Coconut Vegetable Curry

Do you ever find yourself feeling sentimental?

 

I was talking to a friend of mine and she mentioned how she is really starting to feel sentimental about high school and our high school teachers. It was weird to me to think about, because I hated high school, but I also did really like a few of the teachers I had. The math department, in particular, was fantastic. But after our talk, I realized that I couldn't really recall very many moments where I have truly felt sentimental. That could partly be because I am young-- not a lot of experience in sentimentality yet. But I also think that I tend to focus so much on the task at hand that I sometimes ignore the better parts of my past. Yeah, high school had its awful moments, but my experience there helped me into Colorado State University. I find that I miss my college professors (particularly my SOC teacher, who I will have next semester again-- yay!!) much more, maybe because they teach the topics that contribute to my current and future life goals. 

Speaking of sentimentality: this is a recipe that appeared on my old blog, but that I remember fondly. I'm kind of in love with eggplant at the moment, so when I was looking for what to make I saw this recipe and flipped. It's super simple to make, but there are a plethora of flavors in this guy. Eggplant is cooked in a rich coconut red curry sauce until tender, then mixed in with hearty bella mushrooms, bright lemongrass, and sweet bell pepper. There are some hints of ginger, sesame, and curry powder, and an added health bonus of serving it over brown rice.

I hope everyone has a good week. I'm off to a two-day hike up in the granite hills of CA, and I'm so excited! All my gear is packed and we are about to take off (I'm going with my father, since I only have a few weeks left with him here in CA. Then I'm off to school again! So excited!). Pictures to come, eventually! 

Coconut Red Curry with Vegetables

Serves 4             Serving Size: 1/2c. rice plus 1/4 of curry mixture

Ingredients:

• 1tbl olive oil
• 1 medium eggplant, cut into 1" cubes
• 8 oz slices bella mushrooms
• 1 yellow (not bell) pepper, minced
• 1/2 red bell pepper, diced
• 2c. light coconut milk
• 2tbl red curry paste
• 1 stick lemongrass, cut into 4 pieces
• 1/4tsp curry powder
• 1/4tsp ground ginger
• 2tbl toasted sesame seed
• 1/4tsp salt
• 1/4tsp pepper
• 2c. cooked brown rice

Instructions:

1. In a large skillet, heat olive oil over medium-low heat. Add the eggplant to the pan; cook for 5 minutes on medium. Add the mushrooms, peppers, coconut milk, curry paste, and lemongrass to the pan. Bring to a simmer, then turn to low and cook for 20 minutes, or until eggplant and mushrooms are tender. 
2. Take the lemongrass out of the pan; add the curry powder, ginger, sesame seed, salt, and pepper.
3. To serve, ladle 1/2c. rice into each of four bowls. Divide curry evenly among the dishes.

Nutrition Information:
Sodium: 356mg
Total Fat: 12g
     Saturated: 7g
     Monounsaturated: 3g
     Trans: 0g
Sugar: 7g
Protein: 8g
Calories: 299