Veggies in a Curried Coconut Sauce

Today's dish was a clean out the fridge kind of meal.  I had cooked a batch of chickpeas a couple days ago and had a little over a cup of cooked beans left, plus some miscellaneous veggies and the first thing that came to mind was a stir fry.  I haven't made a stir fry/sauteed veggies in a while, and also had a little jarred curry paste in the fridge, so I immediately thought curried coconut sauce.  Can't get enough of that!  Once I chopped all the veggies and started the rice cooking, it all came together very quickly - in about half an hour or so.  Who said you can't have tasty, healthy meals in a short amount of time?  If you want to use brown rice instead, by all means do.  When I opened up the jar with my long grain brown rice, I realized I only had half a cup left, and that certainly wasn't enough for Hubbs and I.  Or you could even use quinoa or millet.  Super easy and super delicious.


Veggies in a Curried Coconut Sauce:


So flavorful and delicious!

Serves: 4

1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
1 stalk celery, diced
1 carrot, sliced into matchsticks
1 head broccoli, cut into florets, stems peeled and chopped
1 small onion, cut into strips
2 cloves garlic, minced
1" piece ginger, peeled and minced
2 large leaves kale, chopped finely

1 1/2 cups cooked chickpeas
1 can coconut milk (lite or regular)
2 tablespoons red thai chili paste
1 teaspoon granulated garlic
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
a few fresh basil leaves, chiffonaded


1.  Prep all the veggies.
2.  Place a large saute pan over medium-high heat.  Add the olive oil and allow it to become hot. 
3.  Once the oil is hot, add the celery, carrot, broccoli and onion.  Saute for several minutes, or until the broccoli is crisp-tender.  Add the garlic and ginger and continue sauteing for a couple more minutes, or until the garlic is cooked through.  Season with sea salt and black pepper.


The Veggies Sauteing



4.  In a small bowl add the seasonings: the coconut milk, red thai chili paste, granulated garlic, sea salt and black pepper.  Whisk together until the chili paste is incorporated into the milk. 

5.  Add the milk to the sauteing veggies, as well as the garbanzo beans and chiffonaded kale.  Simmer, stirring frequently, until the kale has cooked slightly and the sauce thickens.  Season to taste with additional salt and pepper, as necessary. 

6.  Stir in the fresh basil.  Serve over rice (white or brown), quinoa or millet.

Enjoy!

Koko