Red Curry Coconut Soup

Check out my new novel (Take the journey)

 
With cooler weather a nice soup in the evening is always welcome. This soup is fragrant and easy to throw together as long as you have a few essential items in your pantry on hand. 

Canned Coconut Milk, Red Curry Paste, Canned Organic Fired Roasted Tomatoes and Organic Vegetable or Chicken Stock.  Plus I always keep on hand in the refrigerator fresh herbs whether it's fresh cilantro in a cup of water (which by the way will last a week as long as you cut the stems and put in fresh water when you get home from the grocery store) or a packet of fresh basil.

Adding fresh herbs to any dish will immediately brighten it up and make a blah dish spectacular. Cilantro is super cheap and always packs the punch!

Red Curry Paste is a combination of chili peppers, lemon grass, garlic and galanga (a root that is similar to ginger), coriander, kiffer lime and peppercorns - it can blow up the heat quickly so be sure to taste as you go so you don't over power your dish. Look for Red Curry Paste in the Asian section of the grocery store in jars. Once opened keep in the refrigerator. You can add it to sauces, eggs and stews and it will add a little kick and a great depth of flavor to a lot of dishes.

Red Curry Coconut Soup

1 Tbsp Coconut Oil

1 Sm Onion, Diced

1 Tbsp Ginger, Minced

1 tsp Red Curry Paste

14 oz Fire Roasted Organic Tomatoes, Diced

4 Cups Vegetable or Chicken Stock

6 oz Dry White Wine

14 oz Canned Coconut Mil

1 Tbsp Sesame Oil

1 tsp Coconut Sugar

1 tsp Himalayan Pink Sea Salt (or to taste)

½ tsp Black Pepper, Freshly Cracked

Fresh Basil or Cilantro, Chopped (Garnish)

Fresh Lime, Wedges

In a medium stock pot over medium high heat, add coconut oil and sauté onions, ginger and red curry paste.  Cook the onions until they are translucent, approximately 5 minutes.

Add the chopped tomatoes and cook for 1-2 minutes, then add in the vegetable or chicken stock, white wine and coconut milk.

Bring to a boil and reduce heat to a low simmer.

Allow soup to simmer on low for about 20-30 minutes so that the curry seasoning has a few minutes to blend with the other ingredients.

Take an emulsion blender and blend together to make smooth.

Season with sesame oil, coconut sugar, Himalayan pink sea salt and freshly cracked black pepper.

To serve garnish with freshly chopped basil or cilantro and a squeeze of fresh lime!  

Herbs de Provence Chicken & Pecan Kale Salad

I'm starting to love Kale.  It's so easy to throw into a dish and add some nutrients quickly.  A raw kale salad is easy to make and so delicious.  Last night I wanted some chicken and decided to use some mini cherry tomatoes, garlic and Herbs de Provence seasoning I make with my Himalayan Pink Salt and it was perfect as a nice sauce to spoon over the chicken.

This week has been to start of the vortex that will start to transpire the next few month at work. (I manage a catering business so holiday season is pure madness!)  We have a joke at work that when our mini bat cookies fly out the door at the retail stores during Halloween, that all hell is about to break loose!  So this week has been a week the calm before the store but hectic getting employees in line to do the work of flood.  It was a week of quick dinners, but with big flavor and minimal preparation.

The best way to prepare quick meals is to have the right ingredients on hand to pull it out and whip it up! I always have cherry tomatoes on my counter, kale in my fridge and pecans in the cabinet.  Chicken is always in the freezer.

Pecan Kale Salad

Kale, Stems Removed & Chopped
Raw Pecans
Raw Coconut Vinegar
Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Himalayan Pink Sea Salt (to taste)
Black Pepper (to taste)

Remove stems from Kale and chop.  Add raw pecans and drizzle EVOO and a splash of Raw Coconut Vinegar.  Season with Pink Himalayan Sea Salt and freshly cracked Black Pepper.

Herbs de Provence Chicken

2 Chicken Breasts (butterflied)
1 Tbsp Butter (grassfed - I prefer Kerrygold from Ireland)
1 Tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil
3 Garlic Cloves, Sliced
1 Cup Cherry Tomatoes, Sliced in Half
1 Tbsp Herbs de Provence Seasoning (I make my own with Himalayan Pink Sea Salt)
1/4 Cup Port Wine

In a large cast iron skillet, add butter and olive oil.  When butter starts to stop bubbling add garlic and cook until light golden brown.  Remove garlic with slotted spoon and set aside.

Add Chicken Breasts seasoned on each side with Himalayan Pink Sea Salt and Black Pepper.  Cook on each side 2-3 minutes until golden brown.

Remove Chicken Breasts and add Herbs de Provence seasoning, browned Garlic and Cherry Tomatoes.  Toss around for approximately 1 minute.  Add Chicken back in and add the Port Wine.  (Be careful to move off the heat when adding the wine so it doesn't flair up on you).  

Turn on a low simmer and cover; cooking approximately 10 minutes.

To serve:

Remove chicken from skillet and spoon tomato sauce over chicken.  Serve with Pecan Kale Salad.

Lime Kissed Shrimp & Horseradish Cocktail Sauce

Tired, Hungry, Quick and Tasty - Describes this quick and easy late afternoon snack that packs a punch of flavor!  There are only about 6 calories in a piece of medium size shrimp.  So a pound of 16/18 ct size shrimp is only about 108 calories.  Since I used a ketchup sweetened with agave nectar it was only 20 calories per tablespoon.  So this snack was under 200 calories.  

Last night I pulled out some shrimp in freezer and left in the fridge to thaw.  So today when I got home from work I wanted something to eat to hold me over till dinner and thought I would just quick cook the shrimp and whip up a horseradish sauce.

I used an agave nectar sweetened organic ketchup as my base and then zest it up with some extra seasonings. 

I can control the ingredients and it was the best cocktail I think I've ever made.  Plus the lime on the shrimp with Himalayan pink sea salt and fresh cilantro take it up a notch.  I thought it was better than old bay boiled shrimp!

Lime Kissed Shrimp

1 lb Shrimp, Peeled & Deveined
2 Limes
1/2 Cup Fresh Cilantro, Rough Chopped
1 tsp Himalayan Pink Salt Salt

In a pot of boiling water add 1/2 tsp of the Himalayan Pink Sea Salt and slice 1 Lime in half and squeeze juice in the water.  Add the Shrimp and boil until it turns a bright pink.  Transfer Shrimp out of water and shock in ice water.

To Serve - Blot Shrimp dry and season with additional 1/2 tsp Himalayan Pink Sea Salt and squeeze of fresh Lime.  Garnish with chopped Cilantro. Serve with Fresh Horseradish Cocktail Sauce for dipping!

Fresh Horseradish Cocktail Sauce

1 Cup Organicville Brand Agave Sweetened Ketchup
2 Tbsp Fresh Horseradish, Grated
1 tsp Coconut Aminos
1 tsp Raw Coconut Vinegar
1 tsp Lime Juice

Mix ingredients together and chill.  Serve with boiled shrimp.

Perfect snack for afternoon delight...

Stormy

Nothing Fair...About the Fair!

October…In Dallas is the State Fair of Texas.  It’s a BIG event that many look forward to each year.  Me, on the other hand think there isn’t anything fair about the fair.  The cost of rides and entertainment is outrageous, the food is downright awful and for some reason they have decided that we have a Deep South food group to have fried foods…all kinds of fried foods and we aren’t just talking corn dogs my friends.

This morning I caught the news and they were featuring…drum roll please…

Fried Girl Scout Cookies!

Yes, you heard that right - Deep Fried Semoa's.  Now I know that a good Girl Scout Cookie shouldn't be any harm if you only eat one or two right?  They are tasty.  But to take an already 45% fat cookie and then deep fry it…it’s just wrong on so many levels.

The Samoa Cookie serving size is (2 cookies)

40 Calories and 7 grams of Fat

1 Gram of Fat  = 9 Calories

And according to Susan Powter’s Fat Formula! (love her)   

That comes out to 45% fat before those suckers are even fried!  So I can only imagine how much fat they have once fried. 

Not to mention that we are taking a cookie that these little girls sell for money to support their program and wrap them in pie dough and fat ass it up more by deep frying it and then finishing with another drizzle of caramel and chocolate!   

It is possible to make food that's fun to eat and make it healthy.

Sounds like The State Fair of Texas could use a challenge -

To start offering a contest on Healthy Foods instead of trying to find everything they can put in the deep fryer.  What's wrong with people?

What's wrong with this picture? Pink...

Well...You can tell it's October and it's time to start seeing PINK!

I'm not sure which is more disturbing...A Pink for the Cure KFC Bucket or the Nicki Manaj Necklace!  Nicki proved that she is a joke by the way she acted on American Idol when she got all "gangster" with Mariah Carey at the judges table.  Thanks for the preview...now I know I'm not watching this season.


I have to say, that fried chicken used to be my downfall...but now that I've learned new ways to transform my health, the very thought of donations collected from fried chicken to help cure cancer is a joke.

My father died from the most horrific cancer - Throat Cancer.  He couldn't eat or taste food after he started treatment and then he lost his voice and tongue after surgery.  The result, unfortunately he died a few weeks after his surgery.

After my fathers death, I vowed to myself that if I could help make a difference in peoples lives to learn about cancer, then I would do what I could to spread the word.  This year I enrolled in The Institute for Integrative Nutrition where I am learning about holistic nutrition.  

Food is a natural way to heal your body.  I would like for you to check out this video by a guy named Chris who beat cancer with his diet.  He has a great video on why he doesn't race for the cure and I believe it's worth sharing with you.  I have to say that I support his reason.

Check out his website too for great information on how to eat the right foods for cancer.

at:  chrisbeatcancer.com

Stormy

Go Nuts!

Want to know the best grab and go snack to have on you at all times when you feel those hunger pains?

Nuts...Just a simple little baggie of mixed nuts to chomp on when your starting to get hungry and lunch is not at your fingertips.    It will curb your hunger and provide you with essential vitamins and minerals to support your body instead of eating some chips that just goes to your hips.

Look at these little beauties in their raw natural form.  Eating these nuts in their raw state will bring the best value of food to your body.  I always say - before you eat something - think about the value it brings to your body.  It's helps to make the right choice.  

Almonds – Did you know that almonds have as much calcium as milk?  Who needs a milk mustache, eat almonds.  They also contain magnesium, vitamin E, selenium and lots of fiber.  They help lower cholesterol and prevent cancer.

Brazil Nuts – are actually seeds and they are full protein, copper, niacin, magnesium, fiber, vitamin E and selenium.  Selenium is good for balance the thyroid function.  These are the big nuts that are using the last to be eaten in the mixed nut cans.  But they are full of good stuff.

Cashews - are rich in minerals such as copper, magnesium, zinc, iron and biotin.  Like olive oil they have a high concentration of oleic acid which is heart healthy.  One big handful of cashews provides one to two thousand milligrams of tryptophan an essential amino acid that helps nitrogen balance in adults and works with niacin and serotonin in the body to help your mood and sleep. However cashews are not recommended for cancer patients due to their potential levels of fungus.

Pecans – are loaded with vitamins and minerals such as Vitamin E and A, folic acid, calcium, magnesium, copper, phosphorus, potassium, manganese, B vitamins and zinc.  They also help to lower your cholesterol.

Walnuts – look like little brains and for good reason.  They are extremely good for your heart and brain and contain ellagic acid a natural phenol antioxidant that fights cancer.

So make up a few baggies of nut mixes for your snack attacks in the middle of day.  

Go Nuts Today!  Literally...

Stormy