Curried Tomato Soup with Kale Chips

 
I am extremely hesitant to try any recipe with the word "curry" (meaning the Indian kind).  My experiences with Indian food and it's spices are extremely limited.  The first time was in Philly for a group birthday dinner.  I ordered some chicken and rice dish the waitress swore wasn't spicy.  She was so wrong!  All I remember is being hot, sweaty and knocking back like 6 glasses of white wine.   The second time we were vacationing in Thailand and a friend of ours encouraged me to try several Indian dishes at the resort we were staying at.  That went better because I had someone guiding me.  Anyone who knows good Indian food want to take me out next week?!?  I want to try to get to know Indian food but need some guidance!

I have however, gotten acquainted with turmeric lately.  And turmeric is the base of curry powder.  I recently read a bunch of articles and learned it is really, really good for the body.  And because of my hummus obsession, I have really gotten to know cumin.  Love that spice!  It dawned on me that these along with a few others make up curry powder, the one I have been fearing for years! 

This recipe for tomato curried soup is delicious and uses deconstructed curry powder (I used turmeric, cumin powder, ground coriander and a dash of cinnamon).  San marzano tomatoes and two types of potato provide a tasty base for an intense flavor.  In the end I used a immersion blender and pureed the soup which resulted in a thick,creamy sauce with a bit of a kick!  Serve with some crunchy good-for-you kale chips.

I am thankful that the Food Matters Project pushed my taste boundaries!  This week's recipe was chosen by Joanne of Eats Well with Others, and you can find other bloggers take on the recipe here.

Ingredients

1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1/2 of a yellow onion, chopped
1 tbsp minced garlic
1 tbsp freshly grated ginger
1 jalapeno pepper, minced
2 tsp turmeric
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 tsp grounded coriander
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
pinch of sugar
1 regular potato, peeled and diced
1 sweet potato, peeled and diced
1 13.5 oz can of light coconut milk
1 28 oz can san marzano tomatoes
freshly ground sea salt and black pepper
fresh cilantro, for garnish

1 bunch of kale (I used dinosaur kale)
extra virgin olive oil
freshly ground sea salt and black pepper

Method

In a large heavy bottom sauce pan, heat olive oil for until hot.  Reduce heat and add garlic, ginger, pepper and onions.  Cook for 2-3 minutes.  Add in potatoes, coconut milk, tomatoes and seasonings (turmeric, cumin, coriander and cinnamon).  Stir together, and bring to a boil.  Reduce heat and cook covered while occasionally stirring for about 20 minutes or until potatoes are soft.

At this point you can either use an immersion blender in the pot or transfer soup with ladle to a blender to blend smooth.  Or, you can serve it chunky which would also be delicious!  Top soup with chopped cilantro for an extra flavor boost and garnish.

For the kale chips:  Remove the center hard vein of each piece of kale with a knife and cut into smaller pieces.  Spray with a mister or lightly brush kale pieces with olive oil.  Sprinkle each piece with a tiny dash of sea salt and pepper.  Bake at 375 degrees for about 10 minutes.  Serve with soup and enjoy!

 

Like Cheese Please on Facebook!!

Lemongrass Chicken Soup

It's been a cold (for Charlotte) and very dreary Saturday.  I hate the days when the sun doesn't shine.  And when it rains.  And not to mention when the rain makes my puppy's paws very muddy.  I now have little puppy paw prints all over my floor.  They're kind of cute though....

Rainy days, however, are good for making soup.  This recipe was inspired by an Asian stand at our farmers market which periodically has fresh lemongrass on sale.  I bought some before and it just sat in my fridge.  But for a dollar, I can't resist purchasing it in hopes I'll make something wonderful.  This time, I decided to use the lemongrass to create a soup, and it's wonderful.  Lemongrass has to be one of the best natural scents in the world.  I'll let you in on a little secret - it makes your entire kitchen smell like a luxurious spa...

This flavorful lemongrass soup gives you a taste of an authentic Thai or Vietnamese recipe, but without using all the hard-to-find ingredients.  If I could get my hands on some kaffir lime leaves... that would be a different story.  So, instead I used ingredients already common to your kitchen. The fresh Asian flavors of lemongrass, lime, fish sauce, and soy sauce pull this dish together.   Chicken stock and coconut milk are the base for shredded chicken breast and brown rice.  Long noodles also could be substituted, but again, I wanted to keep it simple and used what I had on hand.   To learn how to chop lemongrass, check out these tips.  In the end, I added a Thai red chili to the soup, which really gave it some heat (and is great for boosting your metabolism).  My husband says that words don't give justice to the tastiness of this dish.  Overall, this soup is comforting, healthy and packed with flavor... such a treat on a dreary day!

Ingredients

2 stalks of lemon grass, chopped
1 inch piece of fresh ginger, finely chopped
1 tsp garlic, minced
4 cups of chicken broth (I used organic 99% fat free)
1 large chicken breast or two smaller chicken breasts
2 cups of brown rice
1 cup of broccoli florets
1/2 cup of sugar snap peas
1 1/2 cups of mushrooms (I used baby bellas)
2 tbsp fish sauce
2 tbsp light soy sauce
1/2 can of lite coconut milk
1 red thai chilli
 juice of 1 lime, plus additional lime pieces for garnish
fresh basil for garnish

Method

Prepare rice according to package instructions.  In a food processor, combine lemongrass and ginger and process till finely chopped.  In a large sauce pan, heat chicken broth on high until it boils.  Reduce heat, add lemongrass, ginger and your chicken breast.  Cook for 6-8 minutes on medium heat until chicken is done.  Remove chicken and shred with two forks on a cutting board.  Add shredded chicken back to the pot.

Next, add all of your veggies, including the Thai chili.  Slowly add the coconut milk and reduce heat.  Add the fish sauce, soy sauce and lime juice.  Let simmer for 20-30 minutes.  Top with fresh basil and additional lime.  Enjoy!

Old Bay Grilled Chicken Wings

These are soooooooooo good, and perfect for watching football on a Sunday.  Chris and I, being from Maryland, practically grew up on Old Bay.  We have added it to many things, but when Chris threw some Old Bay on some chicken wings, my love for him grew even deeper.  Just kidding, but these are good, finger licking good as they say in the south.

I love the idea of grilling them because it is a much healthier alternative to frying them.  The key to grilling them is you have to watch how strong of a flame you are using.  The fat tends to drip down and cause flare ups as it liquifies.  

Even if you are not from Maryland you should still have a canister of Old Bay as one of your kitchen staples.  And then, when you are watching football and grilling on a beautiful fall day, throw some of it on your chicken wings and enjoy! 

Ingredients
serves 2

12 chicken wings
1/4 cup Old Bay seasoning

Method

Pre-heat grill.  Pat dry chicken wings with a paper towel.  Liberally cover wings with Old Bay.  Marinade the wings for at least 30 minutes.  Throw the wings on the grill at medium heat for 2 minutes on each side so skin gets crispy.  Reduce heat to low and grill for another 10-15 minutes. 

Follow me on Twitter @CheesePlease531

Shrimp Chorizo Burgers

Burgers are quintessential to the summer!  They are a great weeknight meal and of course, super popular for serving guests at cook outs.  Recently I was at the dentist browsing an old issue of Food & Wine magazine and there was an article about paella.  I love paella and while contemplating what to make for dinner last weekend, I couldn't get some of the paella's ingredients out of my mind!  When my husband requested that we cook up some burgers I had an idea!  What if I combined a few paella ingredients and incorporated them into a delicious burger?! 

This recipes recipe pairs two surf-in-turf ingredients who have known each other forever in a very friendly, delicious and perfect-for-cookouts way.   I decided to approach this burger concept kind of like how I build a crab cake and decided to chop up the shrimp and chorizo so it could be formed into a patty.  It worked out really well.  I baked these, but if you used a grill pan you could throw them on the grill too.  Make these spicy and sultry burgers at your next cook out!

Ingredients

Serves 4

1 lb of shrimp
1/2 lb of fresh chorizo (not smoked)
1 egg white
3 tbsp of mayonnaise
2 tbsp of diced white onions
1 tbsp of lemon juice (juice of half a lemon)
1/2 tsp of salt
1/4 tsp of pepper
3/4 cup of whole wheat bread crumbs
1 tbsp on garlic
1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
4 kaiser rolls

Method

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  On the stove top, heat olive oil in a saute pan over medium high heat.  Add garlic and saute for 2-3 minutes.  Remove shrimp from their shells and add to saute pan.  Reduce heat to medium and cook shrimp for 3-4 minutes on each side until shrimp is no longer opaque.   Remove from heat.

In a food processor, add shrimp and process for a few seconds until shrimp is chopped into small pieces.  If you don't have a food processor, chop cooked shrimp on a cutting board into small pieces.  Repeat for the chorizo!

In a medium sized bowl mix together bread crumbs, mayo, egg white, onions, and lemon juice.  Next lightly fold in chopped shrimp and chorizo.

Cover bowl and place in the refrigerator for no less than 30 minutes. It is important to refrigerate the mixture so the flavors marinate and also so you can easily form patties.

In a glass baking dish, form 4 burger patties and bake uncovered for 20 minutes. While the burgers are baking, lightly toast the rolls. Assemble burgers and garnish with tomato, arugula and lemon!

Follow me on Twitter @CheesePlease531