Three ingredients we’re big fan of in this house:

Brown rice.

Curry.

Coconut.

Mix them all together, and you have a trifecta of deliciousness.

I love playing around with curry in the kitchen. I really have no idea what I’m doing with it. Definitely not creating authentic Thai or Indian cuisine.

Definitely just winging it.

Definitely just judged by my taste buds.

taste. taste. taste.

That’s how I create dinner recipes.

I have a handful of curry recipes but this one is the simplest to prepare. And it’s quite possibly my favorite. It was inspired by a favorite dish of mine at a local restaurant, Crown Pub. It’s not a Thai restaurant at all. They have a menu overflowing with meaty dishes and one vegetarian + gluten free option.

King’s Curry.

Having only one option may seem like a drag, but I actually like it, especially when it’s this good. I’m the person that cannot for the life of me make up my mind on what to pick from the menu always begging Chris to “split with me!!”

What I’ve created below is a lightened up version of this comforting restaurant meal. Although a bit lighter the sauce is still rich + creamy with a nice kick of heat, complimented by the chewy coconut brown rice [I like using short grain brown rice the best!].

Veggie Coconut Curry

serves 4

1, 15oz can light coconut milk
1.5 Tablespoons unrefined coconut oil
1 medium onion, chopped [~1c or a little more]
2 orange/red/yellow peppers, sliced
3 medium carrots, sliced
6 cups spinach
2 cups broccoli
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 Tablespoons curry powder
1/2 teaspoon turmeric
1/4-1/2 teaspoon garam masala [spicy!]
1 Tablespoon honey
3/4-1 teaspoon salt
black pepper

Melt the coconut oil in a large pan over medium heat.
Add the onion + peppers and cook for 3-5min, until beginning to soften, stirring frequently.
Stir in the minced garlic, curry, turmeric, garam masala, salt, + pepper, and cook for 30sec – 1min until fragrant.
Add the coconut milk + honey, and bring to a boil.
Reduce heat to simmer + cover for 10min.
Remove cover, continuing to simmer and add carrots, spinach + broccoli. Cook another 8-12min, until the veggies are tender and the sauce has thickened, stirring every few minutes.

tips/substitutions: Another high heat cooking oil can be subbed for coconut [sunflower, safflower, etc]. Garam masala is quite spicy but is packed with flavor. Start by adding 1/4 teaspoon and add more as desired. I used 1/2 teaspoon. To make vegan, maple syrup can be subbed for honey.

To round this meal out, I made Sprouted Kitchen’s Lentil "Meatballs".

These are going to become a staple around here.

Incredible flavor + texture.

I made a few ingredient changes, for what I had on hand and to make them gluten free. There are so many different meals you could make using these “meatballs,” but even popping them in your mouth straight from the fridge works!

Here were the changes I made.

3/4 cup 2% cottage cheese instead of ricotta
1/4 cup sharp white cheddar cheese, grated instead of parmesan
2 teaspoons dried parsley instead of fresh
1.5 teaspoons oregano added this
3/4 cup gluten-free oats, ground 1/2 way to flour instead of breadcrumbs

Check the original for the full recipe + instructions.

A great weekend meal, that won’t keep you in the kitchen all day long. I started with the rice, and then got to mixing the lentil-balls, which needed to sit for 20min. While sitting, I started the sauce and got it to the simmering stage, then rolled the lentil-balls and baked for 15min. Before I knew it the lentil-balls were done, the sauce was thickened, and the rice was fluffed.