Without a lot of fuss, pomp, or circumstance, I have recently passed a large milestone in my personal history.  As of May 1st, I have been 1 year on the Specific Carbohydrates Diet.  I can’t believe it has been a full year.  I have been flare free now for nine months.  As short as it is, that is a victory for me.  In June, I start decreasing my medication intake to see if my body is ready to start relying fully on the diet.  For now, I am just so grateful to be well.  On May 2nd, I took my company’s annual wellness assessment.  For the first time in three years when asked “How would you rate your physical health?” I answered “Very Good”.

This recipe is for your traditional Thai Red Curry.  I was inspired by memories of nights in Chicago eating at Cozy Noodles, an eclectic Thai Restaurant on the north side.  I am elated at how it has evolved and turned out.  Creamy and sweet, with subtle heat and a plethora of vegetables.  I started out with a recipe from Eat Live Run but adapted it to fit the SCD diet.  The original recipe includes sweet potatoes, sugar and fish sauce.  I left out the sweet potatoes and fish sauce and substituted 1 TBS of honey for the sugar.  It was great!  We like to serve it over cauli-rice but it makes a nice soup as well.  I made the Thai curry paste from scratch and have included the recipe.  Enjoy!

Thai Curry Paste

Ingredients:

• 1 shallot, chopped
• 2 stalks lemongrass, minced
• 1 and 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
• 4 cloves garlic
• 1 thumb-size piece of ginger, peeled and chopped
• 2 Tbsp. tomato puree
• 1 tsp. ground cumin
• 3/4 tsp. ground coriander
• 1 TBS honey
• 1+1/2 to 2 Tbsp. chili powder
• 3 Tbsp. thick coconut milk, or just enough to keep the blades turning
• 2 Tbsp. fresh-squeezed lime juice
• 1/4 tsp. cinnamon
• 1 TBS peanut oil

Directions:

1. Put everything into the food processor and pulse until you have a paste consistency.  If you are like me and have a rather feeble processor, you may have to migrate to the blender to get the consistency you want.  Add coconut milk if the consistency is too thick.
2. Now you are free to use it in your curry!  It makes about 9 TBS (enough for three curries).  I like to bag it up and put it in the freezer for further use.