Tom Kha – Thai Shrimp Coconut Soup

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Tom kha is one of my favorite soups!  It’s rich, creamy, salty, savory, tangy, and a bit spicy.  I’ve tried many many many times to make a batch that somewhat rivals that of one of my favorite local Thai restaurants to no avail.  But this time I think I finally nailed it.  It’s surprisingly easy and despite what I previously assumed to be the reason why it wasn’t turning out to be as good as Lulu’s, it doesn’t require a trip to the Asian market.  While the traditional version uses galangal, Thai basil, and lemongrass, I was able to create a more approachable version using ginger and lime juice.  This soup comes together quickly and is perfect for a night spent cozying up on the couch! And of course, it’s full of a variety of vegetables, with spaghetti squash instead of noodles or rice, which keeps it lower carb but no less filling!

It does require a few items probably not normally in your pantry, but not to worry!  They’re still pretty easy to find at your local grocery store!  They also add tons of flavor while keeping the ingredient list to a minimum.  So, what are these secret ingredients?  Thai red curry paste and fish sauce!  Both add intense flavor and really give the broth the most satisfying touch of tang and spice!

Additionally, if you utilize a fish sauce that doesn’t contain sugar, this soup is both paleo and whole30!  I used Kame brand because that’s what I was able to find at the store, but Red Boat makes a version without sugar.  While the fish sauce smells a bit funky, you absolutely cannot skip this ingredient!  It was the ingredient that I had been missing on my previous attempts and the flavor it adds is not replicable!  It adds saltiness and tanginess, along with umami (savory) flavor.  It’s made from anchovies, which, if you didn’t know is also the key ingredient in Caesar dressing!  Because of the fair amount of fish sauce used in this recipe, no additional salt is necessary.  And I even cut down on the sodium further by using a low sodium chicken broth.  I also highly recommend using fresh ginger and garlic.  I’m just not sure that dried or powdered versions would bring quite the flavor punch necessary to really make the broth for this soup sing!  And really, the broth is what it’s all about, so don’t skip out on it!

Alright, so besides the insanely delicious broth, I mentioned that this soup is full of vegetables and I wasn’t kidding!  Bell peppers, onion, green onion, chilis, and spaghetti squash are all swimming around in there, and shrimp adds a good bit of protein to help keep you full and satisfied!  For additional flavor, add some fresh cilantro and freshly squeezed lime juice.

tom kha veggies

 

tom kha soup

Tom Kha – Thai Shrimp Coconut Soup

Servings:  4          Time: ~ 45 minutes

Ingredients:
  • 1 small spaghetti squash
  • 2 red bell peppers, thinly sliced
  • 1 small sweet onion, thinly sliced
  • 5 green onions, thinly sliced
  • 2 serrano chilis (or Thai chilis if you can find them!), halved and thinly sliced, optional
  • 3 limes
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 thumb-sized knob fresh ginger, peeled and minced
  • 1 14.5oz can light coconut milk
  • 1 14.5oz can reduced sodium chicken broth
  • 2 rounded tsp red curry paste
  • 3 tbsp. fish sauce
  • 1 tbsp. ghee
  • 1 lb shrimp, peeled and deveined, tails off
  • fresh cilantro for garnish

Instructions:

  • Preheat oven to 400F
  • Halve spaghetti squash lengthwise, scrape out seeds, and rub cut side with a bit of olive oil.  Place cut side down on a foil lined baking pan.  Pierce skin with a fork several times.  Bake in oven 20-25 minutes until softened and strands scrape out easily.  *Don’t overcook as it will continue to cook a bit once added to soup.
  • While squash cooks, over medium heat in a large dutch oven, add ghee (or oil/butter of choice) and melt.  Add shrimp and cook about 2 minutes per side, until almost cooked through.
  • Add regular onion, chili, and green onion (reserve about 2 tbsp. green onion for garnish later, if desired) and saute a couple minutes until lightly softened.
  • Add ginger, garlic, and red curry paste and continue to saute, stirring continuously, for about 2 minutes.
  • Add coconut milk, chicken broth, fish sauce, and juice of 2 limes (tip – gently roll the limes on the counter before slicing to release the juices) and bring to a simmer.
  • Add red bell pepper to soup.
  • Once squash is done and cool enough to handle, scrape out strands and add to soup.  Continue simmering for 5 minutes or so until everything is combined.
  • Serve with chopped fresh cilantro and lime wedges
Nutrition Info:

315 total cal, 13 g fat, 23 g carb, 27 g protein

 

Flank Steak with Basil Vinaigrette

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As the weather turns cooler, I’ve been craving more hearty and rich dishes.  A few weeks ago, the weather was just starting to hint at the cooler temperatures to come, and rather than using the flank steak in my fridge for a salad as I planned, I decided I wanted something more comforting than a salad.  As I dug around trying to decide what else I could potentially make, inspiration hit.  This dish transitions perfectly from the end of summer into fall and winter.  It can be paired with just about any combination of vegetables, depending on what is one season.  But each time I’ve made it, I’ve stuck to both riced cauliflower and mushrooms and then mixed in a third vegetable based on what I had on hand – squash and zucchini, sauted kale, green beans and onions, and most recently, roasted brussels sprouts.

You can grill the flank steak in the warmer months, or cook it in a cast iron skillet, as described below, in the colder months.  The vegetables can also be prepared in your favorite way – grilled, roasted, sauted. Just keep the seasonings simple and let the basil vinaigrette shine!

Flank steak basil vinaigrette and wine

This dish could very easily be bland, boring, and basic.  But adding in the fresh herbaceous sauce that only takes a few minutes to throw together really steps it up a notch and takes it to a whole new level.  It takes this dish from an any other day, clean out the fridge, uninspired meal to elevated and elegant, but still super quick and easy!  The fresh herbs and garlic really bring the wow factor!  So, make this dish, fall in love, cozy up with a glass of wine or hot tea, and share the love with all your favorite loved ones!

Flank Steak Basil Vinaigrette

Flank Steak with Basil Vinaigrette

Servings:  4          Time:  ~30 minutes

Ingredients:
  • 1-1.25 lb flank steak
  • 12 oz bag frozen, riced cauliflower
  • 2 pints fresh mushrooms, such as crimini or white button, whole or sliced
  • Additional vegetables as desired
  • 1/4 C fresh basil leaves, finely chopped
  • 3 T olive oil
  • 1 T red wine vinegar
  • 1 large clove garlic, minced
  • Couple dashes crushed red pepper flakes
  • Salt and pepper
Instructions:
  1. Liberally season both sides of flank steak with salt and pepper.
  2. Heat a large cast iron skillet over medium high heat and add a small amount of butter or ghee.  Add seasoned flank steak and sear a few minutes on each side until lightly browned.  Turn heat to medium low and cover with lid or piece of foil, cooking for about 6-8 minutes longer or until desired doneness.  I recommend not cooking past medium (about 160 degrees F), as flank steak is lean and can get tough if overcooked.  Remove from heat and set aside to rest.
  3. While steak cooks, prepare vinaigrette.  Place olive oil in small dish, whisk continuously while slowly adding in vinegar.  Once combined, add mined garlic and basil, salt, pepper, and crushed red pepper to taste.  Set aside until ready to serve.
  4. Cook vegetables – saute riced, frozen cauliflower in butter or ghee over medium high heat for several minutes until warmed through.  Season lightly with salt and pepper.  Remove from pan.  Add good amount of butter, ghee, and/or olive oil to same pan.  Add mushrooms, and cook over low heat, seasoned with salt and pepper, until cooked through.
  5. Once steak has rested, cut in thin strips against the grain.
  6. Plate:  add a mound of cooked, riced cauliflower to plate or bowl, pile on cooked mushrooms and additional vegetables, layer on sliced steak, cover it all in a spoonful of basil vinaigrette, and dig in!
Nutrition Info:

365 total cal, 23 g fat, 10 g carb, 30 g protein

Chile Lime Salmon with Coconut “Nice” Rice and Mango Salsa

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It’s been a bit since I’ve posted so I’m feeling a bit rusty…the summer has been hectic with lots of travel and weekends spent with family and friends.  I’m finally starting to feel like I’m getting back into my normal routine, although I haven’t gotten back into working out in the mornings.  For now I’m just glad my schedule has allowed me to get in those workouts after work.  At some point I’ll get back to mornings because it’s so much easier to get it done first thing and know that no matter what the rest of the day throws at me, I’ve gotten a healthy start.

Being out of my routine has left me feeling a bit stressed and drained at times and working out in the evenings means less time to prepare a healthy dinner.  So our meals have consisted of things that cook up much more quickly, or don’t require any cooking at all!  The most time consuming part of this recipe is chopping up the fruit and vegetables for the salsa.  Even so, it can be done in the amount of time it took to get the rice going and the salmon in the oven to cook.

The mix of cool and crunchy fresh fruits and vegetables in the salsa totally makes this dish and makes it perfect for summer when you don’t feel like eating something hot and heavy.  Plus the mix of colors make it so beautiful that you can’t help but scoop it into your mouth :).  Using a store bought seasoning mix also cuts down on time and the ingredient list for this dish.

I used my favorite simple method for cooking the salmon.  This method can be used for cooking salmon for just about any dish with varying flavor combinations.  It leaves the salmon perfectly cooked and moist in the center, with a slightly crunchy texture on the edges, which I love.  The key is to get a pan that comes with a grill tray or rack.  This allows the salmon to cook evenly all around and achieve the slightly crunchy exterior with a few minutes on broil.  Line the bottom with foil for easy cleanup – extra bonus!

Here are some similar pans to the one I use:  11X13 or 9×13

Salmon Roast Pan

I used both frozen salmon filets as well as frozen riced cauliflower in this recipe – having some staple frozen items on hand makes it easier to prepare healthy meals when I haven’t done a great job of planning ahead.  To quickly thaw the salmon, I simply placed the individually wrapped frozen filets in slightly warm water for about 20 minutes (don’t use hot water or you’ll start to cook the salmon!).

For the “nice” rice, I used a mixture of both cooked rice and riced cauliflower.  The riced cauliflower is an easy way to sneak in some extra vegetables, but you could certainly just use rice – just double the amount of rice and coconut milk called for in the recipe.  I don’t think this would work well only using riced cauliflower, as you wouldn’t be able to get as much coconut flavor into the riced cauliflower without making it mushy.  If you do try it though, let me know how it turns out!

Alright, on to the recipe…

Salmon Coconut Rice Mango Salsa

Ingredients:

Servings:  4          Time:  30 minutes

  • 4 x 5-6oz salmon filets, thawed if previously frozen
  • 2 T chile lime seasoning, divided, such as Trader Joe’s
  • 1/2 C jasmine rice
  • 12 oz frozen riced cauliflower
  • 1 C plus 2 T lite coconut milk
  • 1 t olive oil or butter
  • Salt and pepper to taste

Mango Salsa:

  • 2 ripe mangoes, peeled, cored and diced small (about 1/4 inch dice)
  • 2 red bell peppers, diced
  • 1 small red onion, diced
  • 3 mini persian cucumbers or seedless cucumbers, diced
  • 1 large avocado, diced
  • 2 limes, juiced + zest of 1 lime
  • 1/4 bunch cilantro, chopped

Instructions:

  1. Combine the rice and 1 C coconut milk in a small sauce pan and cook according to instructions
  2. Pre-heat oven to 425 degrees F.  Line broil pan with foil.  Place salmon skin side down on grill rack.  Sprinkle with approximately 1 T of chile lime seasoning blend.  Place salmon in oven and cook to about medium wellness, 10 – 12 minutes.  Turn oven up to broil, and continue to cook salmon for another 3-4 minutes.  Remove from oven once slightly crisped on the outside and set aside.
  3. While the salmon cooks, dice fruits and vegetables for mango salsa and toss to combine.  Ensure lime juice thoroughly coats the diced avocado to avoid browning.  Add additional 1 tablespoon of chile lime seasoning to salsa mixture.  Refrigerate until ready to use.
  4. Once rice has finished cooking, remove from heat.  Heat a small amount of olive oil or butter in a small saute pan.  Add frozen riced cauliflower and saute until heated through.  Add cooked rice to pan, stir to combine, adding 2 remaining tablespoons of coconut milk to mixture.  Add salt and pepper to taste.
  5. Plate 1/4 of cauli rice mixture, 1 salmon filet, and 1/4 of mango salsa mixture and enjoy!

Nutrition info:

580 tot cal, 23g fat, 51g carb, 44 g protein