A few weeks ago (where did that time go?), my family headed south to the mountains in Tennessee where we ate too much and soaked up nature.  My husband found a sweet little house on Airbnb.com and that was just what the doctor ordered.  It had a hot tub where I soaked in the morning which is always dangerous because then you think you need one at home.  It also had a huge garden tub.  Extra dangerous.  Then I tell myself that it is these things that make vacation “vacation” and if I had them at home, they wouldn’t be as special.  It helps…a little.

We hiked to Grotto falls, saw some bear (two days in a row!), checked out the moonshine distilleries (ok we sampled some too), loaded up on grits (did I mention we ate too much?) and my husband drove a teensy tiny bit out of the way so I could go to my favorite fabric shop on the way home (Gina’s Bernina in Knoxville, TN).  I usually visit it when I’m at Jewelry Television, but I haven’t been there in a year, so I was overdue.  If you sew, you have to go.  Someday, I’ll tell you all about my sewing (but really fabric) obsession.

That brings us to the soup recipe.  When we got home, all of us had runny noses and stuffy sinuses.  Apparently the goldenrod was going haywire and we were feeling rough!That’s when I whipped up a really easy Thai coconut curry soup.  It’s a very brothy version, that hit the spot.

First of all–I live in the middle of nowhere so I can’t get stalks of lemon grass.  I buy the paste at Kroger and I think it’s an ok sub.  If you can get the stalk, go on with your bad self!

Second, these are loose instructions and you can adjust however you like.

• 1 large chicken breast
• 1 large sweet potato
• 2-3 tsp red curry paste
• 1 tbsp lemon grass paste
• 2 tbsp grated ginger
• 4 cups chicken broth
• 3 tbsp fish sauce
• 1 tbsp brown sugar
• 1 can coconut milk
• 1 small can of mushrooms
• 1 lime, cut into wedges
• 1 bunch of cilantro, washed and trimmed
• salt

Directions:  

Bake the sweet potato for 45 minutes at 400 degrees (or until soft, but not falling apart).  Cut into small cubes.  

Brown the chicken in a little coconut oil with salt and pepper, then shred.

Heat a tbsp of coconut oil, saute the ginger, lemongrass, curry paste for a minute.  Add a little broth and stir.  Add the fish sauce and brown sugar and stir.  Add the remaining broth.

Add the mushrooms and the coconut milk and let the soup simmer for a few minutes.

Then add the chicken and sweet potato.  Heat thru.

Ladle into bowls and add a splash of lime and cilantro.  Salt if you want to!