Quick and Easy Green Curry with Veggies and Chickpeas

In my last post I talked a little about menu planning. I usually have a menu and I buy ingredients according to that menu. And usually buy some extra produce that I can use for snacks and lunches or just in case I can’t make it to the store in between menu plans. This week I had used up my menu and was putting off going shopping as long as I could. The only produce I had in my fridge was a bell pepper, some broccoli, and a lime. That’s it. I wasn’t sure what to make, so I just chopped it all up and made up this dish as I went along. And it turned out really really good!

This meal is extremely easy and quick and it only takes one pan for the curry and one pot for the rice. It has the flavors of a green Thai curry with coconut milk and lime juice. You can find Thai curry paste in the Asian section of most grocery stores. I usually keep a jar of green and a jar of red curry paste on hand. I also used light coconut milk to keep it lower in calories, but I’m sure regular coconut milk would be delicious, too. This recipe is healthy, vegan, and gluten free, too!

PRINTABLE RECIPES

Ingredients:

• 1 TBSP. oil
• 1/2 yellow onion, sliced
• 2 cloves garlic, pressed or minced
• 1 TBSP. grated ginger
• 1 broccoli crown, trimmed into bite sized florets
• 1 bell pepper (I used yellow, but you can use whatever color is your favorite), sliced into strips
• 1 can (14 Oz.) light coconut milk
• 2 1/2 TBSP. green curry paste (I used Thai Kitchen brand, which you can usually find at most grocery stores in the Asian section.)
• 1 can (15.5 oz.) chickpeas, drained and rinsed
• 1/4 tsp. salt, plus more to taste
• 2 TBSP. fresh lime juice
• 1/2 tsp. cornstarch
• brown rice, cilantro, and lime wedges for serving

Directions:

1. Heat the oil in a large pan or skillet over medium high heat. Once the oil is hot, add the onions and cook for about 3 minutes, stirring occasionally.

2. Add the garlic and ginger and cook for about a minute. Add the broccoli and peppers and cook for 3 minutes, stirring as needed.

3. Add the coconut milk, green curry paste, and salt to the pan and stir to mix in the curry paste. Add the chickpeas. Cook for about 5 more minutes, or until the broccoli is tender, but not mushy. Stir occasionally.

4. In a small measuring cup, mix together the lime juice and cornstarch. Add this mixture to the pan and stir. Bring the curry to a boil, if it isn’t already boiling and let it boil for about a minute. This will allow the cornstarch to thicken the sauce a little bit. Taste and add more salt if needed. If the broccoli isn’t quite done, cook for a few minutes more. If the broccoli is tender, remove from heat.

5. Serve over brown rice and topped with chopped cilantro and lime wedges.

By Edible Experiments