Meatless Monday: Veggie Curry

In college, Meatless Monday was a product of the hippies on campus who set up shop along the bike path with their wooden painted signs, or in the plaza with their info booth, or in the dining commons, with their…. Well, you get the picture. They were everywhere. Whether you agree with the method of hardcore MM fans, the concept is simple: cut meat out of your diet once a week to help the environment, animals, and your health.

For me post-college, Meatless Monday isn’t really a political practice as much as it is a way for me to practice my laziness and cheapness. Meat is expensive. Plus, I usually buy it in bulk and freeze it so it takes a long time to thaw and prepare. Plusssss, eating too much of it is unhealthy!

I’m also always on a mission to prove to my boyfriend that a meal can be filling and tasty even when it doesn’t involve a steak. So I present my first Meatless Monday recipe! (He loved this, btw)

Curry is much easier to make from scratch than most people think. It may not be super authentic, but your taste buds will love this simple dish. My favorite part was the addition of chopped green olives! The briny olives really complemented the spicy sauce. Enjoy!

Vegetable Curry
(feeds 2)
~2 cups yukon or red potatoes, cubed
1 cup lite canned coconut milk
1 tomato, cut into large chunks
1/2 cup onion, somewhere between thinly sliced and large chunks
1-2 tbs sun-dried tomatoes
olive oil
4 large green olives, diced (optional)
1 jalapeno, sliced (optional)
curry powder, to taste

Serve with:
1 cup prepared quinoa, brown rice, you name it!

Chop your veggies. The potatoes are pretty standard, but the rest were just what I had on hand. I do recommend tomatoes and some kind of chili pepper though. Those jalapenos had some kick! The sun-dried tomatoes were originally stuffed in my olives, so they were all briny and delicious.

Don’t weird out the neighbors, whose front door is right outside your kitchen window where you take your photos. Awkward.

Heat a bit of olive oil on your pan, then add onions, followed by cubed potatoes. When the potatoes have started to heat through, add coconut milk, curry powder, and tomatoes. If you want your sauce to be really spicy, add in the jalapenos here too. Simmer until the potatoes are fork tender and the sauce has reduced, about 20-30 minutes. Add sun-dried tomatoes and olives near the end.

Serve over whichever grain you prefer. T-Man chose rice, while I inhaled my curry with quinoa, the daintier option 😛

This curry was seriously spicy, and the potatoes filled us up! It kept well and I even had some leftovers to enjoy for lunch later in the week.