Vegetable Curry

Another great way to use up whatever odds and ends are left in the kitchen at the end of the week is a nice big pot of curry! This week, I picked up a jar of Patak’s Hot Curry Paste to make my life a little easier.

Image from amazon.com

And it worked! I chopped up potatoes and carrots and threw them into a hot pot with a little canola oil and sauteed them for a few minutes until they were starting to soften. Then I added several tablespoons of the yummy curry paste and a can of diced tomatoes. I cooked a pot of instant brown rice alongside the big pot of bubbling curry. I added my frozen green beans, frozen corn, and a can of chickpeas. When the potatoes were tender, I added the chopped broccoli florets and a few already-cooked leftover green peas and cooked the curry for another five minutes or so. Then I turned off the heat and added about half a bag of spinach and a bunch of chopped green onions, stirring it all together until the spinach wilted. Aaron and I ate the curry on top of the hot cooked brown rice.

Lots and Lots of Vegetables!

I loved eating this because there were so many different colors, flavors, and textures in the bowl, and it makes me feel good to eat a meal with so many different types of vegetables.

I took this picture shortly before I had the idea of adding a few tablespoons of plain nonfat yogurt and a sprinkle of cashew nuts to the top. The yogurt added a lovely creamy texture and a tangy flavor that matched the flavor of the curry nicely. Be careful when adding yogurt to anything that is hot and bubbly, however. It can curdle!

Curry Close-up!

The verdict on the Patak’s Curry Paste is a big thumbs up. It is much easier than me attempting to understand the mysteries of Indian spices, and it tastes very good. Previously, I had either tried to season curries on my own, or bought a jar of Patak’s Cooking Sauce. A jar of the cooking sauce costs about $3.50 and contains enough for about 3-4 servings, but a jar of curry paste costs around $4.25 and contains enough for 10 servings. Since I find that the paste is more cost-effective, that is definitely what I will buy from now on.

Sauteed Potatoes, Red Bell Peppers, Onions, and Mushrooms

Aaron and I usually buy our groceries on Tuesday, since that seems to be the day that our preferred grocery store gets its shipment of fresh produce and other perishables – we found out that going on Tuesdays means fresher food that’s less picked-over and that lasts longer. Monday nights are usually the night I try to find a way to use up the odds and ends before the Tuesday morning shopping trip, and on this particular Monday night, I needed to use up some red potatoes (featured in Tilapia with Chimichurri), mushrooms, spinach, and onions (featured in salads like the one with the Barbequed Chicken Thighs), a bunch of green onions, a small tomato, and a red bell pepper. So I threw it all in a pan with salt, pepper, and a dash of worcestershire (thank you, spellcheck!) sauce, and this is what I got:

A successful use of leftover ingredients - and it wasn't soup!

But I thought to myself… “What could make this a little better?” Do you know what I came up with?

Yep. Fried Egg!

A fried egg on top! This made the whole dish very breakfast-y. And as we learned from yesterday’s Pasta with Fried Egg post, gooey egg yolk makes a lot of things taste really, really good. This was no exception!

What are your strategies for using up leftover food or odds-and-ends in the kitchen?