Curry Chicken Soup with Sweet Potato and Coconut

I've taken a brief hiatus from blogging for a bit in lieu of doing lots of fun traveling, but I plan to come back with a vengeance! I only have a few weeks left in New Jersey before finishing my internship at Johnson & Johnson and moving back to Boston for summer classes. It's very bittersweet, but I want to make the most of my last days and am looking forward to being back with all my Boston friends. In the past few weeks, I've gone away to Syracuse, Boston, Chicago, Atlantic City, and am heading to Cleveland this weekend to visit Dylan one last time. Believe it or not I've still done some yummy cooking but haven't had the time to capture it all - which I'm very mad at myself for. Time to get back on the horse!

This soup reminds me of my mom because she loves Indian food and it's comprised of all her favorite things. I made it right before going home for Mother's Day and promised my mom I would give her the recipe. A lot of people don't love curry, but if you are a fan then you'll love this soup. The sweet potato and coconut subdue the curry powder and all the ingredients create a delicious blend of Indian flavors. With my love of sweet potato, I was just happy to think of a recipe that allowed me to eat more of them! Hope you enjoy and look for more recipes to come very soon. :)

Curry Chicken Soup with Sweet Potato and Coconut
Serves: 6   Prep: 1 hour  Total: 2 hours

Ingredients
2 sweet potatoes
4 cups chicken stock
1 cup coconut milk
1 lb chicken breast tenderloins
1 tbs fresh ginger
2 cloves fresh garlic
1 tsp curry powder
3/4 cup chopped yellow onion
Salt and pepper
Toasted coconut for garnish

Directions
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. In two separate dishes bake the sweet potatoes for 45 minutes, then the chicken breast tenderloins for 30 minutes. When the sweet potato is done, scoop out the insides and set aside.
In a large pot, combine a little oil, chopped onion, garlic, ginger, curry powder, salt and pepper. Cook at medium heat until the onions have softened, approximately 3-5 minutes. Add the sweet potato and chicken stock, and bring to a boil and reduce by half. Bring to a simmer and add coconut milk and chopped chicken. Heat for another few minutes, then top with toasted coconut to serve.

Curry Tortellini Soup

My mom found this great recipe around Thanksgiving, and I enjoyed it so much I wanted to try it myself. I cooked a triple batch of soup for my friends to have after the Boston Tree Lighting. I made it several hours in advance and threw it on the stove right before serving. This recipe is incredibly flavorful and surprisingly easy to make. For a curry dish it's relatively mild so it's great for a large crowd, just enough spice but not too spicy!
When I made this dish, I replaced the chicken broth with vegetable broth since a lot of my friends are vegetarians, but I've had it both ways and I didn't notice any difference. Also, I chose to use fresh coconut milk from a carton, not the condensed canned kind. I did not garnish it with peanuts but if you're looking for a little crunch it might be a good idea.

Curry Tortellini Soup
Serves: 4  Time: 30 minutes

Ingredients
1 shallot, finely chopped
1 fresh jalapeno pepper, seeded and finely chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
2 tsp. curry powder
1 Tbs. cooking oil
1 14 1/2- oz. can chicken broth
1 14-oz. can unsweetened coconut milk
1 9-oz. package cheese tortellini
1 Tbs. snipped fresh basil
1 medium tomato, chopped

Directions
In a medium saucepan cook shallot, jalapeno pepper, garlic, and curry powder in hot oil about 1 minute or until shallot is tender.  Stir in chicken broth.  Bring to boiling;  reduce heat.  Simmer, uncovered, for 5 minutes.
Stir in the coconut milk, tortellini, and basil.  Cook and stir about 5 minutes more or until pasta is tender but still firm.  Stir in the tomato.  Cook and stir until heated through, but do not boil.

If desired, garnish each serving with chopped peanuts.