All the extra estrogen in my body from past pregnancy led to some painful gallbladder attacks. We worked hard for a few months to heal it, and we did heal it to some extent, but all those attacks had wore down on my gallbladder and there was no coming back from the damage they did. So - I had my first surgery ever and am now living one organ down. Day 3 into recovery and it is getting better every day. We are super grateful for all the help from our families - especially my in laws and my mom. To get ready for surgery I made a few freezer meals and this Lent Veggie soup was one of them.
A facebook friend posted this recipe a few weeks ago and it looked delicious! Figured I would give it a try. It was super easy and sooooo good! My husband even liked it, and he is not a fan of Thai food. I have tried to make Thai red curry dishes before and they have never worked out too good. This one did though! It is super flexible and quick to pull together! If you don't want it to be vegetarian you can use chicken broth instead of vegetable broth and add some cooked chicken in at the end. You could also add in some cooked shrimp at the end as well. The broth is a really delicious soup base that you can play around with. The second time I made it I added some cooked snap peas and finely shredded purple cabbage to it. Another time I added some steamed zucchini to it. Most steamed veggies would be delicious in it.
Thai Veggie Soup
Adapted from the Budget Bytes recipe
2 TBSP oil (I used olive oil or coconut oil)
2 cloves garlic, chopped fine
1 TBSP finely chopped peeled fresh ginger
2 TBSP Thai red curry paste
1 sweet potato, peeled and chopped into dice sized pieces
1 large bok choy or 3 baby bok choy*
4 cups vegetable or chicken broth
1 can coconut milk
1/2 TBSP coconut aminos, soy sauce or fish sauce
1/2 TBSP - 2 TBSP brown sugar, honey or coconut sugar*
Garnish options
red onion finally sliced
green onions
freshly squeezed lime
chopped fresh cilantro
Sriracha
Prepare the vegetables. Peel and Mince the garlic and peel and chop the ginger. Peel and dice the sweet potato into one-inch cubes. Wash the bok choy well, then chop into one-inch strips, separating the stalks from the delicate green ends.
Add the oil to a large soup pot along with the minced garlic, grated ginger, and Thai red curry paste. Sauté the garlic, ginger, and curry paste over medium heat for 1-2 minutes.
Add the diced sweet potato and chopped bok choy stalks to the pot (save the leafy green ends for later) along with the chicken or vegetable broth. Bring the pot to a boil over medium-high heat, then reduce the heat to low and let simmer for 5-7 minutes, or until the sweet potatoes are tender.
Once the sweet potatoes are tender, add the coconut milk, fish sauce/coconut aminos or soy sauce, and sweetener of choice to the soup. Stir, taste, and adjust the fish sauce or brown sugar if needed. Finally, add the bok choy greens and let them wilt in the hot soup.
Serve plain or over cooked rice vermicelli noodles or rice. Top with red onion, cilantro, a wedge or two of lime, and a drizzle of sriracha.
*you could probably swap in another green here as well, like spinach, chard, or beet greens maybe
*I used all three sweeteners at different times and liked them all. Sweeten to your liking.
