Coconut Lemongrass Vegetable Ecstasy Soup

Total Time: 1 hr 10 mins Preparation Time: 30 mins Cook Time: 40 mins

Ingredients

• Servings: 6
• 3 carrots (sliced or julienned)
• 1 bell pepper, sliced into strips
• 3 stalks celery, sliced
• 1 onion, chopped
• 5 cups vegetable broth (or water + boullion)
• 1 head broccoli, chopped
• 2 -3 stalks lemongrass, bruised with meat tenderizer
• 4 potatoes, diced (no peeling necessary)
• 1 cup dried shiitake mushrooms or 3 cups fresh shiitake mushrooms, in strips
• 1 (16 ounce) can chickpeas (non-tofu protein) (optional)
• 1 tablespoon fresh ginger, grated
• 3 tablespoons vegetarian fish sauce (pad thai sauce works)
• 1 teaspoon thai curry paste
• 2 tablespoons soy sauce
• 1/4 cup tamarind paste
• 2 (16 ounce) cans coconut milk (don't mess with low-fat)
• 1/2 cup fresh basil, chopped
• 2 limes, juice of
• 2 teaspoons lime zest
• 1 cup vegetarian chicken pieces (optional) or 1 cup tofu, chunks (optional)

Recipe

• 1 heat coconut oil over medium heat—do not let it smoke—and add carrots, bell pepper, celery and onion. saute until crisp-tender.
• 2 add all ingredients, down to and including tamarind paste: broth, broccoli, lemongrass, potatoes, shitakes, chick peas, ginger, fish sauce, curry paste, soy sauce, tamarind paste.
• 3 bring to a boil, stirring frequently.
• 4 reduce heat to simmer: add remaining ingredients and simmer until potatoes are soft. do taste tests from time to time. if the flavor is lacking, add more tamarind, or soy sauce, or fish sauce, or more curry paste if you like it hot! you are unlikely to need to salt this soup with all those delicious seasonings. if you don’t like the veggie-to-broth ration, add more broth.
• 5 remove lemongrass and serve (but put it back in with any leftovers in the fridge; this soup gets better every day). put some sriracha on the table for the hot-sauce devotees.