Red Curry Noodle Bowl with Shrimp & Broccoli

Happy 2019! 🎉

What are your goals this year? Any New Year Resolutions?

I haven’t written any down, but after the holidays I am looking for some healthy meals to tuck into. (After all that Eggnog, thumbprint cookies, and pie — oh my!)

Plus, when the days are short and it’s dark before I leave work, there’s nothing like a colorful, warm dinner to brighten things up. Red Curry Noodle Bowls are exactly that.

Rice noodles cook in 5 minutes flat — a big advantage if you’re rushing to get dinner together after the gym or a long day! In fact, if you’re really in a rush, and you’re good at planning (eh-em — not me), you can make the coconut curry broth ahead of time, and then dinner will be on the table in 10 minutes! 

Other than being 1) super delicious and 2) super cozy on a cold January day, this bowl has it all: complex carbohydrates, protein, fat (specifically, medium chain saturated fatty acids), and fiber. Plus: Vitamin C, folate, omega-6 and omega-3s, and essential minerals.

Thai Curry is usually served over rice, but sometimes you just want to mix it up! Rice noodles are slurpy, delicious, and a perfect match for curry flavors. (Besides, see above comment about cooking time… they cook faster than rice, which takes closer to 18 minutes.)

To store leftovers, I put cooked rice noodles in one pyrex dish and the broth and veggies in another. I’ve found that some brands of rice noodles will continue to soak up any broth or sauce after they’re cooked, so when you store them together the noodles get a little too soft for my taste. Keep them separate until it’s time to eat and you’re golden! (Sort of like ramen — add the noodles last!)

Red Curry Noodle Bowl with Shrimp & Broccoli

Published January 1, 2018 by Caitlin Sherwood

Serves: 4   |    Active Time: 20 minutes

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Ingredients:

For the red curry coconut broth:

1 shallot, minced

1 teaspoon coconut oil

1 13.5-ounce can full-fat coconut milk

¼ cup chicken broth

4 tablespoons red curry paste

1 tablespoon lime juice

1 teaspoon maple syrup

Dash of fish sauce (optional)

For the shrimp & veggies:

1 tablespoon coconut oil

1 cup shrimp, raw, shelled & deveined

2 cups broccoli florets

½ cup sliced mushrooms

For serving: 

Brown rice noodles

2 tablespoons scallions, sliced

Sesame seeds

Lime wedges

Hot sauce, such as sriracha

Directions:

1. Make the sauce: Heat 1 teaspoon coconut oil in a sauce pan, and add minced shallot. Sauté until shallots are soft. Add coconut milk, broth, curry paste, lime juice, maple syrup, and a small dash of fish sauce (optional). Bring to a simmer, and stir until everything is well mixed.
2. Sauté shrimp in veggies: Heat coconut oil in a large skillet or wok over high heat. Add shrimp and cook 2-3 minutes or until pink (about 1 minute on each side). Move shrimp to a plate, and reduce heat to medium. Add mushrooms to pan, and cook about 2 minutes, and then add broccoli. Cook for 3 mote minutes, stirring every minute or so — broccoli should be bright green and mushrooms should be soft.
3. Cook noodles according to package. I used Lotus Foods Brown Rice Noodles, and boiled them in hot water for 5 minutes, and then strained them.
4. Serve: Divide rice noodles between 4 bowls. Ladle coconut curry broth over top, and then use a spatula to divide shrimp and veggies between each. Top with sliced scallions, sesame seeds, lime wedges, and hot sauce to taste.

Instant Pot Tom Yum Soup

This is an older recipe from Foraged Dish. I wanted to give it a little update, so here it is! 

There is a Thai restaurant in Estes Park, which we drive by after visiting Rocky Mountain National Park. After a long day outside, when it's starting to get a bit chilly, nothing is better than a stop at that restaurant for a cozy Thai soup or spicy curry. 

Tom Yum soup is also the ultimate soup when you're sick. It's brothy, with chicken and veggies, and scented with lemongrass and ginger. This version is an Instant Pot recipe -- easy is key when you're not feeling your best. 

Some typical Thai ingredients can be hard to find here in the states! Here's where to look and what to do if you can't find it: 

You can find lemongrass in the herb section of some grocery stores, at a local Asian Market, or online. Use it while it's fresh! The Asian Market near me sells it in sets of two stalks. This recipe only calls for one, but I try to use the second one for another batch of soup within a week because I find that as soon as the lemongrass dries out it loses it's flavor. I've had poor success in freezing it, unfortunately. (Anyone have tips?) 

In this recipe, I call for ginger and not galangal. Most Tom Yum recipes call for both, but galangal is another ingredient that can be hard to get your hands on. If you do go to an Asian Market, look there and use half galangal, half ginger in the recipe. Otherwise, don't worry about it for one minute -- the favor of ginger is very similar to galangal (galangal is just a bit more mild), so using all ginger is just fine!

Kaffir lime is in a lot of Thai recipes but I don't include it in the instructions below at all because I've found it's nearly impossible to buy in the states! (That said, it has an amazing aroma, so if you can find it, add 3 leaves to the pot before closing it up, and then remove them before serving). It's also very hard to buy kaffir lime seeds in the United States, but I would love to grow one! I have seen a few companies that will ship a grafted plant, so I might try it. 

Last but not least: fish sauce isn’t for everyone (but you can usually find it in the Asian section of your grocery store). If you're not that into it, use Worcestershire sauce instead (it's ok, I have my own trepidations). It's not quite the same, but it will provide some of that Unami flavor that rounds out the broth. 

Phew! Thai food is an adventure on it's own! But don't let that stop you -- this soup is delicious, nourishing, and cozy. And this version has been adapted to make it a bit more approachable. Enjoy! 

Instant Pot Tom Yum Soup

Published December 11, 2018 by Caitlin Sherwood

Serves: 6   |    Active Time: 15 minutes

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Ingredients:

1 tablespoon coconut oil

4 garlic cloves, minced

1/2 onion, diced

3 tablespoons ginger, finely minced

1 large carrot, diced

1 zucchini, diced

2 cups mushrooms, sliced or quartered

1/2 pound boneless chicken breast

3 green onions, white and dark green parts removed, then sliced

2-5 minced Thai chili peppers, depending on spice preference

8 cups chicken or bone broth

1 cup canned full-fat coconut milk

1 teaspoon lime juice

1 stalk lemongrass

1/8 teaspoon fish sauce

Optional for serving: chili oil, cilantro, lime wedges

Directions:

1. Heat coconut oil in the bottom of an Instant Pot on the “Sauté” setting. When oil is melted, add diced onion, and minced garlic and ginger. Sauté until onions are translucent.
2. Add diced carrots, diced zucchini, sliced mushrooms, chicken breasts, green onions, Thai chili peppers, broth, coconut milk, lime juice, stalk of lemongrass, and fish sauce.
3. Place lid on Instant Pot and turn to “Soup” setting with timer set to one minute. Turn vent to sealed position.
4. When timer goes off, release the pressure through the vent. Using tongs or a slotted spoon, pull chicken from soup and use two forks to shred it into bite-sized pieces. Place shredded chicken back in soup and stir. Remove lemongrass stalks (you can use them as garnish, but they are not great for just eating -- they just add flavor to the broth).
5. Serve hot with additional chili oil, cilantro, lime, or hot sauce (such as Sriracha).

Instant Pot French Lentil Soup

The dictionary definition of “Cozy” might as well include French Lentil Soup. It fits right in there between "giving a feeling a comfort” and “keeping warm.”

In addition to French lentils, bay leaves, white wine, and fresh thyme go into the pot. What comes out is this steaming hot, broth-y stew that boasts every flavor a “French” soup should. It’s amazing what a splash of wine can do! Lentils are not the first thing I think of when I imagine French food (maybe brie, or baguettes, or wine) but lentils are a huge part of French culture. Even though lentils originated in the Middle East, Le Puy Lentils (French Lentils) are specific to France and have the same Protected Designation of Origin as Champagne — to be called lentilles du Puy, they must be grown in Puy.

Instant Pot French Lentil Soup

Published December 6, 2018 by Caitlin Sherwood

Serves: 8   |    Active Time: 20 minutes

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Ingredients:

2 cups french lentils, rinsed (also called Le Puy or French Green Lentils)

1 tablespoon coconut oil

1 large onion, diced

1 stalk celery, diced

3 cloves garlic, minced

Splash white wine (about 1/4 cup)

2 large carrots, diced

1 14-ounce can diced tomatoes

2 bay leaves

6-1/2 cups vegetable broth

1/4 teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper 

Leaves from 3 sprigs of thyme

1/4-1/2 teaspoon salt (more if using homemade broth, less if using store-bought broth with sodium), plus more to taste

Garnish: minced parsley

Directions:

1. Heat coconut oil in the bottom of an Instant Pot on the sauté setting. Add onion, garlic, and celery, and sauté, stirring occasionally, for about 10 minutes, until onions are translucent and starting to brown. Add the splash of wine and stir. Continue to cook on sauté setting until wine has cooked off.
2. Add carrots, canned tomatoes, lentils, bay leaves, vegetable broth, black pepper, salt and thyme, and stir.
3. Place lid on Instant Pot and turn to “Bean/Chili” setting with timer set to 14 minutes and vent in the sealed position.
4. When timer goes off, release the pressure. Stir soup and season with salt additional to taste. Serve topped with minced parsley.
5. Tip: For extra veggies in your meal, place a handful of baby kale or spinach in the bottom of your bowl when serving, and spoon the hot lentils over top.