Cooking with Christina.

If you’ve been craving a delicious winter pick-me-up, you’re in luck. We asked our stylish friend, Bon Appétit chef Christina Chaey, to show us her favorite soup recipe—and shop for ingredients using our newest bag, of course. This super light (and machine washable) tote is the perfect every-single-day bag that can easily carry your phone, keys, wallet, onions, lentils, broth, curry paste, garlic…you get the idea.

“This might sound obvious, but my favorite thing about The Lightweight Tote is how light the bag feels. It’s great to take on a big grocery run because I can load up on ingredients and still be able to walk everything back to my apartment comfortably. I also love that it’s machine washable since things can and do get messy in the kitchen!” 

The Recipe.

We asked Christina to put our newest tote to the test with a farmer's market run and some cooking—she (and The Lightweight Tote) delivered. 

Christina tells us that she developed this delicious recipe last winter. Because who doesn't need a bright, cheerful and just plain comforting soup when the weather is chilly? The idea to use green curry paste in soup came to her one day, and it sure paid off. This is the recipe—aka, the one her friends ask about most often.

Here’s how you can make Christina’s must-have winter dish at home. This recipe makes four servings—so whip it up and have leftovers or share with friends and family.

______________________________________________________________________

What you’ll need (aka, ingredients!):

• 2 tbsp. virgin coconut oil
• 1 small onion, chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 1 1" piece peeled ginger, finely chopped
• 1 tsp. Diamond Crystal or ½ tsp. Morton kosher salt, plus more
• ¼ cup Thai green curry paste
• 1 medium sweet potato, peeled, cut into ½" cubes
• ¾ cup brown or green lentils
• 4 cups low-sodium chicken or vegetable broth
• 1 13.5-oz. can unsweetened coconut milk, shaken well
• 4 cups (loosely packed) baby spinach leaves
• ½ tsp. (or more) fish sauce
• Small handful cilantro leaves with tender stems and lime wedges (for serving)

_____________________________________________________________________

Green Curry Lentil Soup 101 (aka, how to prepare!):

• Step 1 — Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium. Add onion, garlic, and ginger; season with salt. Cook, stirring often, until onion is translucent and starts to soften, about 3 minutes. Add curry paste and cook, stirring and scraping bottom of pan constantly, until paste is fragrant and slightly darkened and mixture starts to stick to pan, about 3 minutes.
• Step 2 — Stir sweet potato and lentils into onion mixture, then add broth and 1 tsp. Diamond Crystal or ½ tsp. Morton kosher salt and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer and cook soup, stirring occasionally, until sweet potatoes are cooked through and lentils are tender but not mushy, 20–25 minutes.
• Step 3 — Add coconut milk to soup; return to a simmer. Add spinach and fish sauce and cook just until spinach is wilted, about 30 seconds. Taste soup and season with more salt and/or fish sauce if needed.
• Step 4 — Ladle soup into bowls and top with cilantro. Serve with lime wedges.

There you have it! Make sure to tag us if you make this recipe at home.

Fresh picks. 

Now that you know how to cook like Christina, here’s how you can dress like her, too. 

Christina’s go-to shoes:
The Lace Up in Vanilla | The Point in Driftwood Spot  | The Driver in Cognac 

Christina’s must-have bags:
The Lightweight Tote in Bloom Purple | The Lightweight Tote in Coffee Brown
 | The Belt Bag in Light Poppy