Slow Cooker Thai Noodle Soup

I recently spent a long weekend in Charleston, SC with some of my best girlfriends from college. It was so great hanging out my old friends, who I miss dearly. I just haven't made friendships after college quite like the friendships I have with those girls. Anyways, I promised my friend Terri I would put this recipe up for her. She and I spent a lot of the weekend talking about food and cooking, and we have a mutual obsession with Thai food. This is an easy Thai soup to throw together in the slow cooker and it has all those wonderful Thai flavors, like ginger, lime, chili, and coconut. Terri, I hope you and Doug enjoy this recipe and I can't wait for our girls trip next year!

Slow Cooker Thai Noodle Soup

1 onion, chopped
2 bell peppers (any colors - I used a red and a green), chopped
4 ounces mushrooms (I got a variety pack of baby bella, shitake, and crimini)
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 tsp fresh ginger, minced
1/2 tsp chili paste (see note #1)
13.5 ounce can coconut milk (see note #2)
4 cups chicken broth
3 limes, juiced
1 tsp lime zest
4 ounces rice noodles

Put everything except the noodles in the slow cooker and cook on low for 4 hours or high for 2 hours, until veggies are softened. You can also cook it on the stove top by sauteeing the onion, pepper, mushrooms, ginger, and garlic for about 10 minutes, then adding the remainder of the ingredients except the noodles and simmering on low heat for about 30 minutes. Before serving, add the rice noodles and allow them to soak until they are soft (the package should say how long this will take - mine took about 5 minutes).

Note #1: the chili paste is deceptively spicy. You can add more than 1/2 tsp if you like it spicy, but be careful, this stuff is potent! Add a tiny bit at a time and be sure to taste it.

Note #2: you can use regular coconut milk, or low fat if you are watching your fat intake. The regular stuff has a better flavor. The coconut flavor gets a little lost if you use the low fat.