Quick & Delicious: Thai Coconut Soup

Sometimes, like all of you, I don’t feel like making dinner. Sometimes I get tired, cranky, and hungry, and don’t want to wait an hour for my food to be ready. However, I still manage to avoid convenience packaged foods (which often have artificial flavours, preservatives, high levels of sodium and sugar, and very little nutrition). Even if you’re buying an organic can of soup, it doesn’t even come close to the goodness provided by a homemade soup. That’s why it can stay on the shelf for a year (or more) without going bad!

As a holistic nutritionist, I like to focus on fresh, whole foods. Maybe a good quality can of chili is ok in a pinch every once in awhile, but if you are eating packaged foods every night, your body is likely missing out.

This soup is a Thai-inspired variation on the I-don’t-feel-like-making-dinner soup I sometimes make. It takes about 20 minutes to prepare and make, and is incredibly satisfying and delicious. My Thai coconut soup also happens to be a great tummy-healing soup, as the ginger, turmeric, and lemongrass all have anti-inflammatory and digestion-promoting properties.

Thai Coconut Soup

1 can of coconut milk

4 cups of filtered water

2 Tbsp honey

1 tsp turmeric

2 tsp coriander

1.5 tsp salt

1 1-inch knob of ginger, minced

2 6-inch stalks of fresh lemongrass, chopped into 5 or so pieces each*

1 delicata squash, seeds & pulp removed, slice into thin moons (can substitute 1 large sweet potato)

1 large red pepper, sliced into thin strips

3 baby bok choy, leaves separated

juice of 1 lime

Directions:

-Add water, coconut milk, honey, ginger, lemongrass, coriander, turmeric, squash, and salt to a pot and cook on high until a rolling boil. Boil for 5 minutes.

- Reduce to a simmer, and simmer for 1o minutes. While the broth and squash is simmering, you can wash and slice the red peppers and bok choy.

-Add the red pepper slices and continue to simmer for 5 minutes.

-Turn off heat, add bok choy and lime juice and leave covered pot over burner for a few minutes while you set the table and the bok choy wilts.

-Ladle soup into large bowls, add protein of choice, if desired (eggs, shrimp, white fish, chickpeas, or chicken go well in this soup), and garnish with fresh basil. Enjoy!

*Note: Don’t try to eat the lemongrass. It’s not bad for you, just very tough & woody. So unless you’re a beaver, you can fish these out of your soup as you eat it.

Have a great weekend!

Take care,

Alex