Back from Vacation with Coconut Curry Soup

Do you remember me? The girl who likes to cook and eat a lot of desserts?

Hubby & I just returned from our glorious road trip around the nation's Southwest. I haven't posted in a week, but it seems like ages now! I have been catching up on all of my emails and comments, so thanks for stopping by while I was gone. There were a few requests for the Coconut Curry dish I made last week, so I posted the recipe & photos following the cheesy vacation pics.

We started off our trek with a long drive out to the Grand Canyon for some hiking & camping. The views are simply breathtaking and it's quite peaceful if you can drown out all the tourists.

The picture below is the view from the top. See the green area to the left of me? The one with the line going right through it? Oh, little did I know I'd be standing there the next day after hours of hiking. My smile wasn't so big, then :)

After checking out the sights, we settled into our campground for the night to fuel up and rest for our big hike the next day. Saigon Noodles with Sweet Chili Sauce: the meal of champions. No recipe here, folks. This is camping's finest freeze dried food.

The view from below isn't too shabby either, though the outdoor thermometer read 111 degrees. Not sure how we made it out of there alive.

The next day we headed to Zion National Park in Utah. I have seen a lot of amazing things in life, but few places are as beautiful and breathaking as Zion. We hiked both the Angel's Landing and Observation Point trails, providing stunning views of the sandstone cliffs and a little bit of an adrenaline rush.

After all this healthy living, we headed to Vegas to reward ourselves with hotel rooms and showers. Oh, and some Vegas fun, of course. The vacation pictures end here! :) Throughout the duration of the trip, we had minimal cell phone service and no access to emails or a Blackberry. I think it's the longest I've gone "unplugged" and I highly recommend it for a stress-free getaway.

Now, on to the good stuff. If you're still with me, this Coconut Curry Shrimp & Chicken Soup is simply divine. Hubby proclaimed it one of the best things I've made and I had to agree. Best of all, it's pretty simple to make and you can vary it by adding a starch to soak up the broth such as glass vermicelli noodles. Next time, we're going to try coconut rice! I couldn't get a decent photo because we were too hungry to wait and of course, no leftovers. I found this in O, The Oprah Magazine Cookbook.

Thai Coconut Curry Chicken & Shrimp Soup

(adapted from Oprah's Cookbook)

4 cups chicken stock
5 garlic cloves, peeled and cut into chunks
½ tsp ground ginger
1 Tbsp. Thai green curry paste
2 tsp whole coriander seeds (I used ½ tsp ground coriander)
½ tsp cumin
½ tsp whole black peppercorns
¾ c loosely packed cilantro leaves and stems, plus additional ½ cup for garnish, chopped
2 rounds vermicelli glass noodles, cooked according to package directions
1 cup unsweetened coconut milk
½ cup chopped green onion
1 cup sliced mushrooms
1 large chicken breast, cut into ¼ inch strips
½ lb. medium shrimp, peeled and deveined
2 Tbsp. fish sauce (nam pla)
2 Tbsp lime juice
2 tsp brown sugar
¼ tsp chili and garlic sauce

1. In a large pot over high heat, combine chicken stock, garlic, ginger, curry paste, coriander, cumin, peppercorns, and cilantro. Bring to a boil; reduce heat and simmer for 30 minutes.
2. Strain broth through a fine sieve over a bowl and discard solids. Return broth to pot and add coconut milk, ¼ cup of green onions, mushrooms, and chicken.
3. Return to boil, then reduce heat and simmer until chicken is cooked through, about 5-7 minutes. Add shrimp and allow to simmer until no longer pink.
4. In a small bowl, combine fish sauce, lime juice, brown sugar and chili sauce. Stir until sugar is dissolved. Add to soup. Garnish with remaining cilantro & green onion. Serve with glass noodles & allow guests to add noodles to soup as desired.