Quick Paleo Lunch - Thai Coconut Soup (Tom Kha)

By STEPHANIE GAUDREAU

Most of us don't have the luxury of eating lunch at home because we're busy with work or school. But with a little bit of advance planning, it's possible to pack a Paleo lunch that's satisfying and nutritious, with protein, veggies and healthy fats to keep you going strong.

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 10 minutes

Serves: 2

Thai Coconut Soup is one of my favorite Asian dishes. This is a common Thai soup that's really easy to make, but it has so many layers of complex flavor. The only problem is that some of the ingredients can be tough to find or you may not have them on hand.

I created this soup to mimic Tom Kha, with its rich coconut broth, and I tossed in shrimp for protein and veggies to make it a complete meal. Prep this the night before and give it a little reheat for a warm, satisfying lunch.

Ingredients

• 414 ml can full-fat coconut milk
• 2 cups chicken broth
• 454 grams shrimp or chicken breast
• 2.5 cm piece of ginger, peeled and sliced into rounds
• 60 grams mushrooms, sliced
• 2 tablespoons lime juice
• 1 tablespoon fish sauce
• 1 teaspoon Sriracha
• Handful chopped cilantro for garnish

Method

• Prepare the shrimp by peeling and deveining. If using chicken, clean the chicken of any connective tissue and cut into small chunks.
• In a pot over medium heat, combine coconut milk, chicken stock and ginger. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to a simmer.
• Add the shrimp or chicken, mushrooms, lime juice, fish sauce and Sriracha. Simmer until the shrimp (less than five minutes) or the chicken (five to 10 minutes) is cooked through.
• Spoon out the ginger rounds and discard. Top with freshly chopped cilantro for garnish.

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Why Go Paleo?

The paleo diet a.k.a. caveman diet has recently become a hot topic of conversation and debate among many. Some experts (such as Loren Cordain) swear by paleo, and others (such as Marlene Zuk Ph.D) have voiced their criticisms.

Nonetheless, many people still have questions about paleo. To help address (and answer) some of those questions, the team at LIVESTRONG created the infographic below.

The cavemen appear to have gotten a few things right — art and their diet — and it is the latter which is the basis for the Paleo Diet. It is an animal protein, low-carb lifestyle like that of our pre-tech ancestors. Foods shunned for their inflammatory qualities include dairy, grains, refined sugars and legumes.

The Premise of the Paleo Diet

Since our genetics, anatomy and nutritional requirements have changed very little since the start of agriculture 10,000 years ago, eating and exercising in the same way our Paleolithic-era ancestors did can help control weight and help prevent diseases like obesity, heart disease, diabetes and cancer that our contemporary way of eating may cause (or at the very least contribute to).

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