Tag: winter soup

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Thai Coconut Lemongrass Soup with Shrimp

When you know you’re about to get snowed in, it helps to have a plan for what you’re going to eat when you’re all cooped up. Once it became clear that DMV meteorologists had actually gotten predictions for the Jonas Blizzard right, we knew we were in for a doozy. Queue the mass rush to grocery stores and empty shelves in the days leading up to any actual precipitation. Thanks to my abnormal, self-employed schedule I got to hit up the grocery stores when there weren’t as many folks there and get all the ingredients I needed to bring my culinary vision to life. My biggest meal prep take-away? Plan ahead and get it done early so you don’t have holes in your pantry or refrigerator.

For me it wasn’t hard to decide on a menu, but if you struggle with that it helps to scour your favorite food blogs for ideas. I knew I wanted to make soul and belly warming meals that would make forced nights in feel special. I also needed them to be hearty enough to refuel us after all our shoveling.

Night one was a really tasty (and pretty spicy) Thai coconut lemongrass soup which I’ve mapped out for you below. The following night was pan-seared chicken thighs with caramelized onions, roasted beets and a side of sautéed mushrooms and kale. Breakfasts were protein-heavy. One morning we did eggs in a hole (so much fun if you’ve never tried) and the next we lightened things up with green smoothies. Warm, hearty, and healthy meals. Check, check!

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Thai Coconut Lemongrass Soup with Shrimp

Makes 4 meal-sized portions

 

Ingredients:

  • 1 – 14 oz can full-fat coconut milk
  • 1 – 14 oz can “lite” coconut milk
  • 2 cups chicken or vegetable stock
  • 1 Tbs coconut oil
  • 2″ grated fresh ginger root
  • 2 cloves of garlic
  • 1 Tbs red chili paste
  • 1/2 large red onion, peeled and finely diced
  • 2 stalks dried lemongrass
  • 1 red pepper,  finely diced
  • 2 cups brown, white or shiitake mushrooms, rinsed, dried and sliced
  • 2 lbs large uncooked shrimp, tail-on
  • 1/2 cup cilantro
  • 1/2 cup toasted cashew pieces
  • 2 limes
  • 1 serrano pepper, seeds removed and sliced thinly
  • 2 cups cooked brown rice (optional: make a blend of brown rice, quinoa and amaranth for a more hearty flavor)

Directions

  1. In a large, heavy-bottom pot, sauté the ginger, garlic, Thai chili paste and red onion in coconut oil over medium heat for approximately 5 minutes, or until the onion is tender. Season to taste with salt.
  2. Add in coconut milk, stock and lemongrass and bring to a low boil. After a 3-5 minutes, add the red pepper and mushrooms. Cook another 3 minutes, then add the shrimp and cook for another 3-4 minutes or until the flesh of the shrimp is opaque.
  3. Spoon a 1/2 cup of rice into each bowl and ladle soup over it. Squeeze half a lime over each serving. Garnish with fresh cilantro, toasted cashew pieces and hot pepper slices to taste.
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Coconut Cauliflower Soup with Fried Capers and Dill Oil

As you may have noticed from some of my more recent posts, winter weather means big batches of vegetarian soup for this kid. When temperatures drop, not only do I crave comfort foods that warm you from the inside out but I’m also more inclined to be content spending a couple of hours prepping and cooking a homemade meal.

Like many of my readers, I’m big on making a Sunday supper that sets you up with easy leftovers for the week ahead. Last weekend, I made a Coconut Cauliflower Soup and enjoyed its sweet, creamy goodness all week for lunch with a little Ezekiel bread toasted on the side. Though cauliflower’s pale hue doesn’t exactly scream antioxidants like blueberries and pomegranate seeds might, it’s packed with a potent one–vitamin C. The C-monster not only helps fight off the common cold and flu but is also essential for the growth and repair of tissues in the body. It’s a major building block of collagen–a protein used to make skin, scar tissue, tendons, ligaments and blood vessels. Cauliflower also contains high levels of potassium, fiber, folic acid and a sulfur compound (called isothiocyanate), which helps prevent certain diseases.

Coconut Cauliflower Soup with Fried Capers and Dill Oil

Coconut Cauliflower Soup with Fried Capers and Dill Oil

What You’ll Need:

  • 1 sweet onion, coarsely chopped
  • 3 Tbs ghee
  • 1 large head of cauliflower, chopped into florets
  • 3 cups low-sodium vegetable broth
  • 1 cup water
  • 1 15-oz can of coconut
  • 1/2 tsp cardamon
  • Sea salt and pepper to taste

(For the Fried Capers)

  • 1/4 cup capers
  • 1 Tbs olive oil

(For the Dill Oil)

  • 3-4 Tbs fresh dill
  • 3-4 Tbs olive oil

How to Make It:

  1. Heat a large pot over medium heat. Add ghee (featured in last week’s Potato Leek Soup recipe), then add onions with a pinch of sea salt. Cook until softened and slightly translucent (about 5 min). Add in cardamon and stir another minute or two. Add your chopped cauliflower, vegetable stock and water, then cover and cook for about 20 min or until the cauliflower is soft when prodded with a fork.
  2. While your cauliflower is cooking, make the dill oil. Combine the dill and olive oil in a food processor and blend until smooth. To fry the capers, heat a small skillet over medium-high heat and add your olive oil. Dry your capers completely, using paper towels, then add them to your pan and toss them around for 1-2 min until crispy and lightly browned. Set aside to drain on a paper towel.
  3. Once your cauliflower is cooked, remove mixture from heat and add it to your blender (you may have to blend it in two batches depending on the capacity of your blender). Puree until smooth. Once smooth, add your now creamy mixture back to the pot.
  4. Over low heat, add in your coconut milk and bring to a simmer. Adjust for salt and pepper and serve with a garnish of fried capers (1 Tbs will do) and drizzle of dill oil.

[Adapted from How Sweet Eats]

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Potato Leek Soup w/ Watercress for your Meatless Monday

If you’re looking to join the Meatless Monday movement, or simply cut back on your weekly meat intake, my vegetarian and gluten-free Potato Leek Soup is a tasty way to go. It’s heartiness is also sure to warm you up after that polar vortex that nearly sucked us all into a cold abyss last week. I love this recipe because it’s straightforward, filling, inexpensive and uses seasonal ingredients. I made a similar version (Tri-Color Potato Leek Soup) a year ago and have modified this one with a couple of my favorite super foods: ghee and nutritional yeast.

Ghee is clarified butter originating from India, which has a long shelf life when stored in an airtight container. It’s definitely a process to make, but if you do it with a friend (what’s up, C$!) it can be really fun. Not only is ghee a real food (aka none of that margarine junk), but it’s loaded with health benefits. First of all, it contains Vitamins A (good for the eyes), D (good for the bones), E (good for the skin) and K (good for the heart). These all just so happen to be fat-soluble vitamins and since they’re embedded in this dietary fat your body can readily absorb them. Secondly, ghee provides a cancer-fighting antioxidant named conjugated lineolic acid (CLA), which has been linked to preventing cancer. Lastly, ghee is great for cooking because it doesn’t break down in high heat like many cooking oils (e.g. canola and safflower). When cooking oils break down in high heat they produce free radicals, which damage our cells and DNA leading to mutations that can cause certain diseases. Ghee’s smoking point is between 325°F and 375°F, which is much higher than the smoke point of canola or safflower oil so you’re less likely to run that risk while simply sautéing your onions.

Vegetarians and vegans, if you don’t know about nutritional yeast, you ought to. Why? Well for starters, it is an excellent source of non-animal protein. Drilling down into the details, MindBodyGreen boasts that just two tablespoons of this bizarre but tasty substance (“hippie dust”) contain 9 grams of protein, beating out a glass of whole milk, an egg or an ounce of beef. It’s also a great source of Vitamin B-12, a vital nutrient for your body’s nerve and blood cell health. Most sources of Vitamin B-12 are found in animals, making nutritional yeast an important component of a healthy vegan or vegetarian diet. One tablespoon contains a full day’s supply of  this critical B vitamin.

Before you hit the grocery store to gather the fresh produce you’ll need, support your community by checking the stocks of your local farmers market (if it’s still up and running). Or if you live in the DMV, give Relay Foods a try. I worked with the Relay team on my first MOARfit Nutrition for Athletes Clinic last summer and completely jumped on the bandwagon. Their online grocery store brings the basics, specialty foods and local produce together in one place–i.e. you get convenience and quality, sustainable ingredients. Ok, enough plugging for now. Let’s get on to that recipe….

Potato Leek Soup w/ Watercress 

Potato Leek Soup

What You’ll Need:

  • 1 Tbs coconut oil (or olive oil)
  • 1 Tbs ghee (or unsalted butter)
  • 1 sweet onion, diced
  • 2 stalks of celery, diced
  • 3 leeks, cleaned and cut into 1/4-inch rounds
  • 3 cloves of garlic, crushed
  • 1/2 tsp cayenne
  • Sea salt and pepper, to taste
  • 2 Tbs sherry vinegar
  • 5 medium potatoes (about 5 cups chopped)
  • 6 cups reduced-sodium vegetable stock
  • 1 /4 cup fresh parsley, minced
  • 1/4 cup nutritional yeast*
  • 4-oz fresh watercress (about 3-4 loosely packed cups)

*If you prefer, used a 1/4 cup or Parmesan or Romano cheese instead of nutritional yeast.

How to Make It:

  1. Heat oil and ghee in a large (5-6 qt), heavy pot (I adore using my Cuisinart  Dutch Oven for all soups) over medium heat. Add onions, celery and leeks, sautéing 5-7 min or until tender and translucent.
  2. Add garlic, cayenne and salt and pepper, cooking for another 2-3 min then add your vinegar to deglaze the bottom of the pan.
  3. Add potatoes, making sure to coat them in the spices and onion/shallot/leek mixture.
  4. Add vegetable stock and bring the mixture to a boil, then reduce to a simmer for about 15 min. The potatoes should be easy to pierce and pick up with a fork.
  5. Finally, add in your parsley and nutritional yeast. Using an immersion blender (if you have one), purée the mixture in your pot until smooth.
  6. Adjust your seasoning for spice and saltiness.
  7. Serve with a few tablespoons of chopped watercress and enjoy!

If you want to amp up the Yum Factor (and subsequently deviate from Meatless Monday), add 2 oz of pancetta to the mix after the onion and celery but before the leeks. This will of course remove that vegan and/or vegetarian stamp from the recipe but it does add some depth and richness to the flavor of the soup.