You know those evenings where you’re flying around, because one kid has soccer practice and you’re trying to get a run in while pushing your other little person in the jogger. You manage to get the kids fed well, but your husband is coaching, and you’re going to work out anyways, so you don’t really eat a proper meal yourself until…ah. He’s home. Showers/baths are done. Stories have been read. Snuggles have been given. Kiddos are in bed. You’re tempted to order take-out, because you’re pretty darn tired at this point, and definitely hungry. But you don’t! You make this curry. It’s flexible, really easy to pull together and feeds you and your partner (or whoever you might be sharing with!) heartily. Unless you’re having multiple servings, one of you even gets lunch for the next day. Bonus!

Side note: I’m a little annoyed by the curry picture above, because it’s obvious to me that I spent just seconds setting up the shot, and the lighting wasn’t ideal. But I’m posting this now, instead of waiting for when I can get better pictures, because this is my current reality. The sun sets soon after 8, our evenings are busy, sometimes we eat curry after the kids are in bed, and it’s the only time Kyle and I get to really connect that day.

Now, this is almost a clean the fridge meal for me, because of my staples, and because I can use whatever veggies I have on hand. If your staples are different, this could require a trip to the store for you. Might I make an unsolicited suggestion that you always keep coconut milk, tamari, red curry paste and honey around? You won’t be sorry.

Brown Rice:
1 1/2 cups brown rice
3 cups water (or stock)

Vegetables and Sauce:
2 tsp. coconut oil
1 small yellow onion (or two shallots), diced
2 – 3 cups chopped vegetables (carrot coins, red pepper, mushrooms, broccoli, sugar snap peas, cauliflower, etc.) Use at least two different vegetables, and around a cup of each.
1 small garlic clove, minced
1/2 cup vegetable stock
1 15 oz. can full-fat coconut milk
1 15 oz. can garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed
1 TBSP tamari (or soy sauce, coconut aminos)
1 rounded TBSP Thai red curry paste
2 tsp honey
2 tsp arrowroot mixed with 2 tsp water (corn starch would work too)
1/2 tsp salt
pinch cayenne pepper
scallions (to top, optional)

If you have already-cooked brown rice, awesome. Just add a little water to a pan and heat it up. If not, get your rice cooking first.

The order in which you sauté your veggies will depend on what type of veggies you use. I most recently used carrots and red pepper, because that is what I had to use up. Warm your coconut oil in a medium-large sauce pan or dutch oven over medium heat. Add your diced onions/shallots. If you are using a longer-cooking vegetable, like carrots or cauliflower, add now. If you’re using vegetables like peppers, broccoli, mushrooms and/or sugar snap peas, wait to add.

Saute your onions/shallots (and possibly add your carrots or cauliflower) for 8 minutes, stirring occasionally so things aren’t browning much.

At this point, add your other veggies, plus the garlic. Cook for another 4 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Add the veggie stock. Let everything simmer for 5 minutes. Spoon out a small taste of your vegetables. They should be tender. If not, let simmer a couple minutes more.

Add your coconut milk, garbanzo beans, tamari, curry, honey, arrowroot-water mixture, salt and cayenne pepper. Mix together well. Let everything warm for 3 – 4 minutes.

Serve immediately over brown rice, topping with scallions if you’d like. A couple of quick notes – seared tofu on top would be amazing, and you could absolutely double this recipe to serve a bigger group. I’m adding this to the “Even My Sisters Can Make It” files, because nothing about this recipe is challenging! I can think of a couple of my sisters who might need to run to the grocery for a few items, but you can do it!