Spicy Thai Soup.

We like spicy fare in our home and Thai will certainly get you there! I make a 'kind of' Thai soup with red curry paste and green beans but when I saw a recipe in Company's Coming Healthy Choices which was similar but used spinach instead I was intrigued and had to try it. The end result...another successful dinner for my boys! I changed the recipe up to suit the offerings in my well stocked curry cupboard...and voila! I served this up with thin rice noodles on the side which were quickly brought to a boil and then pan fried with grated ginger and soy sauce. Chopsticks were 'offered' to help pull out the veggies so the hot (and I mean hot) broth could be slurped on it's own.

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 tbsp cooking oil
• 1/2 lb pork tenderloin trimmed of fat and cut into thin strips.(good grief...that is a lot...I think you can get away with what you prefer AND...omit altogether if you want to go vegetarian)
• 1 tbsp red curry paste (now I did not have any handy but I always have a packet or two of Thai Spicy Basil Stir Fry so I used that instead...perfect)
• 4 cups low sodium prepared chicken broth
• 14 oz. can of cut baby corn, drained
• 1 cup thinly sliced red pepper
• 1 tsp fish sauce (truly this is a good investment for your cooking)
• 2 cups fresh spinach, stems removed and lightly packed - so the recipe says...I like thick soups so I packed that spinach down hard! (I usually use a thin french green bean here so I know it works just as well...just a different presentation)
• 2 tbsp finely shredded basil (please use fresh - OR - about 1 1/2 tsp dried - just don't tell me!)
• 1 tbsp lime juice

Heat the cooking oil in large pot over medium heat. Add the pork and cook until lightly browned. Transfer pork to a small bowl. Heat and stir the curry paste in the same pot for about 1 minute until it BURSTS with fragrance. Add the next five ingredients, stir and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer covered for about five minutes or until the red pepper is softened. (Here is a tip...if you are going to wait to serve....remove from heat at this stage until you are ready to serve.) Then add the pork and spinach. Stir and simmer for about 2 minutes more, stirring occasionally until the spinach is just wilted. Add the basil and lime juice.

ENJOY!
...Healthy AND Delicious...

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