PC Day 14: No Thai-m to Waste!

So sometimes cooking paleo can get a little tedious, not gonna lie. There are days when I get home late from work, haven't defrosted anything and am starving! But luckily there are a lot of quick recipes out there that can get dinner on the table in little to no time flat!

This last Tuesday was one of those days. With nothing defrosted before hand, I peered into my freezer hoping for a miracle.. YES! A pound of shell-on frozen shrimp. Now if you don't know, raw shrimp is one of those things that can defrost in about 10 minutes in a luke warm water bath. Also, buying it shell-on opens up soo many flavor possibilities! But I'll discuss that later.. Again I borrowed a little somethin' from the tried and true Everyday Paleo blog. I usually adapt recipes to what I have on hand because I prefer not to sweat the small stuff.

Recipe for Green Thai Curry Shrimp Soup:
1 lb shell on raw shrimp
1 4 oz jar of Thai Kitchen green curry paste
1 can (400ml) coconut milk
1 red or yellow bell pepper, sliced into strips
4-5 stalks of asparagus (cut into 1 inch pieces)
1/4 of an onion, diced
2-3 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
3-4 baby bok choy, washed and leaves separated
large handful of spinach
salt and pepper to taste
garlic powder
lemon wedges (optional)

Method:
First peel and de-vein the shrimp, be sure to SAVE the heads of the shrimp. Take the heads and put them in a small pot along with 1.5 cups of water, 2 tsps salt, and sprinkles of pepper and garlic powder. Let shrimp-head broth come to a boil (shrimp heads will turn bright pink.. turn heat to medium low and set aside).

In the mean time, open your can of coconut milk, DO NOT SHAKE IT BEFORE HAND, scoop out the thick cream on top and into your large, hot pan. Watch out for the sizzle! (More tips/ info about this part on EP). Once the coconut oil has broken from the water, and has reduced, add in your onions and garlic and stir till fragrant. Then add in the entire jar of Thai green curry paste and stir to combine. After, add in the asparagus and bell pepper. Stir in the rest of your coconut milk and let simmer, uncovered for 2-3 minutes. Next add in the shrimp and season generously with salt and pepper. Shrimp cooks rather fast, so stir to combine.. about 4-5 minutes. Next add in 1- 1.5 cup(s) of shrimp-head broth (leave out the heads) then add in the baby bok choy. Don't forget to stir! Layer the spinach on top and cover. Bring to a simmer until greens have wilted. Serve with lemon wedges.

It may sound like a lot of work but it cooks up in no time, I promise! The shrimp-head broth was a great way to add in more shrimp-flavor as well as liquid to make it into a filling soup.This meal was sooo GOOD! I'll definitely be cooking it again soon! I love adapting recipes and making them my own, so feel free to take my recipe and add in or take out whatever you want!

Happy Eating, friends!