Eating For Your Health/Curried Vegtables

 A few years ago, I got sick and tired of finding science projects growing in my refrigerator. You may know what I'm talking about, that little plastic container that's growing penicillin. Well, not really penicillin, but ruined food nonetheless. 

Last week, I shared a recipe for Easy Thai Shrimp Soup. Fabulous soup BTW :) The only problem is that the recipe calls for 2 tablespoons of red curry paste and I was left with this,

I hated the idea of wasting the leftover paste, so what to do? Make curried vegetables! This is a great dish. I added tofu to my vegetable mixture, but any meat would work beautifully, sauteed chicken, pork, whatever you happen to enjoy. The addition of tofu or meat makes this a complete dinner.

The spice that I chose to use is garam masala. It's a spice that you can easily make at home as it's just a combination of spices. You can find the recipe HERE. I think that you'll find it to be a perfect accompaniment to the red curry paste and the vegetables.

Curried Vegetables

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 medium onion chopped

8 oz. mushrooms sliced

2 cloves garlic minced

1 head of cauliflower broken into florets

2 large carrots sliced

1 sweet potato cubed

1/2 lb. fresh green beans  

1 teaspoon garam masala

1 tablespoon (or more) red curry paste

2 15 oz. cans Lite Coconut Milk

salt and black pepper to taste

Choice of Meat

Cooked Brown Rice for serving 

Heat oil in large pot. Add onions and saute until translucent. Add garlic and saute another minute. Add mushrooms and cook just until tender. 

Add vegetables, red curry paste, garam masala, coconut milk, tofu or sauteed meat of choice. Stir well. Bring to a boil and then reduce heat and cook on low heat until vegetables are tender, about 30 minutes. 

To serve, scoop up vegetable mixture, making sure to include a nice amount of the sauce and place over brown rice. Top with chopped fresh chives if you like, and enjoy!

We were out to see a play last night. Since I can fall asleep in a minute in a dark theater, a heavy meal is never a good idea. This was the perfect meal for me, tasty, satisfying and yet not heavy. The best part, I stayed awake!

This is a dish that would also work well in a crock pot. Once the onions, garlic and mushrooms have been sauteed, place mixture along with all the other ingredients in a crock pot. Cook on low heat. When you come home, you'll have a very satisfying meal waiting for you :)