Healthy Choices

go green veggie curry

I’ve gone green this week.

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This perfect storm of green curry &  green vegetables happened in my kitchen last night and I have three things to thank:

  1. I was craving almost every green vegetable imaginable.
  2. I have, no joke, 10 pounds of frozen shrimp in my freezer. TEN. I’m a sucker for a sale.
  3. My fiancé requested curry for dinner last night. He wanted yellow but I talked him into green.

In less than an hour, the go green veggie curry was born… and guess what, the crock pot was involved. A large saucepan would probably have worked just fine too since the cooking time is really short, but why complicate things?

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Pink shrimp adds a pop of color and lean protein but are completely optional for those of you who are vegan/vegetarian. Peas are also packed with protein.

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I served it over brown rice noodles but brown rice or no starch at all would also work great. My fiancé slurped up every last bite in his bowl and yes, I caught him taking another few spoonfuls as he put the leftovers away. His verdict? The veggies were perfect. Not too crunchy but not at all mushy and a great compliment to the green curry. I think this one’s a winner.

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Serves ~6-8

Curry

  • 1 can light coconut milk
  • 2 tablespoons water
  • 1 – 2 tablespoons brown sugar, packed (to taste)
  • 1 thai chile, pricked with a knife
  • 1 reed of lemongrass, peeled and smashed
  • 4 tablespoons green curry paste
  • 1 tablespoon peanut oil, divided
  • 1/8 teaspoon red pepper flakes (optional)

Veggies & Such

  • 1 pound raw shrimp, deveined & deshelled (optional; omit for vegan/vegetarian dish)
  • 1 (8 ounce) can water chestnuts, drained, rinsed & coarsely chopped
  • 1 crown broccoli, cut into small florets
  • 1head baby bok choy, leaves removed, stems chopped into 1/2-1″ pieces
  • 2 cups fresh asparagus, chopped into 1″ pieces
  • 1 cup frozen peas
  • 1 cup frozen green beans, chopped into 1″ pieces
  • brown rice or brown rice noodles

Directions

Cook brown rice or brown rice noodles according to package directions. If serving over brown rice noodles, rinse with cool water occasionally to keep from sticking.

Combine coconut milk, stock, brown sugar, chili peppers, lemongrass and red pepper flakes into crock pot, cover and turn on high. Once hot and bubbling, remove the lid from the crock pot and keep on high for 30-45 minutes. This will thicken the sauce slightly and allow time for veggie preparation. Once sauce has thickened, heat peanut oil in large skillet over medium-high heat.  Add chopped water chestnuts, bok choy, broccoli and asparagus. Sauté for ~3-4 minutes, add green curry paste and ginger, heating again until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add curried veggies (put the skillet aside to cook shrimp), frozen peas and green beans to the crock pot and stir well, cooking uncovered for ~8-12 minutes until veggies are just tender and vibrant green, not mushy and yellow-green.

While the veggies simmer in the curry sauce, heat remaining tablespoon of peanut oil over medium-high heat in the skillet. Add shrimp and cook until just pink, 2-3 minutes max. Transfer shrimp into curry crock pot and remove thai chiles and lemongrass just before serving.

Serve hot over brown rice or brown rice noodles. This recipe is best made just before eating as the vibrant green veggies will lose their color over time. Don’t worry, it still makes for some tasty leftovers they just won’t be the prettiest.

P.S. You might also like to check out some of the previous midweek eats recipes!

Happy Hump Day!

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