Coconut Ginger Soup

Ever since going gluten-free, I have had trouble finding soups that don't contain gluten fillers. This is especially difficult because the kinds of soups I most prefer are bisques, thicker soups usually made by pureeing the ingredients together. I had the place all to myself last night and decided that I'd make my own gluten-free soup, one that I could repeat and love!

One of my favorite cuisines are Indian and Thai, both of which tend to use a lot of coconut milk in their food. Needless to say, I've become obsessed with this stuff. I almost always have a can or two in my kitchen at any given time. 

But it's been a while since I made a good soup. The last soup I attempted to make was an Indian mulligatawny soup with lentils (and also coconut milk). It did not turn out well. Also, my hubby doesn't prefer to have soup for dinner (or lunch, really) because he doesn't find them substantial enough. As a result, I really don't make soup too often. But since I'm trying to curb the type of snack foods I eat, I picked up a few ingredients to make myself a soup snack during the week. This recipe was a success.

Coconut Ginger Soup

Adapted from Gloriously Gluten-Free Cookbook

Makes about 8 servings

Ingredients:

1 cup sliced mushrooms

2 cups loosely packed spinach leaves

2 tablespoons grated ginger

1 tbs oil

3 cups vegetable stock

2 14 oz. cans coconut milk

1/2 tablespoon cornstarch

3 tablespoons brown sugar

Cayenne pepper to taste

Salt and pepper to taste

Heat oil in a large pot over medium high heat. Add spinach, mushrooms, and ginger and cook while stirring, until the spinach begins to wilt, about 2 minutes. 

Add 2 1/2 cups of the broth to pot and stir well. Bring to a boil and add the coconut milk and cayenne pepper. Cook, stirring, about 3 to 4 minutes. 

In a small bowl, combine the last 1/2 cup of broth with cornstarch and stir until smooth. Pour the mixture into the soup and stir well. Add the brown sugar. Cook until desired thickness is reached, about 10 to 15 minutes. Add salt and pepper to taste. Serve hot with cilantro as a garnish.