After the big fundraiser we catered the other day, we were left with a big bag of blanched vegetables from the crudité basket... So of course a stir-fry was the first thought...
But we had just lived through the big February snowstorm... (And no, I won't use the name The Weather Channel gave it... that's just ridiculous!) and wanted something a little more... substantial.
To us, comfort food is frequently Indian... and that contains a lot of the same health-guarding elements as a stir-fry... like ginger and garlic and onions... plus a biggie: turmeric!
So "curry" it was.
I sautéed a chopped onion until it began to brown, then added 2T of chopped ginger, about 10 chopped garlic cloves, and 2T of my own curry powder mix. (A good commercial blend is fine... seek out an Indian or East Asian grocery store for the best brands.)
After sautéing all of this for another 2 minutes, I added some stock (about 1C) and 1T of my habañero sauce and continued to simmer. In the fridge, I found a bag of sweetened coconut that I'd had sitting around for ages (after a disastrous macaroon malfunction!), so, knowing that a touch of sweetness wouldn't go amiss, I added about a quarter of a cup. To reinforce that, I added about a half a can of coconut milk.
As the brown rice was approaching doneness, I took 2C of the assorted crudité (red/green/yellow peppers, broccoli, cauliflower, tiny tomatoes, snow peas, etc.) and tossed them in the sauce to warm them through.
And then, sitting in front of a beautiful fire, with 14 beautiful inches of snow outside, we sat down to a wonderful... shall we say Indian-INSPIRED meal... and felt quite content.
Not a bad feeling.