Thai Turkey and Cabbage Soup

In between the bouts of Spring weather in Helena, we have still experienced some on and off dreary and chilly spells. When those days come around, I’ve been craving warm soup with a side of warm cooked grains.

I say a side of cooked grains because that’s one of my food quirks – I prefer my rice/quinoa/pasta/amaranth/oats separate from my main dish especially when it’s really saucy or contains a bunch of liquid. It’s a “soggy issue” I guess

Burrito bowls – rice always on the side
Pasta with meat/veggie sauce – pasta is always separate
Curry or chinese food over rice – yep, the rice is always separate

Of course my pickiness doesn’t always work when eating out but when I’m the “boss” in my own kitchen, I can cater to my craziness Same goes for this soup; Chris was thoroughly satisfied with a big bowl of brown rice with the soup ladled over the top but I enjoyed the soup just like this:

Cabbage, carrot and diced tomatoes are swimming in a spiced coconut milk broth and finished with slices of turkey. Light yet hearty, this soup was enjoyed for both lunch and dinner. Feel free to add cooked rice, quinoa, pasta or even potatoes (for grain-free) to bulk up the meal…or just serve them on the side if that’s your preference as well

Thai Turkey and Cabbage Soup

Ingredients

1 Tbsp coconut oil (butter, ghee or other oil could be used)
1 lb turkey breast cutlets, sliced into 1/2 inch strips (chicken could be subbed)
1 onion, thinly sliced or diced
1 serrano pepper, deseeded and deveined, finely chopped (omit if you don’t like spicy)
3 carrots, sliced (about 1 1/4 cups)
2 tsp Thai green curry paste
2 cloves garlic, minced
1- 2 Tbsp fresh minced ginger (I used the latter, I love ginger)
1/2 head green cabbage, shredded
4-5 cups chicken stock or broth (I used homemade stock)
15 oz can no-salt-added diced tomatoes
1-4 tbsp chopped cilantro (I used 1 Tbsp of the dried variety on hand, I would have preferred 1/4 cup of fresh)
2-4 tsp coconut aminos to taste (could sub gluten free soy sauce, Bragg’s aminos or tamari)
1-2 cups coconut milk (depends on how much broth/liquid you want your soup to have)
juice from one lime
black pepper to taste

Directions

1. Heat oil in a large Dutch oven or pot over medium-high heat. Add turkey strips and cook for 3-4 minutes until lightly browned, stirring occasionally.
2. Stir in onions, carrots, serrano, curry paste garlic and ginger and cook for another 3-4 minutes until onions start to turn opaque, stirring often.
3. Add in the cabbage, chicken broth, and tomatoes and bring to a boil. Stir again and reduce heat to medium-low and let simmer 10 minutes or until veggies are tender.
4. Stir in cilantro, coconut aminos and coconut milk and let simmer for 1-2 minutes until heated through. Stir in lime juice and season with pepper to taste. Ladle into bowls and enjoy!

Recipe Notes: I made this on the stove but I bet this would be a delicious as a slow cooker meal and make the turkey extra tender: throw it all except the last 4 ingredients in a crockpot with the meat and onions on the bottom and cook on low for 8-9 hours or on high for 4-5. Stir in the cilantro through lime after it cooks and serve.

Lightened up Cheddar-Broccoli Soup (Secret Recipe Club)

I’ve been anticipating this day for a month now — it’s my first post from the Secret Recipe Club. When I first started blogging, I came across the Secret Recipe Club but wasn’t able to join because of the requirements (new blog, not enough posts etc). Last September, I met all the requirements and applied but there was a long waiting list. I hadn’t heard back until early last month with the news — I was finally accepted!

For those of you who are not familiar with the Secret Recipe Club, it’s a great way to learn about other blogs, connect with other bloggers and share recipes. Each month you are “assigned” a participating food blogger to make a recipe from. It’s a secret, you cannot tell them you are making something from their blog! You simply choose any recipe from the blog you are assigned, make or bake it, and blog about it on the date specified.

For February and my first assignment, I was given Nicole’s blog I am a Honey Bee. Looking through her recipe archive I was really excited, and I many several recipes that I wanted to try – Green Tomato Bread was among my picks. I searched for green tomatoes and they were no where to be found in Helena (I’ll have to save this one for another day and de-glutenize it!) so Chris and I voted for my second delicious option – Light Cheddar-Broccoli Soup. Not only had I eaten a creamy broccoli soup several weeks before that I was still thinking about, this was perfect dish when the -2F weather hit and I wanted something warm and comforting!

I put my spin on Nicole’s yummy soup using brown rice flour for the whole wheat, subbed whole grain brown rice milk for the cow’s milk, cut back on the cheese and added some nutritional yeast, used olive oil in place of butter/ghee (I was out of ghee) and added a couple shakes of cayenne pepper. I prefer my soup on the thick and chunky side so I decreased the amount of broth slightly and blended half of the soup. I will definitely be making this again!

Lightened up Broccoli-Cheddar Soup (Vegan Option) (adapted from I am a Honey Bee)

Ingredients

2 heads of broccoli with stems, chopped fine or very fine (depending on what texture you prefer your soup)
3 cups unsweetened plain rice milk (I used Good Karma Whole Grain Brown Rice)
1 white or yellow onion, finely chopped
2 Tbsp butter, ghee, olive oil or Earth Balance (use oil or earth balance for vegan)
1/4 cup brown rice flour
2 – 3 cups chicken broth or homemade stock or vegetable broth (use vegetable broth for vegan/vegetarian)
2 shakes of cayenne pepper
1 cup sharp cheddar cheese. shredded (or use non-dairy Daiya cheddar shreds for vegan or dairy free)
2-3 Tbsp nutritional yeast
sea salt and pepper to taste

Directions

1. Finely chop 2 heads of broccoli, including stems. In a large pot, combine the rice milk and broccoli, then bring to a simmer until broccoli is tender (mine took about 7 minutes).
2. In a skillet, saute the onions with butter/oil/Earth Balance. Once the onions are translucent, sprinkle the flour in the skillet and stir with a wooden spoon until the flour has evenly coated the onions.
3. Add the broth slowly and mix until all lumps of flour are broken down. (For a thicker soup, use 2 cups and for a thinner soup use 3 cups of broth).
4. Add the onion-broth mixture to the broccoli-milk mixture in the large pot. Blend or puree part of all of the soup to your desired texture (I used a stick blender and partial blended the soup to maintain some texture). Then add the shredded cheese, cayenne pepper and nutritional yeast and season with salt and pepper. Stir until cheese is melted and completely incorporated. Serve immediately, enjoy!

Chickpea and Paneer Stew

This stew is delicious. Comforting, warm, packed with flavor and healthy ingredients…oh, and did I mention it is delicious?

Chris and I enjoyed this for dinner one night and I hid the leftovers. I wanted them all to myself so I shoved the container in the back of the fridge behind tofu (the husband won’t touch that!) so it was “out of sight, out of mind”. Thank goodness I did too because this dish was even more flavorful the day after!

There was no real inspiration for this meal; I was in the mood for chickpeas and I needed to use up the last of paneer cheese I had in the fridge. I added in some vegetables for variety of color and texture along with garlic and spices and I was set! The paneer cheese lends a nice subtle cheese flavor to the dish that I really, really enjoyed but you could substitute tofu for vegan if needed and possibly add some nutritional yeast to mimic the cheese flavor.

I enjoyed this dish both served alone and served over cooked millet, though any cooked grain would be work here (rice, quinoa, sorghum) for an even heartier meal.

Chickpea and Paneer Stew 

Ingredients

1 1/2 Tbsp coconut oil, butter, ghee, or other oil (use oil for vegan)
1 large onion, diced
2 carrots, thinly sliced or or small diced
2-3 garlic cloves, minced
1 Tbsp garam masala (Indian spice mix)
1 tsp ground cumin
1/2 to 1 tsp paprika, smoked or regular
1 cup of paneer cheese (could sub cubed firm tofu for vegan and different flavor)
3 1/2 cups cooked chickpeas (or 2 cans, rinsed and drained)
1 15-oz can of no salt added diced tomatoes (undrained)
2 cups of vegetable broth (you can add more if you like more liquid, I prefer mine really thick)
5 cups of fresh baby spinach or other leafy green
1/4 cup fresh parsley or cilantro
salt and pepper to taste

Directions

1. In a medium soup pot, heat oil/butter over medium heat. Add onions and carrots, saute for 7-8 minutes until cooked through and onions are slightly golden brown (this helps deepen the flavor), stirring occasionally.
2. Stir in garlic cloves and spices (garam masala through paprika) and cook for 1 minute until fragrant, stirring constantly.
3.  Add paneer cheese and saute for 1 minute then add chickpeas, tomato and broth and let simmer for 5 minutes or so. Add remaining ingredients and cook until spinach is wilted. Season with salt and pepper and enjoy!

Smokey Tomato and Shrimp Stew

You could say this meal is a happy accident. I started this dish with the intention making jambalaya…then I wasn’t happy with the flavor combination and it morphed into a comforting soup that hit the spot for these long winter nights we’ve been having. I immediately scribbled down all of the ingredients because I will be making this one again soon!

Smoked paprika, green lentils, diced tomatoes, celery and bell pepper and chicken stock make up the base of this recipe. I threw in two sliced links of chicken sausage (andouille would have been delicious but I didn’t have that on hand) and shrimp for added protein and bulk. I am picky about rice in soups but the addition of 1 to 2 cups of cooked brown rice could also be added or served on the side for an even heartier meal.

Smokey Tomato and Shrimp Stew

Ingredients

3 stalks celery, chopped
1 onion, diced
1/2 green bell pepper, diced
1 Tbsp oil, butter, ghee (butter/ghee lends a richer flavor)
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 bay leaf
1 tsp cajun seasoning
1/2 tsp smoked paprika
1 cup cooked green lentils
2 links of cooked chicken sausage, sliced
26 oz boxed diced tomatoes (I used Pomi brand), canned works too
2 cups chicken broth (I used homemade chicken stock)
20- 24 cooked shrimp (50-70 count)
1 1/2 Tbsp Bragg’s liquid aminos, tamari or gluten free soy sauce
salt and pepper to taste

Directions

1. In a Dutch oven or a large soup pot, heat oil/butter over medium heat. Add celery, onion and bell pepper and cook for 5 minutes until onion is translucent, stirring occasionally.
2. Add garlic and seasonings and saute about 1 minute until fragrant.
3. Add lentils, sausage and tomatoes and cook for 4 minutes, stirring occasionally.
4. Stir in broth and let cook for 10 minutes until heated through.
5. Lastly, stir in the shrimp and Braggs until heated through, about 2 minutes. Season with salt and pepper and serve!

Recipe Notes: Leftovers were delicious after the flavors had more time to marry. Enjoy