I love spring. I love the flowers, the trees with new tender leaves, how my sun dappled

Thai Curry Coconut Soup

back woods changes with the leaves filtering the sun, the start of veggie and herb gardens and I love that I’m able to open the windows and let fresh air flow through the house after months of windows and storm windows locked and closed.

There’s just one problem with all this new growth, the return of…pollen. That fine yellow-green dust that coats everything, gets up my nose, in my eyes, down my throat and generally makes me miserable. This past week I’ve kept the open windows to a minimum, just one and only open about three inches. I blame the pines for this mess.

Spring not only brings renewed growth but it also ushers in the season of lighter eating. No more slow cooked meals heavy on meat, sauces and filling carbs. Salads, lighter meats, spring/summer soups now make up our dinner menus.

I know one soup that will be on our spring/summer menu, Thai Coconut Lime Curry Soup, oh mama what a soup! The soup can be made without meat but I added chicken breasts and rice (you can use rice noodles as well).

1 cans – light coconut milk
1 tablespoon curry mix
2 cups – chicken broth
1 tablespoon lime juice
Zest from lime
1 carrot or 3 baby carrots – julienned for full carrot, sliced lengthwise into 3 or 4 pieces for Baby carrots
3-4 Kale leaves – washed and torn off the stem. Tear into bite size pieces
Grated ginger to taste – can use ground as well
Salt to taste
2 chicken breasts
1-2 cups Jasmine rice

Optional
Fish sauce
Lemon grass
Cilantro stems

Toppings:
Cilantro leaves
2 green onions, thinly sliced
Radish
Avocado
Nuts

Cook chicken breasts thoroughly, set aside and cool. Once cool cut into chunks. In the meantime, cook rice for specified time per package.

For soup combine first 5 ingredients in a soup pot. If using fish sauce, add at this time. Simmer for 20 minutes. Add carrots, lemon grass and cilantro stems and stir.
Place rice and chicken in soup bowls and ladle soup into the bowl. Top with cilantro, green onions, sprouts, bean sprouts or whatever you have on hand.

Super easy, quick and delicious.

We’ve had lots of great dishes over the last few weeks so I’ll be posting more on a regular basis. Unfortunately I now have one of those spring colds that’s going around, so I think it will be chicken soup for me for the next few days.