Coconut Curry Carrot Soup

Let me just say, sometimes I need clean. ASAP. Clean kitchen, clean clothes, clean floors. Can I get an amen?!

My reality... not so clean. Children running a muck, subsequently unraveling my latest accomplishments.  Makes my eye twitch.  

And then I find that happy place in fresh clean, easy food. Something so euphoric I melt, and a great healthy escape from the days' mayhem. Oh, yes please.

I love coconut anything, put it in my food and I'm like a witch in a broom factory. Oh, did I tell you I'm a rabbit as well? I have an affinity for great tasting carrots, fresh and sweet. Glad that's out of the bag!

Today's recipe, adapted from Fast Paleo, creates a savory merger of both worlds. You can thank me later!

Coconut Curry Carrot Soup Bliss From Scratch | Printable Version 1 tablespoon butter or coconut oil 2 heaping cups thickly sliced carrots, about 4 medium-size 1/2 teaspoon fresh ginger, grated or minced 1/4 medium onion, finely chopped 5 cups chicken broth 3/4 cup coconut milk, full fat 3/4 teaspoon red curry paste, add more for additional spice NOTE: I used golden curry, which is very mild, and it was still heavenly. salt and pepper to taste (I let my guests add what they wanted to their individual bowls) 1 tablespoon cilantro, chopped 2 chicken breasts cooked, lightly seasoned and cubed or shredded (optional) Toasted bread of choice for dipping Precook chicken, cube or shred, set aside. In a pot, bring carrots to boil over med-high heat. Let boil for 4-5 minutes, then reduce heat to low. Let simmer until just tender, set aside. In a deep sauce pan, heat butter over med-high heat. Saute ginger and finely chopped onions until translucent.  Pour in coconut milk, broth, and curry paste, mix well. In a blender, add 2 cups of  soup mixture and the strained carrots. Blend until smooth (be careful when blending hot soup!), pour back into the remaining soup mixture, stir until well combined.  Add cooked chicken and stir. Garnish with fresh cilantro, a must have for the symphony of flavors. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Enjoy a bowl of heaven!

Gingham Salad

Gingham Salad. It's worthy of an intro.

As a teeny bopper I "life guarded" at one of the local country clubs. Let's be honest, it's a country club, and the few senior members that did make it down to the docks didn't have the energy to swim once they made it there.  And I don't blame them.

Subsequently, I was paid to be the bronzing beauty that guarded... the "dock" and my lunch plate.  Free gourmet country club food?  Worth every hour, hello.

The Gingham Salad was the pinnacle of my summer bliss.  It's a perfect symphony of fresh berries, mandarin oranges, feta, candied pecans, grilled chicken, and a dressing that is heaven in its self. You will not have lived until you taste THE Gingham Salad. Oooooh the dressing... don't get me started. So simple. So fresh. So perfect.

Adapted from the Hayden Lake Country Club's Gingham Salad.

Tell me what you think!

Gingham Salad Bliss From Scratch | Printable Version Candied pecans (recipe follows or can use store-bought) Gingham dressing (recipe follows) Canned mandrin oranges Fresh blue berries Fresh strawberries Black berries* Raspberries* Grilled chicken* Feta or blue cheese Salad greens of choice *optional, but highly recommended Assemble greens, berries, fruit, and chicken. Top with cheese, nuts, and dressing--skimping on these ingredients is like trying to do jumping jacks without legs.  Let your mouth and mind be blown away.  This is my all-time favorite meal, ever. Gingham Dressing No substitutions will work.  Believe me, I've tried.  Dressing will last in the fridge for weeks, but using fresh onion with reduce the shelf life.  You'll make it again soon after, I'm confident of that. wink-wink. 1/4 cup sugar 1 teaspoon dry mustard 1/2 tablespoon poppy seeds 1/2 teaspoon salt 1/4 teaspoon onion powder OR 1 tablespoon small yellow onion 2 tablespoons cider vinegar 1/2 tablespoon balsamic vinegar 1/3 cup salad oil (canola or olive oil) In a blender, mix all of the ingredients for 1-2 minutes. Candied Pecans 1 cup pecans 2 tablespoons butter 5 tablespoons brown sugar 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon pinch of nutmeg In a small skillet, melt butter and sugar over med-low heat.  Add pecans and spices, stir until pecans are fragrant and well coated (they should appear sticky with the melted sugar coating them).  Remove from heat and spoon the mixture onto parchment paper, break apart as desired if the nuts are clumping together.  Cool completely before serving.

Udon Peanut Stirfry

First off, my apologies for the severe case of blog neglect.  I'm back, well rested, and with a fresh trove of recipe inspiration up my sleeve.  Stay tuned.

This dish has landed squarely on our weekly menu rotation.

Tomato Corn Salad

I finally got around to giving this recipe a photo makeover, so I've pulled it to the front because it definitely deserves a second look.

Absolutely one of my family's favorite salads, like ever.

Seriously, turn on your printer.

This colorful side bursts with refreshing pizazz.   Laced with fresh herbs, balsamic vinegar and Dijon mustard, its a winner.

The Very Best Homemade Ranch

I'm still working on my list of resolutions for the new year, lucky you, because I'll only spill the beans about one of them.  

You'll be glad to know that is doesn't involve sweating, adhering to an earlier bedtime or extended crayola sessions with my kidlets.  I'll save all those lovely details for my darling Hubster, lucky him.

White Bean Hummus Dip

We've been fully immersed in the party season.  Christmas parties at work, church, with friends and College Football Bowl season is fast approaching.

I've always enjoyed these festive gatherings, the chance to mingle, swap ridiculous white elephant gifts and force my little girls to wear matchy sparkling red outfits.  

But as I've mentioned in earnest, appetizers are the butter to my bread.

Chopped Broccoli Salad

Need a new salad recipe to whip out for the forthcoming Thanksgiving festivities?  

Then lucky you.  I have just the thing.

Caprese Salad with Honey Balsamic Dressing

At long last we've been able to enjoy our garden tomatoes.  With a cooler climate and shorter growing season its a race against the impending frosts to have them ripen in time.  Back off frost, my babies are still green out there.  

Lately I've found happiness in the form of this beautiful salad. 

I think I could eat this every stinking day of my life. 

12 Hour Salad

Although school has just started for most of us, we're still bound to have a few more weeks of warm summer weather.  I'm determined to keep pulling out the grill and drag out the BBQ season for as long as I can. 

Maybe even host one last farewell summer BBQ with friends?    

When preparing food for a crowd I've learned the hard way that simple should always be the rule.  And by that I don't mean sacrificing flavor, but choosing the smart easy options that allow me to trade fussing for relaxation and good conversation.

No TiAnn, you really shouldn't make homemade rolls, or be cooking at the stove when the guests arrive, or be a stressed out crazy person... Duh. 

The Green Smoothie

First let me say how very disgusted that I originally was at the thought of these smoothies.

Secondly let me say how very addicted that I now am to them.

The thought of trying to choke down a swig of the leafy green embued smoothie-imposter, was for me, gag-worthy. 

But my kid sister Shawny helped me to see reason.  Or taste it rather.  It's so nice to have people like that in your life.  Those who will patiently take your hand and help you overcome your childish fears of the unknown.  Baby steps though, I still think wheat grass shots sound putrid.

So let me tell you what I assumed before trying my first green smoothie.  I assumed that it would taste like a liquified salad.  Bleck.  Of course I love salad, in it's proper way, eaten on a plate with a fork.

The truth is that you don't taste the leafy greens.  No really!  It just tastes like a regular fruity sweet wonderful smoothie, but dare I say fresher?  I absolutely love them.  They're my go-to breakfast of choice and I love how good and energized that I feel after having one.  They're also my detox meal after an episode with say perfect chocolate buttercream...  Brings balance to the force.

My little girls have caught on to their goodness too, and they've become known as "the Hulk drink" in our house.  I mix it up using different fruits and vegetables all the time.  Basically whatever is in my crisper goes into the blender and they're always tasty.  

Healthy awesome goodness.   

Fruit Salad with Vanilla Honey Citrus Dressing

Summertime means salads to me. 

I'm enamored with the fresh seasonal ingredients at the height of their nutrients and flavor.  I especially enjoy sampling new salads at summertime get-togethers and BBQs, and oft times simple wins big. 

So here's my version of simple.  A medley of fresh vibrant fruits tossed in lightly sweetened juices with the perfect hint of vanilla. 

Lovely!      

Roasted Sweet Italian Sausage and Vegetables (a one-pan dinner!)

I really like Pam Anderson. 

No, not that Pam Anderson, but Pam of Three Many Cooks.  She's the inspiration behind this recipe and my new preoccupation with one-dish dinners.  Her new cook book Perfect One-Dish Dinners: All You Need for Easy Get-Togethers  is an absolute revelation.      

A work of utter genius.         

From Scratch Baby Food

My third baby girl Gigi was just starting on baby food a few months back, when my kid sister Caley came to visit with her own baby girl.  She watched me pulling out the over-priced little jars of baby food and kindly told me that I needed to wise up and make my own. 

What?  Make my own? 

I vaguely recalled attempting it once before, yearrrrs ago.  I had saved a couple thousand of the little glass jars and for some reason thought that I needed to find a way to refill them. 

Disastrous results ensued.  It was tedious, slow, and extremely messy trying to spoon food back into the little jars.  Not fun.  Also all those jars took up way too much freezer space and were annoying to defrost.  

I never tried it again.  The convenience of the store-bought baby food prevailed.  Big time.  

Well my wise sister shared with me a much smarter approach to homemade baby food, and I love it so much that I now deeply regret not doing so with my two elder daughters.    

Bruschetta

Can something so simple actually taste this phenomenal?  You bet.  If you're lucky enough to pull some vine ripened tomatoes off of your very own plant or to snatch some seasonal ones up at your local farmers market.  Then in terms of Bruschetta, you've won the lottery.  But for the rest of us subjected to dire predicament of shelf ripened grocery produce- inhale deeply and know that even inferior tomatoes can produce knock-your-socks-off Bruschetta.  The real knitty gritty is that I've never once not loved this stuff.  Reward yourself and whip up a batch, you'll thank yourself later.