Adventures in Cooking - Thai Shrimp Bisque

Let's be real here - I'm not a girl who likes to cook...I see cooking as a means to an end, a necessity, a chore.  I'm also NOT a good cook - if there is a way to mess it up, I will find it.  I hate recipes that say "cook until browned" - is this brown enough?  Is it too brown?  How many minutes does it take to get "brown"?!?  Tim is actually a great cook and I'm trying to learn.  Over the past six months or so I've decided to make an effort to be healthier - I started a running program and have been making healthy meal plans each week.  But again, let's be honest - its HARD.  It is so difficult to find recipes that 1.  Taste good  2.  Are healthy  3.  Are relatively inexpensive and 4.  Don't have too many ingredients/steps.  So, I've been experimenting - some recipes have been a total bust and I've had to promise Tim that I will never try them again.  Some, I like more than he does and vice versa.  My favorite website to find recipes is Cooking Light which is where I found this recipe for Thai Shrimp Bisque.  I've made this recipe 2 or 3 times and it is one of my favorites!  I will admit, it does borderline break rule #4 (at least for me) - it takes me a little longer to make this one than I'd prefer, but thought I'd share anyway because its delicious!  For my Birmingham friends, think Surin's soup....

As a word of wisdom - when the recipe calls for ground coriander, it will NOT work to use the coriander SEEDS that comes in your Bed Bath and Beyond spice rack that you have had since your wedding four years ago (thanks Rondy!)..nope, not even if you attempt to "grind" them yourself by smashing them with a meat tenderizer.

I made this mistake on my first attempt - see exhibit A:

First attempt with LOTS of floating crunchy, unappetizing coriander seeds

Exhibit B:  Second attempt - MUCH smoother and delicious!  I also added mushrooms this time which I really liked!

Happy eating!