Some people are inherently good at fixing lunches.
I am not one of those people.
Some people pack diminutive bento boxes with tiny spoonfuls of assorted salads, and fruit kabobs cut into gorgeous flower shapes. I admire those people for their patience, which I cannot seem to inherit when preparing a midday meal. I can spend hours glued to the computer, a reprogramming a report for work, or an entire day in the kitchen, braising, stewing, and coaxing bread dough to rise, but cannot seem to find that same level of focus for packing lunchboxes. Or cake decorating.
But I have resolved nonetheless to prepare more interesting, varied, and balanced lunches for Zach and I, by which I mean an alternative to Zach taking a peanut butter sandwich to work every single day and me forgetting lunch entirely while reprogramming the aforementioned report for the nine-hundredth time.
This eggplant and butternut squash curry was an excellent foray into Proper, Tasty, Interesting Lunches. It's absolutely delicious - an obvious prerequisite - hearty and balanced as a one dish meal, and both cozy and soothing yet also energizing with its nutritional balance and cheery spices (an energizing lunch with a good balance of protein, healthy fats, and complex carbs is essential to prevent immediately falling asleep at 2pm). And it's delicious. Zach and I had this for lunch an entire week straight, which, given that Zach usually tires of leftovers after two days, is quite the complement...
Eggplant and Butternut Squash Curry
A Food for Laughter Original!
3 T olive oil
4 tsp curry powder
1 1/2 tsp garam masala
1/2 tsp Aleppo pepper
1 T dried cilantro
1 large butternut squash, peeled and cut into 1" chunks
4 small or 2 medium eggplant, cut into 1" cubes, soaked in salt water for 20 minutes, rinsed, and dried
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 T tomato paste
1 1/2 cups vegetable broth
1 (15 oz) can chickpeas, drained
1 (14.5 oz) can diced tomatoes
1 cup frozen peas
1/2 cup coconut milk
~ In a large pot or dutch oven, saute the onions in the olive oil over medium-high heat until limp.
~ Add the curry powder, garam masala, Aleppo pepper, and cilantro and stir until the spices are fragrant (about 10 seconds).
~ Stir in the butternut squash, eggplant, garlic, and tomato paste, and continue stirring until the vegetables are coated with the spices (about 2 minutes).
~ Sir in the broth, scraping any browned bits off the bottom.
~ Stir in the chickpeas, tomatoes, and peas, and bring to a simmer. Cover, reduce the heat to keep the dish at a gentle simmer, and cook until the vegetables are tender.
~ Uncover, stir in the coconut milk, and cook until heated through. Season to taste with salt and pepper, and serve warm!
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