Everything-But-The-Kitchen-Sink Curry

I know the scene...you get done with a night ride and come home to an empty fridge...perfect set-up for a boring cereal dinner or picking up the phone and ordering take-out. But...one of the easiest meals out there is curry. Take a few ingredients, saute them in a pan for a few minutes, and you'll get a nutritious and satisfying meal that is SO MUCH BETTER than take-out.

Feel free to experiment using other veggies or ones that you prefer, and keep the basic ingredients on hand for nights you don't feel like slaving in the kitchen. I use this recipe to "clean out" my veggie drawer in the fridge and use up small portions of veggies. This particular curry had no lean protein (chicken was still frozen), but you can add in any meat you wish.

Ingredients:

1 can reduced-fat coconut milk (TJ's has the best around, $0.99)
1/2 red pepper, chopped
1/2 green pepper, chopped
1/2 red onion, chopped
6 crimini mushrooms, chopped
1 roma tomato, chopped
1 carrot, sliced
1 small head of broccoli, cut into very small pieces
1 yellow squash, chopped
Large handful of spinach leaves
Small handful of cilantro leaves
1/4 eggplant, peeled and chopped
Juice of 1 lime or lemon
1-2 tbsp curry powder
1 tbsp garam masala (optional)
Dried cranberries, handful (optional)

Directions:

1. Chop all veggies (except cilantro and spinach). Seriously, use what you like. I had a ridiculous variety of stuff to use up...you can do curry well with just a couple types of veggies!

Note: if you are including lean protein such as chicken, pork, beef...brown before veggies, and add the veggies in after. If you are including shellfish such as shrimp or scallops...add in toward the last few minutes of cooking the veggies.

2. Saute for several minutes in a large skillet with some EVOO (extra virgin olive oil).

3. Shake the can of coconut milk. Open. Pour in pan.

4. Dump in spices.

5. Simmer for ~5-10 more minutes, depending on how "done" you like your veggies.

6. Add citrus juice. Top with cilantro and cranberries if you like.

You can serve this with rice if you are not eating Paleo or just serve as is. Easy. Yummy. 'Nuff said. NO MORE TAKE-OUT!