Thai Coconut Soup : Thai Tom Kha Gai Style

During college (or the VERY small kitchen years) and shortly there after, I used to treat myself to Thai takeout every week; indulging in the flavor that I was unable to reproduce at home. My most favorite soup was always the Tom Kha Gai which is a coconut based soup spiced perfectly with citrus undertones and a surprisingly welcome heat.

The problem is, and with most ethnic food, that it's difficult to recreate an authentic recipe (aka, your favorite restaurant's recipe) since every chef has their own variation. I have tried making many tom kha gai recipes over the years and nothing has been so successful as the recipe I have stumbled across at the library this weekend. I made a few adjustments based on the ingredients that were available to me and I encourage you to do the same.

The soup it self is a snap but locating the ingredients may be your biggest challenge based on your location. I promise this soup is worth the effort. This is one of the most delicious recipes I have ever made and worth every ounce of energy that goes into it. It yields about 6-8 servings.

May I say one thing before you begin? Please, please, please don't be afraid of the fish sauce. I have recently discovered that everything delicious and down right scrumptious in Thai cooking includes fish sauce. I promise it won't be fishy and your recipe will be lacking if you skip this ingredient.

* lemon grass can be located at your local Asian supermarket (super88s for example) or a farmers market.

**kaffir lime leaves are not regular lime leaves. If you can't locate these edible leaves at your local Asian market you can order fresh or dried online or skip this ingredient.

Last but not least: ***use any seafood you prefer. Mussels, scallops and shrimp are what I used in this recipe but I have also made this recipe previously with tofu and mushrooms and have been just as pleased with the results.

Tom Kha Gai

2 1/2 cups vegetable broth

5 thin slices of fresh ginger root

2 lemon grass stalks, chopped*

3 kaffir lime leaves, shredded**

1 oz cilantro

1 oz chives

1 Tbsp olive oil

1 small onion

14 oz coconut milk

3 Tbsp fish sauce :)

4 Tbsp green curry paste

2 lbs of raw seafood, frozen or fresh***

juice of 1/2 lime

salt and pepper to taste

Pour the vegetable broth into a large pot and add ginger, lemon grass, and half of the shredded lime leaves.

Using half the chives, chop and add to the base of the soup. Strip the cilantro stems from the leaves and add stems to soup and bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and let simmer for about 20 minutes. Strain the stock into a bowl and discard other ingredients.

Add olive oil and chopped onion to the pan and saute for 10 minutes. Add the strained stock, coconut milk, remaining lime leaves and fish sauce. Cook on low heat for 5-10 minutes and then add in curry paste and cook for an additional 3 minutes.

Now add your seafood and cook for a further 2-3 minutes or until seafood is cooked through.

Stir in lime juice and salt and pepper to taste. Combine remaining chives and cilantro leaves to your soup and serve with fresh chives on top and prepared to be blown away!

Yummy yummy!

A Salsa Sensation

There was a point in time where I did not have the same obsession with salsa as I do today. Salsa was simply a mixture of limp veggies and fruits sealed in a jar with a list of ingredients that were certainly questionable at best. Ick...

Since then I have discovered how simple making your own salsa can be and having the power to control your salsas flavor destiny is a wonderful power trip. Simply put- be adventurous with your salsa and you might catch yourself sneaking into the refrigerator in the middle of the night with a spoon diving for your salsa bowl!

In addition to being one of the easiest dishes in the kitchen to create, (you have nothing to burn or overcook!) it's far more versatile than just a tortilla chip or taco topping. All the fruits below can be chopped by hand in about 5-10 minutes but if you are short on time use a food processor and pulse the "chop" button to achieve a lightly diced mixture.

Delicious Simple Salsa Foundation

2 large tomatoes, diced

1 medium onion, diced

4-5 garlic cloves, minced

1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and minced

juice of 1 lime (about 1/4 cup)

1 tsp chopped cilantro

salt and pepper to taste

Combine all ingredients and refrigerate for a minimum of 30 minutes before serving.

Spicy Star Fruit Salsa

2 large tomatoes, diced

1 medium onion, diced

2 star fruits, diced

1/2 peeled, pitted and diced avocado*

4-5 garlic cloves, minced

1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and minced

juice of 1 lime (about 1/4 cup)

1 tsp chopped cilantro

salt and pepper to taste

*I love adding avocado to my salsa but keep in mind that avocado will begin to oxidize as soon as they are removed from their skin. It's best to plan on using your avocado salsa within 24 hours of preparation.

Mango, Avocado and Lilikoi Salsa

2 large tomatoes, diced

1 medium onion, diced

1 cup mango, peeled, pitted and diced

3 lilikoi

4-5 garlic cloves, minced

1- 1 1/2 jalapeno pepper, seeded and minced

1 tsp. chili pepper

juice of 1 lime (about 1/4 cup)

1 tsp chopped cilantro

salt and pepper to taste

Don't have access to a delicious mango or lilikoi? Use a peach, nectarine or even an apple to augment your sweet and spicy salsa!

If you are ever visiting Maui, be sure to check out the Maui Preserved booth at the Swap Meet in Kahului. Don't have time to visit a farmers market on your Hawaiian stay or live off island?

Visit http://www.mauipreserved.com

Any of the hot sauces will be an amazing and flavorful addition to your salsa and this brand is a personal favorite of mine and staple in my pantry. Depending on the season, Maui Preserved offers a Mango Hot Sauce, Star Fruit Hot Sauce and even an Guava Hot Sauce to tease your pallet!

Suggestions for your Salsa:

on top of a white fish or salmon dish

top or mixed with quinoa or rice

mix with sour cream or yogurt and serve with a baked potato

add to your omelets/ frittata

toss with your summer pasta salad

hors d'oeuvres toppings

Living on Maui allows me to purchase fresh produce all year long from local farmers and tomatoes are always in season here. Please keep in mind that any tomato based recipe will be far from delicious when using tomatoes that are world travelers. Nothing beats a local, in-season fruit. Check with your local farmers to find out who has a winter greenhouse.

Yummy yummy!

Sweet Potato Gnocchi

You can never go wrong with this little yummy potato dumpling that posses the most perfect puffy texture. In college I was most familiar with floating gnocchi in some homemade marinara sauce; delicious indeed, and very simple.

It wasn't until this last summer that I was invited to a friend's house for dinner and was introduced to sweet potato gnocchi. Yum!

I incorporated some sage into this recipe and it makes for a wonderful flavor companion.

True, not many people would make gnocchi from scratch as it can be a little time consuming but I highly recommend setting the time aside to try this recipe at home. Who says you can't play with your food? It's like permission to go ahead and eat your play dough. Without the peculiar after taste...

The following recipe is dairy free but feel free to use the real deal if you prefer.

Sweet Potato Gnocchi

2 lbs sweet potato

2- 3 cups whole wheat flour

1/2 cup Follow Your Heart vegan mozzarella

3/4 cup Smart Balance dairy free butter

6 Tbsp fresh sage, chopped

2 Tbsp brown sugar

2 tsp salt

1 tsp salt

1/2 tsp nutmeg

Puncture sweet potatoes with fork and microwave for 5-6 minutes or until soft. Let cool. Scoop out of skin and mash in a large mixing bowl.

Add cheese, sugar, salt and nutmeg.

Mix in flour 1/2 cup at a time until a soft dough forms. Now here comes the fun part.

Divide your dough ball into 6 even portions. On a floured surface, roll out each ball into a long rope that measures about 20 inches. When dough "rope" is roughly 1" thick, slice into 1 inch pieces.

Using your fork, imprint the side of the gnocchi ball to leave a textured mark.

From here you can either freeze half of the gnocchi to save for later or make a large batch. Working in batches, boil for 5 minutes and transfer to plate. Place in fridge.

Melt butter on stove top for 4-5 minutes or until butter browns. Remove from heat and add sage.

Add gnocchi to butter pan and heat completely through. Serve while hot.

Yummy yummy!

Slow Roasted Tomatoes

I have come close to recreating an all time favorite of mine: marinated slow roasted tomatoes. Specifically the marinated slow roasted tomatoes from Wholefoods in Boston. My friend and I use to purchase these quite frequently for our pizza making dates, and every time it was an absolute struggle to not eat them all before they made their way to the pie pan.

These little yummies are definetly worth the time it takes to make them. They are amazingly tasty on their own but I also like to use these little tomato treats to add a little extra flavor to bruschetta, pasta, pizza and salads.

Marinated Slow Roasted Tomatoes

10 medium sized roma tomatoes

3 Tbsp balsamic vinegar

extra virgin olive oil spritzer

3 cloves of garlic

1 1/2 tsp. oregano

1 1/2 tsp.parsely

salt and pepper to taste

Preheat over to 200 degrees.

Slice tomatoes into sixths and lay on baking sheet meaty side up. Sprinkly lighty with salt and pepper and bake at 200 degrees for about 5 hours. When tomatoes have shrunken in size and the water content is noticibly less, remove from oven and let cool.

Place in bowl and mix with vinegar and spritz with evoo. Mix in spices and set in fridge until very cold, preferably overnight.

Enjoy. Yummy yummy!

Krisyp Kale

A tid bit about KALE!

Most people pass by kale at the market and relate it as the unfortunate sibling to lettuce. And at first glance, this may be a logical thought but kale is actually closer cabbage than lettuce. Until recently, my only memory of kale was in my great grandmother's Portuguese kale soup. I'm sure if grandma Elsie was still her today to make her culinary masterpiece, I would eat it, enjoy it and love it down to the last bit, but if you do better with your green leafy veggies crunchy rather than soggy, I think you will really enjoy the following recipe.

Making a crispy baked kale is so simple it hurts and incredibly delicious and nutritious as it is high in beta carotene, vitamin K, vitamin C, and calcium. I had found similar store bought products at health food stores such as Wholefoods but when you make this snack at home you can customize it your taste buds as well as your budget.

Krispy Kale

1 head of kale

1 tsp olive oil

chili powder

nutritional yeast

salt

pepper

Preheat oven to 300 degrees

Line a baking sheet with tin foil. Rinse Kale in salad spinner and tear medium to large pieces of the kale off the spine of the leaf and lay flat on the cookie sheet.

Using a spritzer bottle, lightly spray kale with olive oil and season to taste with salt, pepper and chili powder and nutritional yeast.

Bake for 15 minutes or until crispy.

The beauty about this recipe is that you can season anyway you like it. I also enjoy brewers yeast, garlic powder, cayenne and red pepper flakes. The possibilities are endless. This is a wonderful snack on its own, on top of a salad, in a sandwich and I especially like this paired with marinated tomatoes. Enjoy. Yummy yummy!

A Coconut Creation

Recently, I posses an intense longing for anything coconut. That includes (but is not limited to) the following: anything with coconut on it, in it or flavored like it. Yum. Being surrounded by coconuts might also have something to do with it. Or maybe it's just Maui.

Baker be warned. This is one of those recipes. It is so delicious, it brings out the sweet tooth in just about anyone.

COCONUT MACAROONS DIPPED IN CHOCOLATE

3 cups shredded unsweetened coconut

1 cup sugar

5 egg whites (about 3/4 cup)

1 1/2 tsp of vanilla

1/2 cup dark chocolate chips (or milk chocolate if you prefer)

In a saucepan, bring 2 cups of water to a boil and reduce heat. Place glass bowl on top of pan and mix sugar and egg whites. Remove from heat and stir in vanilla.

Now mix in shredded coconut until well blended and transfer to a small pie plate or cookie sheet and refrigerate for 2 hours or until cool.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Lightly grease a cookie pan. Using either your hands or spoons (I find my hands work much better), gently scoop about 2 tablespoons of the mixture and form your macaroons and place on pan.

Bake for 25 minutes or until the tops are lightly golden.

Remove from cookie sheet and set in refrigerator for at least 2 hours. When ready, use a double boiler to melt the chocolate and coat 1/3 of the macaroon.

Yummy yummy!

Brussels Sprouts: A Love Story

I honestly don't remember the fearless moment of my first brussels sprout purchase. I do, however, recall on more than one occasion during my youth, hearing an adult say "brussels sprouts" and "yuck" in the same sentence.

What was it that compelled me to purchase my first mini cabbage impostor? If I had to pin point a certain circumstance, I would have to point blame on Trader Joe's back home in Boston and their sassy packaging. Oh Trader Joe's! I vaguely remember some small print on the back of the bag that mentioned if you've ever cooked brussels sprouts and they smelled like farts, then you have failed this green miserably. Something like that anyway...

Nevertheless, my love of this beautiful veggie has sprouted since my college years. I find them to be so cute sitting in the little baskets at the farmers market and when Wholefoods sells them on the stalk, I can't resist.

When purchasing brussels, I tend to pick the smaller ones as I find them to be slightly less bitter. And as wikipedia states, "overcooking releases the glucosinolate sinigrin, which has a sulphurous odor," so don't do it.

Mixed Greens with Brussels Spouts, Red Beets and Quinoa

Ingredients for salad:

Mixed Greens

5 brussels sprouts

1 small beet (red or golden)

1/4 cup cooked quinoa*

1 tsp honey

extra virgin olive oil

salt and pepper to taste

Ingredients for salad dressing:

1/2 cup white miso paste

1/2 cup water

1/2 cup light soy sauce

1/4 cup sugar

5 Tbsp of extra virgin olive oil

3 Tbsp of rice wine vinegar

2 Tbsp of toasted sesame oil

1/4 tsp salt

1 Tbsp sesame seeds

(If I'm in the mood, I'll add a clove of garlic and 1/2 tsp grater ginger).

You certainly don't need to make this dressing with this salad but it's delicious, easy to make and keeps up to a week plus in the fridge. Try it! But, feel free to substitute any other light vinaigrette for this recipe to save on time.

Mix 1 tsp miso dressing into 1/4 cup cooked qinoa. Set aside.

Chop beet into small cubes and spray lightly with OO and season with salt and pepper. Pan saute for 6-7 minutes or tender on medium heat. Transfer to plate and let cool.

Quarter each brussels sprout and spray lightly with OO and season with salt and pepper. Pan saute on medium heat for 6-7 minutes (depending on size) until the outside of the brussels starts to brown. Drizzle the honey and stir for one more minute, lowering the heat. Transfer to plate with beets.

Plate greens and top with seasoned quinoa, beets and brussel sprouts and enjoy!

*New to quinoa? This yummy and filling grain-like topping can be made ahead of time and added to any salad when more substance is needed. I enjoy my quinoa a little more "firm" than other recipes out there.

1 cup quinoa to 1 1/3 cup of water. Mmmmm.