Down home cookin meets the world!

It used to be, that on the farm...that you ate what you could grow, cultivate, herd, milk, wrangle, gather and scavenge off the land....

I know, it doesn't sound very fun...or does it.  It does to me...Eating that which came from your own land, but then again I have fallen off my stool a few times and bumped my head!  I like to get my hands dirty and play in the dirt, pick my own fruit...and long, long ago...I helped my cousins with the chickens when I visited her for the summer.  It was my kind of heaven....it still is....

but I digress.

But, I am also thankful for modern technology that has opened our eyes and taste buds to the flavors of the world....

I love me some good sushi, Chinese, Mexican, Iraqi......and now Thai food.  And they are all relatively easy to make....a few delectable foods and a few spices...and wah-laa...magic from the other side of the world!

So combine that with homegrown food and spices from around the globe and you, my friend, will feel like a world class traveler!

Thai Curry Carrot Soup, well, is right at the top of my list for being mmmm, mmmm, good! Not to mention the fact that I had an over abundance of carrots.  Tomato Miso is still my favorite of the minute! and most likely the decade.  Since we have stopped buying soup in a can....I have loved soup even more....and I have tried it out on my neighbors to make sure that I am passing along a winner!

And as a side note...I have to tell you that my hubs sometimes is frustrated by what he finds in the fridge that he says is not food.....serachi chili sauce, fish sauce, green curry paste, Sweet chili sauce, five spice, hoisen sauce...but they are staples when cooking from scratch and making healthy and edible food from around the world!

In the coming weeks, I hope to add several more made from, scratch, no additives, fill your tummy soups to my repertoire....(That's a french word!...see what eating global foods will do to your vocab!)

And did you hear that grown.....that was is Mr Macdaddy.......he is not a soup fan...unless it is cream of Broccoli or Chili...is chili even a soup?

He will be getting over it though....soup is good for you! As Julia Childs would say, Bon Apetit!

Thai Curry Carrot Soup
(adapted from Nourishing Traditions recipe)

2 medium onions, peeled and chopped
1 pound carrots, peeled and sliced
4 T butter
2 t Green Curry Paste (I use Thai Kitchen)
1 1/2 quarts chicken stock (homemade, most canned stock is loaded with msg!)
1/2 t grated lemon rind *
1/2 t grated ginger *
sea salt or fish sauce and pepper
all natural sour cream
Saute onions and carrots gently in butter for about 45 minutes or until tender (mine was on medium low with a lid for about an hour, and then I took the lid off and cooked off any liquid and let the onions caramelize a bit). Add curry until well mixed, and add stock, bring to a boil.  Add lemon rind and ginger. Simmer, covered for about 15 minutes. Puree soup with a hand held blender, or add half of the carrot mixture to your blender and puree slowly.   Season to taste and ladle into bowls, add a dollop of all natural cream!

*I used dried lemon rind and fresh ground ginger from Spice world that I keep in my fridge!) AND I just read the ingredients more diligently for the ground ginger...it has soybean oil in it.....WON'T be using that stuff anymore....fresh ginger it will be!

And since we are talkin' Thai...here's another recipe that really won me over to curry!

Thai Green Curry Chicken (From Thai Kitchen Green Curry Paste bottle)

In a large saucepan simmer one 14 oz. can of Thai Kitchen Coconut Milk (no additives!) with 1 t Green Curry Paste ( start with a small amount and add more if you want more heat!) over medium heat for 5 minutes. Add two skinless boneless chicken breasts, cut up in bite size pieces. Add 1 t 2 t of fish sauce, 2 t brown sugar, 1/4 c bamboo shoots, 1/2 c frozen peas and 1/3 c chicken stock. Simmer ten minutes stirring occasionally. garnish with fresh basil and serve hot! with rice.

And I have to admit, that we ate most of the chicken that night, but I saved the broth and ate it the next day for lunch....it was soooo tasty! And don't forget...healthy!!!


Lover yer guts!

and eat from the farm...and around the world!

I have included this post in:

Ultimate Recipe Swap - Life as a Mom
Monday Mania - The Healthy Home Economist
Tempt My Tummy Tuesdays  - At the Well