I’ve been on a bit of a Thai kick lately. Earlier this week I played around with a couple of recipes for Thai beef salad, and while I was perusing my Thai recipes, I came across a recipe for Tom Khaa Kai, or Chicken, Coconut and Galangal soup.

As I read through the recipe, I realized I had most of the items I needed already in my pantry or freezer to make the tropical-flavored soup. Originally I was going to make the soup to go with the Thai beef salad, but I ended up not being that hungry the other night, so I decided to put my soup and sandwich tray to good use, making monster spring rolls to go with the soup.

And that’s how this recipe became more than a variation on the cookbook recipe. (more…)

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Dairy free, Dinner, Gluten free, Sandwiches, Soups, Thai, Vegan, Vegetarian, World traveller by Courtney

It’s funny how winter weather just creeps up on you. Here the weather has been staggering between cool, autumn days and sunny, early-summer-like days. Then all of the sudden, yesterday morning, with no warning, I wake up and the house is 63 degrees inside. Brrr! Needless to say, I quickly turned on the heater and downed a cup of cappuccino, attempting to warm myself up.

I’d picked up plenty of food to cook for the weekend, but suddenly spaghetti squash with sea scallops and angel hair pasta with passata didn’t sound so appetizing. I wanted some stick-to-your-ribs, warm-you-to-the-bone fare. I wanted chili. (more…)

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Chili, Comfort food, Dairy free, Dinner, Gluten free, Lunch, Quick and Easy, Soups by Courtney

While it’s not traditional Irish fare, I’m so looking forward to asparagus to be back in season so I can create this super-simple, beautifully green soup, so it seemed apropos for this spring day. For this recipe you won’t need vegetable stock, nor will you need to do a lot of chopping. Simply boil the asparagus, onion, and garlic, puree, and top with fried egg, baguette, and a few garnishes of asparagus. Serve with J’s sparkling wine, and you’ve got a match made in heaven. Springy, green flavors all over your palate.

Drooling yet? Then I know you’ll want the recipe… (more…)

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Dinner, Gluten free, Lunch, Soups, Vegetarian, Wine pairings by Courtney

A few years ago when my husband and I had a long layover in Singapore, one of the first things we did was go in search of food. We ended up in a small restaurant in the airport that had a wide variety of noodles and soups. I forget what I had, but my husband ordered the laksa, and I was hooked. A fiery bowl of coconut milk-based broth with noodles and seafood, what’s not to like?

A few months after returning home, I was flipping through old articles in a Martha Stewart magazine, and I came upon a recipe for Malaysian Prawn Laksa. Laksa is one of those things that everyone does differently, and I’m pretty sure this isn’t the most authentic recipe, but it’s easy to make, easy to procure the ingredients at your local supermarket, and best of all it tastes great! (more…)

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Asian, Dairy free, Dinner, Gluten free, Lunch, Soups, Vegan, Vegetarian by Courtney

The weekend before Thanksgiving, as I was preparing my shopping lists and getting prepared for the holiday feast, I made a bit of chicken stock to use in my gravy and stuffing. The house filled with the wonderful aroma and had me craving chicken noodle soup. So after I portioned out what I needed for Thanksgiving dinner, I set aside enough to make a pot of chicken noodle soup for my husband and I to enjoy. Not content to only have soup, I used a leftover baguette and some frozen Velveeta cheese to make mini grilled cheeses for us.

Lucky for me, I froze a few bowls of the soup, because I knew they would go to waste in the refrigerator with the impending Thanksgiving feast. This past week, instead of enjoying my vacation, I’ve been in bed with the flu, and I have to say the chicken noodle soup does indeed make you feel better. (more…)

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Comfort food, Dairy free, Lunch, Soups by Courtney