Bethany both in and out of her elements; making it look easy! Face your fears and you may surprise yourself! And eat this Chicken!

Though my beloved client, Bethany Coffey, would strongly disagree, she makes hard exercise look easy.  A staple face in my afternoon workouts, Bethany suffers gracefully and NEVER displays anything that would suggest I'm being particularly inhumane that day.  Only displays a smile and endless wit. 

Recently Bethany ventured outside her gym clothes and surrendered finally to my endless nagging about getting her butt into the pool.  Thing is, she didn't know how to swim.  And I mean not just splashing like a spaz from one end to the other, but a serious discomfort in the pool that made even the feel of water touching her face a scary ordeal.  Let alone rhythmic breathing and swimming. 

Still, to make a short story short, Bethany in no time (3 lessons. Seriously?) OWNED the pool and swimming just like she owns the kitchen.  She made one of the most frightening endeavors look like a cake walk.  And she could make any cake. 

This blog post is dedicated to one of the best cooks I know who makes it all gravy; Bethany!  I have to warn you, she makes this recipe look easy.....good luck doing the same.  Nevertheless here's to facing your fears in the kitchen, in the water, in the throws of life! 

Not an authentic Thai chicken larb, but extremely tasty and low-fat.
Larb Chicken Salad
2/3 cup fresh lime juice
1/3 cup fish sauce (nam pla)
1 tablespoon sugar
2 teaspoons Thai roasted chili paste* in oil or chili-garlic sauce

3/4 cup canned low-salt chicken broth
1 1/2 pounds ground white-meat chicken
1 cup thinly sliced green onions
3/4 cup thinly sliced shallots
3 tablespoons minced fresh lemongrass
1 tablespoon thinly sliced Thai chilies* or serrano chilies (add more if you like it spicy)
1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro leaves
1/3 cup chopped fresh mint leaves
1/4 cup chopped red onion
Preparation

Whisk first 4 ingredients in medium bowl to blend; reserve sauce.
Bring broth to simmer in heavy large skillet over medium heat. Add chicken. Simmer until cooked through, breaking up meat with spoon, about 8 minutes. Add green onions and next 3 ingredients. Stir until vegetables are tender and most of liquid has evaporated, about 4 minutes. Remove from heat. Stir in sauce, cilantro, mint and red onions. Season with salt and pepper.

Serve in lettuce or cabbage leaves.