Taste of Thai

During my last trip to my parents’ house, I went “shopping” in their pantry, as I usually do. I always leave with new goodies I can’t wait to try.

I was inspired to take coconut milk back to Orlando with me, because I loved the addition of the milk in a bowl of tom ka gai soup that my mom ordered when we went out for Thai food that weekend.

After browsing through the latest issue of Clean Eating magazine, I stumbled upon a recipe for a chicken and whole-wheat udon noodle bowl. The recipe ingredients seemed very similar to those in the soup my mom ordered that I thought was so delicious, so I flagged the page and made the noodle bowl for dinner tonight!

Thai Flava!

I followed the recipe for the most part, but omitted the jalapeños (too spicy!) and cilantro (I didn’t have any) and added extra spinach, cabbage and portobello mushroom. I also substituted Carba Nada egg fettuccine for the whole-wheat udon noodles, simply because I didn’t have udon noodles on hand.

Scoop o' Soup

Soupy

Coconut Milk + Chicken Broth Base

The coconut milk and the citrus juice from the lemon and lime juice added a serious punch of flavor to this meal.

Ryan and I both really enjoyed the interesting flavors and would definitely make this soup again.

At first glance this recipe seems a bit daunting, but it was really easy and came together in a flash.

Chicken & Whole-Wheat Udon Noodle Bowl (from Clean Eating magazine)

Ingredients:

• 1 8-oz. package whole-wheat udon noodles
• 4 c. low-sodium chicken broth
• 1 tbsp. fresh ginger, minced
• 1 red jalapeño peppers, chopped (about 1/3 c.)
• 5 tbsp. lime juice
• 2 tbsp. lemon juice
• 1 tsp. lime zest
• 14 oz. unsweetened light coconut milk
• 1 lb. chicken breasts, cut into 1 inch pieces
• 1 ½ c. sliced baby portobello mushrooms
• 6 oz. spinach leaves
• ½ Napa cabbage, chopped (about 1 c.)
• 12 sprigs fresh cilantro, chopped (about ¼ c.)

Directions:

1. Cook noodles according to package directions. Drain and set aside.
2. Bring broth, ginger, jalapeños, lemon and lime juice, and lime zest to a boil in a large pot. Reduce heat to medium-low.
3. Add coconut milk, chicken and mushrooms, stirring well. Cover and simmer for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.
4. Add reserved noodles, cabbage and spinach, and cook, stirring occasionally, for an additional 5 minutes, or until leaves are wilted.
5. Garnish with cilantro before serving.

Nutritional Information:

Make 8 1 ½ c. servings at 232 calories, 5g fat, 29g carbs, 3g fiber, 3g sugar, 20g protein, 116mg sodium, 33mg cholesterol

Question of the Evening

What is your favorite type of cuisine (American, Japanese, Thai, Italian, etc.)?

Little Treasures

Weekends at my parents’ house are so fun. They’re always filled with activity, food, laughter and quality family time. 

Another benefit? I sometimes get a chance to sort through old stuff and stumble upon little treasures like this picture of me and Ryan, taken during our third month of dating. 

Two Blondes

Can you believe Ryan’s hair!? He was a blonde boy when I met him! 

Before settling on his current ‘do, Ryan also rocked the spikey/gel look. 

Spikey!

I’ve  loved him through all of his hair transformations but I think his low maintenence look right now fits his laid-back personality the best. 

I spent quite a lot of time looking through boxes of old pictures, dating all the way back to junior high! I think I asked myself “what was I thinking!?” about a million times. 😉 

Dinner 

For dinner tonight, my family and I headed out to a nearby Thai restaurant for some grub. 

My mom and I both ordered soups to start, and I selected the vegetable tofu. 

Veggie Tofu Soup

 

As an entree, my dad shared his large plate of fried tofu, veggies and rice. 

Veggie Platter

Everything was very good! 

When we came home, I made dessert (vanilla dream pie) which we ate in no time at all while curled up on the couch watching The Blind Side. 

It was my first time seeing the movie, and I really enjoyed it. The story was inspiring and Sandra Bullock was perfect in her role. 

Now, my friends, I am one sleepy lil’ blogger… Off to bed!