Sweet Potato and Coconut Soup

1 1/2 pounds sweet potatoes
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 onion, chopped
1 (2 inch) piece fresh ginger root, thinly sliced
1 tablespoon red curry paste
1 (15 ounce) can unsweetened coconut milk
3 cups vegetable broth
3 1/2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 teaspoon sea salt
1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro


1. Peel the sweet potatoes and dice into 1 inch cubes. Boil in a large pot of water for about 15 minutes, till tender.

2. Heat the oil in a large saucepan or soup pot over medium heat. Add the onion and ginger; cook and stir until tender, about 5 minutes. Stir in the curry paste and heat for 1 minute, then whisk in the coconut milk and vegetable broth. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low and simmer for about 5 minutes.

3. Add sweet potatoes to the soup and cook for 5 more minutes so they can soak up the flavor. Either puree in a blender or food processor, or use a hand blending stick. Stir in lemon juice and season with salt. Ladle into bowls and garnish with a little bit of cilantro.

Spicy Thai Pasta Salad

I love this dish. People either love it or hate it. I like to bring it to Potlucks because it is unusual. People always seem scared to try it because of its uniqueness. Once they do 90% of them love it. To love it, you have to love spicy thai type food. If you don't like thai, you'll hate it.


2 pkg (12 oz) bowtie pasta

2-3 tsp crushed red pepper

6 TBSP corn oil

3/4 c sesame oil

9 TBSP honey

7 1/2 TBSP soy sauce

1 1/2 tsp salt

3/4 c chopped cilantro

1 1/4 c honey roasted peanuts

3/4 c chopped green onions


Cook pasta and drain well. In sauce pan stir red pepper and oils over medium heat for 2 minutes. Add honey, soy sauce and salt. Mix well and pour over pasta, coating evenly. Cover and refrigerate 4 hours or overnight.* When ready to serve, add chopped cilantro, peanuts and green onions.


*You can refrigerate it for 4 hours, but it gets better the longer it sits so it's really much better if you let it sit overnight.