Grilled Vegetables

These are great with couscous and hummus, making one of our warm weather standby meals.  It’s fast, easy, and looks nice on the plate.  Oh, and super tasty too!

• 1 zucchini
• ½ red pepper
• ½ green pepper
• 1 large or two small onions
• 12-15 mushrooms

Wash and cut all veggies into bite size pieces and place in grilling basket.  Season well with herbes de provençe.  Do not use any oil, or the veggies will be limp and icky.

Cook for about 10-15 minutes on preheated grill, stirring fairly frequently to prevent charring of the bottom veggies.

Makes about 4 servings.

Thai Coconut Soup

This is a relatively close approximation of my favourite restaurant soup, Tom Kha Gai.  If you are looking for real Thai food, look elsewhere.  This is adapted to things I can readily find at a mainstream grocery store.  Much as I’d like to make it with galangal, I’ve never been able to find it, even in Chinatown.

• 2 cans “lite” coconut milk
• 3 or 4 chicken breasts, or other protein in bite size pieces
• 1 – 2 tsp red curry paste
• 3 or 4 lemongrass stalks, peeled and thinly sliced
• about 7 mushrooms, sliced
• 3 tbsp roasted red pepper, chopped
• 3 – 4 green onions, sliced
• handful of fresh cilantro, chopped
• 3 tbsp fish sauce (or a ½ tsp of sea salt)
• optional:  1/3 can of baby corn, sliced lengthwise

Bring the coconut milk to a boil and add chicken or protein (tvp chunks would work well for this, although you’d need to add a bit of water to hydrate them).  Stir in curry paste and lemongrass and turn down heat to simmer for 10 minutes.  Do not cover, or the coconut milk may curdle.

Add mushrooms, red pepper, and corn (if you’re using it) and continue cooking another 5 minutes.  Stir in green onion, cilantro, and fish sauce (or salt).

Makes 4 dinner servings, or 6 soup course servings.