Thai Curry Chicken Soup & Thai Crunchy Salad with Peanut Dressing

This soup is packed with so much flavor with bites of tender chicken, rice noodles, cilantro, basil and lime juice! The salad is light and healthy and loaded with its own savory flavors.   Both recipes are cozy, comforting and fragrant. 

Recipe Submitted by Valerie Jachminski

Thai Red Curry Soup:

INGREDIENTS 1 tablespoon olive oil 1 1/2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breast, cut into 1-inch chunks Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste 3 garlic cloves, minced 1 red bell pepper, diced 1 onion, diced 3 tablespoons red curry paste 1 tablespoon freshly grated ginger 6 cups low sodium chicken broth 1 (13.5-ounce) can coconut milk 1/2 (8-ounce) package rice noodles 1 tablespoon fish sauce 2 teaspoons brown sugar 3 green onions, thinly sliced 1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro leaves 1/4 cup chopped fresh basil leaves 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lime juice

DIRECTIONS - Heat olive oil in a large stockpot or Dutch oven over medium heat. Season chicken with salt and pepper, to taste. Add chicken to the stockpot and cook until golden, about 2-3 minutes; set aside. - Add garlic, bell pepper and onion. Cook, stirring occasionally, until tender, about 3-4 minutes. Stir in red curry paste and ginger until fragrant, about 1 minute. - Stir in chicken broth and coconut milk, scraping any browned bits from the bottom of the pot. Stir in chicken. Bring to a boil; reduce heat and cook, stirring occasionally, until reduced, about 10 minutes. - Stir in rice noodles, fish sauce and brown sugar until noodles are tender, about 5 minutes. - - Remove from heat; stir in green onions, cilantro, basil and lime juice; season with salt and pepper, to taste. - Serve immediately.

Thai Crunchy Salad with Peanut Dressing:

INGREDIENTS

FOR THE DRESSING

1/4 cup creamy peanut butter 2 tablespoons unseasoned rice vinegar 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice, from one lime 3 tablespoons vegetable oil 1 tablespoon soy sauce (use gluten-free if needed) 2 tablespoons honey 2-1/2 tablespoons sugar 2 garlic cloves, roughly chopped 1-inch square piece fresh ginger, peeled and roughly chopped 1 teaspoon salt 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes 2 tablespoons fresh cilantro leaves FOR THE SALAD 4 cups chopped Napa cabbage or shredded coleslaw mix (I like to toss in a little shredded red cabbage for color)

1 cup prepared shredded carrots 1 red bell pepper, thinly sliced into bite-sized pieces 1 cucumber, seeded and thinly sliced 1 cup cooked and shelled edamame 2 medium scallions, thinly sliced 1/2 cup loosely packed chopped fresh cilantro INSTRUCTIONS:​ - For the dressing, combine all of the ingredients except for the cilantro in a blender and process until completely smooth.

- Add the cilantro and blend for a few seconds until the cilantro is finely chopped. - - Refrigerate until ready to serve. - For the salad, combine all of the ingredients in a large bowl and toss to combine. If serving right away, drizzle the peanut dressing over top and toss; otherwise, serve the dressing on the side so the salad doesn't get soggy.