Soup Chick®

Shrimp coconut curry noodle soup, from Amee's Savory Dish

Thai curry pastes, especially the red and green ones, get a workout in my kitchen. This shrimp coconut curry noodle soup, from Amee's Savory Dish, uses yellow curry paste, which you can find in any good Asian market, or do what Amee did and buy some from your favorite Thai restaurant. I love shrimp and noodle soups, especially with the chewy udon noodles in this recipe. If you have scallops or mussels instead of shrimp, go ahead and substitute -- or use a mixture of shellfish. And if you don't have udon noodles, try linguine. The curry and coconut base is so good you'll want to drink it with a straw.

Coconut chickpea and kale soup, from Kahakai Kitchen

Do you have a blender? If you do, you'll be slurping this thick and creamy (but cream-free) coconut chickpea and kale soup from Kahakai Kitchen in less than 15 minutes. As an added bonus, according to Deb, "chickpeas are a good source of tryptophan, an essential amino acid that your body needs to make protein. High tryptophan foods play a role in lifting your mood, and tryptophan is even used therapeutically to help treat anxiety, depression and sleep disorders." So this quick-and-easy soup also helps you relax, and that sounds good to me.

Crockpot roasted cauliflower soup with curry and honey, from A Year of Slow Cooking

Stephanie of A Year of Slow Cooking couldn't get her kids to eat this soup, but 2013 is my Year of Learning to Love Cauliflower, and the combination of flavors in this crockpot roasted cauliflower soup with curry and honey really appeal to me. Anything I can make more easily in the slow cooker appeals to me, too. I love the idea of passing the honey jar to let everyone add to their own taste. I'd probably add some lemon, either in the soup or on the side, to my own taste.