Curry in a Hurry

Some nights, I'm in a hurry when it comes to making dinner. I have to squeeze in walking the dog, going to the gym, dinner, clean-up, maybe some errands or housework (or both on my super lucky nights). And if it's a Monday or Tuesday night, everything had better be done by 8PM and 10PM, respectively, so as to not interfere with my ABC Family night or Teen Mom.

I wish I were kidding. 

So when I came across Curry in a Hurry in Peas and Thank You, I'm pretty sure Mama Pea made this with me in mind. 

This, like everything I've tried so far, was so quick to put together, and that's really important to me. Luckily, summer is a bit lazier than September through June, and so I have more time. But school starts next week and I'll be taking two classes - I'm not going to have tons of time to labor over cooking and I'm always looking for recipes to add to my "Quick Meals for My Insanely Busy Week" repertoire. This is my most recent addition, and for that, I thank Mama Pea.

Coconut Tempeh Curry

I recently discovered Tofurkey's line marinated tempeh strips, and I can't lie: I got really excited. I bought a pack of Coconut Curry tempeh, and the back had a super quick and easy recipe on the back for a curry. It combines a lot of foods and flavors I like, and it turned out really well. If you come across these (this is the first time I've ever stumbled upon them in m 3+ years as a vegan), I'd say give them a try! They're yummy and great for nights when you're low on time/energy/sanity. And, if you're working and going to school full-time, like yours truly, that might be more often than you'd like.

Tempeh Curry

Source: Whole Foods

I'm not sure how I feel about curries, but when I saw this recipe featured on Whole Food's Facebook, I decided to give it a go, simply because of the sweet potatoes. Yes, my culinary decisions are that easily swayed.

The prep took a bit of work - steam and cut tempeh, peel and cut sweet potatoes, cut onion, cut green beans - but after that, it was pretty easy to pull together.

I'm still not sold on curries, but that isn't to say this was a bad recipe. I just don't know how well curries and I mesh. If you like curries, or are tempted to try one, I'd say give this one a go!

Serves 4 to 6

Ingredients

1 cup long-grain brown rice
2 cups water
1 (8-ounce) package tempeh
1 1/2 cups low-sodium vegetable broth
1 medium yellow onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 tablespoon freshly grated ginger
1 tablespoon ground curry powder
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 (13.5-ounce) can light coconut milk
1 large sweet potato, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch chunks
1/2 pound green beans, trimmed and cut into 1-inch pieces
1/4 cup chopped cilantro, divided
1/4 teaspoon sea salt

Method

Bring rice and water to a boil in a medium saucepan. Reduce heat to low, cover pot and simmer until liquid is completely absorbed and rice is just tender, about 40 minutes. Meanwhile, arrange steamer basket in a pot. Add enough water just to reach bottom of basket. Bring to a boil. Cut tempeh in half and place in the steamer basket. Reduce heat to medium low, cover and steam about 15 minutes or until tender. Remove tempeh and set aside until cool enough to handle. Cut tempeh into 1/2-inch cubes.

Bring 1/2 cup broth to a simmer in a large deep skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion, garlic and ginger and cook 5 minutes or until onion is translucent and tender, stirring occasionally. Stir in curry and cumin and cook for 1 minute. Add coconut milk, potatoes, tempeh and remaining 1 cup broth. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium low, cover and cook 10 minutes. Stir in green beans and return to a simmer, uncovered. Cook about 5 minutes longer or until potatoes and green beans are tender. Stir in 3 tablespoons cilantro and salt. To serve, spoon curry over rice and garnish with remaining 1 tablespoon cilantro.

Nutrition

Per serving: 510 calories (110 from fat), 12g total fat, 5g saturated fat, 0mg cholesterol, 90mg sodium, 80g total carbohydrate (13g dietary fiber, 8g sugar), 24g protein