hi friends,

this past sunday was about reflection, and rest. I committed to doing exactly what I felt like doing, in each moment. one of the things I was clear about not wanting to do, was face the grocery store. so instead, I decided to look in our fridge and pantry to see what I had, thumb through a few recipes, and quickly got inspired to build my own curry. and, it turned out to be one of the most delicious things I've ever made!

pumpkin curry
prep time: 20 mins
cook time: 30 mins
V, GF, nut free

here's what you'll need:

1 tbsp coconut oil
1-2 garlic cloves
1 small yellow onion, chopped
1 tbsp (heaping) fresh minced or grated ginger
2 tbsp yellow curry
1 tsp coriander
1/2-1 tsp of red chili flakes (more or less, depending on spice tolerance)
1 tsp turmeric
1 small sweet potato, peeled and cubed (about 1 cup)
2 med carrots, peeled and diced
1 red bell pepper, chopped
1 tbsp tamari
3 cups organic low sodium vegetable broth
1/2 cup coconut milk
1 cup pumpkin puree
juice of 1 lime (do not omit!)
2 cups of spinach
cilantro (for garnish)
1 package of organic smoked tofu (optional)*
black pepper (to taste)

*depending on your preference you could add a can of chickpeas as a source of plant-based protein at step 5 below, or, if you'd prefer an animal-based protein, you could brown some chicken breast at step 1 below.

here's what you'll do:

1. melt coconut oil in large pot, add garlic and onions and sauté for 5 mins, then add ginger and continue sautéing until onions are translucent, and then add dry spices (curry, coriander, chili flakes, turmeric)
2. add 1 cup of vegetable broth to scrape up anything that's dried to bottom of pot, continue to stir for 2-3 mins
3. add pumpkin puree, remaining 2 cups of vegetable broth, coconut milk, tamari, sweet potato, carrot, bell pepper
4. bring to a boil and then simmer for 25-30 mins or until sweet potato and carrots are soft (the longer, the better). toward the end, add lime juice and fresh spinach. I also added a package of cubed tofu. whatever you do, don't omit the lime juice! it really helps to balance the richness of the coconut milk, sweet potato and pumpkin.
5. serve over brown basmati or quinoa (for extra protein) and garish with cilantro and black pepper. to make paleo/grain free, consider omitting the brown basmati or quinoa and serve over cauliflower rice. like most curries, it's even better the next day! tip: cook your quinoa, rice, or cauliflower rice with 2 tsp of cumin seeds. #nextlevel

in deciding what to cook for dinner, I highly recommend taking an inventory of what you already have at home. it feels really good to use what you've got, saving yourself a trip out, and your pennies. having trouble getting inspired? check out my previous blog post on manifesting your inner chef.

keep going,