAR too much! :) Its soooooooo good!

 At this point you want to season the broth a little more with various things. I love this set of curry's from my local spice shop, and a bit of fish sauce. Gives it a very authentic yummy, flavor. Remember a little of all of this goes a long way, especially the fish sauce, it works as your salt, and so you want to careful not to go too crazy, a good 2 shakes of it should be good, and you can always add more if it seems not quite right. 

 I'm not sure why but I like my squashes in this dish, to be pretty big, I think its because I like them firm, but with time to soak in the flavor.  So I usually add them in next. If you were going to add in Cauliflower, this would be a good time for that. I usually do, but I didn't have any today. 

I love the firm Tofu in this recipe a lot, it absorbs the flavors but holds its shape well.  One trick I will share, is usually when you pop the tofu container, all the juices spill, and you wont need a whole container for the recipe, so grab a tupperware first, and make sure to catch the juices, so it will keep fresh in your fridge.

 I usually slice, about 1/2" slices 2-3 of them work well, then move them to my cutting board. 

Here's probably too many photos to show you how I cut them. Just basically you want nice cubes of tofu, slightly big cubes are good!

  

 Toss those on into the soup. You want them to hang out for a bit, so they warm up and absorb the flavor of the broth. 

I've tried a LOT of coconut milk, and they are all pretty terrible, except this brand, so I'd HIGHLY recommend you use this. Its richer and more flavorful then others. Also doesn't separate as much, and can reincorporate pretty well! Make sure you shake or whisk it well before stirring it into the soup. It can be put into a tupperware and saved for a few days. You wont need more then 1/2 cup, I like this soup more brothy, then coconut milky but it gives it a nice flavor either way, so its really more of a personal taste thing. 

I had about half a can left and just added it all, turns out it was a bit more then I like, became very heavy and rich, so if you like that - add more coconut milk, if you want something lighter and brothier, add less!

 Above is what it looks like BEFORE you stir, and then after you stir is below this line. Mmmm

At this point the soup is basically done, so its a good time to add the items you want to cook the very least. Such as Mushrooms, or Broccoli. No one wants sludgey veggies in their soup. Its all about fresh, crisp yummy veggies! 

Because I added a bit too much coconut milk for my taste this time, I added some more curry powders to help break through that rich milk. 

 Here's another odd trick I picked up making this dish often. Sometimes my ratios get off and I have way more broth then I need, so I like to scoop out all the veggies and tofu/meat and put them in the bowl first.

 Then pour the broth over it so I make sure that its's got a nice ratio. As it turns out today, I made just the right amount and it all fit. (please keep in mind this is a LARGE asian soup bowl) 

 As for garnish, I love some lime juice, about 1/2 a cap full works well. Sriracha if you want even more spice. Then top with chopped green onion and/or cilantro. Or really whatever sounds good to you!

 As I said before, I added a bit more coconut broth in there today then usual, so here's a few pics of what it might look like with less. I highly recommend trying this soup, espcially during the cold/flu season. I swear it cures what ales ya!  

ENJOY!

Simple Baked Chicken Recipe

I started making this a few months ago, and am constantly surprised how frequently people ask me for this super simple recipe. So here it is! All it takes two skinless chicken breasts, panko, eggs, olive oil and some seasonings. THATS IT! A simple delicious recipe that's always a hit with my family. Most importantly my 3 year old!

Step one: Preheat your oven to 350 with an empty glass/ceramic baking dish inside: 

 Take your two chicken breasts, trim off any fat & funky bits you don't want, then starting at the skinny end, slice it lengthwise so you get a nice even thin slice of chicken:

 Then slice them in smaller pieces so they are easy to work with, and portion out to your family. Two chicken breasts is perfect for my husband, daughter and myself. Actually surprises me how much we get out of these two small breasts!

 Pick whichever seasonings you like, I change it up now and again, but my families favorite is this blend of curry, garlic and lemon. Plus salt and pepper of course. But lots of combos work well, you can do italian seasoning, and even some shredded Italian cheese in the bread crumbs, or do it Mexican flavors, its pretty versatile! 

 Generously season your panko bread crumbs and eggs. I don't know if people usually season both, but I find it really helps! *Please note this is one egg, and about a cup of breadcrumbs. I could have used another 1/2 cup of bread crumbs to thoroughly coat the pieces but its what I had, and it worked out fine.  

On Medium heat, heat your large non-stick skillet, with a generous amount of olive oil. 

 It seems like a lot, but it really helps the panko brown up quickly before it goes into the oven, without over cooking your chicken on the inside. Since they are thin pieces, they cook pretty darn fast. 

Next do the typical egg, then breadcrumb dip onto the pieces. If you have fatter pieces (we are not all super great at knife work) then do those first so they can cook the longest. 

 Once you get them all in the pan let them cook til you can see golden brown edges and the chicken is turning white, almost to the halfway point.  

 These are not my best, but they worked well, flip them over, add a tiny bit more olive oil if necessary. You'll know pretty quickly if you need more olive oil, if your panko isn't browning and looks dry, add a tiny bit more. 

 Once they are nice and brown on each side, move them to the baking dish dish in the oven, and finish them in there. (I've also done this recipe in my cast iron) Takes about 5-10 minutes. I actually never time it, just finish the rest of my sidedishes, and when they are done, I take the chicken out.

 They have never been raw or overcooked, there's something magic about this recipe, its nearly fool-proof!

 Plate 3 pieces for the adults

  One for the tiny child, diced up for easy consumption.... 

Voila! Everyone is happy, and it was EASY PEASY! 

Try it tonight, its so simple you'll wish you'd found it before!

ENJOY!