Thai Coconut Soup

This one time, in an Asian restaurant, I had this soup........Sorry. American Pie is one of my favorite movies and I'll take any chance I can to use the band camp line. So anyways, I really liked this Thai soup I had.  It did come with noodles but I asked the waitress to leave them out.  It was really delicious with the right amount of heat to balance out the coconut milk.  

I wanted to make it at home but put my own spin on it. I like lots of shit in my soup. This recipe makes about 3 dinner servings and about 5 lunch servings.  I'll usually make this on a Sunday night to have as lunch throughout the week.  

Cheers!

Angie 

•1 can of full-fat organic coconut milk

•1 carton of organic chicken broth*

•5 boneless organic chicken thighs**

•3 tablespoons of Thai chili or other spicy olive oil (if you don't like heat, don't use the shit!)

•Paprika 

•1-2 bunches of scallions

•5 or more brown crimini or baby bella mushrooms or any small mushroom 

•Thai chili peppers or any other friend chili pepper to taste

•Diced kale, spinach or whatever the fuck else you want for a leafy green

•Kelp noodles (optional)

•Any other veg you might want to throw in the pot (peas work well)

•Diced avocados for a topping (1 good-sized avocado will be perfect for 5 servings)

If you're using chicken:  Sprinkle the chicken with paprika and grill it on low-medium heat.  If you have a cast iron or other type of indoor grill pan, use coconut oil or olive oil to prevent sticking.

Combine the coconut milk and broth in a sauce pan.  Heat and wisk well until incorporated.  Chop scallions and add to the pot. Use the green part to!  Add the Thai chili olive oil.  You can add more or less depending on your tastes.  

When chicken is done, chop it into bite-sized pieces and add it to the pot. Slice the mushrooms and add those in.  If you are using extra Thai chili peppers, put those in.

Bring to a quick boil them immediately reduce heat to simmer for about 10 minutes.

Put the kelp noodles in your bowl and ladle the hot soup over them.  Top with some avocado. 

LUNCH PREP: If you are making this to use as lunch for the week, your prep will be a bit different if you are as anal as I am. First, set yourself up with 5 containers. I use canning jars. The only things that will go in the pot are the broth, coconut milk, scallions, mushrooms, and chili oil. 

Put one diced chicken thigh into each container then add some kelp noodles, any chopped greens, and any other veg you're putting in. 

Ladle broth evenly into each container. Cover when it's cooled. 

Seriously, the only reason I prep different for lunch is because I want it to be as even as possible for each day. It's nuts but that's me. You can totally chuck everything into the pot and do whatever the hell you want. It's your lunch!

*use veggie broth for a vegetarian option

**leave out if making vegetarian 

Grandma T's Pickled Green Tomatoes

This original recipe came from the grandmother of one of my best friends. This is a most delicious treat! You can eat these with bread, crackers, or use them for a topping on pasta. My favorite way is to use them as a topping on shredded raw zucchini.

You'll notice that there are no measurements. It's all going to depend on what you have on hand and what your taste preferences are. My jars are heavy on the garlic and red pepper but I chose not to add herbs.

You will need:
•Ball pint-sized canning jars with a wide mouth
•Green tomatoes
•Sea salt
•White distilled vinegar
•Good quality extra virgin olive oil
•Fresh garlic either crushed or thinly sliced (a lot of it)
•Crushed red pepper flakes
•Fresh herb of your choice from the following-basil, oregano, or parsley. Or you can choose to not use any.

1. Slice HARD GREEN tomatoes very thin.

2. Salt both sides of each piece and put it them in a colander.

3. Put the colander in the sink and put a weight on top of the tomatoes. I used a large kettle of water that fit inside the colander. Let the tomatoes drain over night.

4. The next day put the tomatoes in a GLASS bowl and cover them with white distilled vinegar. Cover the bowl with a plate or a towel. Leave it on the counter for 3 days.

5. On the 3rd day drain the vinegar out of the tomatoes and begin the canning process.

6. Layer in the jar in this order-tomatoes (2-3 slices), 1 tablespoon of olive oil, red pepper flakes, garlic, herb of choice.

7. Continue this layering process until you are about 1/2 to 1 inch from the top of the jar. The last layer needs to be olive oil and it must cover the top of the tomatoes. Add 1 tablespoon at a time do you don't end up with too much.

8. Put the lid on the jar and then the ring. Push down the middle button to force the seal and then screw on the ring tightly. Put the jars in a cupboard until they are ready to eat. Let sit for a couple days before eating. Once you open a jar you must refrigerate it!

 

You can find this and other great recipes on Allergy Free Alaska!

Fiesta Salad

As I was trying to figure out what to have for dinner tonight, the yummy salad, Tomato Avocado Salad came to mind.  I decided that I wanted it again.  When I went to the garden to get what I needed, I noticed that there was lettuce was ready so I picked some.  The creative juices started flowing!

Make the Tomato Avocado Salad but use the whole avocado
Add in a handful of baby lettuce
Squeeze in the juice of 1/2 a fresh lime or if you like, you can add the whole lime
Mix well and let sit for about 15 minutes

Check out this recipe and a ton of others on Allergy Free Alaska

Tomato Avocado Salad

I made this great salad today for dinner.  It was just enough for one.  Everything came from my garden except for the avocado.

1/2 Haas avocado diced
1 big handful of cherry tomatoes halved
1-2 cloves of garlic finely diced
12 fresh basil leaves finely chopped
The leaves of 5 stalks of fresh cilantro finely chopped
3 zucchini flowers chopped
3 tablespoons of extra-virgin olive oil
sea salt to taste

Put everything in a bowl and mix together.  Let stand at room temp for about 15 minutes before eating to let all the flavors mingle.  You can refrigerate this but it tastes best at room temp.

Check out this recipe and a ton of others on Allergy Free Alaska

Garlic Scape Pesto

This time of year, the long green tops of garlic start to appear in gardens.  Gardeners and chefs alike know that this is one of those limited edition spring treats that they have to jump on.  And you can't beat the price!  I paid a buck for a bag of 40!  Cutting back the long green scape from the garlic plants helps grow stronger bulbs.  It also makes a delish pesto!  Normally pestos have cheese.  But hey!  Who says you can't change the rules?

40 garlic scapes
2 cups of slivered raw almonds OR chopped raw walnuts (nuts should be plain...no seasonings!)
3 cups of good quality extra-virgin olive oil

Prepare the scapes by washing them in cold water.  Cut off the seed pod at the top.
Cut them into smaller pieces and put them in the food processor*.
Turn on food processor and slowly add nuts to the scapes.
When the almonds and scapes are well gound, start adding the olive oil in a steady stream.
Process thoroughly.

I used a small ice cream style scooper to scoop out balls and freeze them on a cookie sheet.  When they were solid, I put them in freezer bags.
This makes a great spread with Mary's Gone Crackers Products or as a dip with fresh veggies.  And of course you can always use it with pasta or risotto!

If you feel the overwhelming need to add cheese, no worries!  My Italian roots made it hard to leave it out.  (I made some for friends and I did put in the cheese for them.)  After you add the olive oil, slowly add 1 cup of grated parmesean reggiano or romano pecorino or a combination of both!  If you do choose to use cheese, I recommend a good quality Italian imported cheese made from pastured sheep or goat.

You can find this recipe along with many others on Allergy Free Alaska

*I did try to make this in my Vitamix and it didn't work so well.  It was too thick of a mixture to do it in there and the Vitamix overheated so I highly recommend a food processor for this!