Red Curried Vegetable Tomato Soup ::: The Food Matters Project

This post has to be quick, I am currently doing two jobs at my company and March has been manic! The great news is that I will be taking on a new position in April…more to come there soon.

I love soup, but I rarely make it at home. Strange because I almost always order it at restaurants.

This curried soup recipe from the Food Matter Project was unknown for me. I have never had soup with curry flavors nor have I cooked with coconut milk before. The flavors end up mixing really well. Spicy, sweet, bold, and hearty…this soup will be going into the favorite soups file.

The full recipe can be found here at Eats Well With Others by Joanne and on page 107 of The Food Matter’s Cookbook.

For my version I added an extra jalapeño because I love very spicy soup, 3 stalks of celery, an extra carrot, and used red curry powder.

* I have a lot left over,  so I plan to try the poached egg version where you crack  an egg in the gently boiling soup and then serve.

::: the onion, jalapeño, celery, garlic, and ginger sautéing in dutch oven :::

Red Curried Vegetable Tomato Soup     serves 4-6

  • 1/4 cup vegetable oil
  • 1 onion, chopped
  • 1 tablespoon cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 tbsp minced ginger
  • 2 jalapeno peppers, minced
  • 2 tbsp red curry powder
  • 1 tsp cumin
  • big pinch of sugar
  • salt and pepper
  • 2 potatoes, peeled and chopped
  • 2 carrot, chopped
  • 3 stalks of celery, chopped
  • salt and black pepper
  • 3 cups vegetable broth
  • 1 cup light coconut milk
  • 1 28 oz can diced tomatoes
  • 1 small cauliflower, cored and roughly chopped
  • 4 hard boiled eggs, roughly chopped, for garnish or opt to poach the eggs in the soup
  • 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro, for garnish

Put the oil in a large pot or dutch oven over medium-high heat. When it is hot add the onion, garlic, ginger, and jalapeno. Cook, stirring occasionally, until softened 3-5 minutes. Stir in the curry powder, cumin, and sugar. Cook and stir until the spices become fragrant, 1-2 minutes.

Add the potatoes, carrots, and celery and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring for a minute or 2 then add the vegetable broth, coconut milk, and tomatoes with their liquid. Bring to a boil, then lower the heat so the mixture gently bubbles.  Cook, stirring once in a while, 20 minutes.

Add the cauliflower and adjust the heat to the mixture bubbles gently again. Cook until all the vegetable are very tender about 15 minutes more.

The soup will refrigerate great for 3-4 days and you can also freeze it to re-heat later.

optional: Serve with chopped hard boiled eggs and cilantro.

 

And to see some creative renditions of the original recipe head here to where the other Food Matter’s Project members posted their recipes.

::: keelymarie :::

Seared Bean Sprouts with Beef & Sesame Orange Sauce

Picture from catesworldkitchen.com

{Picture from cate’s world kitchen}

 
Sprouts. 
Fillers. 
Tasteless. 
Waste of space. 

Well Mark Bittman, you’ve done it again.

Maybe this is the theme of this Food Matters Project, but I was scared of the amount of sprouts in this recipe. SPROUTS? They are a filler food to me. I hate when Benihana or better yet, KOBE’s, puts them in their fried rice. Total blemish in a perfect food.

But these sprouts won me over. Just like the brussels sprouts won so many people over last week. Pretty good @Bittman, pretty good. This recipe is for keeps. Thanks for a great pick this week Dominica!

I was excited to try this recipe because of the asian style sauce and the quick cook time (less than 20 min!).  Minus the sprouts- I know, I know I can stop with the sprouts. But that’s the idea of this Food Matters Project right? Expand my horizons and eat a little better. I did make a side of chicken fried rice though just in case. 😉

I stuck to the recipe 100%, but hesitated while searing the beef on high. It was sliced so thin and the pan is supposed to be on high with oil, I really thought I would ruin it. My bad, I turned the heat down and afterwards wish I had seared it on high. Cooking such thin cut meat on high for just 2 minutes will help it stay tender, mine ended up a bit more tough.

This recipe’s sauce was pretty watery since it’s made with fresh squeezed orange juice, orange zest, soy sauce, and honey.

::: I’d like to make it again, but begin by sautéing the sauce in a saucepan on the side with a bit of corn starch. This will thicken it up a bit before pouring it over the sprouts and beef.  I will also add crushed red pepper flakes, and 1 more tablespoon each of  honey and soy sauce. :::

Seared Bean Sprouts with Beef and Sesame Orange Sauce

Full Recipe by Mark Bittman found HERE at WINE FOOD LOVE

Ingredients:

  • thinly sliced beef
  • 2 oranges, squeezed and zested
  • soy sauce
  • honey
  • lots of sprouts
  • sesame seeds
  • scallions

Tips:

  • Good pick for a quick carb free meal (less than 20 minutes)
  • Don’t be afraid to sear the meat on high, just keep it to 2 minutes
  • Potentially try cooking the sauce on the side and thickening it with a bit or corn starch before pouring it over
  • For a bold flavor add 1 more tablespoon each of soy sauce and honey
  • For spice add a pinch of crushed red pepper
 ::: Head here to see how the other members of the Food Matter’s Project fared. I can’t wait to see if anyone got creative! :::

Chicken Fried Rice       side serves 4

  • 1 chicken breast, chopped very small
  • 1 cup of white or brown rice, cooked and set aside (makes 3 cups cooked)
  • 1/2 a large sweet onion diced
  • 3 scallions, sliced up to some of the green
  • 2 carrots, diced
  • 1/2 cup frozen peas
  • 1/2 cup frozen edamame
  • 1 tablespoon sesame seeds
  • 1/4 cup light soy sauce
  • 2 eggs
  • 2 tablespoons garlic powder
  • 1 teaspoon ginger powder
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • 2 tablespoons of olive oil

Heat olive oil on medium high heat. Cook chicken for 3 or 4 minutes until there is no pink you can see. Add onions, scallion, and carrots and cook for 4 minutes. Add peas and edamame cook for 4 more minutes. Add rice, garlic powder, ginger, soy sauce, and salt and pepper. Stir and cook for 4 more minutes.

Push rice to the side and crack the eggs into the pan. Let cook for 30 seconds (until fluffy) then mix into the rice. Add sesame seeds.  Add more seasonings to your preference.

::: keelymarie :::

Beauty Basics ::: Perfect Summer Glow

I heard you liked my first beauty post, so this week I am on to the next important beauty topic. {sorry to any men reading this blog, recipes are here to stay…promise!}

Maintaining a great tan + glow without ruining your skin, getting wrinkles, and potentially even skin cancer. Ten years ago I would have handed you a bottle of baby oil or Australian Gold “no SPF” tanning lotion and sent you to the beach.

With a few scares of skin cancer in my family and many years of sun overexposure from growing up on the beach in Florida, I’ve retired that mentality and adapted to a “mostly fake bake” lifestyle. {We have a pool at our apartment and yes I still lay out “sometimes”}

If done right, this approach shouldn’t send you out with that Jersey Shore orange shade and it will be just enough  color to make you feel healthy and bronzed.

1. EXFOLIATE – I believe any product works here as long as you do actually exfoliate and the product is not oil based. I recently purchased this one:
 

Bliss Super Slough Scrub

2. TAN – I love love love  St. Tropez. It is rich  enough for a real tan, but dark enough so it is not at all orange. Be careful with your hands though. I use a pumice stone to scrub the mousse off my hands after, but gloves might be a good idea. 

St. Tropez Tanning {Exfoliator, Tanning Mousse, Lotion, hand mit}

AT home: This set above covers it “All in One” and is only $25 dollars more than the tanning mousse itself, might be worth it but I have not tried the set. 
 
Professional: In LA I used to go to Mind Body Manhattan for Chocolate Sun for spray tans. All organic and a tan great color, they customize it for you and it smells great. In Miami, I have been to Forever Tan. It works, but I prefer the St. Tropez at home method for the true tan color. 
 
3. BRONZE – It doesn’t stop there. Using a good bronzer will help you with the glow side of the tan and will accentuate your now tanned body. 
 
Use CHANEL Soleil Tan Sheer Illuminating Fluid mixed with foundation, the Guerlain bronzing compact, and then for a super glow factor use the NARS The Multiple in Copacabana and South Beach. 
 
 

CHANEL Soleil Tan Sheer Illuminating Fluid

Guerlain Terracotta Bronzer in #03

Copacabana (white highlighter, brightens)

 

South beach (pinkish bronze highlighter, bring out the tan)

 
4. EXTEND – I am a lotion FREAK so this is an obvious one for me. Right now I like Eucerin, but any drug store lotion with SPF will do. You’ve already spent your beauty bank for the month on the above products above right?
 
 

Eucerin Everyday protection SPF 15 

 
 So, what’s your go-to tanning product?
 
Have you tried any of these before?
 
I’d love to hear from you in the comments!
 

::: keelymarie :::