Living in a diverse community such as Lowell, MA, I sometimes find that I’ve taken for granted all of the ethnic flavors that are available to us here.  With one of the largest Southeast Asian populations in the United States, we’ve been so fortunate to experience some fantastic foods and flavors, and even the mainstream grocers carry many ethnic foods.

This curry-flavored soup comes from Vegetarian Times, one of my favorite sources for non-meat based meals.  The magazine encourages cooks to substitute whatever might be available for both the cauliflower and green beans; however, in the dead of winter, access to either of these veggies in not a problem. In almost all cooking, I use either olive oil or coconut oil; I substituted the coconut oil for canola in this recipe. 

Ingredients

• 1 TBSP canola oil (I substituted coconut oil)
• 12 oz cauliflower, cut into 1-inch florets (3 cups)
• 4 large green onions, thinly sliced, white and green parts separated
• 1 TBSP Thai red curry paste
• 4 cups low sodium vegetable broth
• 1 15-oz can petite diced tomatoes in their juice
• 3/4 cup light coconut milk
• 6 oz green beans, cut into 1-inch pieces (I used thawed frozen beans)
• 1 TBSP lime juice

Method

1. Heat oil in large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add cauliflower and white parts of green onions. Saute 5 minutes or until vegetables begin to brown. Add curry paste, and saute 1 minute more.
2. Add broth and tomatoes with their juice. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer 10 minutes.
3. Add coconut milk and green beans , and simmer 5 minutes, or until beans are tender.
4. Stir in lime juice and remaining green onions. Season with salt and pepper if desired.

Note: the nutritional information for each serving (6) can be found on Vegetarian Times’ webpage for this recipe.